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Comment by gitdude | Hacker News Reader

I find it very interesting that the african american woman and the hispanic man in the jury - both minorities voted "yes" while the predominantly white and asian jurors voted "no". Is it possible that people who are discriminated against understand the subtle biases which cannot be captured by evidence or law.

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Are you suggesting that we Asians aren't minorities? That we don't get or understand what is it to be discriminated against?

Unfortunately that does seems to be a delusion has been gaining traction in some circles recently.

Asians are not minorities. Asian people account for 60% of the entire world's population. Just because a group faces discrimination does not make them a minority.

i guess that makes white males minorities.

Troll. You clearly know what is meant in this context. Asians are indeed minorities in the context of the United States, just as Caucasians are minorities in Asia. It is pointless to say that Asians are the world's leading majority, when in an individual context such as this one, they are not.

"A Minority, a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group. As the term is used in the social sciences, this subordinancy is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group."

Source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/384500/minority

So, facing discrimination, which I would think is part of being subordinate, does make you a minority.

Are you suggesting that discrimination against African Americans and against Asian Americans are equal in severity?

Not speaking for the previous poster, but in any case, that severity is not easy to measure. I have the understanding that in the U.S., there is institutional and deliberate discrimination against Asian Americans. For instance, in the admissions to Ivy League colleges. A random article about the issue:

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/12/do- diversity-initiatives-indirectly-discriminate-against-asian-americans/384054/

"...students who self-identified as Asian would need about 140 points more on the SAT than their white peers would need to get into elite, private schools. That number jumped to 320 and 450 when Asians were compared to Hispanic and African-American students, respectively."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_American...

I think this idea is due to the fact that a lot of Asian people are successful, and this runs counter to the narrative that minorities are being actively held down.

Yes, That's exactly what they are implying. When it just isn't true. I remember the incredible pressure I was under to get the double eyelid surgery to succeed in america. It's just unfair, asians are under attack like this.

Seriously... you had white people tell you to get double eyelid surgery? I'd be surprised if more than a small minority of non-Asian heritage people in North America even know what that is.

I apologize for the communication error.

My family pushed hard for it. They were discriminated against, and wanted me to be successful no matter what/do anything to get any edge.

If it meant looking and acting "white", I need to do it.

It was a strong moment of realization, that in America I'm an "other", that I am not white.

Another way to interpret it is that Asians aren't as sensitive to racial issues as blacks or hispanics are.

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