A Sense of Empathy and Humanity

To those of us with a sense of empathy and humanity, I ask you to join me
for a moment of silence in memory of the eight victims that died in the
Atlanta ‘spa’ massacre.

I know none of them, in particular the six slain Asian women. However, they
all had to be someone’s daughters, perhaps sisters, even mothers in their
lifetimes.

They left their families and homeland in search of economic opportunities,
their story is no different from any one of ours that came with a lineage of
immigrant ancestry.

Now their journeys have come to an abrupt and tragic end, unless we accord
them the dignity they deserve and remember them as human beings, they will
otherwise be relegated as crime statistics.

Crimes against Asians, with the majority of the victims being women, the
elderly, and immigrants, are already staggering before this highly
publicized case; almost 4,000 cases were reported in the last year alone.
It is still on the rise. Something has to be done.

For a start, we have to make sure the perpetrators are brought to face
justice. Then we must not allow their crime be soft-brushed as the
indiscretion ‘on a bad day’ or the acting-out during ‘a temper tantrum’.
These are narratives we have heard to describe such inexcusable crimes,
nevertheless not uncommonly accepted by a trial judge to hand down
inappropriately light sentences.

When the subject comes up among us Asian Americans, emotion is invariably
raw and the conversation often turns into tirades. While that is perfectly
understandable, it is not necessarily the best way to spread our intended
message beyond our circle. Therefore, to readers who have never personally
experienced such hate-driven aggression and with it, the indignity, I am
going to appeal for your understanding and ask for your support from a
somewhat different angle.

Regardless of race and ethnicity, we are, first and foremost, compatriots,
i.e., fellow-Americans, or if you prefer, members of the same national
family. If you have siblings, would you scrutinize or harass them over their
skin tone, hair color, or the shape of their noses? If you are a parent, I
hope you do not favor one child over another based on their physical
attributes, true? If you have ever served in the military, then this should
be instinctive to you too. When the enemy’s fire is directed at you, the
comrade next to you is the one you count on for support, just as he would
count on you to support him. Your blood both runs red regardless of the
color of your skin. And if we are to place a White baby, a Black baby, and
an Asian baby together, they start playing and laughing. So, prejudice is
not something we are born with. It is a taught behavior.

I came on these shores 55 years ago as a young immigrant and the ensuing
years witnessed my transformation into a first-generation American. In the
process, I came to learn the first bar to clear in becoming a true American
is to rid my own ignorance and prejudice. They are the poison that fouls a
perfectly good union of peoples, of which this country is.

If all Americans imbued with a sense of justice, decency and righteousness
would join hands together regardless of whether we are White, Black, Asian
Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic or a member of any oppressed
minorities, then in unity and in support of each other, we will be the new
majority, and our quest will simply be one in search of a more perfect
American soul.

In peace and harmony,

Benny Ko, M.D.

Past President and Council Member,

Indiana Association of Chinese-Americans

Dr. Benny Ko is a retired radiologist in Indianapolis after practicing his
specialty for over 40 years. He is an avid world traveler, trekker and
mountain climber. Dr. Ko graduated from IU School of Medicine in 1972 and
specializes in diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology and nuclear
medicine.