Opinion | Seeing the full picture: Understanding a Western world full of Asian influences
Claudia Sheng, class of 2022, film production major
I think I am not the only one who’s going to say this, but participating in Chapman’s APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) celebration April 22 meant a lot to me — mostly because I did not participate in many events like this, or activities in general, during my first two years of college.
About a year ago, my good friend and APIDA celebration co-chair Mitch Tanaka sent me a text explaining that this year’s APIDA celebration was accepting film submissions. At the time, I was in pre-production for a short film that is not only set in my hometown of Taipei, Taiwan, but also features prominent Asian characters and themes. So I agreed to submit my film to the APIDA celebration, even before I shot it.
When I screened my short film, “Ranked” — a film about a young boy who tries to find a career in video games because it’s the only thing he enjoys — a lot of my Asian friends told me they understood and related to its themes of success and high expectations from family and peers. While I did not intend to make a film particularly about Taiwan or Asia, the script was about my own experiences and observations, and the Asian cultural experience is a huge part of who I am. Seeing people relate to these stories makes me feel I am not alone in these experiences, and that’s what the APIDA community means to me.
The Asian experience is amazing. Being from Taiwan, I grew up drinking boba, watching anime and Japanese game shows, listening to K-pop and Mandarin ballads and going to night markets. While these experiences may be new to some, they are more than familiar to me because I’ve been surrounded by them since I was a kid.
I remember when these aspects of my culture were seen as extremely weird and unfamiliar to the Western world. But we live in a time where people are getting more and more familiar with Asian entertainment and culture, which I thought would open the doors to a more accepting future.
The shift from a complete unfamiliarity of Asia to its current heavy cultural and economic influence on the Western world is a huge change, and people fear change. This fear can very often turn into hate. The current rampant racism against Asian Americans is a culmination of all of this.
The long-awaited acceptance of my culture has turned into a source of hate, even after a lot of Asian creators and businesses have observed global trends and made their products and works more Westernized. We have long anticipated the growth of Asian media and culture, and we want people to enjoy our culture the way we did growing up. But society amplifies its anti-Asian racism to attempt to get rid of this change, due to unfamiliarity and fear.
In order to be truly familiar with Asian culture, one must understand Asian culture as a whole. It is not just the food, the movies, the shows, the celebrities and the music. Although these pieces of our culture are enjoyable and do a good job of introducing people to Asia, there is so much more to Asian culture that people do not see.
Many people do not know the history of Asia, or of Asian Americans. Many people do not know the cultural practices of Asia and how, in my experience, they can sometimes be damaging. Many people do not actually listen to Asian voices and instead still see Asia as an oriental caricature.
Maybe if people are willing to listen, they can see more of the full picture and ultimately become more aware and accepting of a different culture. This APIDA celebration was a way for us to celebrate each other’s accomplishments and amplify our own voices together.