On Dit 89.2

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The lack of Asian representation and its products pure ignorance, identity issues, and blatant racism In a world so largely influenced by mainstream media, it is distressing to see that Asian people are still lacking proper representation in the Western world. Disturbingly, it seems that acts of violent hate crimes appear to be our wake-up call in recognising this lack of representation and its problematic products. There is no denying that our society is fixated on appearance and aesthetics. Our identities are still strongly tied down to the way we look. I am a half Asian/ half Caucasian woman. Being “mixed” is confusing at times, and I often feel conflicted between my identity and appearance. Despite belonging to two cultures there is this figurative predisposition that one must be the foundation for my looks and personality. I feel this perception being projected through comments from friends and strangers. Coupled with the fact that I barely exist within mainstream media, I face an inner battle regarding opposing beauty standards and my own demeanour. However, I do know for a fact that I am not a “whitewashed Asian girl” nor am I “white with small eyes”. Despite my struggles with identity, I always knew I had it somewhat easier than a person of full Asian ethnicity. I remember moments where I subconsciously felt the comfort of white privilege and that I was ‘lucky’ to be Caucasian. Times when I saw my friends go through the “I wish I was white” phase. Or when I was commended by a teacher for being welcoming to a group of Chinese international students who were being completely disregarded. When I replied to their praise with the fact that I was Chinese myself, they informed me with a smile “that you couldn’t tell”. With the mention of a ‘lack’, it suggests

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that there is some level of Asian representation in existence. This is true, however, in the majority of mainstream media only Asian stereotypes and ideals are perpetuated. When Hollywood realised how profitable diversity can be, we saw a slight rise in films featuring Asian actors. One being the infamous 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians starring an all-Asian cast. This movie was praised for providing a platform for Asian actors and deemed powerful in overcoming certain stereotypes, such as the emasculation and desexualisation of Asian men. However, as the title of the film states, it is about the “crazy rich”; a demographic that most Asian people do not resonate with. Yet again in 2021, we have seen the arrival of a new reality TV show, named Bling Empire, which follows the lives of a clique of “wildly wealthy” LA Asian socialites. This form of representation is problematic as it fuels a false perception that Asian people are almost exempt from discrimination due to their wealth. Not only do these examples of media representation just exhibit the 1%, they also forget to mention the immense equity gap that occurs within Asia and Asian communities in Western countries. Growing up, I became aware of the derogatory labels and microaggressions perpetrated towards Asian people. I witnessed my Asian mother experience bouts of both explicit and casual racism. This racism is exacerbated by a lack of representation; it births xenophobia, peripheralization and stigmatisation. Without stories of our own, we are subjugated to stereotypes. Racism crawls into peoples’ minds, and blurs their visions so that they struggle to see us outside the confines of those stereotypes. Around the time COVID-19 arrived in


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Articles inside

the present moment

2min
pages 60-61

specimen

4min
pages 64-68

peter the pancake peddler

4min
pages 54-55

collective please stand up?

6min
pages 50-53

Stripes. Interview

3min
pages 46-49

hate

3min
pages 44-45

biden’s big 4 challenges how algorithms make us

5min
pages 42-43

australian pub

4min
pages 40-41

a univeristy story

2min
pages 38-39

review: girls can’t surf

2min
pages 36-37

dimweather

3min
pages 34-35

sustanabili-dit

5min
pages 26-27

reddit v Wallstreet

5min
pages 32-33

products

4min
pages 30-31

obituary to balcony bar

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pages 28-29

CLub Spotlight

1min
pages 24-25

LEFT RIGHT CENTRE

5min
pages 22-23

state of the union

2min
page 11

international student voice

4min
pages 18-19

sex and the small city

3min
pages 20-21

rural student voice

2min
pages 16-17

econ dit

4min
pages 14-15

vox pop

2min
pages 12-13

editorial

1min
page 7

src president

2min
page 10
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