Gran Torino (feat. Bee Vang) [Interlude]

Asian Americans continue to fight two pandemics: One against COVID-19, the other anti-Asian racism This time, COVID-19 is the thinly veiled analogue To the Japanese auto-industry This time, We lost Park Soon Jung Kim Hyun Jung, Kim Soon Cha, Yoo Yong Ae, Tan Xiaojie Feng Daoyou, Ho Pak, Vicha Rattanapakdee, Zheng Yong Juanito Falcon, Christian Hall, Angelo Quinto, Ee Lee Last time, it was Vincent Chin But Asia's rise and the Pacific Century remain dominant motifs of a fearful, anxious West The cabal of old superpowers, threatened by this Asian menace Like the orient, we Asian Americans pose a threat Like in Gran Torino, we were, and are cowed into silence We stood in for a mute, terrifying and despotic Asia When we spoke up, we were told that it was a harmless joke And our pain and hurt were met with the question of why we couldn't take a joke We were always told what we were We were always told how to feel We were always told that Asians had it too good, never feeling the real sting of racism The point was: we were told, never listened to Those who have killed us had the last word, They spoke for the dead Just as the West spoke for an imagined Orient But the imperative will always be for us, To check our privilege Because that's the violence of being spoken for So we say "No more."