NBCNews.com somehow found it necessary to "augment" the recent news of Arcadia (Calif.) Mayor Eileen Wang pleading guilty to being a spy for communist China with the notion that this will spur a violent racist reaction against Asian Americans. The headline:  Racial backlash erupts online after California mayor admits to being an agent for China Alicia Lozano and Doha Madani began: "The resignation of a Southern California mayor who pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent for China has sparked backlash and reignited fears of anti-Asian discrimination." Conservative accounts on X recalled a Norm McDonald joke from 2016: "What terrifies me is if ISIS were to detonate a nuclear device and kill 50 million Americans. Imagine the backlash against peaceful Muslims?" The resignation of a Southern California mayor who pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent for China has sparked backlash and reignited fears of anti-Asian discrimination. https://t.co/Vp2B5bDRGD — NBC News (@NBCNews) May 15, 2026   NBC's story laid out the argument:  But racist comments began to appear on social media feeds soon after FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X the case against Wang. Many replies to Patel’s post announcing the charges suggested investigating other prominent Asian American women political figures. Others suggested violent punishment for her. Advocates said they are concerned that this rhetoric is part of a long history of fear and discrimination that has proliferated for generations in regard to Asian communities, especially Chinese immigrants. Experts who spoke to NBC News said Asian people in the U.S. are often treated as perpetual outsiders, which can motivate violence in some cases. The "advocates" highlighted the thought that maybe Chinese spies shouldn't be prosecuted? Wokeness abounds: Rhetoric that can lead to violence The comments made about Wang are part of this larger narrative, said Russell Mark Jeung, professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University. In early 2020, the revelation that Covid may have initially surfaced in China caused a wave of anti-Asian violence in the U.S. and around the world. It was not the first time suspicion of Asian people generated a violent backlash. Beginning with the so-called yellow peril stereotype popularized in the 19th century, which depicted Asians as an existential and cultural threat to the West, Chinese immigrants have long endured accusations of espionage, disloyalty and malice, Jeung said.... “It goes beyond the allegations against this one individual and, instead, paints an entire community broadly as suspicious, disloyal foreigners,” said Dahni K. Tsuboi, CEO of advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California. “That kind of collective blame is dangerous, not just for the Asian American community, but for all of us, all Americans.” The NBC reporters noted that Mayor Wang was honored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) in 2024 for her leadership and “tireless efforts to improve the lives of Arcadia residents.” Oopsy. But Chu was also hitting the Yellow Peril notes:  Chu also pushed back against anti-Asian sentiment that quickly began to circulate online and in some media outlets. “The Asian American community has already weathered stigma, prejudice, and violence, fueled by rhetoric from President Trump and his administration,” the statement read in part. “We saw this in the violent anti-Asian hate crimes during COVID-19, and the unfair targeting of scholars of Chinese descent in Trump’s ‘China Initiative’ program — both of which I have fought against in Congress.”