#asians education

[kemetic-dreams]

[californiannostalgia]

seems to me like zac oyama is repping some experiences of asian american schoolkids, defined by such hits like 'regulate your anger,' 'communicate clearer to deliberately misunderstanding assholes,' and 'perpetual sense of unbelonging in both the american part and the asian part of your life.'

[madampresidentkamala]

I wanted to share some of the things I love about Kamala Harris. I previously made a post about why we need to vote for her to save our country, but this race is no longer the lesser of two evils. Even if this election wasn’t against a fascist dictator I’d still vote for her.

She is kind and tough and unafraid to break down glass ceilings. She’s charismatic and enigmatic. She’s happy and childlike but also capable of taking serious things seriously. She wants to fight for human rights for all. She stands up to corporate greed. She’s extremely intelligent. Kamala could be our first great president in many years. The kind of president we look back on in history with pride.

Kamala represents the possibility of rebuilding our nation to once again be a symbol of freedom. Kamala represents hope for America to be something all its citizens can be proud of. The Fourth of July could become more joyous than it has been in decades.

There’s a lot of concern going around about her ability or desire to fight for Palestine. As far as I can see, I have faith that she will fight for Palestinian lives AND fight against anti semitism all at once. She is intelligent enough to see what a nuanced situation it is.

For me there’s a personal connection. She is multiracial, being both Desi and Afro Caribbean. The same combination of races as me. I admire her because she embraced all her identities despite the fact that multiracial and biracial people are often told to choose one, or told that they can only identify as multiracial and not with their individual heritages.

If you are at all hesitant about Trump, I implore you to consider the value Kamala could add to our country. To find your own personal connection to her and/or Tim Walz. I promise you you’ll find it if you look. Trump and Vance do not represent the interests of any empathetic person in this country, even if you think he does I promise you that you won’t find a personal connection because both of them have given up their humanity.

[scarefox]

[yourdailyqueer]

Wazina Zondon

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Queer

DOB: N/A

Ethnicity: Afghan

Nationality: American

Occupation: Educator, public speaker, activist

[cryscendo]

kurt hummel (and blaine anderson) + @screenshotsofdespair - part two

[f-smutt-fitzgerald]

What's your favorite webcomic? (SFW or NSFW)

Mine's True Education (AKA Get Schooled on the English version of Webtoon) by Jae Yong Taek.

Hwajin Na can get it... I mean... Look at him.

If you haven't read it, read it here and fangirl about it with me.

[somethingsketchy3]

i desperately need jessie mei li to be sophie beckett please 🙏

the sketch kinda got away from me, but im really glad i got to just let go and experiment with blending modes and just not take things so seriously for once.

maybe ill get around to cleaning it and make it into something more or maybe ill just leave it as is. (tbh my brain was turned off when designing the outfits so im not 100% about them and i might redesign that bit)

ANYWHO, @/netflix, PLEASE CAST JESSIE MEI LI AS SOPHIE BECKETT!!!

✨thank youuu✨

[nadiajustbe]

I know people in HMC books speak English so there's not gonna be any kind of miscommunication between the characters, but sometimes I think about how it would be way more funny If there was some language diversity.

Howell Jenkins falls into the portal to an absolutely unknown, magical realm and... everyone speaks English. He was rather happy about it, finding it funny: it's a new, fantasy, fairy-tale based world with dragons and spells and seven-league boots and magic, and yet its habitants English. What are the odds?

However, it does not takes him long to realise (much to his own frustration) that, even though all of the locals native language is, in fact, English, it is pretty different from the English Howell himself is familiar with. He cant understand it quite well at fist, but it sounded like an odd mix of a modern language, specific dialects and an old tongue people was using around Victorian England/Middle Ages. It has so many words and unusual forms (Howell even called them "slang" once in a while), that it takes him a while to fully get every term and subtexts ms. Pentstemmon was referring to.

Their languages were similar just enough to catch the full sense of the sentence, but not enough to undertand all the little details, not cultural nor linguistic. It would even worst If he wasn't a big fun of Shakespeare and old Arthurian Legends growing up, letting alone studying old English (and old Welsh) at the university.

The language also differs from the area. Michael, for example, uses so many words you can hear in Porthaven only, regarding it's unique aspects. Sophie uses a lot of Market Chipping proverbs, and even more old terms connected with hats. The language he heard the King using wheh he got his first chance to met him at the time of his apprenticeship was so long, confusing and vivid, as If it was taken straight out of old English Literature books. And yet, English.

To this day Howell — at this point long-knowing as Howl Pendragon — finds himself confusing new terms, forms of words, proverbs and sayings. Maybe, he thinks, you have to be truly born there to understand all of - although he did better than anyone else would. Sophie seems to catching up just well.

—

Abdullah ends up with a flying carpet and the magical genie, exited to give away his fist wish to find the love of his love... only to not understand a word of what the genie is saying. This is how, instead of searching for Flower-In-The-Night, he now searching through a whole Zanzib for a proper translator from English because, here's the problem, If he can't understand the genie, then genie can't understand him, and If genie can't understand him, it's pointless to even try making a wish. He knows it's English: there's plenty people all around the world visiting the market, and he had even learnt certain words, important for making a trade, but that's not nearly close to a full sentence on unrelated topic.

With a great effort and after hours of searching for a really proffecional master of languages (who charges Abdullah nearly all of his money for one single session), he finally gets to the point. Except, here's another moment. That's where Abdullah finds out the wish has to be spoken from his heart and not through the other person. Here comes another catch — Ingarian English, no matter how simple or structured is, to put is simply, badly different from Rapshutian Arabic. It's not even the same language group!

So, he sits in the small, hot room near the glamorous bottle and tries to pronounce a bunch of difficult, complex words written on a paper, the kind that translator couldn't cut or simplify to ones he's familiar with, for a whole ten (to fifteen) minutes. And, as If trying to make his task as difficult as possible, genie, when he shows up, starts randomly breaking into the language translator can't even recognise, with no talk about understanding. Abdullah assumes it may be a secret genie language only this creatures know and, annoyingly, gets along with it.

After successfully wishing to understand (and use) English, he also finds out he can't wish for anything more language-related, and he shouldn't even bother himself trying to ask for a foolish things like an ability to speak every language in the world. Language is a big part of human's essence and otherwise shouldn't be messing with, just as magic focusing on it is strictly limited.

Using this fact, the genie also finds a loophole - from now on he speaks his secret genie language half of the time, stopping only when it comes to important tasks, because Abdullah "wished to know only one of his languages" and he, apparently, knows more.

This whole puzzle takes new turns, when, while traveling with the carpet, Abdullah meets the solider. Despite claiming being from Strangia, this strange man from the forest starts speaking with them in English in first and then, noticing they're from different country, easily switches to Arabic.

As they wander together, the soliders explains that he is non less confused than they are: he didn't even noticed he could speak English before the passer-byes from Ingary noticed him, and now, being with genie and Abdullah, he also remembered he knows Arabic. He adds that he can't recall anything before his duty in the army, where he definitely used Stangian and nothing else, but it feels like an strong knowledge he has, even If he doesn't remember learning any of this. He decides to wave it off, focusing on the cats and schemes.

The solider becomes a great translator for them along the journey, up to the day the got the inn. He does not understand the secret genie language, though. Especially when from the jinnies and angels they found out there's, in fact, no such a thing as a "genie language"

The story finally clears itself when Midnight and Whippersnapper turn into humans, the Solider turns into a bewitched Prince and the Royal Wizard surprisingly seems to recognize all of the words the genie was — and still is — using.

—

Charmain runs after Sophie with a long, old dictionary she has found in the Great Uncle Norland's Library. The Royals, of course, gave their honored guest the translator, but the things quickly becomes pretty private, with the search for the gold and all this story with lubboks, so Sophie tells them she's gonna manage it by herself.

To say the Dictionary is heavy is to say nothing: it's huge and thick, containing thousands of words from Ingarian English alone, split by topics, marked with tons of colors an additional moments. Even carrying it around is a whole different type of task.

Half of the time Charmain and Sophie communicate with gestures, context clues and even sounds. When they need to say something really long and complex, they write, leaning on the Dictionary, as it's a bit faster than talking. Still, at some moments Charmain has to flip through the massive pages, searching for the right word with her finger, while Sophie has to do the same. Till the end of the day the both learn some basic words from each other's language, which makes it easier.

The poor nanny has even harder times with Twinkle and Morgan, because she has no idea about what they actually want, except they both whining and crying, one louder than another.

Translator does not come in handy that much, as it looks like these children mix languages everytime when speaking to each other. She has to guess things all over the room to finally get what they need, and usually it's the most useless things ever, like striped pants and a bunch of toy horses falling from the sky.

They see Sophie and Twinkle arguing about something, but no one gets the topic of their screaming, let alone the reason why Sophie is so mad at this angelic child. Charmain asks Sophie about it, because she heard an unusual name along the lines of their quarrels, but Sophie looks too annoyed to explain, mumbling something in her native language with some sort of anger.

The only positive side of it all is that, If Chairman can't understand English, then the lubbocks can't either. Wich means that they didn't have to be as cautious when using Dictionary as they would have to If they understood each other perfectly.

Then she has to climb on the roof, where Twinkle is sitting. Charmain tries to dismiss all his attempts to start a dialogue till she's there, huffing and suffocating as she tries to get the Dictionary with her, trying not to fall.

Twinkle seems to be really proud of himself, saying he knows twice more languages that anyone else in this magical House. Charmain flips through the pages, asking either one of is the one she knows (Norlandian, I assume).

Twinkle says no. For a second Charmaine starts to really understand Sophie's feeling, fighting the urge to hit him on the head with this massive book.

Peter does not communicate with this new guest as much and, luckily, he knows the language Charmain speaks, so they don't have to struggle with a language barrier. The way speaks might be a bit different because of the area he grew up and the amount of hiding and spells he encountered, but there's nothing they can't handle. Luckily.

Calcifer knows the Saucepan song, but other than that his linguistic knowledge is far from perfect, certainly not as good as you'd expect from a fire demon. He also cannot use a Dictionary, because it will burn the second he'll come to close to it, and If this happens their main way of communication is basically gone. He makes up for it, talking with Twinkle, Morgan and Sophie, as well as being expressive enough to understand the basics or what he feels and plans. Sometimes someone (aka Sophie) has to translate what he is saying when she's near, wich is a bit longer than Charmain would wish, but still pretty plausible. She got that he desperately needs his logs, after all.

Twinkle could have used some kind of magical bubble to get them finally understand each other fully, but, again, magic connected with languages is pretty difficult and has its important limits, so it wouldn't last long. Little 30 years old boy is enjoying his childhood, running up the stairs and beating these huge bugs, not as much caring about Charmain all this huge book in her hands.

In the end, (as he turnds out to be) the Royal Wizard Howl is right - the only languages lubbocks can understand is punching.

(Many thanks to my rly good friend @your-queen-shuri for being co-author of this concept. A bunch of ideas here are from her!)

[garadinervi]

Yuri Kochiyama, May 19, 1921 / 2023

(image: Yuri Kochiyama speaks at an anti-war demonstration in New York City's Central Park around 1968. Kochiyama family/UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Zinn Education Project, Washington, D.C.)

[biff-adventurer]

i realize a lot of people in the xiv community might not know this, but the ao dai is not a qipao. it's a bit insensitive to wear the ao dai without pants (like, as in, at least jeans or leggings) b/c

1) we must be respectful/not conflate different ethnic styled clothes with one another, as it perpetuates orientalist ideas and attitudes, and

2) vietnamese players will see you and probably ask themselves where your pants are (confirmed from a close friend of mine who was tirelessly harassed on the first day the ao dai was released for validation to wear the ao dai out of cultural context)

if you're looking for chinese style clothes in xiv, such as qipao, you'll want to look at the "far eastern garb for women/men" or the "far eastern socialite's attire", for examples. if you're looking for japanese style or korean style clothes, they're available, too.

the thing is, mixing and matching east asian wardrobes contributes to this orientalist image of the far east. scholar edward said talks a lot about this in his 1978 book "orientalism", where it is summed up as:

"the exaggeration of difference, the presumption of Western superiority, and the application of clichéd analytical models for perceiving the 'Oriental world'".

there are lots of high fantasy tropes that feed into racist stereotypes and caricatures. just because ffxiv comes from the far east doesn't make it immune to perpetuating certain ideas or images uncritically - but that is an entirely separate discussion, if equally important.

to avoid creating characters and stories that feed into the negativity in this world, research and specificity are your friends. this doesn't limit one's creativity, but rather humanizes your characters and the world we live in.

ultimately, it's your adventure and your choice. whether you take the lore literally or as a suggestion is up to you. either way, i wish you well on your journeys throughout the radiant world of etheirys.

[bookreviewcoffee]

The Red Palace June Hur

How about plunging into 18th century Joseon, that beautiful ancient era. Stroll the streets of the capital city, exploring the many goods in the market, walk through the forest, climb mountains and of course, visit the imperial palace. The Red Palace entices you with its incredible beauty. But be warned, the palace also holds many secrets. And one of these secrets will have to solve the main character.Inside the palace, it's usually quiet. The courtiers and servants are doing their masters' errands, the ministers and the king are solving state affairs, the concubines are peacefully strolling through the imperial garden, enjoying its picturesque beauty. The young girl Hyun, thanks to her hard work, gets a position as a palace nurse. However, one night changes the former calmness of the palace. Someone brutally murders four female nurses. And Hyun's close friend and mentor becomes the prime suspect in this serious crime. Not believing that the mentor could do such a terrible thing, the heroine decides to investigate the murder herself in order to find the true culprit. In this she is assisted by police inspector Ojin, who is also looking for the culprit. Despite the initial distrust and disagreements, they begin to work together. All for the sake of solving this bloody crime.The Red Palace is not only a fascinating story, but also a colourful description. Ms Hör has tried to recreate a realistic picture of life in Joseon, describing its atmosphere, culture, and the little things that help us to understand the country's peculiarities. This allows us, the readers, to immerse ourselves in the story and become a real witness to all the events that took place. The author's vision of the period makes the book particularly attractive.I also liked the main characters. It's impossible not to fall in love with them! Young Hyun impresses me with her strength, tenacity and determination. The way she fights against social prejudice and strives for success is inspiring. The way to achieve her goals is not easy, but the heroine does not intend to give up, she will get justice.And in this she will help Inspector Seo. I have to admit, this man won my heart. Ojin is a very calm, but no less determined, young man. He, like the heroine, wants to know the truth. I also liked the fact that he doesn't overshadow Hyun, but acts as an intellectual partner. The characters became a perfectly coordinated team.Well, The Red Palace is a truly fascinating historical novel. The atmosphere, characters and plot pierce to the heart, leaving a lasting impression. I recommend this book to anyone looking for thrilling adventure, intricate mysteries and colourful descriptions of events.

[dark-raven-feathers]

Ok. I don't really know if this will make any sense but I have a bone to pick with how most Asian countries teach English.

Because here's the thing: English is an alphabet. Sounds obvious, right? Most Asian languages then, are written down in a logographic form, which just means characters representing entire concepts and words.

So with that information, tell me. How do you think people, specifically the native speakers, learn to write down these logographies? I'm a bilingual speaker (and a shoddy writer, there's a reason for this I'll get to) of Chinese and English. I know how you learn the logographies: rote memorization. You write each symbol down, over and over again, until it's seared into the flesh of your brain.

Now, remember how I said I'm a shoddy writer in Chinese? Because I learned how to write English first, I'm not used to having to memorize every single word, individually. English, as an alphabet, just means you have to memorize each of the different clauses and special cases that make up the words, and even then you can mostly sound out what you're writing.

So then we come back to my initial problem with teaching English in Asia. Because the native speakers are used to just memorizing all the words and leaving it that, they assume the same applies to English. It does not. You cannot apply the logic used for logographic systems to an alphabet, because it doesn't work. You can't just memorize that the letter A makes an /ah/ sound, because the letter A could also make an /Ae/ sound, or even a nasally /ah/ sound instead of a breathy one. You can't just memorize that 'I before E except after C' because this rule doesn't always apply. It does not work.

Yet this is how the majority of English is taught in Asian schools. Learn to say 'Hello, good morning', and then repeat the sentence five times over until you have it committed to memory. What will you do then, when someone says 'Hey! Morning!'? Do you know that it means the same thing? No, because you didn't memorize it.

Oh, some may tell you that 'noo I learned it perfectly in school! Look, I can write English and speak it fine now!'. But that's after repeated exposure to the language.

And this is in no way trying to make problems with accents or blooming creoles/pidgins like Singlish. This is trying to make a problem with how English, an alphabet language, is taught in a logographic-logic format.

[digital999placebo]

Funny how not a single “fixing art” person can draw

[lonelylesbian2]

I remember when I was younger people would ALWAYS make fun of me when I talked about my family because of what I called them. My family is Indian (punjabi to be exact) so I was subject to LOADS of mockery anyway. But when we did family trees in primary school I got laughed at so badly and so many people told me I had the 'wrong' names because my maternal uncle wasn't called 'mama', that was what my mother was called. When I tried to explain that that's what I called them in my culture I got told I was wrong. 8 year old me thought that my family tree was supposed to be filled with my family. What they were called to me. 8 year old me got told I was wrong. My teachers gave me sheets to fill out with 'uncle' and 'aunt' and 'grandma'. I grew up like that and when I was 10 years old we went to go and visit my mums family in Delhi. I called my mothers mum grandma. Now, when I visit I'm older, now I call my mother sister 'mausi', I call people who aren't related to me closely but are still very close 'mausi'. Because that's my culture. I am an only child but I have people I call 'didi', I have people who call me 'didi'. My older relatives call me 'beta'. I am not their daughter, but that is our culture. Now, I don't let anyone tell me what I can and can't call my family. Because they are mine. Now when people ask who's visiting, i tell them my 'chacha'.

I hate that I ever let anyone tell me my culture was wrong, that I had to leave my blood and roots behind in favour of what other people knew. But I was young and that was the reality of it. Everyday, my heart goes out to the little 8 year old girl sitting at the dining table, wishing she could change the colour of her skin and the blood in her veins.

[scarefox]

No but srsly I am baffled how this page is not more popular? This is literally a collection of A+ recipes for discourse??

ESPECIALLY this part

Just a few months ago I was whining how we need someone to do proper research about the whole BL industry, shipping culture, fandom behavior and history to disprove all the false or outdated assumptions that constantly get thrown at shipping culture and BL fandoms, while positive aspects get ignored completely. 

AND NOBODY TOLD ME there is already this huge ass collection of all kinds of academic researches on this page including links and sources and documentation of how queer-phobic and sexist the whole anti movement was and still is??

They even go into psychology of why a lot of women like m/m or f/f content, nonbinary genders and why many gay men actually like romantic BL over hypermasculine ‘gay comics’

(note: this does not mean we don't have issues in fandom and industry! We should be aware of them as well and fix them but shooting at the wrong people doesn’t help anybody)