And I'm on my way to New York City!
Podcast on drugs, 16 year old environmentalist, an interview with Lisa Ling, coming out, and on white privilege
Hi friend!
This is my last week here in Los Angeles. Starting next Tuesday, I am off to start the next chapter of my career in New York City. (If you happen to know of a place that is looking for a new roommate or tenant starting around Nov 1, let me know!)
Extremely excited to return to NYC, but even more excited to see where I can take my projects in the city.
Another episode of Yellow Glitter is out this week, and this time we talk about drugs. I've been trying to figure out how to put into words my experience and lessons from both gay and Asian cultures. On the one hand, I have the queer culture that is so intertwined with substances, and on the other, an Asian culture that sweeps these issues under the rug with capital punishments. Some of my listeners have reached out to me, mentioning that they really enjoyed the candidness and insights of this episode. Hope you enjoy it!
Listen on the following platforms (just added Blubrry and SoundCloud!)
A video that gave me goosebumps
If you haven't heard of Greta Thunburg yet, you will hear of her now. She is a 16-year Swedish environmental activist who is bringing people together of all ethnicities and ages to advocate for change. She recently spoke at the 2019 UN Climate Change Summit and her words sent chills down my spine. I am a believer.
She also walks the walk. Greta recently took a zero-emissions boat to travel from Europe to NYC and raised concerns over the environmental impact of aviation travel. She inspires me to make a change alongside her.
An interview I loved
In a fascinating conversation on the Tim Ferriss Show, Lisa Ling (one of my favorite journalists) dives into her career, how she manages difficult conversations and topics, lessons she learned from Barbara Walters, developing a stronger relationship with her mother, and her Asian identity and so much more. I highly recommend this, especially if you identify as Asian American.
A coming out that had me in tears
Jonathan Van Ness (my favorite one of the new "fab 5") from Queer Eye comes out of the woodworks in his memoir about his experience with sexual abuse, drug addiction, and HIV. He recently did an article with NY Times talking about these issues.
People feel, people hurt, and people die from these issues every single day. Whether we like to admit it or not, there are probably people right around us (friends, family) that have similar experiences but are afraid to put it out in the open because of the stigma behind it.
It's ok to be broken, because it meant that we were whole to begin with. And it's never too late to embrace and heal from the trauma to make the most of the time we have left.
A documentary that enlightened me
Recently was recommended this eye-opening Chelsea Handler documentary from one of my friends.
"Hello Privilege. It's Me, Chelsea" opens with a scene of Chelsea Handler in a discussion with other POC about holding the space to talk about white privilege, one of the participants said something that caught my attention:
"One of the things I've notified on white privilege is that it always ends up being about people of color's experience. It comes to [the discussion room] and it stays here and it never becomes about whiteness. And I think that's one of the things when you [Chelsea] ask what can I or what can the "we" that is collectively identifying as white do?"
Some parts of the documentaries were incredibly cringe-inducing, especially when she talks to conservative white men and women denying this issue. (I always ask myself - what will truly resonate and help these people become more aware?)
Do you think this film is a step towards a more equitable country? Or is this just another "woke" piece that profits off of the minority experience? And did she need to be the center of the documentary on racial inequality as a white woman?
As always, thanks for reading!
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Anything else? You can always hit "reply" to email me directly. 💌
Have a beautiful day!
Metta (loving-kindness),
Steven
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