Growing up as an Asian American in a predominantly white town wasn’t easy. The food my family ate, the language we spoke, and the lifestyle we led weren’t the same as the white kids I went to school with. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my hometown and wouldn’t want to have grown up anywhere else but because of how much I stood out— physically and culturally— I always felt the slightest bit lonely because there were almost no other Asian kids I could bond with at my school or in my town in general. Other than my brother, I didn’t have anyone to talk to about things like my favorite Sailor Moon episodes, how good that jajangmyeon restaurant was last week, whose halmoni makes better kimchi bap, or how you know that a wooden spoon isn’t just for cooking when it’s in an Asian household. For the first few years of my life, my family and I attended a Korean church in Boston where I made a few close friends who I could talk to about these things but they all lived an hour away from me so it was hard to stay in touch. Now, I see them around the holidays but that’s pretty much the extent of our relationship, thus cutting me off once again from feeling like I was truly part of the Asian community.
The feeling of isolation from cultural disconnect continued to linger in the back of my mind until I went off to college. Coming to UMass Amherst was undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have ever made. The diversity at my school isn’t perfect but it’s an immensely refreshing change of pace for a person of color to live in an area where they don’t feel like they are constantly under speculation for being a minority. At the end of 2018, I was browsing through Facebook when I received a notification from my brother. He had sent me an invitation to a group called “Subtle Asian Traits” or SAT.
Curiously, I accepted the invitation and took a look through the group and instantly felt a sort of kinship with them.The posts in this group ranged from hilarious memes to personal stories relating to all aspects of the Asian experience. Each day, new posts emerge and when I see one that I relate to (usually the Korean-related ones) I feel a sense of connection and familiarity that I couldn’t find anywhere in my hometown.
This group was started by nine Asian Australian high school students as a way for them and a few other people to take a break from exams, work, and school. Now, this group has over 1 million group members from all over the globe, including celebrity comedian Hasan Minhaj. As described by The New York Times, the concept of Subtle Asian Traits was straightforward: “Share jokes about the traits, subtle or otherwise, that characterized the Asian-Australian experience, from cultural clashes with parents and the sanctity of bubble milk tea, to the groan-worthy pickup lines from white men on dating apps. (Are you from Asia? Because I’m China get your number.)”. With such a massive following, SAT has exploded into a place where Asians from all over the world can gather and feel connected to one another without having to leave their home. Humorous posts are still posted daily but now SAT has become a place where members can reach out to one another for advice and to share stories about ignorance, discrimination, and racism they have faced. This group provides solidarity that so many people in the Asian community lack because of where they live or who their social network consists of.
Out of all the places where I could have found an Asian community to bond with, Facebook was definitely the last place I would have thought of. Say what you want about the takeover of social media, but there is no denying that it has the power to form relationships and bring people together despite geographic location.
Image Sources: 1,2, 3, 4 (images 3 & 4 provided by author with permission from author of posts).