Being Mixed: Interview with Anise by Aph
Anise Pearson (she/her) @anisepearson
What is your mix and how do you identify within it?
Half Scottish and Half Chinese Malaysian
How has being mixed has affected your life?
Growing up as a mixed race child, it was hard to find anyone else with my heritage and I always felt different. I faced various different racial attacks, daily abuse being shouted at, people insulting my eyes, the bullying definitely lead to a decrease in self esteem and confidence.
I dealt with this through a lot of pain and self punishment and only now since a lot of race discussions has been in the main focus of the media has it all been brought to light in my mind of the severity of ignorance and diversity that people with different cultures or background face.
Do you relate to one culture more than another/others? Why do you think that you do/don’t?
I like to appreciate all cultures and colours, we are all the same. That’s the ideal, for everyone to see people equally.
Have you experienced othering? Can you give an example?
At school, kids would pull their eyes back and call me a chinky which would belittle and dehumanise me. Sickening. This was at a very middle class Primary school in Marchmont, Edinburgh.
Where do you feel most at home?
I identify as Scottish and feel most at home relatively anywhere I go, I definitely have the nomadic feels.
Were you brought up learning/knowing about your different cultures? If not, have you become more interested in this?
I have a complicated relationship and little contact with my dad, but I have tried a lot of different food and even went to learn Mandarin at a Saturday school. I have become more interested in learning about my roots, even visiting Asia.
How do you feel about speaking or not speaking multiple languages? (if this applies to your heritage)
I feel like speaking multiple languages is literally the key to communication across nations. It is so important not to rely on speaking English, I feel incredibly rude not being able to speak any phrases when travelling, it opens up so much possibility to share knowledge and cultures.
Do you feel represented/seen in mainstream media?
As a mixed Scottish Asian there is very little representation in the media and in a lot of other avenues like at the work place, in schools when learning about cultures in history and even in the likes of parliament. I hope to change this though hehe!
Are there any objects/practices/things that you relate or connects you to your different cultures?
Food, music and art are all major factors which connects me to different cultures, it helps explore different sounds and spices which can be used in many ways
Is there anything else you want to add?
I would like to highlight how important it is to integrate different cultures into school life, workplace, home life and in the media. Without the power of sharing knowledge and stories, we cannot relate and begin to understand each other, what makes us unique and where we come from. I find there was far too much focus on white-washed history, I have definitely had to do a lot of self teaching and research when we could’ve been taught a lot more in our education systems.
I also find that these days its becoming harder and harder to share stories without being attacked. This is due to trauma, I get this, but we really shouldn’t be fighting the oppressed, we should be able to speak about our stories without penalising our chosen wording.
If racism is such a problem, why aren’t there more museums, statues and commemoration for those cultures that are oppressed?
See more of Aph’s work https://www.abiponcehardy.com/