As we are reading the graphic memoir, “They Called Us Enemy”, it hit me on how this story is still so relatable to this day yet it is born from a bygone generation.  It’s theme not only could resonate with the people who have experienced such a tragedy, but it resonated due to the similar situation I have been put in.  

This is a page from the graphic memoir, it shows that the Japanese are willing to fight for their country.  However, they had that right taken away from them since they are of Japanese origin.  This logic of thinking that since one Japanese person did a bad thing, we should be wary of all of them.  In fact, this notion still lives on today due to the Coronavirus.  Not only does this affect the Chinese, it affects all the Asians since we supposedly “look the same.”  Since I am of Asian origins, I would usually get weird stares when I go on my daily biking.  The fact that this even happens is a disappointment because they are not looking at me because of my character, they are looking based on my skin color.  The worst part about this however is that some Asians are being wary of other Asians.  I had a friend of mine avoid other Asians because they are Chinese.  Although he’s my friend, it is very disappointing how our generation is having social problems even though we are better off than the other generations.  This feeling of being unwanted is like a plague that comes by every generation to poison us.  No matter how far we advanced, we still have problems in our community that involve excluding other people for their skin, sexuality, and beliefs.  We acknowledge the past mistakes we have made in the past yet we still repeat those same mistakes.  It can be simplified by saying that history repeats itself.  This year is one of the worst years for Asians with the increase of Asian hate crimes, racism towards said Asians due to covid, and the desensitized media downplaying Asian hate crimes.  It is clear to say that the old problems that were expressed in the graphic novel are being repeated in today’s generation and are affecting me and the whole Asian community on a wider scale due to social media.