Asian American TikTok users have weighed in on a question posed on a recent podcast: Do “SoCal Asians” have a superiority complex?
For some, Southern California is viewed as the mecca and standard for Asian American culture, with an Asian population in Los Angeles County of 15.8% and in Orange County of 23.3%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And those outside of the area are saying that perspective creates an uncomfortable and unnecessary dynamic.
“I think for the Asian American diaspora outside of Southern California, we look at that and we have to somehow prove that we’re also that type of Asian,” said Heidi Kang, 32.
“That type of Asian,” according to Kang, is one with easy access to various Asian restaurants, media, cultural shops and other Asian people.
The debate over this superiority complex stemmed from a clip posted by “The 949 Podcast,” a show hosted by Asian Americans. The podcast, which is a reference to the Orange County area code, recently received backlash on TikTok for a comment one of the hosts made about Asians outside of Southern California.
“There is a part of me, like if I meet Asians from the other random a– states, right? I’m like bro… you’re not from Cali, bro,” one host said. The podcasters then admitted that this mentality is a “problem.” The 949 Podcast did not respond to a request for comment.
The clip touched a nerve for Asian Americans who grew up in areas like the Midwest, South and Pacific Northwest. They shared negative experiences with SoCal Asians in which they were judged for not being “Asian enough” because they grew up in predominantly white spaces.
Kang posted a stitch video responding to the podcast clip. She grew up in Nebraska and Iowa. Kang told NBC News that, in her experience, SoCal Asians have been dismissive, or even mocking, of other Asian American realities.
“They grew up in a place where you have more access to Asian culture, and a lot of us outside of Southern California, we…
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