Terms of Endearment
48 inches x 48 inches, wood panel
Acrylic paint, spray paint and stencil
COVID-19 hit the shores of the United States with a vengeance in 2020 and when its beginnings were traced back to Wuhan, China it kicked off a significant amount of vitriol aimed at the Asian community. This was sadly validated and reinforced by public statements made over and over by our 45th President.
When the Asian community spoke out against anti-Asian sentiments, many groups strongly supported their Asian brothers and sisters. Others took a more contrarian view. Why? The Asian community has been broadly labeled as the model minority - characterizing Asian Americans as a polite, obedient law-abiding group who have achieved a higher level of success than the general population through some combination of innate talent and pull-yourselves-up-by-your-bootstraps immigrant striving. This stereotype has led to some looking to downplay and minimize the Asian community’s reaction, characterized by statements such as “What are you complaining about? You have it better than other minorities”; “It’s no big deal, it’s just a joke - don’t be so sensitive”; and “Relax, there are way worse forms of hate - it’s not like it’s offensive like the N word.” In essence, positioning Asian Americans as beneficiaries of the bounty of the American Dream was somehow supposed to erase the severity of the racism against Asian Americans.
Personally speaking, I was called many of these derogatory names during my childhood and in almost every case I systematically downplayed my reaction and usually laughed it off….or played along and made fun of being Asian myself to diffuse the situation. Given the luxury of time and reflection, I now realize that my reaction was not only a defense mechanism to keep the peace and avoid conflict (one of the traits often attributed to Asian Americans as part of the “model minority” stereotype) but also reflected my internal conflict about my heritage and how and where I fit in.
This piece is by no means meant to further validate or make light of the inflammatory stereotypes or words; in fact, quite the opposite. These words, and also the mocking of Asian languages, is harmful and offensive whether it is intended to be or not. By grouping them together and boldly stating them in all caps without the convenient distraction of other words or phrases, my intent was to shine a light on the issue and create a poignant statement of just how inflammatory, offensive and utterly ridiculous they are.
48 inches x 48 inches, wood panel
Acrylic paint, spray paint and stencil
COVID-19 hit the shores of the United States with a vengeance in 2020 and when its beginnings were traced back to Wuhan, China it kicked off a significant amount of vitriol aimed at the Asian community. This was sadly validated and reinforced by public statements made over and over by our 45th President.
When the Asian community spoke out against anti-Asian sentiments, many groups strongly supported their Asian brothers and sisters. Others took a more contrarian view. Why? The Asian community has been broadly labeled as the model minority - characterizing Asian Americans as a polite, obedient law-abiding group who have achieved a higher level of success than the general population through some combination of innate talent and pull-yourselves-up-by-your-bootstraps immigrant striving. This stereotype has led to some looking to downplay and minimize the Asian community’s reaction, characterized by statements such as “What are you complaining about? You have it better than other minorities”; “It’s no big deal, it’s just a joke - don’t be so sensitive”; and “Relax, there are way worse forms of hate - it’s not like it’s offensive like the N word.” In essence, positioning Asian Americans as beneficiaries of the bounty of the American Dream was somehow supposed to erase the severity of the racism against Asian Americans.
Personally speaking, I was called many of these derogatory names during my childhood and in almost every case I systematically downplayed my reaction and usually laughed it off….or played along and made fun of being Asian myself to diffuse the situation. Given the luxury of time and reflection, I now realize that my reaction was not only a defense mechanism to keep the peace and avoid conflict (one of the traits often attributed to Asian Americans as part of the “model minority” stereotype) but also reflected my internal conflict about my heritage and how and where I fit in.
This piece is by no means meant to further validate or make light of the inflammatory stereotypes or words; in fact, quite the opposite. These words, and also the mocking of Asian languages, is harmful and offensive whether it is intended to be or not. By grouping them together and boldly stating them in all caps without the convenient distraction of other words or phrases, my intent was to shine a light on the issue and create a poignant statement of just how inflammatory, offensive and utterly ridiculous they are.
48 inches x 48 inches, wood panel
Acrylic paint, spray paint and stencil
COVID-19 hit the shores of the United States with a vengeance in 2020 and when its beginnings were traced back to Wuhan, China it kicked off a significant amount of vitriol aimed at the Asian community. This was sadly validated and reinforced by public statements made over and over by our 45th President.
When the Asian community spoke out against anti-Asian sentiments, many groups strongly supported their Asian brothers and sisters. Others took a more contrarian view. Why? The Asian community has been broadly labeled as the model minority - characterizing Asian Americans as a polite, obedient law-abiding group who have achieved a higher level of success than the general population through some combination of innate talent and pull-yourselves-up-by-your-bootstraps immigrant striving. This stereotype has led to some looking to downplay and minimize the Asian community’s reaction, characterized by statements such as “What are you complaining about? You have it better than other minorities”; “It’s no big deal, it’s just a joke - don’t be so sensitive”; and “Relax, there are way worse forms of hate - it’s not like it’s offensive like the N word.” In essence, positioning Asian Americans as beneficiaries of the bounty of the American Dream was somehow supposed to erase the severity of the racism against Asian Americans.
Personally speaking, I was called many of these derogatory names during my childhood and in almost every case I systematically downplayed my reaction and usually laughed it off….or played along and made fun of being Asian myself to diffuse the situation. Given the luxury of time and reflection, I now realize that my reaction was not only a defense mechanism to keep the peace and avoid conflict (one of the traits often attributed to Asian Americans as part of the “model minority” stereotype) but also reflected my internal conflict about my heritage and how and where I fit in.
This piece is by no means meant to further validate or make light of the inflammatory stereotypes or words; in fact, quite the opposite. These words, and also the mocking of Asian languages, is harmful and offensive whether it is intended to be or not. By grouping them together and boldly stating them in all caps without the convenient distraction of other words or phrases, my intent was to shine a light on the issue and create a poignant statement of just how inflammatory, offensive and utterly ridiculous they are.