Tag Archives: Race

7 Types Of Everyday Racism Asian-Australians Experience

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Asian-Australians experience a lot of racism. It’s not uncommon for Asian-Australians to experience racism and discrimination most days. Or even every day.

As an Australian of Chinese heritage living in Melbourne, racism is something that I’ve experienced all my life. I don’t expect racism to stop anytime soon.

Racism is left, right and centre, and within.

Racism is left, right and centre, and within | Weekly Photo Challenge: Twisted.

According to a study by the Australian National University, 82% of Asian-Australians surveyed reported they experienced discrimination in Australia. A survey of 6,001 Australians found over 30% experienced racism on public transport or at work.

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What Is The Difference Between Race And Ethnicity?

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Race and ethnicity are terms used to group and categorise people.

While these two terms are often used interchangeably and have similar overlapping ideals, they have distinct meanings.

At some point in our lives, we might get asked, ‘Where are you from?’. Or ‘What is your ethnic background? What is your race?’

Endless faces of race and ethnicity | Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental.

Endless faces of race and ethnicity | Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental.

That’s when we might realise each word can be hard to define and understand.

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The Race: Asian Australian, Part 10

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Normally I don’t do reblogs, but today I want to share A Holistic’s Journey’s ‘RACE Around The World’. Check out all the submissions about race and identity, worth reading!

A Holistic Journey

1) How do you define yourself racially or ethnically and why is it important to you? Please tell us about the racial makeup of your family if you were adopted or come from a colorful family.

I was born in Australia to very traditional Chinese-Malaysian parents. The word “Malaysian” refers to a nationality. There are predominantly three races living in Malaysia – Chinese, Malay and Indian. A very long time ago, the Chinese came and settled in Malaysia. My grandparents – and many generations before them – were born in Malaysia. My relatives and extended family don’t know where our ancestors originated. We don’t talk about Chinese history but the history of Malaysia. We’ve always considered ourselves Chinese people living in Malaysia. We don’t identify with China the country but with Chinese culture. Chinese Malaysian is similar to the term, say, Korean American.

Melbourne Melbourne

When I was growing up in Melbourne…

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What Exactly Is “Ethnic”? Is The Word “Ethnic” Relevant Anymore Today?

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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 word "ethnic" is about exclusion and segregation. Photo: Mabel Kwong

The word “ethnic” is about exclusion and segregation. Photo: Mabel Kwong

The dictionary definition of “ethnic” actually forms a firm basis to think about this word. This concept. According to these standards, “ethnic” refers to the “characteristic(s) of a sizable group of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or cultural heritage”. Certain markers ascribe belonging to particular ethnic groups.

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Multiculturalism Is…

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Multiculturalism is a smorgasbord of things.

Multiculturalism is a thing that usually makes its presence felt in the smallest of ways.

Multiculturalism is the undisturbed presence of cultural festivals and ethnic restaurants in our community.

Rain or shine, respecting one another regardless or race and letting them go about doing their own thing is the true essence of multiculturalism. Photo by Mabel Kwong.

Rain or shine, respecting one another regardless or race and letting them go about doing their own thing is the true essence of multiculturalism. Photo by Mabel Kwong.

Multiculturalism is attending cultural festivals and ethnic restaurants that serve up pungent-smelling yet mouth-watering ethnic cuisine.

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How And Why I Was A Victim of “Racism Towards One’s Own Race”

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As a person of Chinese descent who has lived in different places and acquaints myself with various cultures, I am always discriminated by people of the same race as I am.

To put it more simply, I am a Chinese-Australian who often see other Chinese people, especially those from East Asia, constantly distancing themselves from me.

Distancing themselves from me because at times I do not fulfil the conventional Chinese/Asian persona as a result of having resided in many countries and having several cultures rub off my personality.

Sometimes all of us of who are of the same race, e.g. Asians, seem to get along well. But sometimes not all is well underneath a peaceful facade.

A lot of times, it seems that all of us of the same race, e.g. Asians, seem to get along well. But sometimes underneath a peaceful facade, racism towards one another can be rife. Photo by Mabel Kwong.

There is no one universal definition of racism and it is known to exist in varied forms. The phrase “racial discrimination” has come to mean any exclusion or preference based on race, ethnicity and colour, nullifying the exercise of equal footing as one group asserts superiority over another.

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