Uh, no. I don't care where you live, what you eat, who your friends are, or who you're married to. It does not give you honorary Asian status, and it definitely does not make you an "Asian trapped in a white body."
That's a quote. That's what Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) told attendees at an event for Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in Washington on Tuesday night. During remarks at the 2019 Celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Members of the 116th Congress, the congressman -- who is white -- told the crowd -- which was largely Asian -- "I'm an Asian trapped in a white body."
The comment was shared in a tweet by National Journal fellow Nicholas Wu, who was in attendance.
Congressman Ed Case, who represents a majority Asian district in Honolulu - “I’m an Asian trapped in a white body” pic.twitter.com/Roro6Yk8CW
— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) January 16, 2019
As you can imagine, Case's remarks didn't go over well with the internets. The congressman, who represents a majority Asian district in Hawaii, issued a statement defending his comment, calling himself an "advocate" for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
"Like so many others from Hawaii who treasure our multicultural heritage, I have absorbed and live the values of our many cultures," Case said in a statement to The Washington Post. "They and not my specific ethnicity are who I am, and I believe that this makes me an effective advocate on national issues affecting our API community. I regret if my specific remarks to the national API community on my full absorption of their concerns caused any offense."
The congressman, having fully "absorbed" our community's issues and concerns into his mortal white shell, is now apparently an Asian man on the inside. The transformation is complete!
A spokesman for Case further clarified that the congressman was commenting "on what his Japanese-American wife sometimes says about him." Maybe some things should just stay between Ed and "his Japanese-American wife." Also, please, for heaven's sake, don't refer to her as "his Japanese-American wife."
Look, whatever it is you're trying to say, don't say it like this.
More here: Rep. Ed Case said he’s 'an Asian trapped in a white body.' His apology didn't help.
