Originally published at: 8 killed in shootings at Atlanta-area spas | Boing Boing
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[fuuuck.gif]
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Because there have been a wave of violence against Asian Americans, and this appears to have been primarily Asian Americans targeted.
Racism is a real thing that actual exists in the world. While this might not be the case here, it’s a pretty safe bet given the victims and the current atmosphere in the country for many people who aren’t pale and male.
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More details from the Guardian:
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and just days ago trump in his lame press release referred to covid as the “china virus”.
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So you are speculating this crime could have been about hatred of women rather than hatred of Asians. As for your other reasons, this crime could have been about both hatred of women and hatred of Asians.
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So much loss, lives taken, dreams shattered, will the love affair with guns ever come to an end…
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Yeah. I know it’s not a great measure, but the Atlanta metro area is 4.4% Asian, but 75% of those killed were Asian women. And the fact that the suspect is a white man makes it feel like not much of a stretch to speculate racist motivations. Even if we weren’t seeing the recent uptick in crimes against Asians that @anon61221983 pointed out. The guy drove to 3 separate places he knew would employ largely Asian women. 
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So potentially a racist hate crime, and that’s horrible enough, but I hope there will be some attention to the structural racism and (sometimes) exploitation that lead to the massage parlors in the first place. Why does every damn rock we turn over seem to have slavery under it? Can’t capitalism get a new hobby?
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There’s something appalling about the rush to dismiss the possibility of a racist motivation despite the massive pile of evidence that racism drives US society and the bad actors amongst us in particular. And particularly the bad actors who love their guns. Asking why one might speculate this tragedy has a racist core is like asking why I might speculate that a dropped item will fall to the ground. Sure, you can probably come up with alternative explanations beyond gravity but you’re wasting your own and everyone else’s time when there’s a relatively simple, obvious explanation right there.
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The Venn diagram which includes racism, xenophobia, misogyny, gun obsession, and religious extremism is nearly a perfect circle.
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This is why Trumps “Wuhan Virus” and places like Fox News surmising the “virus was created as a weapon” is dangerous. I have an acquaintance who has posted several attacks on Asians in California as well.
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On the same day that people realize what trump has done to this world, even though guns were a problem long before trump that mindset is pretty much the same.
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Roger That…
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I had a big argument with a friend about it, and a running series of online arguments with acquaintances.
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Well, keep up the good fight. Remember, you may not change the minds of people you are talking to, but you make some of the observers.
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The friend actually eventually agreed he was in the wrong (he’d been joking about the Wuhan virus), and came to see Trump’s approach as racism that had gotten people hurt and was going to get more people hurt. The running series of arguments, not sure about. Now they’ve got bigger fish to fry as the covid thing is old news, and they’re concerned about Biden’s stutter and Dr. Suess being cancelled.
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According to the Washing Post, the suspect has been interviewed while in custody, and it appears that was is a regular customer and has some issues not related to race, but to his “addictions”.
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