–by Gaven Li 
We live in an extremely sensitive world. If people don’t use words like “black” or “colored” properly, they will be easily considered “racist.” I’ve been living in the United States as a Chinese student for about seventeen months and have met or heard many things that are a little “racist” but not hard to get over. So what is racism? In my very own opinion, racism is not the jokes that my friends often make about my eyes (sometime they are actually funny), or the fact that it took some teachers a year to stop calling me “Michael,” who is another male Chinese student in my grade. I don’t think these things are racist. They won’t even hurt my feelings.
The real racism is when mainstream media keeps conveying wrong messages to the audience that China is still a poor, rural country with uneducated people, while they never show the amazing changes China has made in the past thirty years. The real racism is the stereotype of “the smart Asian” or “the calculator,” without realizing how hard Chinese students study and how competitive it is to get into a good college in China. The real racism is claiming that “Chinese immigrants are taking over our land and our jobs,” while forgetting how European immigrants took land and livelihood from Native Americans two hundred years ago. The real racism is making fun of the Chinese internet blockade while praising the “freedom of speech” which was written in the U.S. Constitution while Edward Snowden has been hiding all over the world for three years. The real racism is laughing at China’s government system without even knowing anything about it, while the U.S. election system is about to let Mr. Donald Trump become the next president. The real racism is indignantly criticizing the child labor issues in China, while ignoring which country held slaves for two centuries.
Growing up in China, we are taught that the United States of America is an amazing country with liberty and democracy—Hollywood, New York, the NBA…it sounds a wonderful place. When I first came here, however, the one question that I was asked so many times was, “Do you eat dogs?” This really shocked me. I don’t know if it’s because of TV, newspapers, or the internet; it seems like most Americans’ knowledge and understanding of China is from the 1970’s. Even though I know the United States is probably so perfect that the people don’t necessarily want to learn too much about other countries, what really upsets m
e is the fact that so many people accept the wrong, misguided images of China or Chinese people without thinking or researching. The comic-strip caricature of the evil Fu Manchu, for example, was perpetuated by the media and politicians. I can live with all the racist jokes, but it is the disrespect and unfair judgement to my motherland that hurts me the most.
Because of cultural differences, Asian people usually don’t speak out for themselves or protest in public, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have feelings. I’m not pointing at anyone since most of my friends and teachers are nice to me and I really appreciate it. I’m just expressing how I feel about racism as portrayed in the media and internet. Indeed, Asians have small eyes, but they are big enough for us to see the unfairness and discrimination we are facing.
I want to end this article with another quote from 
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution clearly articulates Americans’ rights to bear arms. If something is so clearly stated, why are there so many people who wish to infringe upon this right? Already, there are many laws in place that restrict the owning, selling, and usage of guns. For example, it is almost impossible to obtain a Concealed Weapons License in New York City, and California has many laws regulating the type of guns that you may own and the number of rounds you can keep in the gun’s magazine. Despite these laws, there are over 33,600 gun-related deaths annually in the US. Some are quick to point the finger at the NRA, and they say the problem is that there are too many guns. I completely disagree. The problem is that law-abiding citizens are restricted from carrying guns so guns fall in the hands of criminals.
ssion, then we will continue to see the death toll rise due to mass shootings.
independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government. –George Washington
world. They slaughter anyone who does not conform to their ideas. They kill those who stand in the way of their ideology. These terrorists wish to instill immense fear in the hearts of everyone. And, they’re succeeding. These men, women, and children who are stuck between the crossfire are forced to seek refuge in safer lands. Europe is currently overflowing with refugees from Syria, unable to support so many who cannot support themselves. Up to this point, America has done nothing in regards to helping the refugees escape their war-stricken home. The refugees want to come to a place where they can be safe and successful, without having to fear for their childrens’ lives. They have to travel thousands of kilometers every day for a chance at a better life. America should intervene and alleviate some of Europe’s weighty responsibility to the refugees. We cannot send these refugees back to their hell. It is our duty as humans to help them. Not every Muslim is a terrorist. That’s a fact we should all realize.
ads off while they were recording the whole process. The Czech News reports many young Syrian men are coming to ISIS because it is an easy way to get women as slaves, and their violence is constantly increasing.
He said, he would get along quite well with Vladmir Putin.
He answered with, we need to put tax reform bills on President Obama’s desk.
He went off on his qualifications for the presidency.