Asian American TikTok users weighed in on a question posed in a recent podcast: Do “SoCal Asians” have a superiority complex?
For some, Southern California is considered the mecca and norm for Asian American culture, with 15.8% of the Asian population in Los Angeles County and 23.3% in Orange County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And people outside the field say perspective creates uncomfortable and unnecessary dynamics.
“I think for Asian Americans in the diaspora outside of Southern California, we have to look at that and somehow prove that we are that type of Asian, too,” Heidi Kang said. (32) said.
According to Kang, “that type of Asian” is one who has easy access to a variety of Asian restaurants, media, cultural shops, and other Asians.
The debate over the superiority complex began with a clip posted by The 949 Podcast, a show hosted by Asian Americans. The podcast, which references Orange County’s area code, recently received backlash on TikTok after one of its hosts made comments about Asians outside of Southern California.
“There’s a part of me that feels like I just met an Asian guy from some other random state, right? I’m like a brother… You’re not from Cali, brother.” one host said. Podcasters have since acknowledged that this idea is “problematic.” 949 Podcast did not respond to a request for comment. The video was shocking to Asian Americans who grew up in regions such as the Midwest, South, and Pacific Northwest. They shared negative experiences with Asians in Southern California of being judged as “not Asian enough” because they grew up in predominantly white environments.
Kang posted a stitching video in response to the podcast clip. She grew up in Nebraska and Iowa. Kang told NBC News that in her experience, Asians in Southern California minimize or even ridicule the realities of other Asian Americans.
“They grew up in places where they had more access to Asian culture, and many of us outside of Southern California didn’t have control over where we grew up and where we lived,” Kang said. Ta. Kang said she has been “interrogated” in the past by Asians in Southern California about things like what kind of friends she has, how she connects to her heritage, and what kind of food she eats. spoke. She said this has become her way of determining whether she is being “whitewashed.”
“They basically think I’m white because they have an idea of what the Midwest is like,” she said.
Jennifer Kang, 20, moved to Oregon from California when she was in high school. She attended an elementary school that was 50% Asian, but ended up being one of the only Asian schools in high school. When she visited a friend from Southern California after the move, the friend told her that she had become “whiter.” (Jennifer Kang is not related to Heidi Kang.)
Kang, who is Korean, said she speaks Korean and is in touch with her heritage. Still, her Asian-ness is called into question because she doesn’t have the same interests as some Asians in Southern California. She has been judged by Asians in Southern California for not having access to Asian restaurants, and was once questioned for not knowing about 88Rising, an Asian hip-hop collective with a large fan base in California. spoke.
“There really is no measurement of being Asian,” she said.
James Zarzadias, associate professor of history and director of the Yuchenco Filipino Studies Program at the University of San Francisco, says regional stereotypes influence perceptions of superiority complexes among Asians in Southern California. He said he is doing so.
“If you take race out of the conversation, there’s this notion that the coasts of the United States are the trendier or cooler, more sophisticated region, and other parts of the interior, including the South, are not. That’s it,” he said. said.
As a result, people often mistakenly believe there is no access to Asian American culture and community in coastal states, Zarsadias said. Zarsadias said that while everyone’s experiences may be different, people need to “embrace the regional differences among Asian Americans” and understand the “different challenges, struggles and unique characteristics” of each. said.
Still, criticism of Asians in Southern California by people outside the region stems from the trauma of being marginalized in the community, Zarzadias said.
“This is a double rejection,” he said. “You were probably ridiculed and ostracized even by non-Asians in the neighborhood you grew up in, but now you’re surrounded by other Asians in your community who, in theory, you should be in solidarity with. They’re also making fun of you right now.” They’re making fun of you and making you feel like you’re not part of the group. ”
Jennifer Kang recognizes that some Asians in Southern California feel pressure to assimilate and fit in with other Asian Americans living in majority-white neighborhoods. He said there are some people who haven’t.
“I’ve certainly been hiding that side of myself, but when kids in your class tell you how good your English is or they make fun of you for things like coronavirus, you really don’t want to stand up. . For myself,” Kang said.
Ultimately, Kang said Asian Americans should be bringing people into the community instead of shutting them out.
“Being Asian is so wonderful and there is so much deep culture in our history that we can learn from and share,” she said. “Why are we monitoring these things?”
