‘Down to Earth’ is another white savior quest that allows travelers to feel like they’ve made a difference without exposing the systems they benefit from. By Mallika Singh Towards the end of the new Netflix series Down to Earth with Zac Efron, Darin Olien tearfully says to co-host Efron, “Now, me personally losing my house,...
Tag: Vietnam
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From Lebanon to Haiti, There Was Nothing Gentle About French Colonialism
Colonialism remains a scourge, this is clear in its effects across the globe. France’s role in it was just as brutal in Lebanon, Algeria, Haiti, and beyond. Earlier this week, Beirut was ravaged by a giant explosion caused by tons of ammonium nitrate stored in the port for several years. Thousands have been injured and...
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Diane Nguyen and Vietnamese Americans Deserve Better Representation
I want to see “BoJack Horseman” succeed at writing a nuanced portrayal of a person of color and their culture. By Linh Cao “I stepped outside of the Ho Chi Minh airport and felt the humid air envelope me. Palm trees taller than any I’d ever seen in California pierced the skies. In between them...
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Being Proud of my Blasian Identity Didn’t Come Without Some Pain
Despite the ongoing trauma I’ve experienced and the toxic things I’ve had to unlearn, I wouldn’t trade being Blasian for anything. Until recently, I thought that being a biracial Black and Asian person was no big deal. I look Black and was always closer to my African American dad than my Vietnamese mom, so I...
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Women in the Developing World are Brave and Smart — And Many are in Trouble
On International Women’s Day, let’s remember to highlight the brave, smart and extremely strong women of the developing world. Today is International Women’s Day, and American women are planning everything from social events to marches to A Day Without Women programs that bring into focus the importance women play in their societies. Often what gets...