Benjamin Law: Shapes and Sounds interview #10

Both Benjamin Law and the Law family have pioneered discussions about diverse representation in Australian media. However it's important to remember that Benjamin Law is an artist first and foremost, who just so happens to also champion for adequate representation.

 

In several interviews and appearances, Benjamin has spoken about his book and TV series, The Family Law, and highlighted that the story is not about an Asian family, but that it's a story about a family. The themes present are not specifically Asian themes, instead they're themes about the complex, human experience itself. 

 

I find that discussions like this help me to remember that we're not Asian somethings, (eg. Asian writers/Asian doctors/etc), and instead we're just people first and foremost who happen to have rich, cultural backgrounds. We are not defined by our race (or our profession for that matter), yet our race gives us a universe of knowledge, power and strength that we are then able to contribute to the world. 

 

And like this, the presence of people like Benjamin Law help me to gain more understanding about the Asian Australian identity and experience.

 

It's an absolute honour to share with you Benjamin Law's interview with Shapes and Sounds this month, I hope that you also gain some perspective or insights about your own experience whilst reading!

~

 

Hi! I’m Benjamin Law and when people ask what I do … my brain folds in on itself. My main gig is writing: journalism, columns, essays, screenplays and plays. I’ve written some books, a TV show for SBS, episodes of other people’s TV shows and far too many tweets that have delighted and appalled people. I also present TV and radio, including the ABC’s national pop culture show Stop Everything!, which I co-host with Beverley Wang. 

It’s no secret I had pretty poor mental health in my teens and 20s. Our family situation was challenging and sometimes toxic, and it isn’t healthy to spend so much of your life closeted and self-loathing.

 

In my 20s, I was lucky enough to see a good therapist for a while. My boyfriend is also one of the best human beings you’d want during crises – and I’ve had my fair share. I also make time to sleep properly, swim, cook, be with my boyfriend and prioritise friends and people who matter. And after being online for so long, one good mantra I try to keep in mind for maintaining mental health is, “what other people think of you is none of your business."

It’s funny: Asian-Australians have been here for over two centuries, and over 10 per cent of us have significant Asian ancestry nowadays. That’s roughly proportionate to how many African-Americans there are in the US. But we’re just so seemingly invisibilised and absent from media, arts, politics, business … and I guess the frustration of not being seen is what drives my work. If you don’t include folks and stories like me, I’ll put all my efforts into making sure people like me – are other minorities – get put at the centre of things.