讀後心得

The author Tingson shared her shocking experience of encountering racism in the United States. In August 2023, she traveled from Taiwan to Illinois to study abroad, facing discrimination alone for the first time in a foreign country. She was verbally attacked and physically confronted by a white woman in downtown, with no one around offering help, leaving her feeling incredibly isolated. Even though a Chinese couple later came to assist her, she still deeply realized the underlying racial issues in American society. Although after working in Los Angeles for six months, she recognized that not everyone here is completely indifferent, she still advises future visitors to the U.S. to remain vigilant and understand the existence of racial issues.

I will never forget the first time I personally experienced blatant racial discrimination in the United States. The shock, helplessness, and fear of that moment are still vivid in my memory.

In August 2023, I flew alone from Taiwan to Illinois, USA, to begin my master's study abroad life. To take care of accommodation and open a bank account, I arrived on campus a week early. A senior suggested that since the bank would be crowded right before classes started, it would be more efficient to handle it in the nearby town. So, that morning at 8 AM, I took a bus to the city center. The sun was just right, with a gentle breeze, and the foreign streets were both unfamiliar and full of anticipation for me.

However, at that moment, I inadvertently made eye contact with a middle-aged white woman. She was small in stature, her eyes vacant, and as we brushed past each other, she suddenly spoke: "Hey, kid! Where are you from?" I turned around and politely replied, "I'm from Taiwan." To my surprise, she abruptly changed her tone and raised her voice, shouting, "You know what? You are a fucking Asian. Get out of my country!"

I was taken aback. After she finished speaking, she actually started following me, loudly hurling insults, and even rushed towards me to shove me and hit my arm. Her voice was filled with hostility, and despite the number of pedestrians on the street, no one stopped to help.

At that moment, I realized that this was not just an isolated verbal altercation, but a real racial attack. I anxiously looked around, trying to seek help, and my gaze fell on a white woman on the side of the road. I hurriedly called out to her, but instead of stopping, she quickly walked away, seemingly afraid of getting involved. At that moment, I felt an unprecedented sense of helplessness.

Fearing she might be carrying a weapon, I dared not confront her directly and could only run quickly across the street, hoping to lose her in the process. However, she wouldn't relent and continued her tirade. In despair, I finally spotted an Asian couple. They noticed my predicament, immediately pulled me aside, and attempted to confront the woman. Seeing this, she not only did not back down but shifted her focus to them, resulting in an intense argument, even leading to a physical altercation.

Seeing the situation escalate, we decided to quickly escape and ran into a nearby café. Sure enough, the woman dared not follow us inside and stood at the entrance, yelling. The staff, noticing the situation, promptly came over to inquire about our safety. Not long after, the police arrived, and she was immediately arrested. It was only at that moment that my heartbeat began to stabilize, but I was still in shock.

This sudden racial attack made me deeply realize that racial discrimination is not just headlines in the news; it is a brutal reality that occurs in real life.

After the incident, my senior accompanied me to report to campus police and even took me to the memorial for Zhang Yingying. There, I felt an indescribable heaviness.

Now, I have successfully graduated and have been working in Los Angeles for over six months. Looking back on this incident, I have to admit that racial issues in the United States do exist and are deeply rooted. As a nation of immigrants, the U.S. has diverse racial cultures. However, this diversity does not equate to harmony; rather, it creates invisible ethnic boundaries due to cultural, background, religious, and historical factors. Different ethnic groups often form their own communities, and such group divisions not only affect social circles but also extend into workplaces, politics, and social resource allocation.

From my job search experience in the U.S., Chinese companies tend to hire Chinese individuals because of similar cultural backgrounds; similarly, white businesses hire fewer Asian or Latino employees in non-technical positions. In the past, I briefly worked at a U.S. manufacturing company with Taiwanese roots, where it was evident that almost all the executives were Chinese, while labor positions were dominated by Latino employees. This kind of "ethnic segmentation" in the workplace, while not constituting direct discrimination, represents a potential structural problem, making it difficult for different ethnic groups to close the distance between them.

Even though the U.S. workplace strives to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion in an attempt to bridge the gaps between ethnic groups and provide equal opportunities, racial issues remain unavoidable. Not to mention, the new president of the United States in 2025 is expected to have a negative attitude toward diversity and equality policies, making it harder to advance these issues in the future.

This incident helped me deeply understand a reality: racial issues in the U.S. are not just isolated hate crimes, but a necessary product of the entire social structure. But does this mean that America is filled with discrimination and danger everywhere? Not necessarily. After all, I still encountered people willing to extend a helping hand; perhaps that woman chose to leave out of fear, but at least she called the police on my behalf. Those glimpses of humanity made me realize that America is not entirely indifferent.

For friends considering studying or working in the U.S. in the future, my advice is to "stay vigilant, but without excessive panic." The U.S. is not filled with racial conflicts every day; you just need to understand that racial issues do exist, and you may encounter them, so you should be prepared. America is not a perfect country, but it is a mirror reflecting the realities of the world, allowing us to better understand ourselves.