Articles

How many more tragic reminders does this nation need for this truth to settle in?

 

The concept of nationalism and pride is a brand investment that countries pour money, thought, and time into. The Tokyo Olympics 2021 have drawn mass attention as country flags have been turned into anime characters. It was interesting for me to note as a Canadian that a white man has been emblazoned as the physical embodiment of what Canada is. Adorned with maple leaves and a fur pelt, Canada’s profile affectionately calls him Keanu and we learn that he likes Tim Horton’s donuts. He is described as sweet and gentle with a maple syrup arrow that can be used to heal his allies. There is something incredibly wrong with this image.

If you identify as a BIPOC member, please know that we can grieve together.

 

According to Jay Baker — a spokesperson for the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office — the murder of 8 individuals (6 of which were of Asian descent*) by Robert Aaron Long was the equivalent of us having a case of the “Monday Blues”. On March 16, 2021, Baker had the audacity to take on the role of Long’s defender by claiming that “he understood the gravity of [his crime]. And he was pretty much fed up, had been kind of at the end of his rope, and yesterday was a really bad day for him…”.

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Baker’s attempt to frame Long’s murders as…

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Disasters are only newsworthy when white victims are involved.

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Natural disasters elicit varying responses from empathy to apathy, and collective action to collective dismissal. Western bias distorts the portrayal of disasters and consequently impacts disaster aid, mitigation plans and the process of development. The power relations and implications of international bodies between the Global North and Global South must be examined as aid is political and disasters are not equal.

It can be argued that international humanitarian organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank are the face of aid. Images of grief-stricken children, and broken homes are often disseminated through the news and media in excess…

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If I'm invited to the table, that means I'm your guest, not your equal.

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I was having a nice dinner with my best friend when the topic of “LinkedIn” came up. My friend was in the process of setting her profile up and asked me if I could help her take some professional headshots later, which of course I answered yes.

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She then asked with kind curiosity, “What is your picture on LinkedIn?”.

I answered, “Well I don’t have a picture”.

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Confusion clouds her blue eyes as she asked, “Why not?”

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And my reply was, “Because I don’t want potential employers to know I am Asian”. [Narrative shared with permission]

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An explicit display of…

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