Monthly Archives: April 2019

Reconciling a Foreign Author, a US Book, and Authorial Responsibility

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

I am writing to take issue with your article, An Author Canceled Her Own YA Novel Over Accusations of Racism. But Is It Really Anti-Black? (slate.com, Jan. 31, 2019) by Aja Hoggart. The article discusses the controversy surrounding the publication—or non-publication—of Amelie Wen Zhao’s debut young adult (YA) novel, Blood Heir. In late January, a fellow YA author took to Twitter to point out what she considered anti-black racism in Zhao’s forthcoming novel—the book includes a young woman who dies at a slave auction. Though her race is never explicitly stated, some readers interpreted the character as black. Following an explosion of criticism on “YA Twitter,” Zhao decided to indefinitely postpone the publication of her novel, the first part of a six-figure deal for a trilogy.

This article downplays the seriousness of the situation, and the ultimate merit of the accusations. The intense outrage on Twitter may have been overblown, but it shouldn’t be dismissed. However, the situation isn’t clear-cut; Zhao immigrated to the United States at the age of eighteen, and her experiences growing up in China informed her book. She states that the slavery and indentured servitude described in the novel are based on the indentured servitude and human trafficking that she witnessed firsthand in her native China and surrounding countries growing up. Zhao’s cultural background may well have limited her awareness of the cultural connotations surrounding slavery in the U.S. For this reason, and because she has clearly learned from the situation, she should be given a second chance at publication.

Still, it is vitally important to remember that while Zhao may not be from the United States, and while her story takes place in an Asian-inspired fantasy world, the book was set to be published in the United States. The slave auction scenes it contains are troubling and, in our cultural context, morally fraught. Hoggart’s article overlooks this fact, as well as the fact that regardless of Zhao’s intentions or the technicalities of whether or not the book is anti-black, it can be perceived that way. This could have a harmful effect on the American teens who read it—a real concern, and one that Hoggart utterly fails to consider.

Fear and Ignorance Open the Door to Disease

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

While Japan contributes a significant amount to UNICEF towards the elimination of measles, and their infant mortality rates are amongst the lowest in the world, children there still die from preventable diseases.  The recent outbreak of measles, as described in the news article “Japan Battles Worst Measles Outbreak in Years,” (World, February 22) is not an isolated incident and has an impact beyond the island nation. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Japan has been one of the countries most responsible for exporting measles to the U.S. over the years. If nothing else, that makes it a keen point of interest for us. Just as an individual’s choice not to get vaccinated can impact those they come in contact with, Japan’s choices can impact our nation.

The measles vaccine was first introduced in Japan in 1966, followed by the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in 1989. However, the MMR vaccine was pulled in 1993 due to unexpectedly high incidences of aseptic meningitis. This led to widespread public distrust towards vaccines which, in 1994, resulted in them no longer being mandated by law. This fear, while understandable, led to a regulatory vacuum that left the country vulnerable to otherwise preventable diseases.

Although Japan is in the process of overhauling its vaccination policy and has made progress against measles in the last decade, the Japanese still have a way to go before they have eradicated the disease. Japan doesn’t have an “anti-vaxxer” movement like the one we are dealing with in the U.S., where the irrational and unfounded belief that vaccines lead to autism has become deeply entrenched, but many Japanese don’t understand how not being vaccinated can affect others. The groups largely responsible for the current measles outbreak in Japan were very willing to get vaccinated when they realized their actions could have a negative impact on others in their community. This shows a clear need for more understanding –both here and there–about the importance of vaccines and how they work. The measles outbreak in Japan has a lesson for all of us: promote science to combat fear and ignorance.

Of Course You Got Debate-Blocked

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Slow your roll. Do you even realize how your article about the DNC barring Fox News from hosting democratic debates is itself a prime example of WHY Fox News shouldn’t host? You quote the DNC’s decision as being “a shame” but address none of the numerous examples the DNC cited about your publication’s clear partisan bias. Sure, it’s great that Fox has a few journalists with enough “journalistic integrity and professionalism” to host the debates, but still, all anchors at a news agency are supposed to have integrity, not just some special few. Fox News as a whole is so overtly biased that their version “journalistic integrity and professionalism” has become synonymous with Republican favoritism.

It’s impossible to guarantee that any Fox reporter’s ‘integrity’ won’t shift during this election cycle because these days any anchor who pleases Trump could be up for a job promotion. Just take a look at the list of former Fox News contributors turned White House staff: John Bolton, Heather Nauert, Mercedes Schlapp, Tony Sayegh, K.T. McFarland, Scott Brown, Richard Grenell, John D. McEntee, Georgette Mosbacher, and Anthony Scaramucci. It’s so long I bet even your eyes glazed over reading it. With so many connections to Trump, how can any of Fox News’s reporters be trusted?

What’s “really a shame” is that as long as Fox News remains biased, any reporters that may have journalistic integrity will be written off by the public as biased just by association. Instead of touting around the names of a few good journalists, Fox News should focus on improving its own integrity. Maybe then the DNC might reconsider its decision.

Responding to Defense

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

In his June 2017 article “In Defense of Cultural Appropriation,” Kenan Malik begins by insisting that he is bravely putting his job on the line by defending a “controversial opinion.” This tactic is often used by people to preemptively invalidate the response of the marginalized communities that they are intentionally hurting, shutting themselves off from opposing opinions. Instead of offering my own opinion, I’d like to point out an issue with the argument itself.

When speaking about challenging racism, Malik postulates that “Once, it was a demand for equal treatment for all.” He then goes on to claim that Elvis Presley becoming a cultural icon was a clear case of racism determining that white people can achieve substantially more success than people of color for the same work-Chuck Berry’s music, which came before Presley’s, had the rock and roll vibes that made Presley’s work “unique” and “revolutionary” . Evidently, the call for society to pressure the Elvis Presleys of the world to stop appropriating culture is, in fact, a demand for equal treatment for the Berrys. This seems perfectly in alignment with the past acts of challenging racism that Malik approves of. However, he then implies that ending cultural appropriation doesn’t challenge racism because it wouldn’t have single-handedly eradicated Jim Crow laws. Malik argues defending cultural appropriation holds that anti-racist acts are only valid if they give redress to the group as a whole, but what is the point of corrective action if it doesn’t include individuals?

To address Malik’s concern that he will be out of the job because people will be offended by his opinion, I am not offended.  How could I be? Malik’s “defense” of cultural appropriation doesn’t make enough sense to cause offense.