Simon S Tam Quotes

I believe that reappropriation can be a powerful tool for creating social change. Sometimes, things like irony, satire, or humor are more effective in getting at difficult truths or concepts like white privilege, orientalism, and the exoticization of culture.
Simon S Tam
Why does a government agency that has no connection with my community have the right to dictate what is appropriate for it?
Simon S Tam
People buy into this false notion of reverse racism, where they believe that just because there’s a group of people getting together to share something about their heritage that we’re excluding white people. But that’s not the reality.
Simon S Tam
Racism doesn't have to fit our stereotypes for what it is in order for it to hurt - but it also means that tools for dismantling the system don't have it fit our stereotype either.
Simon S Tam
People who are driven by love will overcome hardships and hurdles in ways that people who are only driven by profit never can.
Simon S Tam
The daily mindfulness, consistency, and discipline is ultimately more important than the amount of time. In other words, it’s more about quality than quantity. If you use 15 minutes effectively, you’ll accomplish more than you would be able to with two hours of unfocused, random actions.
Simon S Tam
We hear things like “we elected a black president,” as if that event was the magic eraser to wipe away all of the racial problems in our country in one fell swoop.But that would be like saying that in 1932, we elected a president with a physical disability, so we should stop building ramps and having reserved handicap spaces because that’s reverse discrimination against the able-bodied
Simon S Tam
Let's make progress justice a process, not an afterthought
Simon S Tam
The idea of reappropriation isn’t a new one. The process of turning negative words, symbols, or ideas into positive parts of our own identity – was used for social justice movements long before hipsters thought that being ironic was cool. Whether it is repurposing a racial epithet or taking on a stereotype for sociopolitical empowerment, it’s an important process that has been around for thousands of years and continues to change society today.
Simon S Tam
I don’t subscribe to the notion of seeing no color, that we’re all the same and race doesn’t exist. It’s a social and political reality that we live in. The problem when people say we should concentrate on similarities is that they’re ignoring glaring parts of our humanness—our skin, perhaps the color of our hair, the way we speak, or even the shape of our eyes.
Simon S Tam
I met a woman who told me she wasn't attracted to Asians. No worries, I said. I'm not attracted to racists.
Simon S Tam
Your uniqueness is your greatest strength, not how well you emulate others.
Simon S Tam
The words we choose can build communities, reunite loved ones, and inspire others. They can be a catalyst for change. However, our words also have the power to destroy and divide: they can start a war, reduce a lifelong relationship to a collection of memories, or end a life.
Simon S Tam
People who are driven by their values will overcome hurdles, difficulties, and obstacles in ways that people driven only by profit will never be able to
Simon S Tam
The true cost of following your dreams isn't what you sacrifice when you chase them, it's what you lose when you don't
Simon S Tam