As an Asian, I have always been taught to not rock the boat, be respectful, maintain harmony, don’t stand out, don’t cause trouble. Work hard and good things will come to you. That said, there has always been a lion in me that when provoked, I forget all about my Asian values. And I fight back instinctively. Sadly, in recent years and months, there have been too many bullying and hatred in the news and social media that I can’t stay silent anymore. Asians being targeted bec of covid. Asian old people being hurt and bullied. And if you think this hatred is just against Asians, think again. It can be any one of us. As long as you are different. You could be a target. And hell we are all different!!! That is what makes the world so wonderful and beautiful! So if you see terrorism, hatred, bullying.. speak up, help, fight back. Doesn’t matter if you are the same “color” as the one being attacked. As long as you are a decent human being. You need to speak up. I strongly believe there is more good in this world than evil. So good people out there. Speak up. Stand up against bullying. Against hatred.

I posted this on my Facebook art groups. And many kind supportive comments flowed in. I really appreciate them. It feels validating. That said, there were a few people who said this was fear mongering by media. Everything is racism these days. This is all done to divide us. Normally my Asian self would ignore and not participate in such comments. But not today. I don’t want to hide and live in a cocoon anymore. It is ok if there are people who disagree. I engaged them in a conversation, seek to understand where they are coming from but also help them understand my side of the movie. I am proud of myself for not hiding. For being brave. For standing up for what I believe. This is not propaganda. This is real. It is scary. It is hatred. We can fight it. Together.