Racist and sexist disinformation is sowing divisions among Asian Americans
A new report spotlights how disinformation not only pits Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders against other marginalized groups but also sows divisions within
A new report spotlights how disinformation not only pits Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders against other marginalized groups but also sows divisions within the community itself, sometimes to intentionally diminish its collective political influence.
The study, released last week by a coalition of Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations, analyses the landscape of disinformation, or misleading information disseminated with the intent to harm, often for political agendas or profit.
Researchers, who identified key practices behind the spread of disinformation, highlighted the Men’s Rights Asians movement, the prevalence of casteism and social media aggregators of Black-on-Asian crime as examples of “bad actors.”
Those spreading disinformation often aim to attack and break down collective groups within Asian America, seeking to render them less powerful. In turn, they often help sustain white supremacy, the report says.
“What disinformation effectively does is dilute the unified possibility of an Asian American bloc,” said Thenmozhi Soundararajan, the executive director of Equality Labs, a civil rights organization aimed at fighting caste oppression, who contributed to the report.
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