How in-depth psychological profiles perpetuate White Supremacy.
Last night a 21-year old white male went on a mass killing spree at 3 spas in the Atlanta area, killing 8 people — 6 of whom were women of Asian descent. At first, I was sickened, horrified. Then, enraged. I turned to my husband and said, “Just wait until the media comes up with a psychological profile of the shooter.”
Not even 24 hours have passed, and — yet again — the news is reporting on the apparent psychological motivations of this mass murderer, denying that this was a hate crime. …
And Why It Matters
The GameStop saga reveals the psychology of individual actors desperate to break down a system of exploitation. Systems speak in gentle nudges, informal policies, and procedural pivots designed to distract us from the sleight of hand at play. What results is a magic trick — influence — revealed only when one becomes fluent in this language.
The first time I saw this sleight of hand trick was at a casino. My brother and I were young and bored and visiting family in Nebraska, so we drove to an Iowa casino on a whim. What do I recall most vividly?
The…
An Elegy to White Supremacy
What does it mean to live in survival mode, to survive as an Asian American in a racist country? As a child growing up in a white suburb during the 90s “colorblindness” era, I wasted many years strategically accommodating White Supremacy.
Wasting energy.
Wasting time.
Diminishing myself to uphold White Supremacy.
Again. And again.
While we never discussed race in my childhood home, I knew I was a racialized body by age 4. Kids made fun of my eyes, told me to “go back” to Japan.
Well-meaning adults stared at me, attempting to guess “what,” precisely, I was: “What are…
Sarah Suzuki
Owner/Founder of Chicago Compass Counseling, therapist, itinerant change agent, and recovering English Major.
