Plan A Magazine is a group of Asian Diaspora navigating shifting political and social climates, attempting to make sense of the conflicting roles we are thrust into and the conflicting narratives that are told about us. The polarized nature of our stereotypes pull us in opposing directions and being seen as a monolith places us in no man’s land.
Left adrift on our own and punished for sticking together, we find individual ways to establish identity, often blending into the political and social fabric of where we washed up through sheer chance. We become liberals, conservatives, leftists, alt-right, sometimes apolitical, sometimes jaded. Many of us are opinionated, have deep feelings, and have strong conviction. Others seek to quietly move through their lives avoiding conflict to carve out bubbles of peace amidst the chaos.
Every political faction seeks our support without acknowledging our needs and our struggles. Every faction is happy to hold us up as an example of our entire race supporting their cause. No faction comes to our aid when we need it. Seen as disposable puppets, it’s time for us to develop and mature our own political identities, refusing to play along unless our needs are addressed in the process.
Rather than declare that any specific political ideology holds the key to our salvation, Plan A Magazine seeks to encourage critical thought and discussion amongst Asian Diaspora so that we may develop our own frameworks of understanding the political agendas that seek to use us and develop our own political identity that caters to our needs, our priorities. There is no shame in self-advocacy.
Through our articles, our podcasts, and our community efforts, we hope to foster a movement of Asian Diaspora thinking about where we stand politically and socially, beyond the curated soundbites and thought pieces of mainstream media that serves interests other than ours.
Our needs are varied and at times can be contradictory. There are so many fissures that risk growing into chasms. Various conflicts from the old world, the 1st gen and 2nd gen divide, interethnic conflicts, different immigration experiences, all resulting in various economic divides and cultural differences.
We are janitors, drivers, laborers, cooks, homemakers, nurses. We are lawyers, doctors, engineers, and politicians. Collectively we have insights into every strata of society and culture, if we are willing to listen to the perspectives of our fellow diaspora. We can see Western society from the inside as well as the outside, but this can only be achieved through community and collaboration.
By presenting perspectives that are not being discussed at large, we hope to provide new ways to interpret and understand current events through the lens of the Asian Diaspora. What is not being said can be as important as what is being focused on; often it can be more important. Talk to us, we talk back.
Plan A Magazine is operated by a volunteer staff in their free time. All funds from our Patreon go to our writers for their contributions and support our modest infrastructure.
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