Why a student of Asian ethnicity might express virulent genocidal Jew-hatred
Cornell student Patrick Dai, who allegedly was the author of “messages threatening to ‘shoot up’ the campus’ kosher dining hall” and said that “jewish people need to be killed,” as well as threatening “to rape Jewish women and behead Jewish babies,” is under federal arrest. One of the main things that has puzzled a lot of people is that he is ethnically Asian, probably Chinese. There is no indication that he’s an immigrant; my guess is that he was born here, although I’m not sure. His understandably shocked parents claim that he’s been deeply depressed, and that may be the case. But depressed people don’t usually post the sort of depraved threats he seems to have issued.
So what’s his motivation? I am just guessing, but here’s my list. More than one of these can be operating at once:
(1) He is under the sway of the usual leftist anti-Israel anti-Jew campus rhetoric.
(2) As a male Asian, he is keenly aware of being a very low man on the intersectional victim totem pole. What better way to climb higher than to support one of the darlings of the Left, the Palestinians? And since on that same scale Asians are considered quasi-Jews (smart, achievement-oriented, “white-adjacent”), it’s also necessary to separate oneself from the Jews and even excoriate them.
(3) He is turning his depression outward into aggression and rage, and the convenient target these days is Jews.
(4) He felt emboldened by being online, where people often release aggression without fear of consequences. Online one can sound like a big bad m-f-er, even if in person one’s demeanor is quite mild.
(5) If the opinion of China means anything to him, he is not alone in his Jew-hatred:
Antisemitism has always been an issue in pockets of the Chinese social media ecosystem, but the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza has brought a fresh outpouring of hate.
Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, and Israel’s ensuing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Chinese internet has been awash with antisemitism, including many comments that are too extreme to repeat in this article. …
Hateful online content is a global scourge. The Chinese information space, however, is unique in that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tightly controls the messages circulating on social media platforms through both automated and manual tools, meaning the hate speech that remains uncensored reflects the regime’s decisions. …
Hateful online content is a global scourge. The Chinese information space, however, is unique in that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tightly controls the messages circulating on social media platforms through both automated and manual tools, meaning the hate speech that remains uncensored reflects the regime’s decisions.
Very very disturbing, and perhaps an influence on Bai. And in videos of pro-Hamas student demonstrators, I have noticed a sprinkling of Asian students. At first it puzzled me, but it puzzles me no more. I don’t know how common this sort of virulent Jew-hatred is among Asians in this country – I’m inclined to think not very. But the existence of violent anti-Semitism in Asians in the US is another indication of how the poison of such hate has spread via the internet and academia.
meaning the hate speech that remains uncensored reflects the regime’s decisions.
I suppose that may be indicative of the CCP’s view of Israel as perhaps a sort of regional advisary? I’ve heard that China has become more active in ME affairs in recent years.
I’m going with the theory that Dai is an incel who fell under the influence of an AWFL or adjacent leftist chick with a hot bod, and he was trying to impress her.
“The Road Goes on Forever” is playing in the background…
West TX Intermediate Crude:
Actually, that one occurred to me too, but somehow I left it out. It’s certainly a possibility.
What a mess.
AWFL = Awful White Female Leftist? Awful indeed?
I’m no expert on Chinese history or politics, and I’ve never even been to China, but I’ve worked with a lot of Chinese scientists, engineers, and grad students both here and in Korea. For some reason, I generally get along with Chinese people. Maybe we share some values, as well as some personality traits. I don’t know what it is.
Anyway, I’ve always been struck by the tendency, among otherwise independent-minded Chinese people, to enthusiastically embrace the prevalent social beliefs coming out of China. This often includes obvious Chinese government propaganda. Sometimes, I can be sympathetic to someone’s conversation, but then suddenly surprised by an utterly foreign opinion. It can be jarring. Even people who are first-generation Americans can see themselves as Chinese first. To them, American citizenship is just a piece of paper.
About a week ago, I had lunch with a friend who grew up in China. Thanks to the internet, she talks every day to her family in China. She’s also an active participant in several Chinese online discussion groups. As we were eating lunch, the subject of Hamas’s attack on Israel came up, and she made a crude anti-Jewish remark. I don’t think she’s ever even met a Jew, so I assume that she was repeating CCP propaganda. I was too put off to ask her about it, so I quickly changed the subject. Anyway, I’m sure my friend’s opinion is now shared by millions(?) of recent Chinese immigrants and first-generation Americans. That’s the power of CCP propaganda, as well as the nature of Chinese social psychology.
P.S. I assume that the CCP’s anti-Israel and anti-Jewish propaganda is based on the Party’s calculations of international politics. China’s allies are Iran and Russia. China’s enemies are the US and Israel. Hence, more Jew hatred. The CCP also has a very strong bias against Chinese Christians, who are persecuted in various ways. That might be a secondary ideological consideration. There always seems to be a surplus of reasons to hate Jews.
Whatever the race or ethnicity, the need for a hated scapegoat reveals all we need to know about them. It’s a pathology, a sickness of the soul. And at base, a rebellion against God’s will.
China is apparently deleting Israel from its maps:
https://nationalpost.com/news/china-deletes-israel-from-online-maps-report
@West TX Intermediate Crude:
I think you may be right. Take a look at any of the on-campus pro-Palestinian protests. Once you filter out anyone who looks visibly Arab you’re left with a whole lot of college-aged White girls.
One may hate passively. Actively spreading it takes energy. Energy isn’t limitless. What about Jew-hate motivates the expense? There are other options.
I’ve been following this because I attended Cornell for nine years (as an undergraduate then graduate student). I was a Near Eastern Studies major and about half my professors were Jewish. One of my closest friends lived in a Jewish co-op house and I sometimes went for Shabbat dinner and to hang out. This hit close to home.
At first I thought the guy is emotionally troubled and given recent events including pro-Hamas demonstrations on campuses the Jewish people were a convenient target. However I am beginning to wonder if he truly did/does harbor anti-Semitic views. Which raises the question of how and when that happened. Cornell law professor William Jacobson has addressed this. Dai is from Pittsford, I’ve been there, nice place. Until we know otherwise my guess is he’s a bright young American.
I don’t know how much we should interpret this in light of his (probable) Chinese ancestry. I worked with internationals (pastoral ministry) for 18 years, most of them from mainland China. I spent four weeks of a mini-sabbatical journeying through China in 2010. I honestly don’t recall encountering anti-Semitic views among my Chinese friends.
Rick67:
The anti-Semitic push on Chinese social media and websites is relatively new. I don’t think you would have encountered it back then, but apparently it is rather common now.
I agree with you in that many Asians want to join up with the “in crowd” and be anti Semitic hoping that it will buy them enough “cred” to be left alone. It won’t.
WRT the involuntary celibate possibility:
College has a very high population density from student housing to classrooms to dining facilities. Those who live off campus are surrounded by other students when not crowding the campus.
Those who are cut off from the fun, social or carnal, real or imagined, have their faces rubbed in others’ incredible privilege most every waking moment.
It might well drive one mad with helpless resentment. But the target is too big, too amorphous. Fantasizing blowing up one- . -something–leaves a dozen others and many thousands of others individually carrying with that which the unfortunate one regards with maddening envy.
But a TARGET, now….