
20/01/2023
🎇 While the Lunar New Year is a time of international celebration; as a white practitioner of Chinese medicine working in the United States, it’s a great opportunity for reflection.
My love for Chinese medicine runs deep. It’s something that informs everything everything I do from how I move through the world, to the food I eat, to how I interact with people, to how I think about politics.
The line between appropriation and appreciation is razor thin.
Sometimes I get it right. Sometimes I get it wrong. But part of my practice is actively working to keep myself in check. As we close out another year, questions I use to help me reflect on the past year:
❓What were my practices for checking myself?
❓Did I understand the significance and cultural context of my actions and practices?
❓What did I do to support the AAPI community?
Here are some ways I try to keep myself on the side of appreciation:
➡️ Explore the underlying motivation for what I’m doing. Is this something I’m moved to share because I’ve been touched, moved, inspired? Or is it a marketing photo op for the gram?
➡️ When we invest the time to deeply learn, we are much less likely to appropriate. Did I actively search for opportunities to learn from members of the culture? Attend lectures, concerts, and museums? Did I read authors writing first hand accounts?
➡️ Follow TikTok and Instagram accounts of thought leaders, influencers, and folks working in the trenches to share their culture so you can learn. Be mindful of engagement. Ask for permission before simply reposting and assign credit to the content creator who sparked your interest or new knowledge.
➡️ If you can’t donate time, donate money.
➡️ Support small businesses run by original members of a culture rather than buying mass-produced items from big box stores.
There are a bajillion other ways, but these are great first steps.
Here are 9 accounts I love:
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