I know, I know. Today is not a Sunday, so why did I post this in the middle of the week? Well, before I tell you why, I have an important update – I recently officially became a Canadian Permanent Resident! Phew, what a relief!
In what turned out to be an unofficial celebration of sorts, I went to a cottage this past weekend. It was a complete Canadian experience.
Since I was at said cottage, I didn’t get the time to write. I know I could have saved this for the weekend, but I’m really hoping to write at least fifty posts this year. Fifty-two, if possible (once every week). So, there’s a good chance I will post something this weekend as well.
Anyhoo, if you read my last post, you would know that I initially had trouble fitting in when I first moved here. I’ll save you the trouble of looking for my previous post – here’s what I said: I should mention that there was a brief period when I first moved to Canada where I felt like I was a supporting character in my own story. That now makes me realize just how important it is to have representation.
Representation. I’m not the first one to talk about this. And I sure as hell won’t be the last. Most of what you’ll read in this post are things you already know, but maybe an immigrant’s perspective will underline its importance.
A little bit of backstory: I first started watching western shows when I was 15. I had watched a few western movies long before then, but nowhere close to the content I now consume.
It’s funny. I just realized that I got into western shows to impress a girl I liked back then. She would recommend shows, and I’d watch them so that we’d have more to talk about. Hmm. I always thought that woman hadn’t contributed to my life in any way, but I now realize that she, unknowingly, played a massive role in who I am as an individual today. Huh, who’d have thought?
Coming back to the backstory, the kind of shows I initially watched wasn’t the greatest. But they were not bad either. When I started going to college and hanging out with people who were super into movies/TV shows, I got some great recommendations. And I watched it all! Honestly, at one point, I was obsessed. And, by that, I mean I was OBSESSED. In under two weeks, I watched Game of Thrones (only the first five seasons were out). Think that’s crazy? I completed Breaking Bad, all 62 episodes, in under a week! This was DURING college. Looking back, I think I might have been insane.
Anyway, all these shows I consumed made a huge difference. More so than anything, the way I thought changed, but what I didn’t realize is that it was changing me in other ways as well.
When I moved to Canada, I quickly realized that I wasn’t entirely comfortable. To an extent, I wasn’t even myself. I remember when I’d go to Tim Hortons and feel nervous when I spoke to the cashier. Can you imagine that? Feeling nervous to ask for a cup of coffee? I should mention that this mostly happened when the cashier was a white person. They could have the biggest smile on their face, but the nervousness would still be there. What if I mispronounce something? What if the way I speak is unclear (and I wasn’t even thinking in terms of my accent)? What if I say something grammatically incorrect? Will they judge me? It might be important to mention that this is certainly not every immigrant’s experience, but I would be surprised if no one else felt this way.
Seeing white people play the lead in every show clearly took its toll on me. My brain, for some reason, had just decided that white people were above the rest. It was definitely all in my head because some of the best people I’ve met in Canada, or even the world, are white. But, back then, it was a feeling that I couldn’t quite shake off.
Think about some of the best shows you have watched. What are your top 5? Allow me to share my list: Mr. Robot, Breaking Bad, Dark, Better Call Saul, Game of Thrones (Side note 1: the final two seasons still leave such a sour taste in my mouth. Side note 2: Attack on Titan is definitely in my top 5, but since it’s an anime, I won’t include it). Every one of these shows has pretty much an all-white cast. There’s always one black person who plays the role of the best friend or something. And there is one other person of colour who fills the diversity quota. As much as it sucks to say, it is how it has been for a long time. Take a moment and think about your top 5 shows. I guarantee 4 of those have a primarily white cast.
There’s a British show called Sex Education. If you haven’t watched it, you should. It’s a show about teenagers, but even people in their 50’s will enjoy it. It’s funny, informative, interesting, <insert 3-4 other adjectives that describe how great the show is). Anyway, this show has an amazingly diverse cast, which is honestly very refreshing. BUT (you know there is a but), the show’s main two characters are a white male and a white female, and both are unsurprisingly straight. For a show that deals with sex positivity and diversity, I think the leads could have been 1. Not white, and 2. Not straight. (This is in no way a criticism of the two actors. They do an incredible job as the main characters, tbh.)
Representation is important. People like me shouldn’t have to feel like they are playing second fiddle. Like they don’t fit. Or that they cannot dream big. Just because we don’t look like the people we see on screen. That’s why we must regularly see a diverse group of people in TV shows/movies. Only then will we not feel like we’re different/lesser in any way. Because, the truth is, we are all the fucking same.
Let’s cast a brown person as the lead. Or an Asian. Or a Latino. Or a Middle Eastern. Let them be attracted to someone from the same gender. Or be someone whose identity is outside the gender binary. And let’s do it time and again. Until headlines like “Simu Liu is the first Asian lead in the MCU” are not a reason to celebrate because diversity is the norm.
And, if anyone thinks that this is too “woke,” honestly, you can go fuck yourself. The world’s progress is stalling because of people like you, and you should be ashamed of yourself. I’m not gonna waste any more time addressing you shitheads.
So, yeah, that’s my take on representation and its importance. I should mention that I no longer feel like a side character in my own story. Over the past few years, I have learnt quite a bit, and I now understand what I think I always knew: we’re all the same. We might look different, but no one is better than/above the rest. The fear of not being understood at the coffee shop is still there, but that’s because of the stupid mask (No, I didn’t say black coffee, I said latte!).
Before I end this, if you’re someone who oversees hiring, please bring in a diverse group of individuals. Not because you have to meet your diversity goals or due to company policy. Do it because we’ll learn from each other and grow. Do it because we’ll be better off in the long run.