Amren, “Why Are Asians Invisible?”, 22 Sept 2016:

Because liberals want it that way.

Every so often, someone in the media or academy asks, “Why are Asians in America largely invisible?” It’s a good question. Almost no one worries about the welfare and identity of Asians–unlike for blacks and Hispanics. You can see this discrepancy everywhere.

The media have plenty of prominent black talking heads who focus on “black” issues–Ta-Nehisi Coates, Donna Brazile, Gary Younge, Joy Reid, Roland Martin, et al.–but there are no prominent Asian talking heads who focus on “Asian” issues.

Black and Hispanic advocacy groups are well known, and always portrayed positively: NAACP, La Raza, and MEChA. Can you name a single Asian one?

In public schools–and I speak from experience–reading lists are filled with sob stories about blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians: To Kill a Mockingbird, Bless Me Ultima, The House on Mango Street, Love Medicine, Black Boy, The Invisible Man, etc. Asians have just one such book that white students must read, The Joy Luck Club.

There are countless books on the economic and cultural status of blacks in the United States. Jonathan Kozol has made a name for himself writing about blacks in public education for over half a century. Books such as The New Jim Crow and Gang Leader for a Day always set off hand-wringing discussions about “what it’s like to be black in America.” One of the few Asian equivalents was Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, which examined the rigors of Asian-American parenting.

Much is made of blacks and Hispanics generally. The Huffington Post has a section for “Black Voices” and “Latino Voices” but nothing for Asians, and plenty of other websites are the same way. Bookstores invariably have a section on “African-American Studies,” but only very large or specialized ones have “Asian-American / Pacific Islander Studies.” There are plenty of films and TV shows about blacks, such as Roots and 12 Years a Slave, but Asians have little media specifically tailored to them. Blacks and Hispanics even have their own TV channels: BET and Univision. Asians do not.

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