Now That is Some High-Effort Racism

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



"Corona Time"
Spotted on social media. These students at Sin-Paulus Campus College Waregem decided to celebrate the school's annual tradition of oh who the hell cares, like any context can justify this shit. More than the blatant racist mockery of their outfits, what really gets me is the incredible amount of planning and coordination that clearly went into this multi-participant bullshit. This is what Elaine Low calls "high-effort racism." Do note the girl, center-left, pulling her eyes back, squeezing some of that extra racism juice out of the moment.

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Asian Woman Attacked in Possible Coronavirus Hate Crime
An Asian woman was punched in the face in New York City on Tuesday in what is being investigated as a possible bias incident, apparently motivated by bigotry surrounding the coronavirus. A 23-year-old woman told police she was punched in the face by a woman who also made anti-Asian slurs before fleeing the scene. According to the New York Post, the assailant yelled "Where is your corona mask, you Asian bitch," before punching the other woman.

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Coronavirus Concerns Shut Down Three SGV Restaurants
Asian restaurants, especially Chinese restaurants, across the San Gabriel Valley in the Los Angeles area are reporting significant declines in business as novel coronavirus concerns continue to keep diners away. Many popular restaurants in the area have closed temporarily or even permanently in Southern California's most populated Asian American community. The latest affected are Hong Kong-style restaurant Henry's Cuisine and Cantonese restaurant Top Island Seafood in Alhambra. Both establishments are closed for the next two months due to coronavirus concerns.

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Woman Seen On Video Burning Flag Outside Hindu Temple In Queens
Police are searching for a woman seen on video setting a flag on fire outside a Hindu temple in Queens. The incident, which is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, happened last Thursday at the Shri Tulshi Mandir temple around 7:30 pm.

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Quibi Orders Fire Island Comedy 'Trip' From Joel Kim Booster
Short form video platform Quibi has given the greenlight to the Fire Island comedy series Trip, created by Joel Kim Booster. Set on the iconic Fire Island, Trip is "an unapologetic, modern day rom-com inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice." The story centers around two best friends who set out to have a legendary week-long summer vacation with the help of cheap rosé and a cadre of eclectic friends.

Hindu temple vandalized with hate graffiti

Swastika found spray-painted on the side of the Hindu Temple Cultural Center in Bothell, Washington.



What the hell, people? This is some upsetting news out of the Seattle area, where a local Hindu place of worship in Bothell was targeted and vandalized over the weekend with racist, threatening graffiti.

Hindu center vandalized with hate speech

One day before their celebration of the Great Night of Shiva, members of the Hindu Temple Cultural Center discovered a red swastika and the words "GET OUT" spray painted on the side of their building:

'Under Suspicion, Under Attack': New SAALT report documents hate violence and xenophobic rhetoric

Hate violence 'hot spots' include New York City, New Jersey, Chicago, Southern and Northern California



This week, as the nation observes the 13th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together), released Under Suspicion, Under Attack, a report that documents over 150 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic political rhetoric aimed at South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Middle Eastern and Arab communities over the last three years.

SAALT's analysis, spanning incidents from January 2011 through April 2014, found that these communities are increasingly depicted as un-American, unwelcome and disloyal -- and community members and institutions are too often targeted with violence, vandalism and harassment. Many continue to face a post-9/11 backlash, including racial and religious profiling, unwarranted surveillance, and the threat of violence and intimidation.

According to the report, over 80% of documented hate violence incidents were motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment. Similarly, an overwhelming majority -- over 90% -- of xenophobic political comments were characterized by anti-Muslim bias. Hate violence 'hot spots' included the New York City/New Jersey metropolitan area; Chicago and its outlying suburbs; and Southern and Northern California.

Here are some of the report's key findings:

Urban Outfitters is selling a Lord Ganesha Duvet Cover

Further proof that the hipster retailer really doesn't give a shit.



Last week's post about that godawful racist head charm necklace from Topshop was a reminder of the stockpile of ridiculous, insensitive items that regularly get passed off as hipster/vintage "cool."

You might remember last year when Urban Outfitters started selling a line of -- I kid you not -- religion-themed socks, angering Hindu leaders with its $8 footwear depiction of the Lord Ganesha, a revered deity in the Hindu pantheon. Well, it appears that Urban Outfitters is at it again with a Lord Ganesh duvet cover.

Urban Outfitters Insensitive Lord Ganesha Duvet Cover Angers Hindu Community Once Again

The Lord Ganesha Duvet Cover, designed by Valentina Ramos, is available from Urban Outfitters for $129-$169. But Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, says that the Lord Ganesha is meant to be worshipped in temples or shrines -- not to be slept on.

Hindu guy makes the mistake of traveling on Ramadan

This week in Flying While Brown.



I've lost track of how many frustrating, mind-melting accounts I've read of innocent brown folks getting profiled, hassled and mistreated by airport security while traveling, just trying to get to wherever the hell they're going. Here's one more infuriating account from Aditya Mukerjee: JetBlue Refuses To Let Hindu Man Board Flight During Ramadan, Concerned About His "Disposition."

Mukerjee, who is Hindu, was traveling from New York City to Los Angeles to vacation with his family. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of flying during the Muslim holiday Ramadan -- I repeat, he is Hindu, not Muslim, and not that it friggin' matters -- which he believes ultimately got him detained for hours and questioned by the TSA, NYPD, FBI and Homeland Security. And yes, he missed his flight.

After going through the gauntlet of inane interrogation by all those agencies, it was ultimately the airline, JetBlue, that booted Mukerjee off the flight. He detailed the day's entire shitty experience in an infuriating blog post entitled Don't Fly During Ramadan.

Hindu temple vandalized in possible hate crime

Some local news out of Canada about a possible hate crime... In Surrey, British Columbia, authorities are investigating the vandalism of a Hindu temple over the weekend. Temple leaders are certain the incident was a hate crime: Temple bashing hate crime, says Hindu leader.

Sometime early Sunday morning, surveillance cameras caught two men -- who appear to be South Asian -- entering the Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Mandir temple. The vandals used baseball bats to smash up the windows of the temple's front entrance. Nothing was stolen, which leads some to believe this was more than just a simple act of vandalism:

elderly man savagely beaten in queens hate crime

Disturbing news of a savage hate crime beating in New York, where suspects brutally beat an elderly Muslim man: NYPD: Suspects Savagely Attacked Elderly Man In Queens After Asking If He Was Muslim.

On November 24, 72-year-old Ali Akmal was out for an early morning walk when two men approached him and asked "are you Muslim or Hindu?" When he responded "Muslim," they attacked him. Hell, they tried to kill him.

Bloody and bruised from head to toe, Akmal was hospitalized in critical condition. He can't walk and can barely speak. The case has been assigned to detectives with the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force: