"Daniel Dae Kim statement to the U.S. House Committee" by Daniel Dae Kim

Question

I was speaking to a pollster during the recent elections and I asked him why, when I see polling results do I see a breakdown of results by gender – men and women, by age – old and young, and also by race – African American and Latinx, but rarely do I see a polling category for Asian Americans. After I asked why, he looked me dead in the eye and said “Because Asian Americans are considered ‘statistically insignificant.’” Those words rang in my ears. Statistically insignificant. Now all of you listening to me here, by virtue of your own elections, are more familiar with the intricacies of polling than I am, so undoubtedly, you already know what this means – statistically insignificant literally means that we don’t matter.

Maybe that’s why it’s been so difficult to feel like our government cares about the Asian American Pacific Islander community. After all, it was this very same government who categorically barred the Chinese from entering our country in the first law that prevented all members of a specific ethnic or national group from immigrating to the US. It was this government that refused those of us already living here the right to any path to citizenship, coining the term “permanent alien.” It was this government who imprisoned more than 120,000 Japanese American citizens for simply looking like the enemy, even though throughout the entirety of World War 2, not ONE was ever found guilty of treason against our country.

We, as Asian Americans, come to this country because we believe in the American Dream. We believe that if we keep our heads down, turn the other cheek to bigotry, and work hard, that one day we will receive the full privileges of being American. And many of us have succeeded. We’ve become lawyers, CEO’s, and large number of us are even the frontline workers upon whom we’ve all come to depend during this terrible pandemic.

But many of us are struggling, too. The wealth disparity between the richest Asian Americans and the poorest is the largest of any ethnic group in the country. In NY, Asian Americans have a higher poverty rate than any other minority group, where fully 1 in 4 are living below the poverty line. And poverty rates among Asian-American seniors are much higher than the national average. Something to consider as we watch our elderly loved ones get taunted, pushed, slashed and murdered – repeatedly.

Daniel Dae Kim written statement to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, March 18, 2021

Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

In 3–5 sentences, evaluate the author’s use of rhetoric in the passage. Identify specific examples and explain how well they contribute to the power or persuasiveness of the text.

Answer 1

Daniel Dae Kim effectively employs rhetoric to highlight the marginalization of Asian Americans through emotional appeals, historical references, and stark contrasts. By sharing the poignant phrase "statistically insignificant," he emphasizes the disregard for Asian American voices, underscoring their exclusion in polling data. His recounting of historical injustices, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the internment of Japanese Americans, serves to evoke a sense of shared trauma and injustice, bolstering his argument about the ongoing neglect of the AAPI community. Additionally, his juxtaposition of the successes of some Asian Americans against the stark poverty faced by many creates a powerful dichotomy, illustrating the complexities within the community. These rhetorical strategies effectively enhance the persuasiveness of his plea for recognition and equal consideration in government policies.