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.

Question

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 govemment 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 govemment 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. 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

The author employs powerful rhetorical strategies to evoke emotion and highlight the marginalization of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. One notable example is the phrase "statistically insignificant," which serves as a stark indictment of how Asian Americans are devalued in the political landscape. This phrase encapsulates the larger theme of the text: that being seen as 'insignificant' reflects a history of systemic exclusion and discrimination. Additionally, the author uses historical references, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, to build a narrative of persistent injustice and violation of civil rights. These examples effectively bolster the argument that the AAPI community, despite their contributions and struggles, has been marginalized both historically and in contemporary society. By intertwining these rhetorical elements with personal anecdotes about the challenges faced by the community, the author creates a compelling and persuasive call for recognition and inclusion.