Bring 3 Asian kids onto a stage, prop them with suits and suitcases, glasses, and no voice, and call them "Oscar accountants". Follow that up with, “If anybody’s upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids." Then, hint at the, "very hard-working, little, yellow people, with tiny dongs...you know, the minions."
One question before I move on. Sacha Baron Cohen, so, when are you going to release your sex tapes with the minions? 'Cause, clearly, you must have slept with ALL the minions to come to the conclusion that they have tiny dongs.
Ok, moving on.
These tasteless, ignorant, and archaic lines that are tossed around by Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen sound very much like the corny gag trash that comes out of a typical racist bully's mouth.
One part of the problem is the racist, anti-Asian stereotypes that consistently propagate mainstream media and have no intentions of dying. The other part of the problem is the Asian community's willingness to ONLY stand up to these injustices when it makes it convenient for us to do so.
Day in and day out, I constantly see Facebook feeds of Black, Latin@, and Muslim people being harassed, discriminated against, or worse, killed. I witness nothing but silence from my Asian community. No voice of anger, protest, or boycott.
But when Officer Peter Liang gets charged for killing Akai Gurley, or when Chris Rock and Sacha Cohen hurl insults to our faces, THEN sleeping Snorlax wakes the FUCK UP and goes on a Twitter rampage about how butt hurt he felt and storms the streets protesting the criminal charge of one of our own.
I hate to say it, but Asians can be just as brainwashed, ignorant, and naive as the next white folk who proudly wears a "Trump 2016" T-shirt and an infamous red "Make America Great Again" hat.
We should be standing up in solidarity with our Black, Latin@, Muslim, and LGBTQ sisters and brothers, arm in arm, hand in hand, and challenge our primary enemy that keeps holding us back - White Supremacy (AKA Insitutional Racism).
It is only then will we truly realize that racial damage is a thing of the past.
Beyoncé, with the release of her "Formation" music video and performance at the Super Bowl, basically said, "Excuse me, white stage director, outfit my dancers with Black leather tops and shorts, black platform boots, black fishnet stockings, and black berets. They will be keeping their hair natural. Oh, and one other thing - replace the white dancers with Black dancers."
Beyoncé made sure that her music video got released the day after Trayvon Martin's birthday and a day before Sandra Bland's birthday, on February 6, 2016. Beyoncé commemorated the 50th anniversary of the origin of the Black Panther Party. In Black History Month. During this significant election year. In concurrence with the momentous #BlackLivesMatter movement. And on the most populous day for white folks to be glued to their TV screens, Beyoncé showcased her Black anthem during Super Bowl's halftime show.
Beyoncé unapologetically, single-handedly slapped Blackness, Black Pride, and #BlackLivesMatter in the faces of every mainstream media outlet known to humankind. Beyoncé proclaims her endearment for her negro-Creole mixed heritage, Blue Ivy's natural coily hair, and "Jackson Five nostrils". Beyoncé inspires Black people to love everything about their Blackness, so much so that she made me love my boo's Blackness even more than I thought possible.
While Beyoncé brought Black people up, I cannot help but wonder, "Where are the Asians bringing other Asians up?"
Where are the Asians encouraging other Asians to love our distinct almond-shaped eyes, compact noses, and darker-than-pale skin tone? Where are the Asians showing that an appreciation for their own heritage and culture is a wonderful and cherished sentiment? Where are the Asians assuring other Asians that dating another Asian does not remove you as an outcast? Where are the Asians inspiring other Asians to pridefully love their Asian-ness?
More often than not, I see us Asians sitting quietly on the sidelines, merely wishing and hoping that our days of unabashed pride would come. Unfortunately, not taking actions ourselves equates to us raising white flags of surrender to our current predicament of empty self-love. Instead of wishing upon a wishing star, we should follow in Beyoncé's footsteps and lift one another up.
