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Boba liberal is a term mostly used within the Asian diaspora communities in the West, especially in the United States. It describes someone of East or Southeast Asian descent living in the West who has a shallow, surface-level liberal outlook. It is also occasionally used to describe conservatives who weaponize their East or Southeast Asian identity. The neologism emerged among the Asian American leftist community on Twitter who accused "boba liberals" of only holding their liberal beliefs to appear more White adjacent, by engaging in progressive social movements or viewpoints, while at the same time disregarding and trivializing issues concerning Asians.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

The Asian identity of boba liberals has often been accused of being shallow and superficial since it goes directly against their goal of removal of aspiration to Whiteness, and so uses surface level stereotypical Asian traits such as "liking boba tea" to bolster their Asian credentials. Hence, the emergence of the term boba liberal.^[5]^[6]

Controversy

The term "boba liberal" was coined in 2019 by Vietnamese American Twitter user Redmond (@diaspora_is_red) to analyze a form of Asian American liberalism through a Marxist lens.^[7]^[8]^[9] Redmond has criticized the misappropriation of their neologism by stripping away the Marxist framework by failing to discuss "socialism, communism, the capitalist system, imperialism, and the diaspora bourgeoisie" and conflating "boba liberalism" with the flawed concept of "East Asian privilege".^[9]

United States

One commentator described boba liberals as supporting policies that primarily benefit upper-income Asian-Americans, and not necessarily the Asian-American community as a whole.^[4] Therefore, while the word "liberal" is used in the term, it is not mutually exclusive to one specific ideology, as it may also extend to conservative-aligned Asians in some areas, as they would often take advantage of the "model minority" label by defending such measures.^[10]^[11]

References

^ Frias, Lauren (6 May 2021). "Boba liberalism: How the emergence of superficial activism could cause more harm than good to the AAPI community". Insider. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ Rosen, Laura (18 February 2021). "The Quad: Bursting the bubble of boba liberalism amid the COVID-19 pandemic". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ Yukiko, Sarah (24 December 2021). "Boba liberals: The meaning of the term used to describe the Asian Americans everyone loves to hate". NextShark. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ ^a ^b Quach, Cindy (27 February 2021). "What is Boba Liberalism?". Retrieved 13 February 2022. Boba liberalism thrives in a capitalist and neoliberal society because neoliberal policies primarily benefit wealthier communities. Typically, the faces of boba liberalism are Asian Americans that are part of the middle and upper economic class. As a result, boba liberals disregard the negative effects of capitalism because they profit from it. For instance, boba liberals tend to focus on advocating for Asian representation in White spaces, or discussing whether or not wearing chopsticks in one's hair is culture appropriation. These topics are popular within boba liberal circles, all while dialogue regarding inequality, globalization, and racial injustice are purposely neglected.
^ Fan, Jiayang (29 January 2021). "Chronicles of a Bubble-Tea Addict". The New Yorker. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ Zhao, Yingying (5 February 2021). "Bubble Tea, Boba Liberalism, and Capitalism's Effects on East Asian Diasporic Identity". The Yale Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ "What is Boba Liberalism? – FEM Newsmagazine". Retrieved 2022-03-03.
^ Zhao, Yingying (2021-02-05). "Bubble Tea, Boba Liberalism, and Capitalism's Effects on East Asian Diasporic Identity". The Yale Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
^ ^a ^b "Socialist With SE Asian Diaspora Characteristics". X. Jul 28, 2020.
^ Zhang, Jenny G. (5 November 2019). "How Bubble Tea Became a Complicated Symbol of Asian-American Identity". Eater. Retrieved 13 February 2022. While bubble tea itself is neither inherently political nor bad, per se, some Asian Americans are critical of the dominant strain of Asian-American politics, called "boba liberalism," that the drink has come to represent in certain circles. Boba liberalism — is the "substanceless trend-chasing spectacle" that is mainstream Asian-American liberalism, derided as shallow, consumerist-capitalist, and robbed of meaning.
^ Vo, Mai (19 October 2021). "How did we get from bubble tea to boba liberalism?". Trinitonian. Retrieved 13 February 2022. "Boba liberalism" obscures the diversity present in the community. It effaces the stories of working-class families, stories of undocumented immigrants, and stories of people who are fundamentally vulnerable in the community. Another issue with "boba liberalism" is rooted in its prevalence among middle- to upper-middle-class East and Southeast Asian communities and how they maintain the dominant voice within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) sphere.

External links

Why I Hate Subtle Asian Traits by Sarah Mae Dizon (30 August 2020).

[1] Frias, Lauren (6 May 2021). "Boba liberalism: How the emergence of superficial activism could cause more harm than good to the AAPI community". Insider. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

[2] Rosen, Laura (18 February 2021). "The Quad: Bursting the bubble of boba liberalism amid the COVID-19 pandemic". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

[3] Yukiko, Sarah (24 December 2021). "Boba liberals: The meaning of the term used to describe the Asian Americans everyone loves to hate". NextShark. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

[QC-4] Quach, Cindy (27 February 2021). "What is Boba Liberalism?". Retrieved 13 February 2022. Boba liberalism thrives in a capitalist and neoliberal society because neoliberal policies primarily benefit wealthier communities. Typically, the faces of boba liberalism are Asian Americans that are part of the middle and upper economic class. As a result, boba liberals disregard the negative effects of capitalism because they profit from it. For instance, boba liberals tend to focus on advocating for Asian representation in White spaces, or discussing whether or not wearing chopsticks in one's hair is culture appropriation. These topics are popular within boba liberal circles, all while dialogue regarding inequality, globalization, and racial injustice are purposely neglected.

[5] Fan, Jiayang (29 January 2021). "Chronicles of a Bubble-Tea Addict". The New Yorker. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

[6] Zhao, Yingying (5 February 2021). "Bubble Tea, Boba Liberalism, and Capitalism's Effects on East Asian Diasporic Identity". The Yale Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2022.

[7] "What is Boba Liberalism? – FEM Newsmagazine". Retrieved 2022-03-03.

[8] Zhao, Yingying (2021-02-05). "Bubble Tea, Boba Liberalism, and Capitalism's Effects on East Asian Diasporic Identity". The Yale Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-03.

[:0-9] "Socialist With SE Asian Diaspora Characteristics". X. Jul 28, 2020.

[ZJG-10] Zhang, Jenny G. (5 November 2019). "How Bubble Tea Became a Complicated Symbol of Asian-American Identity". Eater. Retrieved 13 February 2022. While bubble tea itself is neither inherently political nor bad, per se, some Asian Americans are critical of the dominant strain of Asian-American politics, called "boba liberalism," that the drink has come to represent in certain circles. Boba liberalism — is the "substanceless trend-chasing spectacle" that is mainstream Asian-American liberalism, derided as shallow, consumerist-capitalist, and robbed of meaning.

[VM-11] Vo, Mai (19 October 2021). "How did we get from bubble tea to boba liberalism?". Trinitonian. Retrieved 13 February 2022. "Boba liberalism" obscures the diversity present in the community. It effaces the stories of working-class families, stories of undocumented immigrants, and stories of people who are fundamentally vulnerable in the community. Another issue with "boba liberalism" is rooted in its prevalence among middle- to upper-middle-class East and Southeast Asian communities and how they maintain the dominant voice within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) sphere.

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-{{Short description|East or Southeast Asian living in the West with a liberal or centrist outlook}}
+{{Short description|Pejorative term for Asians in the West}}
-'''Boba liberal''' is a term mostly used within the Asian diaspora communities in the [[Western world|West]], especially in the [[United States]]. It describes someone of [[East Asia|East]] or [[Southeast Asia]]n descent living in the West who has a superficial [[liberalism|liberal]] or [[centrist]] outlook. The [[neologism]] emerged as "boba liberals" were accused of only holding these beliefs{{efn|Also known as '''boba liberalism'''.}} to appear more [[White Americans|white adjacent]], such as engaging in [[progressivism|progressive]] [[social movement]]s or viewpoints, but at the same time disregarding, disparaging and trivializing issues concerning Asians.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Frias |first1=Lauren |title=Boba liberalism: How the emergence of superficial activism could cause more harm than good to the AAPI community |url=https://www.insider.com/boba-liberalism-critique-on-a-shallow-political-identity-amid-crisis-2021-3 |website=Insider |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=6 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rosen |first1=Laura |title=The Quad: Bursting the bubble of boba liberalism amid the COVID-19 pandemic |url=https://dailybruin.com/2021/02/18/the-quad-bursting-the-bubble-of-boba-liberalism-amid-the-covid-19-pandemic |website=Daily Bruin |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=18 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Yukiko |first1=Sarah |title=Boba liberals: The meaning of the term used to describe the Asian Americans everyone loves to hate |url=https://nextshark.com/everyone-hates-the-boba-liberals/ |website=NextShark |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=24 December 2021}}</ref><ref name="QC">{{cite web |last1=Quach |first1=Cindy |title=What is Boba Liberalism? |url=https://femmagazine.com/what-is-boba-liberalism/ |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=27 February 2021 |quote=Boba liberalism thrives in a capitalist and neoliberal society because neoliberal policies primarily benefit wealthier communities. Typically, the faces of boba liberalism are Asian Americans that are part of the middle and upper economic class. As a result, boba liberals disregard the negative effects of capitalism because they profit from it. For instance, boba liberals tend to focus on advocating for Asian representation in white spaces, or discussing whether or not wearing chopsticks in one’s hair is culture appropriation. These topics are popular within boba liberal circles, all while dialogue regarding inequality, globalization, and racial injustice are purposely neglected. Famous Boba Liberals include: Stephanie Webb}}</ref>
+'''Boba liberal''' is a term mostly used within the [[Asian diaspora]] communities in the [[Western world|West]], especially in the [[United States]]. It describes someone of [[East Asia|East]] or [[Southeast Asia]]n descent living in the West who has a shallow, surface-level [[liberalism|liberal]] outlook. It is also occasionally used to describe [[Conservatism|conservatives]] who weaponize their East or Southeast Asian identity. The [[neologism]] emerged among the [[Asian American]] [[Left-wing politics|leftist]] community on Twitter who accused "boba liberals" of only holding their liberal beliefs to appear more [[White Americans|White adjacent]], by engaging in [[progressivism|progressive]] [[social movement]]s or viewpoints, while at the same time disregarding and trivializing issues concerning [[Asian people|Asians]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Frias |first1=Lauren |title=Boba liberalism: How the emergence of superficial activism could cause more harm than good to the AAPI community |url=https://www.insider.com/boba-liberalism-critique-on-a-shallow-political-identity-amid-crisis-2021-3 |website=Insider |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=6 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosen |first1=Laura |title=The Quad: Bursting the bubble of boba liberalism amid the COVID-19 pandemic |url=https://dailybruin.com/2021/02/18/the-quad-bursting-the-bubble-of-boba-liberalism-amid-the-covid-19-pandemic |website=Daily Bruin |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=18 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Yukiko |first1=Sarah |title=Boba liberals: The meaning of the term used to describe the Asian Americans everyone loves to hate |url=https://nextshark.com/everyone-hates-the-boba-liberals/ |website=NextShark |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=24 December 2021}}</ref><ref name="QC">{{cite web |last1=Quach |first1=Cindy |title=What is Boba Liberalism? |url=https://femmagazine.com/what-is-boba-liberalism/ |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=27 February 2021 |quote=Boba liberalism thrives in a capitalist and neoliberal society because neoliberal policies primarily benefit wealthier communities. Typically, the faces of boba liberalism are Asian Americans that are part of the middle and upper economic class. As a result, boba liberals disregard the negative effects of capitalism because they profit from it. For instance, boba liberals tend to focus on advocating for Asian representation in White spaces, or discussing whether or not wearing chopsticks in one’s hair is culture appropriation. These topics are popular within boba liberal circles, all while dialogue regarding inequality, globalization, and racial injustice are purposely neglected.}}</ref>
-==Definition==
-[[File:Pearl Milktea.jpg|thumb|150px|Boba/bubble tea]]
-The term is believed to have come into use in the 2010s, invented by [[Twitter]] user diaspora_is_red.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zhang |first=Jenny G. |date=2019-11-05 |title=How Bubble Tea Became a Complicated Symbol of Asian-American Identity |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/11/5/20942192/bubble-tea-boba-asian-american-diaspora |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=Eater |language=en}}</ref> It refers to Asians living in the West who would often use their "Asianness" to speak on behalf of the Asian population, using talking points often parroting white liberals, which has been accused as [[gaslighting]] actual issues faced by the Asian diaspora.<ref name="VM">{{cite web |last1=Vo |first1=Mai |title=How did we get from bubble tea to boba liberalism? |url=https://trinitonian.com/2021/10/19/who-are-we-fighting-bubble-tea-to-boba-liberalism/ |website=Trinitonian |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=19 October 2021 |quote=“Boba liberalism” obscures the diversity present in the community. It effaces the stories of working-class families, stories of undocumented immigrants, and stories of people who are fundamentally vulnerable in the community. Another issue with “boba liberalism” is rooted in its prevalence among middle- to upper-middle-class East and Southeast Asian communities and how they maintain the dominant voice within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) sphere.}}</ref>
-The Asian identity of boba liberals has often been accused of being shallow and superficial since it goes directly against their goal of aspiring to whiteness, and so uses surface level stereotypical Asian traits such as "liking [[boba tea|bubble/boba tea]]"{{efn|{{zh|t=珍珠奶茶|p=zhēnzhū nǎichá}}, {{zh|t=波霸奶茶|p=bōbà nǎichá|labels=no}}; {{zh|s=泡泡茶|p=pàopào chá|labels=no}}}} to bolster their Asian credentials. Hence, the emergence of the term boba liberal.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Fan |first1=Jiayang |title=Chronicles of a Bubble-Tea Addict |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/chronicles-of-a-bubble-tea-addict |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=29 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zhao |first1=Yingying |title=Bubble Tea, Boba Liberalism, and Capitalism's Effects on East Asian Diasporic Identity |url=https://yale-herald.com/2021/02/04/bubble-tea-boba-liberalism-and-capitalisms-effects-on-east-asian-diasporic-identity/ |website=The Yale Herald |access-date=13 February 2022 |date=5 February 2021}}</ref>
+The Asian identity of boba liberals has often been accused of being shallow and superficial since it goes directly against their goal of removal of aspiration to Whiteness, and so uses surface level stereotypical Asian traits such as "liking [[boba tea]]" to bolster their Asian credentials. Hence, the emergence of the term boba liberal.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Fan |first1=Jiayang |date=29 January 2021 |title=Chronicles of a Bubble-Tea Addict |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/chronicles-of-a-bubble-tea-addict |access-date=13 February 2022 |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zhao |first1=Yingying |date=5 February 2021 |title=Bubble Tea, Boba Liberalism, and Capitalism's Effects on East Asian Diasporic Identity |url=https://yale-herald.com/2021/02/04/bubble-tea-boba-liberalism-and-capitalisms-effects-on-east-asian-diasporic-identity/ |access-date=13 February 2022 |website=The Yale Herald}}</ref>
+==Controversy==
+The term "boba liberal" was coined in 2019 by [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese American]] [[Twitter]] user Redmond (@diaspora_is_red) to analyze a form of Asian American liberalism through a [[Marxism|Marxist]] lens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is Boba Liberalism? – FEM Newsmagazine |url=https://femmagazine.com/what-is-boba-liberalism/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zhao |first=Yingying |date=2021-02-05 |title=Bubble Tea, Boba Liberalism, and Capitalism's Effects on East Asian Diasporic Identity |url=https://yale-herald.com/2021/02/04/bubble-tea-boba-liberalism-and-capitalisms-effects-on-east-asian-diasporic-identity/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=The Yale Herald |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=Jul 28, 2020 |title=Socialist With SE Asian Diaspora Characteristics |url=https://x.com/diaspora_red/status/1287876024106020866 |website=X}}</ref> Redmond has criticized the misappropriation of their neologism by stripping away the Marxist framework by failing to discuss "socialism, communism, the capitalist system, imperialism, and the diaspora bourgeoisie" and conflating "boba liberalism" with the flawed concept of "East Asian privilege".<ref name=":0" />
 ===United States===
+One commentator described boba liberals as supporting policies that primarily benefit upper-income Asian-Americans, and not necessarily the Asian-American community as a whole.<ref name="QC"/> Therefore, while the word "liberal" is used in the term, it is not mutually exclusive to one specific ideology, as it may also extend to [[conservative]]-aligned Asians in some areas, as they would often take advantage of the "[[model minority]]" label by defending such measures.<ref name="ZJG">{{cite web |last1=Zhang |first1=Jenny G. |date=5 November 2019 |title=How Bubble Tea Became a Complicated Symbol of Asian-American Identity |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/11/5/20942192/bubble-tea-boba-asian-american-diaspora |access-date=13 February 2022 |website=Eater |language=en |quote=While bubble tea itself is neither inherently political nor bad, per se, some Asian Americans are critical of the dominant strain of Asian-American politics, called "boba liberalism," that the drink has come to represent in certain circles. Boba liberalism — is the “substanceless trend-chasing spectacle” that is mainstream Asian-American liberalism, derided as shallow, consumerist-capitalist, and robbed of meaning.}}</ref><ref name="VM">{{cite web |last1=Vo |first1=Mai |date=19 October 2021 |title=How did we get from bubble tea to boba liberalism? |url=https://trinitonian.com/2021/10/19/who-are-we-fighting-bubble-tea-to-boba-liberalism/ |access-date=13 February 2022 |website=Trinitonian |quote=“Boba liberalism” obscures the diversity present in the community. It effaces the stories of working-class families, stories of undocumented immigrants, and stories of people who are fundamentally vulnerable in the community. Another issue with “boba liberalism” is rooted in its prevalence among middle- to upper-middle-class East and Southeast Asian communities and how they maintain the dominant voice within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) sphere.}}</ref>
-Specifically in the [[United States]], it is said that boba liberals often use boba tea as it does not require much personal investment; it is a fairly popular drink in Asia and therefore a safe non-opinion to take and identify with, unlike contentious or serious topics such as bipartisan policies that specifically affects Asians, such as the [[Asian quota]] in American universities and colleges.<ref name="QC"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kang |first1=Jay Caspian |last2=Chen |first2=Ronghui |title=Where Does Affirmative Action Leave Asian-Americans? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/magazine/where-does-affirmative-action-leave-asian-americans.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=14 February 2022 |date=28 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tolliver |first1=Sandy |last2=Erin |first2=Erin |last3=Q. Nomani |first3=Asra |title=The parents were right: Documents show discrimination against Asian American students |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/education/589870-the-parents-were-right-documents-show-discrimination-against-asian-american |website=TheHill |access-date=14 February 2022 |language=en |date=17 January 2022}}</ref>
-Therefore, while the word "liberal" is used in the term, it is not exclusive to one specific political ideology; it also extends to [[conservative]]-aligned Asians in some areas, as they often take advantage of the "[[model minority]]" label by defending such measures and overlooking Asians of lower [[socioeconomic status]] that are more negatively affected and discriminated against by such a label.<ref name="ZJG">{{cite web |last1=Zhang |first1=Jenny G. |date=5 November 2019 |title=How Bubble Tea Became a Complicated Symbol of Asian-American Identity |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/11/5/20942192/bubble-tea-boba-asian-american-diaspora |access-date=13 February 2022 |website=Eater |language=en |quote=While bubble tea itself is neither inherently political nor bad, per se, some Asian Americans are critical of the dominant strain of Asian-American politics, called “boba liberalism,” that the drink has come to represent in certain circles. Boba liberalism — is the “substanceless trend-chasing spectacle” that is mainstream Asian-American liberalism, derided as shallow, consumerist-capitalist, and robbed of meaning.}}</ref><ref name="VM"/>
 ==See also==
 {{Portal|Asia|United States|Society}}
 {{div col|colwidth=25em}}
-*[[Acting white]]
+*[[Acting White]]
 *''[[Baizuo]]''
+*''[[Chinilpa]]''
-*[[Banana, Coconut, and Twinkie]]
-*[[Cultural cringe]]
 *[[Crab mentality]]
 *[[Inferiority complex]]
@@ Line 26: / Line 23: @@
 *''[[Hanjian]]''
 *[[Limousine liberal]]
+*''[[Makapili]]''
 *[[Model minority]]
+*''[[Sarong party girl]]''
-*[[Orientalism]]
-*[[Postcolonialism]]
-*[[Self-hatred]]
-*[[Self-hating Jew]]
 *[[Tall poppy syndrome]]
 *[[Race traitor]]
-*''[[Takfir]]''
+*[[Uncle Tom]]
-*[[Uncle Tom syndrome]]
-*[[Milk Tea Alliance]]
-*[[Jeff Yang]]
 {{div col end}}
-==Notes==
-{{notelist}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 57: / Line 46: @@
 [[Category:Asian-American issues]]
 [[Category:Asian-American-related controversies]]
-[[Category:Asian Australian]]
 [[Category:Canadian people of Asian descent]]
 [[Category:Cultural studies]]
 [[Category:Cultural assimilation]]
-[[Category:Liberalism]]
+[[Category:Liberalism in the United States]]
 [[Category:Political neologisms]]
 [[Category:Politics and race in the United States]]
-[[Category:2010s neologisms]]
+[[Category:2019 neologisms]]
 [[Category:Social inequality]]
 [[Category:Social media]]
+[[Category:Asian-Australian issues]]

Latest revision as of 09:11, 15 December 2024

Controversy

United States

See also

References

Further reading

External links