Written by T. Logan Dayne
As crime and hate targeted against Asian-Americans increased in the aftermath of COVID-19, one Democrat Candidate from California, Jay Chen, took time mock his opponent’s accent saying that “You kind of need an interpreter to figure out exactly what she’s saying”, adding that “The more she speaks, the better for us,” as his crowd laughed at his mockery. He has even gone as far to say that she is “incoherent” in previous statements while also implying she is incapable of thinking for herself. Many are pointing out the hypocrisy that this kind of racist and misogynistic behavior is not only inappropriate for a congressional candidate but the exact thing the campaign to Stop Asian Hate was aimed against. The Stop Asian Hate movement is a move to stop the crisis of anit-Asain hate and violence, a prominent movement in California that has an extensive history of Asian-American history. The tenets of this movement seem to have been missed by Chen.
Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) whom Jay Chen mocked, is a first-generation Korean American who speaks English as a third language. A spokesperson for Steel stated, “America is a country built on immigrants,” and condemned Jay Chen’s statements as “racist…hav[ing] absolutely no place in our community. Chen owes everyone an explanation, particularly following recent reports he continues backing the Chinese Communist Party’s Confucius institutes in our educational system.”
Jay Chen has led the charge to bring the communist program to the classroom. Even being designated by the state department as a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda arm aimed to advance “Beijing’s global propaganda and malign influence campaign.” CCP officials have recognized the Confucius institute programs as “an important part of China’s overseas propaganda setup.” Despite Chen’s allegiance to foreign propaganda programs, he is still supported and endorsed by several Democrats including progressives such as Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Ted Lieu.
Photo Cred: Michelle Steel for Congress
