John Cho pens essay about Asian American discrimination amid coronavirus

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Actor John Cho has penned a candid essay about the racial discrimination Asian Americans currently face amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the op-ed, published Wednesday for The Los Angeles Times, the South Korean-born “Harold & Kumar” star confessed that it “felt so strange” for him to warn his parents about leaving their house, worried they …

Actor John Cho has penned a candid essay about the racial discrimination Asian Americans currently face amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In the op-ed, published Wednesday for The Los Angeles Times, the South Korean-born “Harold & Kumar” star confessed that it “felt so strange” for him to warn his parents about leaving their house, worried they “might be targets of verbal or even physical abuse.”

Hate crimes against Asians who are perceived as carriers of the virus — which originated in Wuhan, China — have been on the rise since the pandemic began.

“Friends are sharing first-hand accounts of abuse on text chains and circulating articles on Facebook, always ending with the suddenly ominous ‘stay safe,’” Cho, 47, wrote.

The actor admitted that when he was younger, his parents advised him to assimilate to American culture as much as possible to fit in.

“Growing up, the assumption was that once we became American enough, there would be no need for such warnings — that we would be safe,” he wrote. “To that end, my parents encouraged me and my younger brother to watch as much television as possible, so that we might learn to speak and act like the natives. The hope was that race would not disadvantage us — the next generation — if we played our cards right.”

The “American Pie” actor said he felt those tactics work and was able to use them to achieve success in Hollywood.

Although, Cho said he did witness discrimination happen to his “Harold & Kumar” co-star, Kal Penn, when they were traveling together on a press tour after 9/11.

“Asian Americans are experiencing such a moment right now,” he said. “The pandemic is reminding us that our belonging is conditional. One moment we are Americans, the next we are all foreigners, who ‘brought’ the virus here.”

Cho noted that racism against Asian Americans may be mistakenly perceived as “racism-lite” because, for so long, they have been given “complimentary” stereotypes, including such attributes as “hardworking” or “good at math.”

“That allows us to dismiss the current wave of Asian hate crimes as trivial, isolated and unimportant,” he cautioned. “Consider the comedians who mock Asians, but restrain themselves when it comes to other groups.”

He pointed out that negative stereotypes against Asians do exist, though, and that “during times of national stress, it’s these darker stereotypes that prevail.”

Cho, who came to the U.S. when he was 6 years old, said he “claimed the citizenship my parents wanted for me and I think I’ve spent my life earning it. I’m not going to let anyone tell me or anyone who looks like me that we are not really American.”

He encouraged Americans to speak up for the injustices happening in our country as a result of the pandemic.

“Please don’t minimize the hate or assume it’s somewhere far away,” he said. “It’s happening close to you. If you see it on the street, say something. If you hear it at work, say something. If you sense it in your family, say something. Stand up for your fellow Americans.”