Cross x Talk: Join Iron Mic's Dana "Showtyme" Burton & Bohan Phoenix for “Culture vs Hate”
In the wake of Anti-Asian attacks and to commemorate the end of AAPI Heritage Month, the two creative legends and Wes Chen of thePark talk with RADII on how stereotypes fuel racial hatred and paths forward using culture.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Asian diaspora has suffered an incredible rise in discrimination and violent hate crimes. Attacks on Asians in 16 of America's largest cities soared by a never before seen 164% in the first quarter of 2021. 8 in 10 Asian Americans told Pew Research that violence against them is increasing.
Advocates for Asian Americans have blamed anti-China rhetoric that was fueled by former President Donald Trump, but some have also argued that Sinophobic bias is prevalent on both sides of the aisle. So where do we go from here?
Dana Burton, Bohan Phoenix, and Wes Chen will join RADII in the “Preservation of the Human Race” Club on Clubhouse to discuss both the history of ingrained stereotypes against Asian immigrants - Yellow Peril, the Model Minority Myth etc. - and how a love for and sharing of culture (music, hip hop, art) can pave a path forward out of hate.
INTRODUCING:
Dana “Showtyme” Burton was born and raised in Detroit. After moving to China nearly two decades ago, he has since been working tirelessly to utilize hip hop as a connection point between American and Chinese communities. He is the founder and creative director of Iron Mic, China’s first branded entertainment agency, and has been referenced in publications ranging from CNN to the Cambridge History of World Music.
Born in Hubei province in China and raised in New York, Bohan Phoenix is an acclaimed bilingual rapper who has worked with the likes of Higher Brothers and Vava. He has been a great RADII friend and CROSSxTALK veteran, including weighing in last year with MC Tingbudong on Asian rappers for the Black Lives Matter movement.
(https://radiichina.com/black-lives-matter-and-asian-communities/)
Wes Chen is a podcast host and presenter who has headed up China’s longest running hip hop podcast The Park since 2006, proving instrumental in the rise of some of China’s biggest hip hop stars, and becoming the country’s most mainstream hip hop podcast in the process.
SHOW NOTES:
2:12 - 16:15
The model minority myth, its origins, how it effects all minorities in America, how it has created stigmas specifically towards the Asian community, and the role it plays in the recent rise of sino-phobia.
16:15 - 21:00
The lack of recognition of Asian-American experience in America culture and history and how people of Asian decent are continually deemed as foreign in the eyes of mainstream America.
21:00 - 28:18
How geopolitics have effected race relations among US citizens of different communities, and how fear inducing media rhetoric has fueled the divide amongst Americans of different cultures.
28:18 - 34:40
Can music, art, travel, education, and experiencing culture, work against the mainstream media that is pushing a narrative that enforces tribalism and bring people together.
36:00 - 44:30
Differences in how media on both sides of have handled issues without nuance, and how it has effected the minds of actually people in different countries.
44:30 - 47:14
Bohan Phoenix - But I still love you
47:15 - 52:30
Tribalism being played out on social media platforms.
52:30 - 1:03:45
Shared appreciation of art and culture being the tool of the people to raise awareness and to reach people and bring perspective.
1:03:50 - 1:26:35
Lack of diversity in the entertainment industry in America, more specifically Asian representation, stereotypical roles, and how this phenomena plays a part in society.
1:26:45 - end
MC Jin - Stop the Hatred f Wyclef Jean
