Posted on 10/16/2015 4:19:09 PM PDT by Starman417
This showed up in my FB newsfeed today, regarding something that occurred earlier this week while I was in Colorado:
Things got awkward on Monday when Donald Trump asked an Asian-American college student if he was from South Korea.A 20-year-old Harvard economics major identified by NPR as Joseph Choe had launched into a query about South Korea during a question-and-answer session at the No Labels-hosted Problem Solver Convention in New Hampshire.
"I just had a really quick question about something you said earlier this summer," Choe said in video captured by C-SPAN. "Basically, you said that South Korea takes advantage of the United States in terms of the defense spending on the Korean peninsula. You said that they don't have to pay anything. However, I just want to get the facts straight and say that --"
Trump interrupted to ask, "Are you from South Korea?"
"I'm not. I was born in Texas, raised in Colorado," Choe responded.
The GOP presidential candidate shrugged as awkward laughter from the audience escalated into full-blown cheering for Choe.
"No matter where I'm from, I like to get my facts straight, and I wanted to tell you that that's not true. South Korea paid $861 million," Choe said before Trump cut him off again.
I don't believe Trump's question was totally unreasonable. Watch the video. In context, the student is defending/standing up for an Asian country. Choe looks rather Asiatic. Is it completely unwarranted to question motive and bias through possible ethnic ties? After all, people all the time do show loyalty, favoritism, connection, etc. to their ancestral country/ethnic origins.
Incidentally, this isn't the first time Joseph Choe has spoken out on behalf of Korean interests. He seems to be involved in Korean politics and interests. Back in April, he confronted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarding Korean comfort women:
A Korean-American Harvard University student is gaining attention in South Korea for a question he asked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarding comfort women.Harvard student Joseph Choe put the Prime Minister on the spot during his April 27 visit to Harvard University’s Kennedy School when he asked him to clarify his position on the Japanese government’s involvement in coercing Korean women and girls into sexual slavery during World War II.
Yes. Joseph Choe is an American, born in Texas and raised in Colorado. But he is ethnically tied by ancestry to Korea; and seems to have an interest in Korea. Whether it is relevant to the larger point or not on American military expenditure and bases in Korea, it at least provides Trump with a contextualization for where the source of Choe's interest in the topic may be coming from.
So basically, Trump's instincts were correct and he had Choe's number correct.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
so hes ethnically Korean SO WHAT?
thats a maybe tad racist isnt it?
Ah, an act of microagression by Mr Trump. I’m sure this will resonate deeply in middle America and his poll numbers will plunge /s
I saw that and I don’t care.
What is it with identity politics among skull-full-of-mush American school children?
Forget the term “racist” which no longer has any concrete meaning. Did Trump correctly ascertain where the guy was coming from? Yes he did.
almost a billion bucks? wow. We have jets that cost more.
this ORIENTAL can go to hell.
Go Trump.
I’m sure that costs Trump lots of votes.
the ORIENTALS are going to vote dem anyway so @#$ em.
what on earth did where he was from.. have to do with his question??
it wasnt an egregious affront.. just inappropriate to the matter at hand.
is that how a leader handles himself? ah no
“When we had that steak dinner, you didn’t pay a dime. I paid for it.”
“Not true. I left a 15% tip.”
Now I do not care who you are voting for that post was funny. This should be a interesting thread.
Why are the two true commie countries left an Asian country and a Hispanic Country?
People often assume Asians are conservative voters. But the majority of Asians support gun control, the police state and other big government projects.
On somewhat conservative issues, Asians only agree on black-on-asian crime.
Trump should interrupt any know-it-all teenager/youth who talks trash to Trump.
Boo hoo.
Trump’s follow up question should have been: Are your parents from Korea? If Choe answered yes, he is still considered a Korean citizen by Korea.
In other words, legally he is Korean (dual national with U.S.).
Donald responded to him that the $860 million is peanuts to what the USA spends to protect S. Korea and what it allows in its trade deficit.
I think Donald has competent people who fact check everything he puts out. I’ll stay with Donald.
LOL!!
I’m married to a Chinese woman. Asian issues matter avove all others to most of them (sorry, but it’s true).
What Mr Trump did was not uncalled for, no matter how you spin it.
After many years of marriage, I can’t identify different origins of Asians visually. The kid was talking of very specific Korean issues, so it is natural to assume Korean ethnicity.
IF I identified myself as a Czech and then asked a question about eastern europe, would anyone be out of their mind to ask me if i were from the Czech republic??
Nope.
Okay they already tried the trump-is-racist-against-blacks and trump-is-racist-against-hispanics. It was only a matter of time until we got trump-is-racist-against-asians.
So let me see if I understand the “controversy”... an asiatic student asks Donald Trump a question about South Korea and Donald Trump is “in trouble” for inquiring if the student is from there. Did I miss something? That’s ridiculous.
People of the northeast past a certain age will remember that there were ethnic blocks throughout the northeast and asking people where they were from or what was their ethnicity is (asked as What are you?) was commonplace.
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