[Teheran-ro] There Is No Justifiable Racism

People tend to see only what they want to see. Even my own YouTube algorithm is tailored to my interests, which naturally reinforces my biases. In particular, the concept of 'negativity bias' refers to the tendency for people to pay more attention to, remember longer, and be more influenced by negative information than positive information. Why is this the case? From an evolutionary perspective, humans needed to be more sensitive to danger signals to survive. When the brain detects something dangerous, it automatically prioritizes checking it. This has naturally led to a stronger negativity bias. If someone deliberately targets this negative bias to incite us, we instantly feel fear and threat, becoming emotionally agitated. We then seek ways to alleviate the fear and anxiety that have taken hold.
In the past, following Germany's defeat in World War I (WWI), widespread anger and frustration fueled conspiracy theories about Jews. The collective negativity bias that blamed Jews for Germany’s defeat and economic collapse made discrimination against them seem justified. As we all know, years of accumulated hatred led to The Holocaust during World War II (WWII), which is now regarded as one of humanity’s greatest tragedies.
A similar tragedy occurred during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 in Japan. Amid the chaos, rumors spread that Koreans had poisoned wells, leading vigilantes and soldiers to brutally massacre Koreans in Japan. This tragedy was rooted in deep-seated prejudice and hostility toward Koreans within Japanese society.
The reason why news about crimes involving Chinese is perceived as more serious than the actual data suggests lies here as well. When agitators exploit our tendency to focus on negative or threatening information and highlight negative incidents involving China, it can quickly escalate into collective hostility. This, in turn, naturally leads to racism.
As of 2023, the crime rate among Chinese residing in Korea was 1.65%, lower than the 2.36% rate among Korean nationals. The proportion of Chinese suspects in violent crimes was 0.031%, compared to 0.047% for Koreans. Criticism must be grounded in facts.
While we express outrage over attempts to conceal or downplay the truth of the Kanto Massacre during the Great Kanto Earthquake, we remain indifferent to the racism we ourselves commit today. After being manipulated through negativity bias, we justify racism. That is why the open hate rallies targeting Chinese in the streets of Seoul are so alarming.
ronia@fnnews.com Reporter