#anti-aapi

[system-of-a-feather]

You know what, I'll admit a thing about being anti-tulpa. While yes, I do stand by the claims of cultural appropriation and colonialism and that people much more formally educated on the topic can put out there - and that yes, as a Buddhist, it is so infuriatingly clownish to correlate "western Tulpamancy" with Buddhism as they are almost opposites in sheer principle.

But ya know, the gaslighting of 'all the anti-tulpas don't actually care about it being cultural appropriation and just HATE endos' whenever someone - like me - speaks up about it actually gets to me as a part enough so that the system TYPICALLY bans me from arguing or talking about people on it

And ya know what? I'm gonna declaw it cause I just realized the only reason it gets to me is cause there is a grain of truth in it and to be fair, I haven't been 100% honest and direct with my feelings on the topic in the guise of being 'formal' about it. Yes I do care and think Tibetian Buddhists and Buddhism should be protected and what not, and yes this and that - none of that is facetious or a lie

But the truth is, it's not what I'm actually mad about. Its not the real reason this pisses me off, but you know what? The REAL reason is not irrelevant.

I'm just tired as fuck of white people taking all sorts of Asian culture and fetishizing it and turning it into some kind of joke then running around acting like its okay in the slightest or calling it "cultural exchange" when REALLY its just "hey look at this mystical Asian culture and how we can have our fun with it!!!!".

I'm TIRED of white people looking at eastern cultures and AAPI saying the way they interact with it is disgusting, uncomfortable, and kinda gross and them going "um ACTUALLY"

I'm TIRED of people entirely ignoring the constant and regular racism, disregard, prejudice, hate and fetishism of Asians and Asian culture in America SPECIFICALLY in regards to Asian Americans and think its their place to talk over them

I'm TIRED of Asian and Eastern cultures being treated like a joke and a "not REALLY POC" or like we aren't marginalized or structurally taken advantage of or have a history of white people fucking us over historically enough for 'not racist people' white to feel uncomfortable debating what is and isn't harmful to us. And the best thing is? 95% of them don't know the first LICK of the fucking atrocities done to our cultures.

I'm TIRED of being the side tangent and the Gotcha point - I'm TIRED of people looking at ONE person on ONE reddit who had ONE opinion and saying they define the ENTIRE POPULACE cause of course.

I'm TIRED of people assuming everyone is Chinese and that everyone who is Chinese supports the CCP

I'm TIRED of people assuming we weren't fucked over by the CCP

I'm TIRED of people not understanding the nuance that while all Asians and cultures in Asia are different that it doesn't mean disrespect to one part doesn't in turn affect others - ESPECIALLY in America and ESPECIALLY from white people.

I'm TIRED of the 'you aren't X enough to have a say on this'.

I'm TIRED of deep personal things rooted in deep history being made into a fun game and community for white people.

I'm TIRED of white people interacting with our cultures and I VERY much understand why my family and my ancestors all fucking wanted nothing to do with White Westerners cause yall (generalizing this to be 'westerners who are a piece of shit, you know who you are') are fucking ridiculous assholes of clowns

I'm TIRED of it and the fucking audacity yall fucking have.

I'll admit it.

Tibetian Buddhism and Tibetian Buddhist culture is not what I'm actually mostly mad about. I'm NOT actually mostly mad about how a thing I value and treasure is turned into a fucking joke that is the opposite of its original meaning while being toted around as a "cool and quirky esoteric fact about the history of this subculture predominantly run by white people and started by a white person"

You are all right on that.

I'm actually just upset on the quiet and inherent SEVERE sinophobic macro and microaggressions that inherently plague the discussion with every pro-"tulpa-term" I've talked to save for like, literally ONE who is ACTUALLY raised understanding more about Buddhism and has my respect.

I'm just tired of me and my culture and my related cultures being turned into a fucking ornament for white people.

That's it. Getting that off my chest.

Call that a conflict of interest or call that valid, I don't care.

White people can reblog, but be a fucking clown piece of shit and I'm fucking blocking you.

[jesncin]

not to throw shade- but it is a tiny thing I feel I have to say. John Constantine is not a perpetual outsider, in the context of being a British person in America (in Dead In America).

You can just say he's a foreigner. The term "perpetual foreigner" is to refer to people who are perceived as foreigners even when they are native born citizens. In the American context this means Asian American and Pacific Islander people. Johnstantine is a white man, sure he sticks out because of his accent and British-ness but he isn't perceived as foreign because he's not part of a racial minority group.

He's not going to be asked "so where are you really from" the same way an Asian person constantly would be asked in America.

[joshualunacreations]

In 2022, Corinne Tan was announced as the American Girl Doll of the Year and heavily promoted as a way of raising awareness about anti-Asian racism during COVID. But what message did her story send?

When Corinne Tan debuted, AsAms were offended by the synopsis and how it centered a white man in what's supposed to be a COVID racism story. Once I heard the book had been fast tracked for two live-action specials on HBO Max and Cartoon Network, I knew more harm was coming. In the rare instances Western media talks about anti-Asian racism, it's downplayed. Instead, narratives are used to reinforce the 1) Model Minority Myth, 2) Asian gender divide, and 3) "correct" levels of assimilation. Unsurprisingly, Corinne Tan’s story does all of these.

There's a place for stories about divorce and blended families, but this story isn't it. COVID racism is specifically about the threat of AAPI being verbally or physically assaulted by non-AAPI. The author's choice to emphasize conflict within an Asian family is inappropriate.

Instead of empathizing with David Tan's inability to work during the pandemic—a real problem that has devastated many AAPI families and businesses—it's the reason Judy divorces him. The story not only erases racism as a reason for AAPI pandemic joblessness, but victim-blames. It implies her parents have an antagonistic relationship because her dad isn't white and rich, and that makes him an inferior romantic partner. Despite referencing a slur meant for Asian men, the story never acknowledges that her dad experiences racism too.

Another appalling aspect is how Corinne, an 11-year-old girl, is responsible for teaching a grown white man to empathize with her experiences of racism—because her mom won't. Not only does Judy never talk to Arne about racism, she lets him gaslight Corinne in front of her. Judy seems fixated on wealth and achievement over her daughters' emotional safety. When the family lived with David, the walls were decorated with the daughters' artwork. In Arne's house, Judy is concerned with protecting the aesthetic chosen by Arne's professional decorator.

This is why the Eileen Gu poster becomes such a sticking point. While David encourages his daughters to embrace Chinese culture in everything, Judy seems to apply it only to her restaurant. Is it because Arne tells her he hoped marrying a chef would mean never buying takeout?

Meanwhile, Arne, a rich white businessman—who calls himself Goldilocks and whose behavior the author describes as "clueless" racism—gets sympathetic treatment. His fear of heights and dogs is equated to Corinne's fear of racists, as if it's a phobia to overcome via willpower.

Recall that the purpose of Corinne Tan's story is to educate about AAPI experiences with racism during COVID. Mattel, owner of American Girl, hired a panel of AsAm academics and consultants to tell her story with "authenticity and accuracy." So how did it turn out so harmful?

It's because the AsAm consultants for this project and many similar projects—like Dr. Jennifer Ho—are out-of-touch with our community. Insulated by wealth and/or whiteness they've chosen, they think they've acknowledged their privilege, but their work shows they're still reinforcing it.

The broader problem is that racist and misogynist white men control media. Regardless of gender, sexuality, or marital status, AAPI are given media power only when they internalize and repeat white men’s messaging. This isn't limited to fiction—it affects real-life activism too.

A picture says a thousand words, and it speaks volumes that Stop AAPI Hate chose to literally center white men in the photo accompanying their hate crime data report summarizing the past two years. Of those "thousands of voices," it isn't hard to guess who's prioritized. Stop AAPI Hate pushes the same message as Corinne Tan's story: racist white men deserve more humanity and sympathy than actual AAPI male victims. Hating and erasing AAPI men is required to show that you're a "safe" Asian deserving of resources and support. (see my data thread about how hate crime data is manipulated to erase AAPI men as victims)

It's bad enough that an entire gender is being cut out from resources and empathy, but what Corinne Tan’s story reveals is another disturbing trend: AAPI youth are being groomed into normalizing having racist white men in their lives, specifically in their families and homes.

Corinne Tan is a middle grade story (ages 8-12). For its consulting, Mattel partnered with AAPI Youth Rising, a non-profit led by AAPI middle schoolers. At the time, Dr. Ho was president of the Association for Asian American Studies, which helps shape AsAm studies in schools. It's not a stretch to think Corinne's mom Judy, who puts Corinne in harm's way by refusing to address her white husband’s "clueless” racism, is reflective of the behavior of AAPI adults involved in Stop AAPI Hate and other AsAm orgs—they gave the story their stamp of approval.

Anti-Asian hate crimes against AAPI should've brought the community closer together. Instead, we've been segregated further, and the AAPI who hurt the community the most have hoarded the empathy, media attention, and resources for themselves. How can any of us heal like this?

(Please don’t repost or edit my art. Reblogs are always appreciated.)

If you enjoy my comics, please pledge to my Patreon or donate to my Paypal.

https://twitter.com/Joshua_Luna/status/1134522555744866304 https://patreon.com/joshualuna https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/JoshuaLunaComics

[humanrightsconnected]

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Find out today from the following 5 organizations how you can support the AAPI community!

➡️ 18 Million Rising (18MR) 

➡️ AAPI Women Lead

➡️ Asian American Federation (AAF)

➡️ Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)

➡️ The Asian American Foundation (TAAF)

📸 by Katie Godowski on Pexels

[icedsodapop]

I find it so interesting that when Mark Wahlberg's hate crimes got brought up in light of the SAG Awards, you can see the anti-woke assholes in the comments section saying that people should "let it go" since Mark Wahlberg "was a kid" when it happened, that "people can grow and learn from mistakes they made as a teen", and these assholes always bring up the fact that his victim, Johnny Trinh, forgave him.

But, it's soo interesting that Mark Wahlberg's defenders conveniently left out his other victim, Kristyn Atwood, a little Black girl who was part of the group of mostly Black middle-schoolers he and his friends pelted stones at, hurled racial slurs at. His other victim who defintely DOES NOT forgive him, who also was a kid herself in the fourth grade when Marky Mark and his buddies decided to assault her and her schoolmates.

These assholes said that Mark Wahlberg has grown and learn from his mistakes, but did he really? How would they know?? Did he really learn from his mistakes when he tried to expunge his criminal record to start his shitty burger chain? Did he personally apologize to Jess Coleman (who was 12 y/o then) and his siblings for harassing them while they were just walking home from school because they were Black? Has Marky Mark ever reckoned with how his white privilege had a part to play for his lenient sentencing (2 yrs jail, he served a mere 45 days), for his oppprtunity to move on? After all, Black and Brown people have been dealt harsher sentences for far less. And apart from paying lip service to George Floyd's murder and BLM, has Marky Mark actually donated to Black Lives Matter? Or Stop Asian Hate? Or any Black and AAPI advocacy groups? Or fuck, any gofundmes?? Has he advocated for defunding the police or gun control?

And finally, these assholes act as if just because ONE victim forgave him, Mark Wahlberg's crimes are automatically absolved and we can all move on. That's not what forgiveness means? It's up to Johnny Trinh's perogative to forgive him and I respect that, but Trinh's decision to grant his attacker grace does not mean that Black people and other Asian people aren't allowed to be angry over Mark Walhberg's actions and the lack of consequences that followed them.

I keep thinking about Roxane Gay's interview with NPR on not forgiving Dylan Roof, how forgiveness is often weaponized against Black, Indigenous and other people of color. The idea that we have to let it go because it's in the past. But we can't let it go because what Mark Walhberg did is sadly not unique, he's just one of the many racist assholes who commited hate crimes against BIPOC, crimes that are still happening now.

And it's hypocritical to expect Black and Asian people to forgive and forget what Mark Walhberg has done, when the same grace was not afforded to Will Smith. So, who does "forgive and forget" actually serve?

[engagedpureland]

Seattle Buddhist Temple Attacked by Arson

Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple was damaged last night by an arson attack. Details are still emerging. New Year's Day service is canceled. Jodo Shinshu temples in the United States and Canada have long been targets of racist and anti-Buddhist violence. Few if any have never experienced hate-based vandalism, arson, or attacks on members. The first, 100 years ago, killed 10 children at the Sacramento temple. Since then the Pahala, Gardena, Spokane, Fraser Valley, and other temples have been destroyed by arson, and many others have been damaged. Attacks on Buddhist temples accelerated in 2020 following Donald Trump's racist blaming of China for Covid-19.

[thealiveshadow]

As a precursor I’d like to say that if you feel my post is talking over you, just tell me and I’ll have no problem deleting it.

As an Indian (from India not Indigenous) trans man, I relate heavily to the experience of having my masculinity stripped, but for different reasons. Indian men are generally viewed as weak, and maybe my submissive in a sense. They are thought to have strange accents, can’t speak in English properly, are not fit and generally weak. One time somebody told me (and they totally believed it) that “Indian men were at the bottom of the sexual food chain, no one likes them”. They fold their hands when White people come into their country and house, and are there to take the profanities of their (White) boss.

But! On the flip side, Indian men are actually also hyper masculine rapists. They can’t hide their lecherous eyes from your innocent daughters, who knows if she’ll be safe with an Indian man? Don’t you know how racist they are? They’ll call you the n-word as soon as they meet you! They’re scammers and cheaters, hide your purse from them so they don’t pickpocket you, and don’t forget how all call scams are actually Indian! Queer Indian Men? Not fucking possible, didn’t you know that Indian men are backwards and not progressive in their thinking at all, they could never be something as cool as being queer!!! In fact I think all Indian men should die because of how dangerous they are, Free the Indian Woman (who are so sexy and beautiful by the way)

The above portion is making fun of of what I’ve heard and seen in my life. I believe Indian men have the experiences of having their masculinity deconstructed were they are generally submissive and weak to outer forces, and then reconstructed to seem like inhuman monster where women are put in danger just by having a Desi man near her. I know this because I have experienced many (if not all of these things listed above) and have seen fellow Desi men experience it too. And because of how much people (of all political aisles let’s by honest) seem to hate Indians, and going even more specifically, Indian men, many simply refuse to acknowledge it.

I thought that the main similarity between your post and mine is that East Asian men are stripped of their masculinity due to forced feminization, Indian (and South Asian) men also experience this uprooting of their identity but in a different form. I also believe that Indian men have to work hard to be seen as masculine in enough, but not so much that they end up being seen as a danger. It ends up being a delicate line to dangle.

I am going to get so much fucking hate for this but as an ethnically East Asian (Chinese, but born in and lives in the US) trans man, I feel like my ethnicity and gender intersect in two different ways that no one either cares about or knows about

Forced feminization

Hyperinvisibility

In detail:

Forced feminization

From anime characters to K-pop idols, so many East Asian men seem to be regarded as feminine either for their dress or mannerisms with absolutely no consideration of how different cultures might display masculinity. Granted, I've been guilty of this too in the past, due to being born and raised in a western country, but I'm trying to be better about it. Like. Asian guys are not your "shy uwu Kpop idols" or "cute gay coded anime characters". Also: the "small Asian dick" jokes. Goddamn.

I feel like I shouldn't have to explain how this goes double for Asian trans men like me who want to present as masculine in a gender conforming way. But since this is Tumblr dot fucking com, I'm gonna have to. I feel like I have to work twice as hard to be seen as masculine as anyone who isn't Asian and/or is a cis guy because of not only the paragraph above but because of the parts I was born with. Seriously I did not spend years escaping femininity just to have randos insist I stay with it from multiple angles.

Hyperinvisibility

This is probably where people are going to come into my notes and inbox with pitchforks telling me shit like "kys" or throwing slurs but you know what. Fuck it.

EDIT: I am now aware that BIPOC stands for "black, indigenous, and people of color", not "black and indigenous people of color", so I have removed my previous statements as they were inaccurate.

That being said, it still stands that I have seen very few people talk about the racism Asian people face, and that we are treated as "white lite" in many spaces.

As for the transmasc angle: transandrophobia does exist. We are being killed. We are being raped. We are being forcibly impregnated and detransitioned. And nobody is giving a fuck. We aren't even acknowledged as trans men, we're labeled in statistics as "women". And when we try to talk about it we're called either "confused little girls" or "(trans)misogynistic MRAs".

TLDR: I DON'T FUCKING KNOW HOW TO TELL YOU PEOPLE THAT HYPERINVISIBILITY IS NOT A PRIVILEGE ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE IT THROUGH BOTH YOUR RACE AND GENDER

[k00297028]

Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya - Artist Research

As artist in residence with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. Amanda’s Art Series celebrating the resilience of the AAPI community. ‘I Still Believe in Our City. Her work has reached millions across New York City and worldwide through reclaiming billboards, bus shelters, subway tunnels, buildings and the cover of TIME Magazine.

[fairynisse]

The racism you experienced does not have to be violent to be valid.

[art]

Meet the Artist: @joshualunacreations

Hi, I’m Joshua and I’m a professional comic book writer and artist. I co-created three series at Image comics: Ultra, Girls, and The Sword. After I went solo with my Image series Whispers, I started making online comic strips exploring my Filipino/Asian American identity and experiences. What began as a side project and organic outlet to process my thoughts and feelings turned into a seven-year journey that continues to this day. The more I write and draw, the more I realize I have to say—especially with the sharp increase in anti-Asian violence against AAPI and the institutional censorship that prevents us from addressing it adequately. I was told by my publisher that I wasn’t talking about AAPI issues in the “right way” because I tackle difficult, complex, and painful truths about Asian America. Despite these barriers, I’m determined to collect these strips into a book and publish them as Americanizasian. In the meantime, you can follow and share my work online and support me by pledging to my Patreon or donating to my PayPal. Happy APAHM!

Pleased to meet you, Joshua! He has shared some of his comics below for you all.

Check out more of Joshua’s artworks over at his Tumblr, @joshualunacreations!

-

We are highlighting some of Tumblr’s talented artists of Asian descent all month as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

[chirishman]

Yeah, and the local gangs are

DARE PSA But Make It Real

Nazis (unfortunately prophetic)

And then you get

All Asians Are The Same And They’re Raping And Enslaving White Women. Also Something About Honor.

It’s some straight up 1880s Yellow Peril shit

It’s even lowkey an anti-refugee narrative, Lung and a large part of the local Japanese community are explicitly part of diaspora caused by a giant disaster that destroyed their homes and livelihoods.

The only part that was missing was for him to write them scabbing on jobs picketed by the dockworkers union and spread a plague or something.

Those transliterated phrases there in the second image? They’re traditional Chinese gambling/lottery things, which maps to Wildbow’s Ruby Dreams Casino thing.

As an asian person I have to tell you this kind of unself-examined asian stereotype BS is way more pervasive than you think.

At the same time Worm was being written the news media was being so noticeably (and seemingly obliviously) racist about a basketball player being asian that SNL made a sketch skewering it.

I don’t know where I’m going with this except that I am very very tired. Media and the people who make it are imperfect.

i love (hate) how worm has really interesting and personalized and thought-out and clever cape designs and then it gets to the asian capes and its like. their motives: theyre asian. their personalities: asian. their cape design: theyre asian oni lee is a ninja and has a japanese style demon mask (hes asian). And of course who could forget the insinuation that taylor can do phrenology to decide what ethnicity an asian person is just based on their face. like

I couldn’t pinpoint her ethnicity with the mask and goggles, and her age wasn’t any easier to figure out.

Hello. Okay.

[heartrender6]

most of the kuwei hate in this fandom is absolutely racially motivated and most of it is probably subconscious but i NEED to talk about this.

and not because i think people r thinking "i hate kuwei!! he's asian and i hate asians!!" tbh most anti asian racism on the internet goes way deeper than that.

basically, what i believe to be the most prominent type of racism against asians, especially on the internet, is stereotyping. specifically "uwu-ification." the east asian entertainment industry likes to paint asian people as cute, submissive and sweet because it markets disturbingly well to american audiences, and whether people mean to or not, they internalize it and it affects the way they think of asian people as a whole. This mostly happens to east and southeast asian women, but definitely a lot with men too, especially in more recent years with the whole yaoi culture thing (i fucking hated typing that) becoming more popular. simply put, it's fetishization.

so how does this relate to kuwei? well, when kuwei is introduced to us, and im not gonna dance around it— he is pretty stereotypically asian. he's shy, innocent, small, good at math/science and— you guessed it— no speaka engrish. leigh bardugo lays the perfect trap for fandom white girl weeaboos to gush over this guy. once i came across a modern au where kuwei's whole northern chinese-mongolian ass is a "shy japanese transfer student." i really wish i was making this up.

but then we find out that kuwei is actually a conniving little shit who is really quite terrible at science and spends all day making shitty drawings of his crush instead of doing math or wtv. The turning point where we are told this is the jesper kiss. This is the point where we find out kuwei is not the yaoi uwu baby we thought he was. and how does fuckin 2/3 of the fandom react?? hate. instant hate. If you search "i hate kuwei" on twitter there are tweets both defending and attacking him, but there is significantly more of the latter.

most of them claim to hate him for kissing jesper but like... jesper kissed him. He doesn't say anything because, in his own words, "we're all probably going to die anyway." does no one see how tragic that is?? he let his first (probably) kiss be taken by someone who he knew didn't even like him because he thought it would be the only one he'd ever get.

and yet the only thing people see is that he "got in the way" of wesper and he's evil. throughout the series kuwei is given no agency, and that's the point of his character. everyone on the planet treats him as a weapon or a bargaining chip. he gets tossed around like a rag doll and to white (or otherwise not asian) audiences, that makes him the perfect picture of a little asian cutie i almost vomited typing that holy shit. but the moments where he takes something for himself— insisting on going to ravka, kissing jesper back— that's what makes people hate him. and don't even get me started on the way people project their hatred onto the other crows, especially wylan. yall will act like wylan loathes kuwei with all his being. he doesn't!! wylan is not a hateful person and he always defends kuwei!! but nooo, kuwei sucks and he deserves it for daring to be a person instead of an idea.

and hey?? guess what?? kuwei was NEVER in the way of wesper. there was no love triangle. narratively speaking, there was never any threat that kuwei would end up with jesper instead of wylan. never ever. the kiss was literally only put there to create drama for wylan and jesper. we never even hear how kuwei feels about it. stop using that as an excuse to hate on kuwei when we can all see it's because you're subconsciously mad at an asian person not being nice.

also disliking kuwei does not automatically make you racist, im just saying a lot of hatred towards kuwei is rooted in racism.

tagging my fellow aapi moots (that i know of) because i wanna hear yalls thoughts on this! @hauntedacousticversiontv @dramaqueentruther

[mysteriouspercentage]

happy aapi heritage month, loving and friendly reminders

stop erasing pacific islanders or i'll rip out ur spine

asians outnumber pacific islanders by millions and more often than not this month gives CRUMBS to pacific islanders and it's honestly, transparently anti-indigenous at this point.

pacific islanders are melanesian, micronesian, and polynesian. these identities are not homogenous or interchangeable, but are deeply historically connected.

filipinos are not pacific islander and we are not discussing this further

(i am not pacific islander so if anyone from that community wants to add more friendly reminders onto this post, pls do 💛)

east asians are not the only asians

despite being the face of "asian-ness" in the us, there are actually more countries in asia than south korea, north korea, japan, and china.

celebrate southeast asians !

celebrate south asians !

celebrate west asians !

celebrate central asians !

celebrate north asians !

there is so so much diversity in the pacific islander and asian experiences worldwide, and it's well past time we celebrate all of the facets of our identities

celebrate indigenous asians !

celebrate asians who aren't mixed with white !

celebrate dark-skinned asians !

end the diaspora wars !

we need to stand together in community as we face down the capitalist, imperialist, white supremacist machine. uplift each other, and hold each other accountable, always

[joshualunacreations]

The US and its propaganda arm, Hollywood, have always been anti-Asian. Although opportunities are opening up for Asian actors, the underlying messaging—that divides and hurts Asians—hasn't changed.

Not too long ago, AsAms seemed united in outrage against racism and white-washed casting such as Scarlet Johannsen in Ghost in the Shell, Tilda Swinton in Dr. Strange, or Netflix’s Deathnote. Yet as more projects with AAPI leads and casts were produced, this so-called unity proved to be a lie.

The illusion of AsAm unity fell apart with To All the Boys I Loved Before—which was widely celebrated despite its blatant white-worship. The most recent blow comes from Hulu's The Company You Keep, a U.S. remake of a k-drama that replaced the male love interest with a white man.

Once it seemed like AAPI women were getting roles and being “humanized” (i.e. garnering attention and approval from white men on-screen and off) AAPI with media power were satisfied. It didn't matter that AAPI men were still erased and dehumanized—even in supposedly pro-AAPI projects.

Not only do AAPI with media power not care about the continuing harm against AAPI men, they exacerbate it. When AsAms critique anti-Asian narratives—especially ones erasing or targeting AsAm men like TATBILB—they're gaslit, harassed, censored and even permanently blacklisted.

This is because AsAm media is held hostage by the racist framework of the U.S. government's 1942-43 Mixed Marriage Policy. White men's hierarchy—based on perceived threat levels and receptiveness to white assimilation—still dictates Hollywood narratives.

Research confirms that the MMP persists today. A 2015 study shows how gendered racism leads to severe under-representation of Asian men (and Black women). Whereas monoracial Asian men face significant barriers in dating, a 2014 study shows mixed-white Asians get a "bonus effect."

This is why Hollywood execs know there will be less uproar if monoracial Asian men aren't represented—it's been the status quo for decades. In the few roles made for Asian men, they still fall into two categories: pathetic loser or toxic man/villain. In some cases, both.

The hatred and erasure of Asian men is so deeply embedded that it's led to the widespread erasure of AAPI men as victims of anti-Asian hate crimes in recorded stats and media narratives. AAPI journalists know this, yet continue to do nothing to correct it.

So what's next for AsAm representation? In 2022, Janet Yang became president of the Oscars. She's co-founder of Gold House—an AsAm Hollywood collective—and executive producer of Joy Luck Club, a seminal work bashing Asian men as irredeemable misogynists compared to "good" white men.

Many AsAms like Yang want more of Joy Luck Club and similar stories. Amy Tan, author of JLC, has been pushing for years for a sequel with the original cast. A TV series was optioned in 2017, and as of 2022 a movie sequel is to be written by white male screenwriter, Ron Bass.

Stories like Joy Luck Club aren't just bad media—they're dangerous. Arthur Martunovich randomly hammered three AsAm men to death because he saw a movie depicting Chinese men as abusers and he wanted to "protect Chinese women". There's a high chance that movie was JLC.

Hollywood has figured out it’s easy to make anti-Asian films and stifle criticism by hiring Asian tokens to give stamps of approval. An article from 1986 (40 years ago) about AsAm criticism of racism in Big Trouble in Little China shows there's a history of sowing division among AAPI and using government resources to do it. I understand the allure of the Hollywood dream because I used to believe in it myself. From an early age, all marginalized groups—POC, women, LGBTQ+—are taught to fantasize about how we'll finally be accepted and heal the hurt once we get on a big stage and give an award speech. Having experience in Hollywood as a comic creator, I know how people in power (esp. white men) behave. Their goal is to wear you down until you internalize their bigoted messaging, regurgitate it yourself, and then thank them for it. They hate the word "no." Awards don't matter if the content that gets you there ultimately serves bigoted and harmful purposes. In 2020, I made a test for AAPI media. None of the projects so far have passed. That's by design. We think we’re holding the statue, but really, it’s holding us.

Correction: I just noticed a typo in the comic. Inside the Hollywood sign's letter "Y" I meant to say "non-Asians" not "non-whites." Sorry, it was a lot of drawing and writing, and I got tired 🥴 (Please don’t repost or edit my art. Reblogs are always appreciated.)

If you enjoy my comics, please pledge to my Patreon or donate to my Paypal.

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[humanrightsconnected]

Last Thursday marked two years since the Atlanta spa shootings that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. As we observe today the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, discover 5 ways to counter racism against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. 

[bfpnola]

about the ongoing hunger strike to ensure that the historic anti-casteism bill passes in california ^^ wanna support?

if you’re on mobile, go to: https://tinyurl.com/Signsb403

other devices, like laptops: https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/

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sample email below from the mobile link, not my own writing:

Subject: Please Sign SB403 (Wahab) to End Caste Discrimination

I am writing to request the governor to sign the historic bill SB403 introduced by State Senator Aisha Wahab, which would end discrimination on the basis of caste. This bill aims to clarify existing California state law and make explicit that discrimination based on caste is illegal by adding caste to ancestry and defining caste in the Civil Rights Act, Fair Employment and Housing Act, and Education Code.

Caste systems are social stratification where each position is characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social exclusion. Caste discrimination manifests as workplace discrimination, housing discrimination, gender-based violence, and other physical and psychological forms of violence.

Caste discrimination occurs across industries, including technology, construction, restaurants, and domestic work. In these sectors, caste discrimination has included harassment, bias, wage theft, and even trafficking. Caste is today inextricably intertwined with existing legal protections in state and federal civil rights laws such that discrimination based on one’s caste is effectively discrimination based on the intersection of other protected identities. However, because of the grave discrimination caste-oppressed Californians face, these existing protections must be made explicit.

Caste is a workers rights issues, a women's rights issues, and racial justice issue. It is also a bill that has bipartisan support. That is why we are joined by Asian Law Caucus, Stop AAPI Hate, AAPI Equity Alliance, Tech Equity, Equality Labs, Alphabet Workers Union, Ambedkar Association of North America, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, Californians for Caste Equity, Hindus for Caste Equity, Jakara Movement, South Asian Network, Sikh Coalition, and Sikh American Legal Defense Fund. Every major legal association is in support of caste equity and the lawfulness to make caste equity explicit. This includes the American Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association, National Asian American Pacific Bar Association, and Asian Law Caucus.

That is why we urge you to make history and sign his bill without hesitation. Justice delayed is justice denied. Let's ensure California opportunity for all by ensuring that ancestry and caste discrimination is explicitly prohibited and make history across the country.

Thank You,

[Name]

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and if you don’t know what caste is? send in an ask @bfpnola or join our Discord server, link in bio, so we can answer you in real-time!