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

by Daniel Dae Kim

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.

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.

Which point of view about the pollster does the speaker express through the phrase “dead in the eye”?

(1 point)
Responses

The pollster was unqualified.
The pollster was unqualified.

The pollster was acting nefariously.
The pollster was acting nefariously.

The pollster was lacking empathy.
The pollster was lacking empathy.

The pollster was untrustworthy.
The pollster was untrustworthy.

1 answer

The point of view about the pollster that the speaker expresses through the phrase “dead in the eye” is that the pollster was lacking empathy. This phrase implies a directness and a seriousness in the interaction, suggesting that the pollster’s response was cold and disregarded the significance and feelings of the Asian American community.