Every few days, I'm hearing about more unprovoked, violent attacks on Asians in New York City. With everything that is happening, the incidents get buried in other news and it feels like nobody cares, but the Asian American community definitely feels it. It's a scary time for us.
[4-panel comic of an Asian girl with a bun, coping with the rise of unprovoked violence and harassment against Asians in America in the pandemic. In panel 1, with a nervous expression, she says "I am scared to be in crowded places." In panel 2, eyes glare at her from the shadows: "I am scared of going outside after dark." Panel 3 is chaotically drawn disembodied "Scream" face with a bun. Text reads, "Terrified of riding the subway." In panel 4, she nervously scans the subway platform while she waits for a train, wearing a face mask and a hood over her head. Text reads, "Scared is the new brave." Autobio comic strip by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]
4 comments:
The third panel (second row, first column) is very effective. Looks like "The Scream". But there is no lead in as in the paragraph above, to understand the context of the cartoon.
Robert, that's helpful to know. I can see how it can be confusing without knowing that hate crimes against Asians have been spiking where I am. The incidents are very underreported, but compassion fatigue is also very high for everyone, understandably.
I thought about it and it's not my job to do the reporting. I don't expect people to care. I'm just drawing a personal experience, which is that my world feels unsafe right now and that people who look like me are being targeted -- shoved onto train tracks, murdered in their apartments, slashed with box cutters, hit with rocks and hammers, punched, shoved, and harassed on the streets where I live. It affects my daily life and mobility. All I can say is that it's happening.
Thanks for reading and for your input.
Courage means doing it scared. If we're not scared, it's not courage, it's just whatever we're doing. Courage is an intelligent response to an insupportable situation. Or, as I heard on a BBC documentary on film noir, "Sometimes paranoia is a rational response to life." Yes, yes it is, sometimes.
I have suffered from mild to medium agoraphobia for about 25 years. Even now, after 2 years of lockdown and then limited interaction (and sadly, no job) it can take courage to go out. Courage means a lot of deep breathing and telling myself I really will be OK, that there's enough air for everybody. At least it's no longer a struggle just to get out of bed. The first words out of my mouth are not "I don't want to get up" anymore. That's something.
Anna in Spain:
My best regards to you! Its cold where I live, and its keeping me inside the house. Today looks better and I am going to take coffee on the front porch while my wife practices piano.
Sitting on the porch with coffee is a plus for me. I'm reading more now, science essays and trying to be happier.
Make mischief!
Robert
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