Asian Culture Discussion Thread

[Nawzlew]

I think it would depend on the person. I know lots of Asians that work white collar jobs that are very social.

 

[limonyfresh]

^^If that was a reply to me, I'm speaking more to the effect that having those specific values internalized since you were born forces you in the direction of lawyer/doctor/engineer/computer science and thus we have these very generalized stereotypes of smart and nerdy. I think most people can relate to watching football and bball/skate videos/rappers when they were growing up and always looking for that one asian guy to look up to and it never happened (until more recently). As a result, I think we conditioned ourselves to believe it wasn't feasible and what's worse is even if there was someone in that role, your parents most likely made you feel like they were an extreme outlier or that you couldn't make it doing the same path.

 

[Nawzlew]

Oh yeah, for sure. That makes sense.

I remember when I was in Taiwan I would play pick up ball. There was this kid that was REALLY good. Like if he was over here he'd might have a shot a mid-tier D1 school.

I asked if he considered it, he said no because Asians don't play professional basketball. His parents wanted him to focus on school and academics.

 

[tokes99]

I just think Asian parents are EXTREMELY competitive, especially moms. Moms will literally sit around and talk about their kids accomplishments trying to one up each other. A lot of comparisons with their kids goes on.

I remember just hanging around one time. Like the parents will be real passive aggressive, but you know what they're trying to do.




As far as negative stereotypes - there are the obvious/common ones. Socially awkward, can't speak English properly, can't drive, small penis, eat dog etc ..., **** like that.

Of course we have the positive stereotypes, but that can be a negative cause a lot of people don't fit that stereotype.

"Hey do you know the answer to this?"
"No".
"But you're Asian".



btw, for the non asians, feel free to ask any questions

i guess i am familiar with those you mentioned, i guess what i am interested in is how, if at all, asians (or specifically how you as an asian processed them) internalize these stereotypes? or if they are reinforced or perpetuated culturally in any way? because on the one hand, i feel like most people don't really have a lot of information on asian culture to construct them, all i knew of "asian" culture was from kung fu & ninja flicks really, and a chinese kid with whom i went to junior high and would sometimes talk about how strict our parents were. and on the other hand, not to downplay these stereotypes because they are all hurtful on some level and do effect one's self perception, but these are fairly benign (besides the small peen thing, that perception probably does lead to some real missed opportunities!), like do you think people at the dmv go extra hard on asians getting a drivers license? or when someone's dog goes missing do the neighbors ring the asian families residences? do asians buy in to the idea that they work harder and/or are smarter?

one of the things i have alway been curious about ever since i became aware of chinatown in my home city (chicago) and their prevalence in just about every major city was how apolitical asians (generically & specifically) seem to be in the states, now it could totally be that i am unaware of those that are, but it always struck me as odd that there don't seem to be many visible public figures in politics that are asian (bobby jindal?)? that is why it as somewhat surprising (but i guess not exactly unexpected because that is what all humans do) to me to hear about in-fighting & backstabbing because of how these asian communites seem to have take root & coalesced is so many places kinda without much resistance/incident (definitely ignorant to the history as it pertains to this)...

^ that's how African parents are......kids of African immigrants do really well just like Asians



Probably seems overbearing to deal with but in the end it pays off!

yea there is probably something about that immigrant grind that rubs off on the next generation; but the disturbing thing for proceeding generations of african immigrants who stay here and eventually become black is how quickly those gains are lost; i'm not familiar with how stable asians are in the next generations, but judging from the income gap it is probably a lot better...

^Back stabbing as in they don't like it when someone shines. They mingle with one another. The Thai community is large, but it seems like almost everyone knows each other...except for a few like me because I wasn't in the circle to begin with. If someone has a business and becomes "too successful", the hate is real. They will smile in front of you, but talk crap behind you and take action to see you fail.

If you open a restaurant and its profiting, they may slander in the local newspaper saying it's not authentic or call the local health dept and say they found foreign particles in the food. They know they are secretly talking and doing these things while continuing to hang out with each other at functions and putting on fake smile. Typing from my phone mad early. Hope it makes sense. Didn't re read.

that's mad grimey, like i noted above surprising but somewhat to be expected, the thing is i almost never hear asians really complain/talk about themselves culturally (certainly other ethnic asians outside their ethnicity/nationality though)...

Not really anymore. In the last maybe 15+ years, the media portrays White males as soft or feminine compared to Black males. You see a lot of films and tv shows with a Black male and a White female. Almost never the other way around.

Nah bro.


What you're describing are outliers.


And it transcends just the black/white dynamic.


Asians, Latinos, and other racial groups are misrepresented.

i would agree with @SneakerHeathen the visage of hyper-masculinity is the black male, you could argue about the positivity of that image or how much power or agency it is given or even if it is representative of real life, but it is rather obvious to me...i would not go as far as to white men are portrayed as soft or effeminate rather that their caricatures are tempered with some other quality desirable quality smarts, cunning, whatever...where black dudes are rendered rather simplistically

there was a study (how much weight it holds...questionable) that was conducted that rated the attractiveness of different ethnicities of both men & women that found that black men & asian women were found the most desirable...while the exact reverse was found for the least desirable, asian men & black women; this was of course controversial and the methodology & reasoning for it in the first place weren't really transparent or talked about but if you think about the stereotypical portrayal of asian men (quiet & non-asssertive, hyper-sexualized negatively) & women (petite and docile, hyper-sexualized positively) and black men (hyper-masculine, physical, hyper-sexualized positively) & women (loud, argumentative, hyper-sexualized negatively) it makes some perverse sense...

As far as the film industries go, there seems to be a lot of Asians in high profile directorial roles. But they never cast Asians as leads, maybe a 3rd tier character. So is it fair to say, your own people close the doors on Asian actors? Or is it because the producers are calling the shots on who they can cast?

no because directors don't necessarily get final say, the studios still control a lot of the casting decisions and the focus group just about everything, so they're not going to let too many directors play with their money like that. certain directors do have a bit of influence to get who they want but ultimately the people with the money are in charge...though given how so many big budget flicks are targeting a more global audience, especially the burgeoning/growing chinese audiences i think we will see more asians getting casted...

Yep. I don't know how many times I've heard "He's Asian but not Asian Asian" from girls describing me

Luckily I never heard that said about me, but damn

Can't do anything about the racism though, it's been hardwired into people by dominant aka white society
The only way we can combat this is by not making deals with white society, but rather paving our own successes.
For example, the Chinese Americans set up banks here that helped stabilize the Chinese communities and help promote economic growth. You never hear white people laugh at our money.
Now Asian Americans are popular on YouTube (Ryan Higa, WongFuProductions, JKFilms, Michelle Phan), got people realizing Asian Americans are more diverse and talented in other areas
The only way is up now.

curious about this as well, besides the asian = chinese (i heard this complaint from many asian co-workers i have had), how much does racism factor in on a consistent basis, in what ways do you think asians are held back? do you think some selection/confirmation bias plays a part? for example; if you are an asian kid that loves basketball and are super good but aren't freakishly tall, does the fact that there aren't many examples of asian players deter you from pursuing basketball? there may not be anyone explicitly telling an asian kid that he/she could not be a ball player rather they make come to the decision not to pursue it due to the path not seeming clear or feasible with not many examples? i think plays some part in some of these cultural thing, and becomes self-fulfilling in a way...

 

[limonyfresh]

i guess i am familiar with those you mentioned, i guess what i am interested in is how, if at all, asians (or specifically how you as an asian processed them) internalize these stereotypes? or if they are reinforced or perpetuated culturally in any way? because on the one hand, i feel like most people don't really have a lot of information on asian culture to construct them, all i knew of "asian" culture was from kung fu & ninja flicks really, and a chinese kid with whom i went to junior high and would sometimes talk about how strict our parents were. and on the other hand, not to downplay these stereotypes because they are all hurtful on some level and do effect one's self perception, but these are fairly benign (besides the small peen thing, that perception probably does lead to some real missed opportunities!), like do you think people at the dmv go extra hard on asians getting a drivers license? or when someone's dog goes missing do the neighbors ring the asian families residences? do asians buy in to the idea that they work harder and/or are smarter?

Personally, I think the stereotypes are more powerful in the way we, as Asians, understand them. As they say, often our perception of ourselves is a reflection of what other people perceive and expect of us. In this case, most likely growing up you accepted these stereotypes as true. From that point on, you are subconsciously qualifying yourself against these character traits. For me, this is where the asian-asian or white washed asians or blackwashed asian monikers spawn from. Not from other cultures but from the myriad of Asian cultures trying to constantly hammer in which values we need to portray overtly. This is important because on a day to day basis you either are seeking to live up to the stereotype or you are overtly trying to disassociate from it. I think this is the reason a lot of people struggle/fight with identity until they are older and come to embrace their cultures. First you have to figure out where you stand on the issue of stereotypes.

for example; if you are an asian kid that loves basketball and are super good but aren't freakishly tall, does the fact that there aren't many examples of asian players deter you from pursuing basketball? there may not be anyone explicitly telling an asian kid that he/she could not be a ball player rather they make come to the decision not to pursue it due to the path not seeming clear or feasible with not many examples? i think plays some part in some of these cultural thing, and becomes self-fulfilling in a way...

There are probably too many underlying factors to hit them all, but I will mention a few that come to find. Firstly, my understanding is that any type of physical work whether it's craft, sports, design, chef/cooking is looked down upon (as in not the definition of successful) in regards to "intellectual" pursuits where you can sit behind a desk and use your brain (for lack of a better word) to make the same or better money. I should note that this has never been explicitly conveyed to me but this is the same attitude that I get again and again so this is how I've been able to make sense of it. In any case in that basketball player scenario which is clearly not the path that most Asian parents expect for their kids, you can bet that no matter how successful you are you will get marginal if any positive reinforcement from it. Now if you are excelling at school and basketball at the same time however your parents are proactively showing more praise to your school achievements, (the environment is typically very high pressure such that you want to please them by doing well in school) naturally you will lean towards getting a "real job." This is a huge sticking point to me looking back now at how I grew up.

 

[sunshineblotters]

/subbed

Tryna learn something in here.

asian.


and... ill just leave this here.



Mean Household Income by Ethnicity in America

Asian alone	$90,752
White alone	$79,340
Hispanic or Latino	$54,644
Black	$49,629

[th=""] Ethnic Category [/th]

[th=""] Mean Household Income [/th]

Not to hijack the thread but black people need to start doing better than that

 

[mastamind033]

tokes99

I think racism definitely played a part on Jeremy Lin's basketball career. Since he wasn't a 7 ft. center but a 6'3'' asian guard, he wasn't offered the same type of scholarships that most players with those kind of accolades and accomplishments would have received.

 

[slighted]

Topic is promoting good discussion. Let's keep it up.

I'd like to tackle a few of the concerns here. This is what I've experienced:

Politics

Most Asian folks I know are apolitical. I think they don't see it as a viable career option and really think it's all a BS game (which it is). The way I see it, Asians hate fluff language and always prefer to cut to the chase. This don't-waste-time/get-the-deal-done mentality bleeds into other areas like running their own businesses, etc.

Entertainment

Quite a few YouTube stars are of Asian descent. James Wan, Cary Fukunaga, and Justin Lin are up-and-coming directors who are helming big projects. You have to understand that Hollywood is a money machine and studios primarily finance films that can generate profit. Their mentality is: why should we take a chance on this unproven actor/director when we can get a safer, easier choice? I think the tide is slowly turning with ABC giving Fresh Off the Boat a chance.

Culture / Upbringing

In my experience, Asian parents never shower their kids with constant praise. I think it's tried and true that they reward good behavior (e.g. getting top grades, killing it in everything) and punish bad behavior (e.g. not afraid to beat you -- no such things as timeouts). Generally, that motto should hold true for most parents.

I was raised in a pretty strict environment. My family came from nothing and as immigrants, the only goal was to prosper. What does that mean? Money. You can understand why this survival instinct is so important to them. I know exactly what it means to have nothing, sleeping on the floors in a rundown, cramped one-bedroom apartment. The sacrifice was real and I'm sure my fellow NT fam can relate.

It's really simple: Asian parents, and parents in general, don't want you to go through what they went through. So when Asian kids get angry at their parents and feel immense pressure, I can relate. I was in that exact same position. But when I look back at it now, I've been incredibly blessed. My grandma, who was a true hustler, told me this before she passed away (RIP): "We came from nothing. So if we have something at the end of each day, we made it."

I'm sure you're beginning to form the greater picture here. It took me a while to realize that my parents pushed me to the limit early on so that I'd be crushing it before everyone else. I'd be ready for whatever life threw at me. No good parent wants their child to suffer and be miserable. Of course, a lot of Asian kids probably develop low self-esteem and self-doubt, but I think this is an area where Asian parents can do better.

How to Improve (Asian) Children Upbringing

This is just my opinion, but Asian parents should be tough but fair. I know a few folks who completely resent their parents. By that, I mean they've been so scarred that they haven't talked to/seen their parents in 5+ years. One homie I know went through this and recently found out his mom died. You can imagine how devastated he was, especially when she left behind everything for him in her will and wrote a long letter telling him how she knows she pushed him to the extreme, but did it all out of love for him. Asian parents rarely know how to communicate emotionally with their children, resulting in robotic personalities and less happy upbringings.

So how can Asian parents raise even better children?

- Be tough, but fair.

- Do not stifle your kids' creativity, but also remind them to always have a plan. Execute that plan and think of anything and everything that could go wrong.

- Reward good behavior and teach them responsibility (they control what happens to them).

- Teach your kids to be humble, but confident in their abilities.

- Get out more, try new hobbies, but most importantly, stay out of trouble / bad influences.

I was raised by a Tiger mom who has softened up in the past few years. I showed her a pic of a chick I'm seeing and moms told me "she looks like a damn thot, get in and then drop her." My mom has a lot DGAF behaviors.

And although there were negatives to this Tiger mom way, I don't know of any other ways I could've possibly been raised. It took me a while to realize the overarching lesson in the difficulties: Comfort does not build character.

 

[YOUR GRACE]

keep flourishing bros

 

[wj4]

I'll skip on Politics and Entertainment because they don't really pique my interest.


Upbringing: my mom worked a lot. I was always home by myself. I used to walk home from middle school, do homework, eat microwave dinner, do dishes, go play ball or watch TV, and sleep. I took school bus to school in high school...still remember cats trying to hot box the bus almost on a daily basis Followed the same routine. I didn't get involved in any sport because I wouldn't have a ride home. Money was really tight. Mom bought $50 Nikes once a semester. I didn't get my first pair of nice shoes until the 7th grade, the first Jumpmans Eddie Jones wore. A meal at Denny's was special. I started working part time in high school just so I can buy kicks and gear. I took the public bus to work after I'd get home from school and wouldn't get home until 11PM. I had to quit because I was falling asleep in class and homework wasn't getting done. My mom told me that some of her friends would check their sons' backpacks for drugs and what not. It's crazy because I hung out with the local kids who did them, but it never played a factor for me.

My mom demanded I did my best. That meant I got whooped a lot Once she knew how determined I was, she laid off the gas pedal. I think she was scared since she worked so much and I was pretty much left alone from age 10 until college, and she's heard so many bad stories of her friends' sons falling into bad habits.

My mom listened to classical music when she was pregnant with me to stimulate mind growth. She got me into piano, swimming, and other activities. Those things came to a screeching halt when we moved to this country. I would do the same with my kids. I want to be able to send them to the best school money can buy, though I know they will be at a disadvantage to kids like me, mostly. I was so hungry for success, I was willing to take jobs and work odd shifts that more privileged kids may not want.

The one thing I would do differently with my kids would be to support their dreams instead of pushing them towards the STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) majors, which is pretty much where the good careers are. I'll digress from going further, but I feel some type of way about the U.S. education system right now.

 

[EddieDoyers]

Entertainment

Quite a few YouTube stars are of Asian descent. James Wan, Cary Fukunaga, and Justin Lin are up-and-coming directors who are helming big projects. You have to understand that Hollywood is a money machine and studios primarily finance films that can generate profit. Their mentality is: why should we take a chance on this unproven actor/director when we can get a safer, easier choice? I think the tide is slowly turning with ABC giving Fresh Off the Boat a chance.

Many people argue FOTB, hell even the creator, that FOTB is mostly catered to white people with only 5 mins of realness in every episode. I won't have any faith in Hollywood until they actually give Asians a show with no "white" filter. I can see why they do that though, for "profitability" reasons.
But at least Asian Americans can somewhat play other characters now instead of being the FOB or unattractive beta.

 

[wj4]

This was a timing thing...8 Mile came out during my 12th grade year. The movie had the rock band kids starting to rap

Freestyle Fridays were and when Jin came on

When I heard he signed with Ruff Ryders

When I heard the first single

 

[tokes99]

Personally, I think the stereotypes are more powerful in the way we, as Asians, understand them. As they say, often our perception of ourselves is a reflection of what other people perceive and expect of us. In this case, most likely growing up you accepted these stereotypes as true. From that point on, you are subconsciously qualifying yourself against these character traits. For me, this is where the asian-asian or white washed asians or blackwashed asian monikers spawn from. Not from other cultures but from the myriad of Asian cultures trying to constantly hammer in which values we need to portray overtly. This is important because on a day to day basis you either are seeking to live up to the stereotype or you are overtly trying to disassociate from it. I think this is the reason a lot of people struggle/fight with identity until they are older and come to embrace their cultures. First you have to figure out where you stand on the issue of stereotypes.

yo well said, that is a powerful way to look at it...because it really puts the responsibility on the individual to come to terms with how & what to identify with; the idea that it would be more self-inflicted culturally is one that makes a whole lot of sense but is there not really a western conception of 'asian' that is problematic beyond the sort insular self imposed cultural ones? you'd expect most parents to try to define a space they want their kids to inhabit culturally, but like if an 'asian' person decides to rebel? and chose some other identity, is there something from the external western perspective culture that puts some definition or value on this asian person who is not i guess obviously 'asian' culturally? is there any pressure from outside the culture to be a certain 'kind' of asian? like is there a penalty for being too assertive, or the like?

for example:

Yep. I don't know how many times I've heard "He's Asian but not Asian Asian" from girls describing me

when i was a kid other black kids would call me names like african bootyscratcher quite consistently even though really the only thing that really identified as being african was a funny name and maybe that i was dark skinned, it wasn't until other 'more african' african kids transferred to my school that i got that "not african african" thing, it was a funny experience because literally nothing changed about me; it was just contextual and it also wasn't fixed idea...given that the most notable stereotypes are generally either benign or positive for asians, would the "not asian asian" be taken as an insult or compliment?

From what I guess, the "First generation Asian in America experience" varies greatly between regions.

#true

tokes99

I think racism definitely played a part on Jeremy Lin's basketball career. Since he wasn't a 7 ft. center but a 6'3'' asian guard, he wasn't offered the same type of scholarships that most players with those kind of accolades and accomplishments would have received.

perhaps...there probably was a good amount of bias there, but as i understand it in high school he wasn't really beasting it with some freakish ability; he was a very good high school player and many of those type cats don't always project out to being good college players, especially with scouts...but yea maybe him being asian didn't help

Topic is promoting good discussion. Let's keep it up.

Culture / Upbringing

In my experience, Asian parents never shower their kids with constant praise. I think it's tried and true that they reward good behavior (e.g. getting top grades, killing it in everything) and punish bad behavior (e.g. not afraid to beat you -- no such things as timeouts). Generally, that motto should hold true for most parents.

I was raised in a pretty strict environment. My family came from nothing and as immigrants, the only goal was to prosper. What does that mean? Money. You can understand why this survival instinct is so important to them. I know exactly what it means to have nothing, sleeping on the floors in a rundown, cramped one-bedroom apartment. The sacrifice was real and I'm sure my fellow NT fam can relate.

It's really simple: Asian parents, and parents in general, don't want you to go through what they went through. So when Asian kids get angry at their parents and feel immense pressure, I can relate. I was in that exact same position. But when I look back at it now, I've been incredibly blessed. My grandma, who was a true hustler, told me this before she passed away (RIP): "We came from nothing. So if we have something at the end of each day, we made it."

I'm sure you're beginning to form the greater picture here. It took me a while to realize that my parents pushed me to the limit early on so that I'd be crushing it before everyone else. I'd be ready for whatever life threw at me. No good parent wants their child to suffer and be miserable. Of course, a lot of Asian kids probably develop low self-esteem and self-doubt, but I think this is an area where Asian parents can do better.

How to Improve (Asian) Children Upbringing

This is just my opinion, but Asian parents should be tough but fair. I know a few folks who completely resent their parents. By that, I mean they've been so scarred that they haven't talked to/seen their parents in 5+ years. One homie I know went through this and recently found out his mom died. You can imagine how devastated he was, especially when she left behind everything for him in her will and wrote a long letter telling him how she knows she pushed him to the extreme, but did it all out of love for him. Asian parents rarely know how to communicate emotionally with their children, resulting in robotic personalities and less happy upbringings.

So how can Asian parents raise even better children?

- Be tough, but fair.
- Do not stifle your kids' creativity, but also remind them to always have a plan. Execute that plan and think of anything and everything that could go wrong.
- Reward good behavior and teach them responsibility (they control what happens to them).
- Teach your kids to be humble, but confident in their abilities.
- Get out more, try new hobbies, but most importantly, stay out of trouble / bad influences.

I was raised by a Tiger mom who has softened up in the past few years. I showed her a pic of a chick I'm seeing and moms told me "she looks like a damn thot, get in and then drop her." My mom has a lot DGAF behaviors.

And although there were negatives to this Tiger mom way, I don't know of any other ways I could've possibly been raised. It took me a while to realize the overarching lesson in the difficulties: Comfort does not build character.

i feel you but i don't really believe there is a 'right' way for most things...we all just kind of figure out what works from how you were raised & what works for you & your lil' yous; i really feel all any parent can do is give their children a loose framework of how to be in & analyze the world...the world our parents grew up in isn't the world we live in now, & the world will be different still for those who follow us. for a moment in time something could be appropriate & the next be completely, all the way, inappropriate; things are always shifting

Entertainment

Quite a few YouTube stars are of Asian descent. James Wan, Cary Fukunaga, and Justin Lin are up-and-coming directors who are helming big projects. You have to understand that Hollywood is a money machine and studios primarily finance films that can generate profit. Their mentality is: why should we take a chance on this unproven actor/director when we can get a safer, easier choice? I think the tide is slowly turning with ABC giving Fresh Off the Boat a chance.

Many people argue FOTB, hell even the creator, that FOTB is mostly catered to white people with only 5 mins of realness in every episode. I won't have any faith in Hollywood until they actually give Asians a show with no "white" filter. I can see why they do that though, for "profitability" reasons.
But at least Asian Americans can somewhat play other characters now instead of being the FOB or unattractive beta.

eh, i dug fresh off the boat, but i think the main reason that show got some burn is because eddie himself is an interesting dude who wrote, by all accounts, a really dope book based on his life, has an some presence online, and the fact that tv is in a weird place right now (also i read that similar criticisms were also said about the show margaret cho had some 2 decades ago). the system is still doing what it does, but given that there is so much fragmentation in the way people consume media, i think studios may be more thirsty to find opportunities...

 

[equality]

 

 

[JPS]

wth do u mean asians arent confident???

 

[Nawzlew]

Saw this on reddit.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-...-locking-themselves-in-their-bedrooms/6601656

 

[littletiger]

Saw this on reddit.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-...-locking-themselves-in-their-bedrooms/6601656

Japanese culture is kinda messed up.  Too much emphasis on a working life and apparently not enough men and women are hooking up so that there's a deficit of a younger generation

 

[EddieDoyers]

Saw this on reddit.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-...-locking-themselves-in-their-bedrooms/6601656

Holy crapola I never even heard of this

 

[jeepneykid]

I feel like Entertainment and online media played a huge part of finding my cultural identity.
I was in high school and jr high when Youtube first became huge. I'm talking like the very first NigaHiga video, TimothyDelaGhetto's Channel being banned, Lonelygirl15 ish.
I grew up in a white neighborhood, and I immediately knew I was different when some punk *** kid in kindergarden kept calling me Chinese.
I'm Filipino btw, but I was confused as a kid cause I didn't know what tf was going on. School kids can be so cruel.
But typical Asian kid, white neighborhood stuff, only Asian kid in class. Everyone expected me to be a genius and I crushed on white girls who wouldn't give me the time of day.
Seeing these dudes on Youtube was a shock to me. It was weird because my white friends were even showing me KevJumba videos.
At that point it was cool to see that there were people like me who had the same type of problems and ****.

Also this was about the same time as America's Best Dance Crew and Jabbawockeez and Kaba Modern were like the Asian messiahs.
(Yes, I was a Jabbawockeez for Halloween one year...)
This was also the time I discovered Tumblr and there grew my hatred toward Filipinos.
2009, the days of Asian Tumblr girls and super hypebeast Filipinos who wore foxtails and tight jean vests.
I felt betrayed by my own people, as this was around the same time I became interested in sneakers/streetwear.
The only other Filipino kid at my school was the epitome of the Hypebeast Tumblr dude, and he would dance around anywhere he could show off his finger tutting.....
Me on the other hand, I was a quite kid, but it was like 2009 so Gucci and WFF were at the top of my playlist, I played Violin in orchestra and played Tennis.
This other Filipina who also was in orchestra was obnoxious, loud, and took every opportunity she had to show off.
I remember this Chinese dude complaining about how all these Filipinos just want the attention.
And that's where my self-hatred for Filipinos was really solidified. The dude was right, all these tumblr ***, loud ***, attention loving, Filipinos trying to hog the spotlight.

Eventually I went to college where I got a lot more involved in Filipino culture and Asian culture in general and I learned to stop hating on my own people.
I met a lot of other Filipinos who were just like me, and I realized that Filipinos (and all other races) are very diverse. There is more to us than what we are spoon-fed.
This is why we need more exposure in media outlets. The only representation of Filipinos was everything I hated about them embodied into two people and a board filled with images of scrubs.
Youtube was an interesting outlet for Asian Americans, but again, the only Filipinos at the time were all corny.

In fact, I think all Asian youtubers are corny to an extent, but it's better than nothing. I follow the Fung Bros a lot, and even though they're corny, at least they're there.
Although I feel like the golden age of Asian Youtube is dying down. As youtube becomes more corporate like and sponsored by big names, they are allowed to push their own agendas.
There are less new Asian youtube stars and more white youtube stars who are dominating the front page (Grace Heilbeg, Tyler Oakley, etc.)
If you think about it, the only Asian youtubers who are still around have mostly been here since day 1 of youtube.
It's hard for another dude to come up because youtube only cares about pushing profitable white people.

Also random, do you guys ever realize how every Asian beauty youtube girl has a foreign white boyfriend? (Michelle Phan, Jen Im, etc.)

Also if there are any Asian youtube channels you guys follow lemme know cause I'm always down to support my people.

 

[unkn0wn]

Freestyle Fridays were

and when Jin came on

When I heard he signed with Ruff Ryders

When I heard the first single

And that was the end of Jin

 

[Nawzlew]

Saw this on reddit.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-...-locking-themselves-in-their-bedrooms/6601656

Japanese culture is kinda messed up.  Too much emphasis on a working life and apparently not enough men and women are hooking up so that there's a deficit of a younger generation

Doesn't South Korea have this problem too?

 

[wj4]

And that was the end of Jin

That's the downfall of these free style MCs. They're nice on battles but most can't go commercial and blow. Word to King Los.

 

[littletiger]

Doesn't South Korea have this problem too?

It's possible considering they have pretty similar cultures.  All I know is Japan is the one with the demographic problem and that they're actively promoting marriage and relationships so they aren't stuck with a bunch of geezers and a broken economy in 20 years.  I would say it's pretty distant to asian american culture though.

 

[Nawzlew]

And that was the end of Jin

That's the downfall of these free style MCs. They're nice on battles but most can't go commercial and blow. Word to King Los.

I loved that "don't me mad an Asian dude dressed better than you"

 

[equality]

Japanese culture is pretty unique. China also faces a similar problem but in a different context. Parents only want sons, and will choose the abortion route if they find out it's a daughter. Also, with the 1 kid per household rule the male to female ratio is completely screwed.