to be honest, i grew up used to hearing colorist jokes bc it’s sadly still normal in asian households, even here in the states. hearing those jokes from idols doesn’t faze me very much anymore, especially after witnessing 2nd/3rd gen’s casual colorist comments. +

i don’t think non-asian stans rly realize the extent of cultural differences between the west and many asian countries. to the west, colorist jokes are a big red flag—to a lot of asians however, myself included, they’re just something we’re used to hearing. +

it’s obviously not right and it still feels icky when idols make these jokes, but i think saying things like “he should know better” or “ew he’s so colorist for that” is a very western take. it’s such a deeply rooted concept in most of our countries— it’s hard for me to believe +

they’d openly call each other out for it, especially on camera or in public. the few times idols have called out colorist comments became super memorable for exactly that reason— it’s rare (yet often still pretty lighthearted). it’s hard to properly explain the dynamic if you +

haven’t grown up in it. that’s not to say it doesn’t wear on darker-toned asians’ morale— it absolutely does and it feels like shit sometimes. but before any of us jump to cancel someone, remember that western wokeness is not universal, especially in countries where CA and +

various inherent prejudices are normalized and joked about.