Yes it is fucking weird that whatever you call a soft masc, feminine, dainty/delicate, androgynous, performative man and someone who “is not butch enough”—are just people who are emulating East Asian culture, trends and aesthetics. Or they’re East Asian people themselves.
It is fucking weird that you insult people who have yellow fever, not by calling out yellow fever but by further denigrating and infantilising Asian people and talking about their genitals. Or when you respond to an Asian person discussing a new love interest by saying “they probably have Yellow fever”.
It is fucking weird that you’re discussing how “Asian people are everyone’s preferences” without addressing Asian fetishism and Orientalism and how it has contributed to sexual violence, sexual slavery, shootings, the internalised stigmas contributing to underreporting and the belief that Asian people ask for it and are receptive to sexual attention.
It is fucking weird that you look at an Asian person’s body and names and start picking out which traits you want. And arguing it can’t be harmful or dehumanising because either it is just the beauty industry or it is gender affirming care [cis and trans people do engage in gender affirming care]. When these traits have been the same ones picked out by attackers as sexy to them and deserving for their taking, that they make an Asian person “good enough to be raped”.
It is fucking weird to be telling me that your whiteness is scary and ugly and masculine, and that’s why you want to adopt Asian features incl. posting clearly sexualised Asian fems in modified traditional attire as your “ideal type”.
Yes it’s weird when you see an Asian fem with curves and say that it’s probably fake, while at the same time idealising her body. When you tell an Asian femme, “white mascs / men will like you” because she is small, hairless, or flat-chested.
And no it is not progressive to go “you’re not my type” when you meet an Asian femme. No it is not fucking progressive to tell me you’d be willing to watch porn to re-assess your sexual attraction to an Asian person. Or that you have a preference for Asian people, or that you haven’t “tried Asian” before.
Yeah it is absolutely disgusting when you pinpoint the way an Asian person incorporates their Asian heritage and reclamations into their style, and you say “I want that”, as if it is a costume and accessory to take and discard whenever you want.
Yes it is completely out of line to say that an Asian person has denounced their culture when they reject your help and/or your advances, when they’re being assertive, argumentative, passionate, emotional or even, emotionally distant. When you’re extra punishing towards an Asian person for displaying these but give every other race a pass.
Yes it is weird when you say “you’re so attractive, you must be Japanese or Korean” to any Asian person, and when they tell you they’re SEAsian or Chinese, you look fucking shocked.
Some of you are fucking disgusting towards Asian people. You take and take and take from our culture and features, you hyperfeminise and sexualise us. As if Asian culture hasn’t been sufficiently exploited and when it’s brought up, you dismiss it as your right as a queer, feminist and progressive person.
And no IDGAF that you’re a leftist, why do yall keep talking about communism, kpop, nail salons and immigrant rights whenever you see me? 🤨
For some of you, basic kindness and compassion, only exist to attract/be attractive to other people.
Specifically addressing Western society which lauds “personality over looks”, I think we are all aware how personality can also become superficial presentations for validation-seeking. It can become a tool for social mobility, flattery and ingratiating yourself with others.
The insincerity of being “pretty in personality” only for basic decency to vanish for fellow human beings once you fulfil your aims of getting into a relationship or receiving attention, is arguably even worse than if you were just your shitty but genuine self btw.
The criticism of performativity was never just the performance of personality, it was the commodification of basic decency and how it was only ever skin-deep.
From personal experience, this has been an issue before with some folks who only stood for “kindness and chivalry” insofar as they were rewarded with attention or gratitude or some form of intimacy. Who used flattery and flirtation to override genuine friendship and anti-racist respect, because they were taught it’s how to get what they want from others and sweep inflicted wounds under the carpet.
In the same vein, their regard for human decency was circumstantial and primarily currency to trade in for intimacy.
Kindness is only worthy when it’s universally sincere, not when it’s currency and exclusionary.
White creators like @butch-yaoi when you ask them directly about creative responsibility in the portrayals of their QTBIPOC characters and BIPOC-centered storytelling, questioning how they benefit from non-POC-centering processes, and they block you ☝️🙂↕️ oooh I know what you are.
“WE ARE LESBIANS WE DON’T LIKE DICK STOP WRITING SEVIKA WITH DICK”
OK I didn’t realise the L in Lesbian stands for Loser.
Just say you’re a fucking TERF. You’re a transphobe. You don’t even like butches, MoCs, women or lesbians, you only see people as genitalia and characterise your sexuality based on other people’s privates.
Suck up or shut up about a lesbian’s penis.
Meanwhile I’m gonna sloppily worship this beautiful butch’s cock enough to make lesbianism proud.
Fair Warning : Get your rabies shot before you contact me. Do not republish or share my personal media. Blog contains mild NSFW, sex & kink positivity & uncensored heavy political rants INCL. media criticism, academic racism, race- & gender-based C/SA, massacres & state violence. Centering Asian and Austronesian sapphics. NO FLIRTING.
Always learning. Please DM me if something I share goes against the safe space I wish to curate for marginalised persons. Anons are not preferred for such matters as they do not allow for a neutral and open conversation.
🀄️𓏶། ྀིྀ⠀ ⠀@this-is-sinophobia-orientalism — Asian Activism. 🩸
🏮𓏶། ྀིྀ⠀⠀ @this-is-sinosexism — Asian Activism. 🩸
🦷𓏶། ྀིྀ⠀ ⠀@uzmacchiato — banner png credits. 🩸
art by the lovely and talented @angelinwineredandburgundy
𝔟𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔫, 𝔯𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔫 🏮 𝔦 𝔞𝔪 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔪𝔬𝔲𝔱𝔥
‘00 SEAsian Diasporic Malacca Straits Chinese-Austronesian 1st-gen immigrant on unceded First Nations Aboriginal lands. s/He. aplatoaroacespec sapphic & achillean. XIÁ 侠 Knight-Errant. HIGH FEMME. tomboy femme. Masculine-of-Center (MoC) and Feminine-of-Center (FoC). transneutral. gender & sexually fluid. gender anarchist. LesBI. AuDHD. psych major. professional ragebaiter. sweetbitter. mindfucker. demonfucker. knifethrower. intermediate rigger. sadomaschochist. Dom-lean Switch, Bottom-lean Verse. Yang Spirit, Yin Body. Yang Will, Yin Heart. Year of the Metal Dragon 金龙. ♐︎ Hunter Sun, ♉︎ Stubborn Sensualist Moon, ♈︎ Riot Rising, Vigilante Mars Chart Ruler Ω︭ ♂, Dominants ; Jupiter ♐︎ + Saturn ♒︎. Pragmatic Lover ♑︎♀, Sexual & Sociopolitical Freakologist ♒︎⚸. ENTP VLEF ILE 3w4 371 so/sp. Political theorist. philomath. avid consumer, novella RPer & writer of angst hurt/no comfort, theology, mythology, fantasy, sci-fi, psych, horror & crime thrillers. volatile. vile villainess. scathingly hypo/critical. leather, silk & lace. hellion, horror. cannibalistic symbolism. venomous diatribes. religiously destructive. eternally damned & more ➣
Anger awakens. Anger is real. Anger is something they made forbidden for all of us to reach in different ways, even the “angry” ones. Too angry and fearsome to honor your own anger. Too delicate to honor your own anger. Too much of the adult to honor your own anger. Too much like a child to honor your own anger. But It’s Yours. It’s yours, it’s yours.
𝔰𝔴𝔢𝔢𝔱 𝔭𝔬𝔦𝔰𝔬𝔫 🏮 𝔱𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔢
MUSIC. TASTE
( reworking section )
流行 LiuXing, Ballad-Pop, Mandopop, C-Pop: 周興哲 Zhou XingZhe/Eric Chou • 隔壁老樊 Ge Bi Lao Fan • 李荣浩 Li RongHao • 周杰倫 Chou JieLun/Jay Chou • JJ Lin • 蔡蔡子 Tasia • 高旭 • 田馥甄 Tian FuZhen/Hebe Tien • 苡慧 yihuik • 王靖雯 Wang JiWen • 董唧唧 • 王力宏 Wang Leehom • 陶喆 David Tao • 吴克群 Kenji Wu • S.H.E • 王翊恩 “en” Wang YiEn • Tay Kewei • 杨胖雨 • Kaho Hung • Evangeline Wong 王艷薇 • 胡66 • 陈粒 Chen Li • 卓文萱 • LBI 利比 • DIOR大穎 • 薛之謙 • 派偉俊 Patrick Brasca • Tr33 • BK/Bill Kang • 雪二 Xue Er • 蓝心羽 • 不是花火呀 • Zkaaai • Joysaaaa • 我是土豆 • 颜人中 • 杜宣达 • 鄭潤澤 • 张紫豪 Zhang Zihao • 周星星 • Bomb比爾 • 吳卓源 Julia Wu • 呆呆破 • step.jad • aMEI
Sino Hip-Hop & Melodic Rap: PPlin 林芃逸 • 齊翔 XIANG • YANGCh!ll • 刘柏辛 Lexie Liu • 马也 Crabbit • Lil RAD • COY6OI • JaS52 • Ensie • Seluu • 林達浪 Lin DaLang • 王子明 Wang Zi Ming • Lizi 栗子 • 寒冰 Ice • JERRYZ • 永彬 Ryan.B • Lambert凌 • Tyson Yoshi • WYAN 王毓千 • 高爾宣OSN • 制造热搜 • XMASwu 吴骜
Goth, Dark Pop & Darkwave: She Wants Revenge • Lebanon Hanover • Mr. Kitty • Mareaux • Social Order • Nyxjvh • Astrophysics • Jah PHNX • Witchz • Depeche Mode • Twin Tribes • Joy Division • London After Midnight • Johnny Goth • Kwasi Kai • Artemas • Isabel LaRosa • yeule • Korine • She Past Away • Baby Storme • Vestron Vulture • MGMT • REDCHINAWAVE • The Bravery • Interpol • Ashley Sienna • Witchz • Goldfrapp • UNKLE • The Masqs • The Cure • Violent Femmes • MOTHICA • Pale Waves • Sinnerella • The Violent Youth • Asal • Ari Abdul • Dionnysuss • Royal & The Serpent • Elita • Night Club • ULTRA SUNN • Blind Seagull • French Police • cutouts • phyllzx • Cult of Venus • Vlad Holiday
Pop & Rock: Glass Animals • Peach PRC • ADÉLA • FEYI • NIKI • COBRAH • Ashnikko • bludnymph • Doja Cat • PVRIS • DPR IAN • Ayesha Erotica • Kim Petras • Nessa Barrett • Dutch Melrose • Olivia Rodrigo • Dove Cameron • BENEE • XTINA GG • Honey Revenge • CHAII • The 1975 • SNOW WIFE • Cassyette • Chandler Leighton • tiffi • MAY-A • arya x • FINNEAS • Imagine Dragons • Fall Out Boys • Nasty Cherry • MNEK • A.i.Jones (Adrian McKinnon)
Alt Rock, Indie Rock: Sons of Silver • Nine Inch Nails • New Order • U2 • AC/DC • Beth McCarthy • Saint Motel • Woodkid • Crystal Castles • Arctic Monkeys • Gorillaz • Empire of the Sun • Charlotte Sands • emlyn • Lauren Sanderson • The Aces • ZELA • KiNG MALA • NO CIGAR • The Warning • The Wombats • The Cab • The Bleachers • The Killers • RIELL
Baroque Pop: Hozier • Florence + The Machine • The Last Dinner Party • Son Lux • Missio • Woodkid • Cosmo Sheldrake • Erin Lecount
Southern Rock: Alabama Shakes • ZZ Ward • Stela Cole • Fleetwood Mac • Noah Cyrus
Alt-Indie, R&B, Soul: Blackstreet • Leon Bridges • Sade • Gigi Perez • Chance Peña • Leonard Cohen • sombr • Japanese Breakfast • Ogi • The Cab • RINI • JADE • Millie Turner • Griff • Spacey Jane • Coldplay • thuy • Stan Walker • SZA • H.E.R • Khalid • Daniel Caesar • Frank Ocean • Rachel Chinouriri • Lyn Lapid • The Beaches • The Velvet Underground • Blondshell • King Princess • SEB • RAYE • The Regrettes • Teddy Swims • Ella Mai • Chloe × Halle • Miguel • JYYN • Pink $weats • BaggE
Hip-Hop & Boom Bap Rap: Wutang Clan • Jeru The Damaja • Metro Boomin • Blackway
Afrohouse & Afrobeats: 0.griot • Tems • Dave
Psychedelic, Surf, Hazy, Downtempo, Ethereal: Nusantara Beat • Jungle By Night • Cocteau Twins • Sabrina Claudio • Alina Baraz • Frank Ocean • Esha Tewari • ARK IDENTITY • Alan Chang • Saint Avengeline
Sinophobia and Orientalism and cultural appropriation aren’t separate factors to ATLA/ATLOK, they are INHERENT to the show, and if you’re nostalgic or sentimental about the show—you are nostalgic and sentimental for Orientalism.
I can address the way they come at moral and ethical conflict with a CHRISTIAN & CATHOLIC view of divine good and evil, misrepresenting the Law of Duality in Yin/Yang Taoism as an Ancient Chinese spirituality.
I can address the way the writers view Asian culture as interchangeable and able to be mixed and meshed, decontextualising symbolism and history from these cultures.
I can address the way that the antagonists who are supposed to embody some of the historical figures in pan-Asian history, are framed as dangerous, often mad villains for going against the system without the same degree of plot armour and framing, nor in-world communal support to salvage them when they struggle, or when their utilitarian ethics go too far.
From an ethical and cultural perspective, it was flooded with Western and Eurocentric virtues monopolising what was deemed a literal divine good vs evil (ie individualism, defeating the equalisers who represented communism, defeating communist unification/Maoism, liberal values, democracy). Watching it felt alien despite the Asian themes. Sure, these things and the people supporting these aren’t inherently Eurocentric themselves, but the way all of it unfolds at the full expense of a classic Eastern values—which can’t be so easily defined by good/bad and imo *should not*—contributes to this perception of goodness being all squared up where it follows X values.
So, is it that there wasn’t enough money to avoid being culturally and historically ignorant?
it seems a story made by white people for a white audience, geared towards respectability politics, and skewed to white values from the start. This much showed.
ATP IDGAF if they had to change production studios they worked with, drop VAs, even have a half-finished show.
Integrity must come first, especially when they’re representing BIPOC and E/SEAsian history. I’d rather starve on one teaspoon of the sweetest nectar, than engorge myself on a truckload of rotten scraps.
It’s just too apparent to look past and appreciate the work. Even if I wanted to learn about other cultures and histories, I wouldn’t rely on white storytellers to do so and I don’t understand why white audiences of ATLA and ATLOK do and tout it as Asian representation. They’d only ever come from an outsider’s perspective and one that has constantly proven to impose their own values and judgments upon it at the expense of integrity in both storytelling and cultural respect.
A cosplaying parody of Eastern cultures. They wear our skin but they didn’t speak our language. That is Orientalism.
Even when there were monk quotes from Buddhism and Taoist influences, they were pretty lacking in the Confucian (Chinese) or Shinto (Japanese) embeds that tie them all together. Just seemed like empty watered down statements, more platitudes than anything, and this means it’s a misapplication. It’s spiritual bypassing.
It reminds me of how white people will pretentiously quote the I-Ching or Sun Tzu, like they would Shakespeare, just to apply to a situation where such commentary isn’t even remotely valuable. They’d tattoo Chinese phrases and words on their body, as well as its mythological figures and beasts, with no understanding of what it means nor the spiritual implications of it. It romanticises arbitrated aesthetics than the substance behind it.
The monks were not always “peaceful”, plenty died and self-immolated for their beliefs. Many fought in wars, and trained for physical aggression and violence.
Peace and harmony isn’t the be all end all. It was all about balance. One cannot cultivate a balanced centre if they refuse to integrate their aggression and rage. Violence and destruction are not morally wrong—all states of mind and emotions have their usefulness and place.
The imperturbability and understanding of monks didn’t come at the absence of aggression and rage, nor did it always come from compassion and shared emotionality. It is not an escape from emotions, nor are monks emotionless.
Yet the show portrays this in contrast to Korra who is a deviant when she cultivates this rage and aggression.
Martial arts ofc is partially for self-defense, but it is mostly about teaching discipline, family, honor, tradition, intimacy, assertiveness, patience—all in the *lived* and paced process.
It is the difference of borrowing pre-conditioned rope at a single scene, versus burning and conditioning your rope yourself and bringing it to scenes with you. Yes, both would attain the same result of being suitable ropes.
But one stays with you, binds with you, changes you as you changed it, and you are familiar with how it works and the tension spots. It stores memories and lessons, it is of you. This is what lived culture means. I’ve seen TV shows and movies done by primarily Asian creators that *have* this, and these shows don’t last long and are frequently at risk of budget cuts and getting dropped, but they’re so well done. They’re bread and butter. The studios are exonerated of having a brief incomplete story, because of this.
Even their illustration of Maoism was dogshit. Don’t get me wrong.
The way Maoism was executed as represented by the Earth Kingdom in ATLOK was horrible, we had famine and millions of deaths. The peoples’ blood is on the hands of the govt, it’s soaked into the progress of the motherland and its diaspora.
But the way that Maoists mobilised their peasantry lower class and radical youths as their revolutionary force, as opposed to the Marxist urban proletariat?
The positive industrialisation and leaps in education that came from Maoism?
What about Maoism giving rise to Chinese feminism and youth rights, aiming for wage equality, granting access to education, government official and white-collar jobs to elevate the peasant class altogether and return the determination and ownership of labour and its products to the working class?
What about the basis of its beliefs being an anti-colonial reaction towards centuries of the colonisation and invasion of the capitalistic and imperialistic West, Japan and other foreign forces?
Where is all of that gone to in TLOK?
And yk they didn’t “try their best to be respectful and failed”. They did a glorious job of centering whiteness, I don’t think they failed that.
And FOR MORE REASONS WHY I DESPISE THE AVATAR, ATLA/ATLOK UNIVERSE;
It isn’t just “Yeah this seems to represent a western view/cater to a western audience”.
It isnt even just “Ah yes cultural appropriation and Orientalism does it again”.
It’s all of these AND the historical contexts of WHY these massacres of MILLIONS had historically happened.
It was to preserve Chinese culture and integrity and yes our DIGNITY against the global expansion and colonialism of the West. Some of our leaders rationalised such violent means because the spiritual dignity of Chinese culture was priority to them; and this requires such a nuanced conversation before moralising can even take place.
And for these modern fucking Eurocolonial people to take this story, to be “inspired by it” only to wear our skin and parade around like it’s a fucking parody of the culture and BUTCHER it in favour of their values?
Do they not see the fucking irony of this?
At this point I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry at these magnitudes of continuous, historically-aligned extortionate entitlement. They are exactly as their predecessors were, I see 💀
TW: RAPE AND C/SA, SUICIDE, SEXUAL SLAVERY, COMFORT WOMEN, metaphorical and literal violation
And this dignity still is the priority for a lot of people. Every marginalised person can absolutely understand how bodily integrity and autonomy comes before even death. It’s why people choose death over rape.
It’s why warriors from many eastern cultures chose death and suicide over dishonor.
In my mind there is no separation in way that the West and its allies have metaphorically violated versus literally raped the East. The dignity and honor and purity of the East is so core to the way I’ve been raised, that to have it stripped and taken against our will is no less visceral than the literal act of rape. And before you fucking get up in arms, I am a CSA survivor, every woman in my family has been a CSA survivor. Some of the older women still alive and my ancestors have been through race wars and the Japanese Occupation and WWII, when comfort women, sexual slavery, the rape of Chinese women AND CHILDREN was common and one of the many methods used to dishonor Chinese culture, weaponised against our people.
Like yall genuinely don’t understand just how deep this goes. It IS that fucking deep. And if you’ve had family who have LIVED through these eras, whose intergenerational traumas and fears are literally encoded in your DNA and instinct, YOU WOULD FUCKING UNDERSTAND.
Asian women coming forwards to talk about the harms of yellow fever, Asian fetishisation and sex tourism, while non-Asian people in their comments of all genders mock and invalidate their experiences and tell them that they must want and desire their own fetishisation and SA.
Non-Asian people criticising Queer media that depicts Asian protagonists. They say that Asian characters are “too feminine”, and thus are for the male gaze. Some claim that portrayals of Asian gay men, should be geared towards the female gaze. Non-Asian people centering themselves in queer Asian media and stating that Asian men have privileges when it comes to being gay and represented, as though Asian men aren’t singled out out of ALL groups, and are at the bottom of the “desireable hierarchy” when it comes to both homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
Non-Asian queer people fetishising Asian bodies and when they are called out for it, they claim that Asian people love it, are very sexual beings and are asking for it.
Non-Asian people using Asian peoples as a throwaway bulwark to try to drive a wedge between BIPOC and suppress other BIPOC from speaking out about their issues.
Asian children crying about the racism and xenophobia they face from other kids at school, speaking out about it and trying to make sense of it.
Asian creators and influencers speaking out about atrocities past and present, mass violences, lynchings, deportations, detainments, hate crimes and anti-immigrant forces ripping the Anglosphere apart as well as their activities and exploitations internationally. Asian creators shining light on Asian peoples’ resistances and movements against colonial forces. Our painstaking histories of rebuilding our wartorn post-colonised countries. Our advocacy for our rights and the rights of our QTBIPOC siblings, even in the countries we reside in.
Asian creators drawing attention to ICE targeting Chinese immigrants and legal citizens. Asian creators drawing attention to the policies and bills and upcoming Project 2026, that targets especially Asian persons. News about Chinese people getting targeted, found dead, killed, our children taken with no news about their whereabouts given to their parents, daughters held hostage with guns to their heads while their fathers are dragged out into the freezing cold, barely clothed. Asian persons ushering in protestors into their abodes to hide and keep safe and fed.
Asian creators calling out other Asian people for not recognising what is happening in the Anglosphere. Presuming that Asian people have never spoken out. Presuming that Asian people have never acted nor had agency in fighting for their rights. Presuming that we OWE other BIPOC for our rights as though we have never had OUR OWN hand in OUR OWN advocacy and SOLIDARITY movements that extend beyond just our communities.
While non-Asian people in the comments accuse Asian people of never having stood up for what is right, for never being a part of liberation movements, for assimilating to whiteness and consider ourselves as white people. Non-Asian people saying that we steal jobs and opportunities. Non-Asian people call for other BIPOC to abandon Asians, to not help us, to not stand with us, because they say we have never stood with them, that we have no stake in politics, that we are basically white.
People ONLY advocating for Black and Brown persons while completely leaving out the names of the Asian people who have died in the last year, been deported, ripped from their homes, made undocumented migrants overnight. They never talk about them.
Non-Asian BIPOC claiming that our Asian Indigenous people do not exist, that Asian people are not indigenous to their ancestral lands, and that Asian Indigenous are not Asian at all but enmeshed with other racial groups so all our merits goes to non-Asian BIPOC and Asian people should be worshipping them.
Non-Asian BIPOC claiming that Asian bodies and genetics and culture are “basically theirs” since that is the “blueprint” and the “origin” and thus, we owe them our worship.
Asian people celebrating the consumption and commodification of Asian culture and inviting more non-Asians to reap from said culture that they have never respected.
Asian people criticising the current trends of consumption and commodification of Asian culture as a repetitive pattern of disrespect and shallow consumption.
Non-Asian people consuming these cultures and retaliating against critics as being selfish and gatekeeping what they are entitled to. Non-Asian people reassuring each other that it’s fine to continue consuming and ignoring what Asian people are saying.
And you want to tell me that Asians are privileged. That we are visible. That we are basically “white”. That we never experience racism. That we never experience invisibilisation of our struggles and our activism. That we have never had a stake in politics. That we aren’t being used all the time and tossed like a ball game between politicians and sociopolitical groups. That we aren’t just concepts and objects and labour to the world. That our independence was granted due to the benevolence of our colonisers and NOT that our ancestors fought day and night and lost so many lives to gain it. That we have just been given what we currently have?
I will never believe you. I have seen with my own eyes the rebuilding of nations. I have seen with my own eyes the defiance against racist figures. I have seen with my own eyes, Asian people speaking out and getting shut down and told we are unimportant and we never face racism, and then we are further told we NEVER speak out and don’t deserve solidarity. Some of you claim bipoc solidarity while hinging Asian peoples’ agencies and autonomies on others.