Let’s talk about anti-Asian racism, erasure, and discrimination in online spaces.
(So, I actually wrote this a while back but never posted it here. In light of the recent events surrounding the shootings in Georgia, I thought it would be the right time to post this.)
The Internet is a weird and oftentimes wonderful place. It allows people from different countries, cultures, backgrounds to come together, communicate, and share interests. However, given that anyone anywhere can go online and join a community, sometimes unconscious biases/ignorance can spring to the forefront and lead to discrimination and prejudice.
What we’re going to talk about today is an all-too-common yet rarely talked about form of racism: anti-Asian bigotry.
“But Asians don’t experience racism! You guys are model minorities!”
No, that’s not true.
“Well, even if you experience racism… it’s not as bad as what other minorities go through!”
Let’s please not make “who experiences racism the most” a competition. Pitting minorities against one another does nothing except hurt people from vulnerable groups while simultaneously allowing those in power to avoid real responsibility for addressing racism.
In this essay, we’ll be tackling:
· The Myth of the “Model Minority”
· The Reality of Anti-Asian Racism
· The Co-Opting of Asian Narratives in Media
· The Subtle Bigotry in Online Spaces
· The Simple Things Allies Can Do to Combat Anti-Asian Racism in Online Spaces
The Myth of the “Model Minority”
In discussions of race and racism, Asian people are almost always excluded. Why is that?
One reason is because of the pervading myth of the “model minority.” This is a stereotype against Asian people (Asian-Americans, in particular) where we are often characterized as being a polite, law-abiding group who are always successful. Think about all the stories you see in media the include the Asian Whiz Kid or the Genius Doctor/Scientist Asian.
While it may seem to be a “good” stereotype, it still does real harm to real people. Not only does this myth ignore the diversity of Asian cultures and Asian individuals, but it also gives off the impression that we do not experience racism.
Among POC, we are seen as somehow having an elevated status. Asian-Americans are seen as beneficiaries of the bounty of the American Dream. People point to Asians as model immigrants and go “Look at that individual. He pulled himself up by the bootstrap and made his dreams come true.”
However, this myth ignores the reality of systemic discrimination, violence, and overall “othering” of Asian people.
The Reality of Anti-Asian Racism
Within the past year, there have been 3,800 anti-Asian racist incidents reported in America. Asian women, in particular, were the most common targets.
Because of the pandemic, many white folks and even some POC have been shunning, shouting Asian slurs, and even physically attacking any people they see as Asian. Innocent people are being blamed for the spread of covid-19 and told to “go back to [their] country!” even when they’ve lived in the U.S. all their lives.
And these pandemic-related hate crimes are only our recent problem. There have been centuries of historical discrimination and trauma inflicted on Asian people.
The colonization of Southeast Asian nations. The Japanese internment in the 1940s. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Mass lynchings of Asian-Americans in the 19th century.
The list goes on and on.
As you can imagine, this discrimination and bigotry extends to how Asians and Asian-Americans are portrayed in media.
The Co-opting of Asian Narratives in Media
We already know that Hollywood has a representation problem. But we rarely talk about how this problem affects Asian folks.
Even though Asian-Americans are roughly 6 percent of the population, according to a study done by University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, only 1 percent of Asian-Americans have garnered leading roles in Hollywood. Only one actor of Asian heritage has ever won an Academy Award (Ben Kingsley).
And even when Asians are included in media, we are often supporting players. Even when the movies are about our own culture.
Think of all the movies you’ve seen where a white protagonist gets transported to a mystical Asian land and becomes the savior of all the poor Asian people. Think about movies like The Karate Kid where the white kid (or black kid in the case of the 2010 reboot) learns a martial art from a wise, old Asian man and becomes better than all the rest. Think about movies like 2012’s The Impossible (about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami) or 2015’s No Escape (about an engineer trapped in some Southeast Asian country during a violent uprising) where Asian tragedies and disasters are nothing but a background for the poor white characters’ stories.
Asian people are almost never the heroes of our own stories. We’re always The Beautiful and Exotic Love Interest, The Wise Old Mentor, The Kung Fu Master.
Sometimes, when Asian characters are in leading roles, they are played by white people. (See: Emma Stone in 2015’s Aloha, Scarlett Johannsen in Ghost in the Shell, and most other Western anime adaptations). Asian and Asian-American actors are almost always relegated to the background.
This pattern has a very real and very negative impact on young Asian people’s overall well-being and self-esteem. We feel invisible, unimportant, unseen.
The Subtle Bigotry in Online Spaces
As stated earlier, Asians are often excluded in discussions of racism, even online. This means that our struggles are often ignored, our voices minimized, even among other POC.
A common experience among other Asian folks I’ve talked to is that we’re often told to “shut up” when we bring up our discomfort or thoughts on racism. We are outright dismissed or ignored, sometimes even by those who claim to be allies, when we bring up our experiences because we’re seen as “derailing the conversation on racism.”
Adding Asian voices to the topic of racism does not derail or detract from the experiences of other racial minorities. In fact, it adds depth to the conversation. We see the different and often subtle ways in which racial biases manifest in our everyday and online realities. So, knowing what we now know, what are the things we can do to combat racism against Asians?
What Can Allies Do to Combat Anti-Asian Racism in Online Communities?
· Do not speak over us. You wouldn’t write speeches about a topic you know nothing about. In the same sense, do not presume to speak for Asians on the topics of discrimination, racism, orientalism, representation.
· Be sensitive when portraying Asian characters in stories/art. If you are not Asian but wish to include Asian characters in your stories or art, as much as possible, be aware of Orientalist stereotypes or tropes so that you can avoid them. If you can, consult a person with the same culture/heritage as the character you are portraying. It never hurts to ask when you are unsure of how you are writing/drawing your Asian character. And above all…
· Uplift Asian voices. Support your online communities’ Asian creators and members. Help us get our voices heard. Adding another important point...
· Consider donating to organizations that aim to stop anti-Asian hate crimes and/or individuals who were affected by these attacks. This is important. Let’s remember to show our support for the real-life people who were affected by anti-Asian racism.
Hi, everyone! I’m happy to announce that from February 25 to March 3, I will be hosting an event celebrating the different queer pairings and headcanons in the Phantom of the Opera fandom.
What could this look like?
It can look like one or a combination of the following:
-A queer sexual orientation (lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, etc.)
-A queer gender identity (transgender, nonbinary,etc.)
-Either a romantic or platonic relationship type
-Genderbends are also welcome!
How to participate:
-Follow the tag #poto queer week 2022
-Contribute fanart, fanfiction, gif sets, fic rec compilations, headcanons, or anything else fannish that catches your fancy
-Anyone is invited to participate! There is no gatekeeping to this event, just the obvious if I have you blocked I won’t boost your contribution.
Some Erik and Christine doodles. I’ve found that when I’ve got bad art block, doodling with a ballpoint pen helps. It’s the subconscious freedom of knowing the pen won’t erase, so if you make mistakes, you just have to keep rolling with it!
Meghan was likely forced out to bring in a black Christine as principal - more history making bull. Meghan was thrilled to be back in Phantom - watch her interviews again, although the SJW she is, likely supported the black Christine scenario. Fool - her career is over now. And before you cry racist - CHRISTINE IS SWEDISH. READ THE BOOK AGAIN. While not a real person, she was based on a real person. They have cast a black woman as Anastasia in the US Tour. Anastasia was a real person - a royal Russian WHITE princess. Her imposter was also white. Let's not forget the new Glinda and the Cinderella that closed before opening. The producers are going to find themselves in big trouble with their changes. POTO is going to die a sad death. Shame that the woke folk won this battle.
Wow.
All I will say is that, were this an anonymous ask, I would have deleted it without giving it a response, as it deserves. But since you put your name to this (or perhaps forgot to hit "anon"), I am posting it so that people can see your words for themselves and make their own decisions about interacting with you.
POTO is a work of fiction, not a documentary. Why is it more unbelievable for a black woman to be Christine than it is for a ghostly skeleton man to be stalking people in the sewers? 😒
Hello mystery anon, who I have certainly never spoken to before in my entire life. Thank you for your anonymous message. This is the first one I have ever received that I've wanted to reply to. Yay!
I wil be delighted to makes from pharoga fic recs for your mysterious self. I like a bit of pharoga very much - I like the depth of their life-long relationship, the way they are almost the epitome of old friends who have been through it all together. I love the variety of fics that their relationship inspires, from the funny and ridiculous to the tender, romantic and angsty. Love 'em all. Leroux did us a great service in giving us these two strange gents.
This is not an exhaustive list of all the Pharoga Fics, Ever. Just a selection of ones which I have enjoyed over the past few months. For this list, I've chosen fics that have Erik/Nadir (or Daroga) as the primary focus of the fic. Feel free to make more suggestions of your favourites in the comments.
Fics
A Mirror in the Palm of Your Hands by inlaterdays, 4657 words, E. It’s described as genre-defining in the comments and I can’t argue with that. A study in unrequited love. Dark and angsty, and beautifully written. Also an Anjou pear has a nice cameo.
Unspoken Words and Broken Souls by helloitskrisha, 1166 words, T. A perfect piece of angst - full of regret and lost chances and a world of words unsaid
Cutting the Cruel Threads of Fate by helloitskrisha, 14841 words, M. Greek myth-based AU. If you liked The Song of Achilles (I can’t believe I am ten years late to that book!) you’ll like this.
The Little Sultana’s Favorite Pastime 90,548 words, a series of 7 fics, rated T, but it’s brutal, intense whump, and only eventually does the Daroga manage to rescue Erik from being tortured.
Aroos 10920 words, T. Escape from Persia via cross-dressing and a fake marriage, which is also tender and funny and entirely believable.
Belle of the Ball 2160 words, M. Leroux-Erik is fucked by the Daroga in his Red Death costume. Erik is as outraged as he is delighted.
The Lotus Eaters by raven_quilled, 1065 words, G. A sensuous piece of mutual pining. So much is going on unsaid!
Moonlight Sonata by nuznate, 8506 words, M. A series of ficlets portraying a sweet and tender relationship between Erik and Nadir. Chapter 3 is particularly lovely.
The Conjuror’s Trick by my_daroga, 2820 words, E. Erik, Nadir, and blowjob in Persia. Tbh what more could you want? A marvellous depiction of their uneasy and obsessive relationship. Erik is as strange and unyielding as ever.
the ghost's love story, in ten parts by dreamimpcssiblethings, 299 words, G. Short but perfectly formed - Erik’s life and his relationship with Nadir in under 300 words!
All of these writers have produced other Erik/Daroga fics - make sure you check their others out.
Art
I know you didn’t ask for art recs anon, but i am going to give them to you anyway.
all in the name of misbehavior and the things we don’t need by artaline
Erik, who is happy to meet the Daroga by acaciaako:
‘He was still my conscience’ by misstressofthelair
when ur fiancee u were going to marry in the madeleine tells some dude you stink and are weird and decides to leave the country before having to see you again
I’m trying to reframe my motivations from “I should do x to increase my worthiness” to “I do x as a gift to myself because I deserve good things.” I think many of us were raised with the language of shoulds and shortcomings. This feels like a defeat from the start.
Instead, I want to eat the healthy meal because I deserve to feel good. I want to work on my creative projects because I deserve to feel fulfilled and my ideas are worth the effort to express.
When we connect our motivations to shoulds and shortcomings, we are starting from a place of defeat and acting in response. I think this mindset is paralyzing. We are told to act in defense of our own worthiness and we begin to wonder if we are, in reality, indefensible.
Instead, begin with the premise that your worth is set and doesn’t need any defense. You do deserve happiness and success. Your actions and efforts are a gift to yourself, a person that merits such efforts and considerations.
Who would have the gall to write this? Someone with a purile brain…
A selection of very disappointing 100 word one-shots which promise much but deliver something quite different. Prepare to be let down! More will be added to this as I think of them. Something a bit lighthearted for you all.
Rated T. Saucy - but there is NOTHING dirty going on! (Perish the thought).
