'I've Never Seen This Level of Fear.' Why Asian Americans Are Joining the Rush to Buy Guns

[Dial H For Hero]

https://time.com/6080988/asians-buying-guns/


(Svetlana Kim practices shooting her new handgun while standing next to Tom Nguyen, instructor and founder of L.A. Progressive Shooters, at the Burro Canyon Shooting Park in Azusa, CA on July 18, 2020. Nguyen founded L.A. Progressive Shooters in the hopes of diversifying the population of gun owners.)

Six months ago, Svetlana Kim was so scared of guns, she couldn’t even look at an image of one without feeling anxious.

If she was home watching a movie that suddenly depicted gun violence, the 47-year-old accountant would scramble to hit the fast-forward button on the remote. If she couldn’t skip the scene, she would shut her eyes, and her husband would gently put his hand over hers until the scene was over. Kim knew it was just a movie, but in those moments, she couldn’t help but feel like she was in the victim’s shoes, staring the shooter in the eye.

“My brain was always signaling danger. I just felt like, it’s here, it’s present,” says Kim, who blames empathy and imagination for her visceral reaction, since she has never personally experienced gun violence. “It was bad like that, and I couldn’t control it.”

That all changed when something scarier came along. Months into the pandemic, people who looked like Kim were being shoved and kicked to the ground, punched, stabbed and slashed, while doing everyday activities like walking around the neighborhood, shopping and riding buses and trains. One after another, unprovoked, racist attacks against Asian Americans being unfairly blamed for the COVID-19 virus started to increase in major U.S. cities. Kim wondered if she could be the next victim.

[dalton99a]

1. It's about time they armed themselves. Nobody is helping them.

[Calculating]

2. Exactly

I'm generally left leaning and I still think almost everyone should own a gun. Can't count on the government or police, that's for sure.

[Dr. Strange]

3. I'm sure she's just compensating for a small penis.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

4. LOL.

I see what you did there.

[Red Mountain]

7. Not sure she can do that

A very small penis is still a very large clitoris.

Probably just wants to protect herself and her loved ones.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

8. I think you replied to the wrong person. nt

[Dr. Strange]

10. Well...

Probably just wants to protect herself and her loved ones.

that does make sense. But we've been assured that no one needs a gun for protection. And that having a gun is a compensation for having a small penis.

[SunImp]

9. 1+

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

14. Really? You had to go there?

I’m not sure if you’re aware but one of the favorite racist attacks against Asian men always has to do with penis size. And you had to play that card?

[Dial H For Hero]

22. I am fairly confident that the comment was intended to highlight the fact that stories about people

owning firearms frequently result in comments about small penises around here.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

23. However

But not all of them link Asians and penis size in the same breath. Still racist.

But hey, no one gives a flip about Asians around here, so I’m not shocked either.

[ansible]

25. Equating gun ownership to small penis size is a staple here

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

26. Defending racism

Defending racism is racist. Linking Asians and penis size — regardless if guns are involved — is racist.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

32. There's a button on the bottom left that says alert abuse,

you should, you know, maybe push it if you truly believe it's racist and let the jury decide, otherwise...........

[LiberatedUSA]

24. Penis size and gun ownership go...hand in hand.

Last edited Wed Jul 21, 2021, 10:59 AM - Edit history (1)

Check almost any thread on this site that deals with gun owners, shootings, trumpers with AR-15s, etc. You will see that in no way, shape or form was that post about that particular Asian stereotype.


I will say though, they don’t really mean small penis, they mean the person has no courage. If a gun safety advocate told a trumper with a gun they had a small penis, and the trumper pulled out a Ron Jeremy-sized monster, the gun safety advocate would tell them, “that is big but you still have a small penis for carrying that gun around.”

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

27. Still racist

Linking Asians and penis size is racist regardless of guns are involved. It’s a microaggression but I don’t expect the well meaning white folk around here to understand.

[LiberatedUSA]

31. Then you should alert on it.

If the post is racist, as you say, alert on it. I think most everyone here won’t buy what you are selling.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

33. I fully expect

I fully expect to continue to have this whitesplained to me.

[Dr. Strange]

34. I went somewhere.

I’m not sure if you’re aware but one of the favorite racist attacks against Asian men always has to do with penis size.

I am aware, but if you read the story, you'll notice that there are literally no Asian men involved. The story centers around an Asian woman, which means there must be something else going on. Namely...

And you had to play that card?

I'm not making fun of the woman for having a small penis--I'm making fun of the knee-jerk trope (that is quite popular here at the DU) that anyone who gets a gun for "protection" is compensating for a small penis.

To make it clearer: I think it's fine for her to get a gun for protection. I don't question her reason for doing so. I don't buy into the bullshit claims about guns being a compensation for having a small penis.

I'm not making fun of her. I'm making fun of people who think that someone getting a gun must be compensating for having a small penis.

[Devil Child]

28. Best post in thread n/t

[LanternWaste]

5. Fear is great commercial branding for firearm manufacturers

CEO's of Browning, Smith & Wesson, and Kimber will pretend it's concern, insurance and security.

But it's fear they now sell.

A foul smelling culture exploiting actual concerns for profit so the top of food chain can lunch on $300 plates of kale and dressing while rationalizing to themselves how wise, special and clever they are while dropping names and patting themselves on the back.

Foul smelling.

[Sympthsical]

6. Well, Stop Asian Hate lasted all of a week

The Left doesn't do well by Asians. I know it from personal experience.

There's a reason for that, but no way on earth will it be discussed here.

Part of the problem is, the Model Minority myth perpetuates an idea that Asian communities don't suffer the same kinds of discrimination as other minorities.

Also, we'd have to discuss problems of racism in communities other than strictly white people.

And that ain't gonna happen. Certainly not here.

So, I don't particularly blame them for arming up. We, the so-called champions of social justice, have just spent two months basically communicating to AAPIs, "Yeah, you're on your own here. Best I can do is a generic Twitter pic. Good luck!"

[WarGamer]

11. Yeah you're right

[ansible]

12. According to some here, only white people can be racist

Attacks on asians are just completely ignored

[Sympthsical]

13. That's why I tapped out of the discussions about it for the most part

And attacks on Asians are rarely posted here, even if they're in the news.

Wait, no, when that mentally ill homeless white guy went ballistic on an Asian cop, that got posted here.

Little else. And we're supposed to pretend it's not happening.

[dalton99a]

15. Meh. Rest assured we have the most diverse Cabinet ever

Zero Asian-Americans running any Cabinet department for the first time since 2000

I suspect people notice these things, and realize they are really on their own

[Raine]

17. Totally on point. nt

[MagickMuffin]

18. That just isn't true. I've seen several posts about the attacks on the Asian communities

That's how I found out about them!

Stories about buses, trains, walking down the street.

Perhaps they were posted before you became a member.

[Sympthsical]

21. There was about a one month period

When it was in the media quite a bit. And everyone cared. For about a month. It was one of those trendy Twitter things slacktivists love. Hashtags and FB pics. You know how causes are fashionable online for a time. No one actually does anything about it. They just say things online. "Look at me! I care, too! Don't forget me over here and my caring! . . . Do something? LOL, don't be absurd."

One month. Then, poof.

The poster below tried to disprove my point while inadvertently totally proving it.

[Kaleva]

19. A quick search proves you posted a falsehood

Your comment:

"And attacks on Asians are rarely posted here, even if they're in the news."

Here are some examples of posts here about attacks on Asians:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142738653

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215301398

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215287301

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215537458

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142720657

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215364748

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215402595

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142714273

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215396517

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215298487

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215310931

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215396517

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142739344

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142711897

And there are more.

I didn't look through all of them but I did see you made a comment in 3 of the above. Based on what I see, I conclude you don't have much of an interest in the subject based on your lack of knowledge about the existence of the numerous threads posted here discussing the issue and your minimalist participation in those threads.

[Sympthsical]

20. Look at the dates

As I sarcastically noted originally. Stop Asian Hate lasted for a little while. Then poof, gone.

There have been a lot of attacks in the MSM noted in the past two months. Everyone cared for about ten seconds.

The attacks didn't stop.

Unless anti-Asian violence magically disappeared in early May.

You just absolutely proved my point.

As for my lack of caring. My partner and all of my in-laws are Asian. So, you can kind of take a leap on that one. I had to fight people on this very board about the very existence of anti-Asian racism. As I said above, I tapped out. I'm not going to overly waste my energy on people who will deny blatant racism.

And yet they're still here. Like I said, anti-Asian racism just isn't that important to some. Not a lot of, "Look at me! I'm one of the good ones!" internet points to be had in it.

[Raine]

16. Exactly. nt

[Devil Child]

29. +1 Sympthsical

[Devil Child]

30. It is their 2a right to do so. Very smart to be prepared for uncertainty these days