History Lesson
The World War II victors partitioned the Korean Peninsula after the defeat of Japan. The Western Powers created South Korea, and the Soviet Union backed North Korea. In 1949, Mao Zedong and the Communist Party took over mainland China. They also became a strong backer of North Korea. The leader of the North was Kim Il-Sung, the grandfather of current dictator Kim Jong-un. From the beginning of the partition in 1945, Kim supported a Communist insurgency in South Korea.
With the takeover of Communists in China, Kim felt emboldened to launch a full attack against the South. In June of 1950, North Korean forces crossed the demilitarized zone and made quick advances against South Korea and their allied US Forces. These allies were driven to the far southern end of the peninsula, and established a defensive perimeter around Pusan.
US forces under General Douglas MacArthur launched an “end around” sea invasion behind the North Korean lines at Incheon. North troops were cut off from their supplies, and forced to fall back. MacArthur pursued them, all the way to near the Yalu River at the Soviet border. This triggered a Chinese response. Millions of Chinese Communist forces streamed over the bridges and to the attack against the US and their allies. The war would drag on for the next three years. US and Chinese forces battled in the mountains of North Korea, and ultimately reached a stalemate at the current line of demarcation, the Demilitarized Zone.
Racist Shorthand
US Forces in the Korean War developed insulting terms for the Chinese troops. Besides the more “traditional” racist tropes, they were also called “Chi-Coms” for Chinese Communists. Like the “Japs and Krauts” of World War II, it was a short hand way of insulting the enemy and “uniting” American GI’s against a racial foe.
I’d hoped we left those type of terms behind. We don’t call people from Japan, or Germany, or Vietnam, or folks from the Middle East by insulting terms, and certainly not in public places. But yesterday Congressman Chip Roy of Texas echoed all of those racist sentiments. He used Korean War era shorthand to speak of the “Chi-Coms”, the “bad guys” in China. What made his statement even worse, is that he prefaced it with a statement about “Texas Justice”. He spoke of justice as a tall tree and a rope – lynching. And he made all of these statements in a Congressional hearing that was supposed to examine the growing number of violent attacks against Americans of Asian ancestry. He said it just days after six of those Asian Americans were murdered in Atlanta at three different massage spas.
Roy’s defenders argue that it not “pejorative”. It’s just the same as calling the North Vietnamese, Viet Cong, or VC for short. But here’s the problem. In a hearing about the growing abuse against Americans of Asian descent, stoked by the Republican rhetoric about the “China Virus” or the “Kung Flu” or worse, Congressman Roy conflated the two. He put together many Americans now at risk for attack and abuse, with the Chinese Communists our fathers and grandfathers fought. And he did it while stating that he supported the First Amendment, as if they gave him some “right” to encourage violence.
Intelligence and Politics
It’s all wrapped up in Trumpian politics. A National Intelligence report just released states that the Russians interfered in the US election in favor of Donald Trump, again. Trump supporters responded by saying that it was really the Chinese who interfered to support Biden. The US Intelligence Community says that simply is not true. But because it fits into the “Big Lie” about the 2020 election, Republican Trump stalwarts “have” to be for Russia, and against China.
So by conflating Asian-Americans with “Chi-Coms”, Congressman Roy is trying to regain support from the Trump base. I suppose that’s because he voted to certify the election for Joe Biden, in a break with many of his fellow Texas Republicans. So maybe this is his way to “make up” with them.
This isn’t about “cancel culture”. It’s not trying to prevent the Congressman, or other Americans, from expressing racist views. They can say what they want. But, like the apocryphal man crying “fire” in a crowded theatre, Congressman Roy should not be held harmless for his statements. The “Chi-Coms” have nothing to do with those folks working in Atlanta. Nor the elderly beaten because some fool determined that they are somehow at fault for COVID.
But Congressman Roy hopes to make political “hay” on their misery. Not to conflate myself, but he was Chief of Staff for Ted Cruz.
That says it all.
