China's response to the Virginia Tech Shooting
China Digital Times has a great post that says the Virigina Tech massacre has prompted a discussion among Chinese netizens, comparing China's ban to US's non-existing ban on guns.
This really is a topic of interest to the Chinese - one of the first question Beijing cabbies ask me after they find out I am an American citizen, is if I see people with guns everywhere in the US. At first I was totally shocked by that stereotype of the States. But after watching the news in Beijing, I noticed there were always several reports per week of American citizens killing other citizens with guns. After a few conversations with other Beijingers, I realized that this was a common view of Americans - and it's not a racialized view either - they think that whites and blacks all carry guns around. They also think that guns are readily available and everyone owns one. The latter view is not accurate, however unfortunately, the former view is more accurate.
I wrote my personal thoughts about reaction among the Asian American community to Virginia Tech on my personal blog. This photo was taken by one of my favorite photographers, Stuart Isett.
-tricia
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