-
How I’m Inspired To Call Myself Asian Australian
A few months ago, I got to meet the person who inspires me to call myself Asian Australian and be a writer – dancing violinist, Youtuber Lindsey Stirling. I was very lucky and managed to chat with Lindsey before lapping up her energetic performance at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne. I never expected to look…
-
On Not Speaking My Mother Tongue
Growing up in Melbourne as an Australian of Chinese heritage, my parents consciously spoke to me in English day and night. Whenever they were deep in Cantonese conversation and I toddled up to them asking for a piece of chocolate, they stopped talking and sternly lectured me in English about the negative health impacts of…
-
What Is “Asian”? How Do We Define “Asian”?
Asian. It is a word we see and hear a lot in Australia when someone refers to a person with black hair, small eyes and yellow skin and their Chinese/Malay/Indian/Indonesian etc. heritage. Asian. It is also a word that has segregational connotations. A word that means different things to different people as well. When I…
-
Asian Australian Or Caucasian Australian, We’re All Australians
I was recently invited to give a talk at Kurunjang Secondary College on what it means to be “different”, an Asian Australian living in a predominantly white Australia. As I walked to the front of the Year 12 class on a crisp winter morning, I noticed about twenty odd Caucasian and Asian students staring back…
-
What Exactly Is “Ethnic”? Is The Word “Ethnic” Relevant Anymore Today?
Do I see myself as “ethnic”? Someone of “ethnic background”? I’m a Chinese person living in Australia, so I should, shouldn’t I? Depending on where you are in the world, the definition of “ethnic” seems to vary slightly. The dictionary definition of “ethnic” actually forms a firm basis to think about this word. This concept.…
-
Why Males Are The Favoured Sex In Asian Cultures
“Your Arts degree is useless. You studied the wrong degree, made a very wrong decision there. You finished your degree, and you still can’t find a job. Should’ve studied something like commerce or dentistry. Like your brother. Maybe he can get you a job.” That’s what my mum says to me all the time. It’s…
Mabel Kwong 