A candle is lit in memory of all innocent people who have died from preventable war, and of people who were hurt by nationality-related bullying.
Snow Wang
(Content Warning: Sensitive and Dark Topics)
Take a moment to read these quotes:
BERLIN, GERMANY — “You’re killing Ukrainian children!” (New York Times)
NEW YORK CITY, NY, USA — “Oh, Israel, Hitler should have finished the Job” (Times of Israel)
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA — “Boycott China! The Chinese are Nazis!” (TheTaiwaneseAmerican)
WOODINVILLE, WA, USA — What do all those chants have in common?
They’re horrifying, generalizing, and they make society less tolerant and truthful.
This is a problem that has not faced much condemnation worldwide. It is something called prejudice based on nationality and ethnicity.
Growing up as a Chinese-born girl in the United States of America, I’ve both witnessed and experienced this myself. In 3rd grade, I was in a class with a 3rd grade minority and a 4th grade majority. One of the 4th grade boys was from Taiwan, my country’s target.
“Snow, why are you a communist!?” “Snow, why are you a Nazi?” “Snow, why are you…”
Then the COVID-19 pandemic came. And the US-China trade war. And a million other things that gave people reasons to hate China.
I mean, I love China and the US. I’m proud to say I’m from these countries, but what does that even mean? And what does that mean for non-Chinese, and non-United Statesians? China and the US commit atrocities like any other country. The Uyghur genocide, ethnic cleansing of Inner Mongolians, the manmade famine in the 1960s, occupation of Tibet, invasion and destruction of Vietnamese culture for over 1,000 years, and threats against Taiwan — these are all reasons why people hate China. China also has horrible relations with all 16 of its land neighbors and all 10 of its maritime neighbors — even North Korea. China and North Korea have border disputes and many North Korean refugees report having a negative view of China.
As for the US? Bombing Iraq and Afghanistan, ethnic cleansing of indigenous peoples (Trail of Tears and other similar events), and the poor treatment of Latin American refugees at our borders. We banned abortion, oppressed women, and LGBT rights here are among the worst in the democratic world. We have a life expectancy much, much lower than most other rich countries, and even countries like Costa Rica or Colombia now have a higher life expectancy than the US (Gapminder). The atrocities that both China and the US commit are nothing but terrifying, and I can’t imagine what this was like for people who’ve suffered it.
Despite all this, both China and the US have made achievements that give reason to love them. China invented paper and the compass, and the US is known for being the first modern democracy in the world. But how can you love something and hate it at the same time? I can choose to feel guilty and ashamed for who I am, or I can choose to love my countries overwhelmingly, and support atrocious actions. Neither of those sound like good options. Is there a third option for people like me? And what is treason? What isn’t?
Then Russia invaded Ukraine. It’s escalated into genocide, and Ukrainians are fleeing and suffering everyday from Russia’s bombs and war crimes. Increasing reports are now atrocious and totally unforgivable: Russian soldiers have massacred and razed Bucha, bombed Mariupol to the ground, murdered children in Kharkiv in cold blood, and raped people in Irpin (war.ukraine.ua).
We’ve seen nasty hate crimes against Russians (and Eastern European people in general) skyrocket. Poles, Lithuanians, Czechs, Belarusians, Serbians, Latvians, and even Ukrainians themselves, because their names sounded “Russian”: many Slavic and Baltic surnames end in -vych/-vich, -enva, -vic, -kas, and other similar suffixes, subjecting many from Eastern Europe to abuse. (New York Times) My Russian friend received a death threat, even though a loved one in Russia is risking his freedom to join the foreign legion for Ukraine. Another older family friend, who married a Russian and had a daughter with him, received threats calling for her child to be killed in order to “even the score”.
The question is: What do these people have to do with Russia and Ukraine? They’re just Russians, this doesn’t mean they’re criminals. Just like I didn’t choose to be born Chinese and live in the US, my Russian and Slavic/Baltic friends never asked to be who they are.
It’s even more depressing when you consider that every country commits atrocities. During World War II, according to PBS, Switzerland was the Nazis’s top henchman. Switzerland blocked Jews from fleeing to its territory using bombs on the borders (Infographics Show), and all Swiss people’s tax money was given to the Nazis. Switzerland even let Germany and Italy practice air exercises on their soil. And Canada, according to the Conversation, not only committed genocide against its native population, but is also the biggest exporter of abestos, a chemical that causes cancer and is banned under international law. How many resolutions have been passed against Canada’s exporting? And have any Swiss and Canadians faced harassment related to their nationality?
This is biased and based only on prejudice, because these things aren’t matters of choice, but rather, chance. You simply appear wherever your parents happened to be when that 9 months ended, and your bloodline is determined by genes. If you can’t choose your race, you can’t choose your nationality or ethnicity either.
What about supporting atrocities? Ukrainians, Taiwanese, Indigenous peoples, and many more may ask this question. Here’s the good news: Just because you’re from a country doesn’t mean you support everything it does. Are Germans still Nazis? Not anymore. Germany mandates Holocaust education in its schools, and even 10% of Germans still say, “I feel very guilty for the Holocaust, even though I didn’t do anything wrong myself.” (Deuches Walle, a German news source). People have even harmed themselves or committed suicide because of guilt. (Deuches Walle)
What does this mean for everyone else? What does this mean for Jews and Germany, for Uyghurs or Taiwanese and China, for my own people and Japan? Yes, Japan’s war crimes and mass atrocities during World War II are unjustifiable, and I can’t imagine what it was like for my ancestors, including my grandparents, who lived through this trauma. I can’t stop feeling sorry for them, and grateful that I was born in this time of peace. I also feel selfish, that I get to live in peace and so many people in places like the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe don’t.
But what is treason? That is a question many of us ask when it comes to respecting countries and criticizing the actions of our own. Is criticizing my country treason? Short answer: No.
During my second term as an activist, my primary focus was on the Middle East, countries like Yemen and Palestine. Another country in the mix was Israel, the world’s only Jewish state. According to StandWithUs, a professional organization that advocates for the Middle East from an unbiased Israel-based perspective, “Criticizing Israeli policies — while obeying the Ds rule — isn’t antisemitic or anti-Israel at all”. The Tel Aviv Institute, an organization which strives to teach Israelis about the experiences of Palestinians and vice versa, believes “[w]e shouldn’t criticize Israel because we hate it; rather, we should criticize Israel because we love Israel and want it to improve.” In short words, the Ds are:
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Dehumanization – When Israelis (or people from any country) are portrayed as inhuman or are collectively punished for an atrocity.
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Double standards – When Israel (or any other country) is criticized more than others or receives a punishment more severe than what other countries would get.
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Demonization – When Israel (or any other country) is portrayed as the world’s most evil country.
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Defamation – When false narratives are spread to deliberately damage Israel’s (or any other country’s) reputation by inaccurately portraying events as atrocities or pretending events happened when they did not.
Of course, criticizing your own country and respecting other countries can be difficult. Criticizing your country can be hard especially if you have suffered because of it. I’ve seen Russians supporting Russia’s assault on Ukraine and Georgia — after they got bullied for being Russian. One study published in the New York Times stated, “When Russians face harassment for what their country is doing — and they are anti-war — they tend to stop supporting Ukraine and turn pro-war rather than stay critical of their country’s actions.” Respecting and forgiving other countries can be difficult, too, particularly if they wronged you. According to BBC, many Chinese survivors of the Nanjing Massacre (often called “Rape of Nanking”) during World War II still have severe PTSD over 80 years later. I want to send a message to my own people: You don’t have to forgive Japan for it if you can’t — mental health matters most. But respecting Japanese people for being Japanese is still important. I cannot imagine what the massacre was like for you. I’m so sorry about all your pain.
The main lesson we can draw from this is that no country is perfect, and all countries have been through traumatizing events throughout their history. Entire generations of humans like you and me have been scarred by the trauma, many for life. People take time to heal. Give them the time. Give them a voice. Listen. Actively.
Every country has flaws and it’s alright to show others these flaws. But as always, please do not bully or shame others and try to guilt-trip them for their nationality or ethnicity. Show them that their mental health matters, as does standing up for what’s right. Every country has their own problems, and it takes constructive criticism and a big heart for every country to improve.
Now, I want to say something about my own countries, China and USA.
China, I appreciate many parts of you. The invention of the compass saved many lives, and the invention of paper was involved in increasing literacy and education worldwide. I’m sorry for the atrocities that the Mongol Empire and Imperial Japan committed against you — the wounds run very deep and people certainly did not deserve to suffer. However, I cannot pledge support to everything you do, China. The genocides against the Uyghurs, Inner Mongolians, and Tibeteans must stop. They’re human, just like you. You have attacked your neighbors constantly over thousands of years, and refused to teach our children the truth about the acts committed by China’s army in Laos, Korea, and Mongolia. People should learn to appreciate China in many ways, but condemn the bad.
USA, there are many things I admire about you. Your national parks are beautiful, and you created the first one, Yellowstone. I visited that national park in summer 2023, and learned it was the first, created to preserve nature and the land. Your population of immigrants (like me) is the highest in the world. I’m sorry about the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the War of 1812, and anything bad that may have happened to you. No one deserved it. But also, there are things I don’t like that you do. The genocide of the Native Americans, the invasions and bombings in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, and the horrible acts in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The unjust internment of Japanese United Statesians during World War II was collective and unjust punishment. Jim Crow laws and segregation are acts of genocide and terror against our country’s BIPOC population. I’m sorry for anyone who had to live through that trauma. But overall, USA, I think you’re a country worth living in.
Everyone should abide by this, living by the virtue of constructive criticism and empathy. Every country does bad things, has their own problems, their own traumas, and contributes in some way to the world, because people from every country have made discoveries that helped you live, or inventions that transformed the world. Most importantly, people can’t choose where they’re from or where they’re born. No one deserves to live through traumatizing events, whether it’s unforgivable atrocities or prejudiced bullying on the basis of ancestry or ethnicity.
I love every country equally, always will.
Love, Snow.
About the Journalist
Snow Wang (She/They) is an activist and a student. You can find her on Instagram at @snow_cares_about_the_world.