Blog Article Archives

The Chinese: in America, hiring Americans, and some savvy entrepreneurs

Ben

A traverse across news outlets on the interwebs reveals a growing focus on the world's most populated country as its economic, political and cultural significance expands globally. Below are some links to a couple of slideshows and a video that piqued my interest as they offered little visual snapshots of parts of their past, present and future.

The Museum of Chinese in America - NYT Slideshow: The Museum of Chinese in America in Chinatown, NYC

Reverse Brain Drain - NYT Video: Chinese financial institutions, in a reverse brain drain, are looking to recruit from the ranks of recently laid-off finance sector employees.

Nine Young Chinese Entrepreneurs to Watch - Forbes Slideshow: The world's third-largest economy just keeps on growing, and these wunderkinds aim to take advantage of it.

The Big(ger) Game

Darold

I want to highlight this week’s “On the Move” about Jeremy Lin, a Harvard basketball player. His mere presence on the basketball court is an anomaly as only .4% of Division I players are Asian American. But he’s not just defying the odds, he’s smashing them. Last year he was in the top 10 of the conference for nearly every statistic in the game. He’s slated to set records, and along the way, change racial standards.

There are very few American-born Asian athletes to look up to. Asian Americans who are 2^nd generation and beyond need these role models, visible in the spotlight. Of course Jeremy wasn’t expecting this kind of pressure to be heaped upon his shoulders, but if you want to talk about unexpected pressure go talk to Tiger. Jeremy seems to have accepted the responsibility, hoping that his sacrifice and efforts will help other Asians down the line.

One thing he must maintain is his composure. You can imagine that the number of taunts he receives from opposing players and crowds must be endless and none too tasteful.  Instead of responding in anger however, he follows a long-spoken basketball maxim: “Let your game speak for you.” He takes the racist remarks while on the court and responds by throwing them through the hoop.

Jeremy’s recent fame (3 articles on ESPN.com) arose after dropping a career-high 30 points against an overmatched University of Connecticut team. And for those who did not seen him play, he did it in marvelous fashion: hitting 3-pointers, driving the ball to the basket at will, and even blocking UConn star Jerome Dyson on a fast break play.

So keep your eyes peeled for Jeremy Lin as the NBA draft rolls around. He may not be the next Steve Nash, but will definitely be an impact player both on the court and in the heart of Asian Americans. And for his father, whose smallest wish was to see his son enjoy basketball, the American dream has come true.

Banana: Where Infamous Asian-American Bloggers Unite to Chop It Up

Darold

A quick plug for those of you out in the LA region.

Steve Nguyen and Lac Su, author of the recent "I Love Yous Are for White People," are arranging an event for Asian American bloggers to gather together and have a round-table discussion. Named "Banana," this should be an amazing event and, dare I say, groundbreaking for the Asian American voice. All your favorite bloggers will be there including Hyphen, Minority Militant, the Angry Asian Man, and many many more.

It will be held on Saturday, November 21st on the USC campus. Best part about this is that it is free and open to all races. So if you get the chance, head out, meet some of these "infamous bloggers," and witness what our community is and can become.

Link to the Facebook invite

On the Big Screen (Revisited)

Darold

There comes a time when a writer, no matter how big or small, has to swallow his words. I believe that time has come for me.

Last week, I posted an article about Asians on the big screen, and how we need to lay off them for accepting insignificant or degrading roles. To prove my point, I specifically mentioned Ken Jeong, a rising star in Hollywood with 10 movie/TV appearances this year alone. Something I deemed an admirable effort.

I was even planning to go so far as to write an article about the remarkable life of “Dr. Ken,” but it seems I overlooked some of his roles. Sure, I figured that his humiliating (yet hilarious) role as a gay gangster in The Hangover was offset by his role as the king in Role Models, but I never thought that he (or Asians) would suffer such a disgrace as described in his new movie, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. Here is a description of that scene, which is featured in the trailer:

A character played by Jeremy Piven addresses an audience and says: “Don’t get me started on Pearl Harbor—the Japs flying in low and fast. We are Americans and they are the enemy! Never again!”

A man looks at the Asian American character played by Ken Jeong and says, “Let’s get him!” which results in a mob of men beating the Asian man. Piven’s character then says, “All right, stop! We have all just participated in a hate crime. Let’s get our stories straight. Dang came at us with a samurai sword, fire extinguisher and Chinese throwing stars.”

Brilliant comedy right? Well, let’s break this down a bit. Piven starts by throwing out a racial slur (classy) and the joke ends with a mob beating on Ken Jeong, who happens to not be Japanese. While I don’t personally feel the full effects of the word “Jap,” I do believe that it should be held with some regard and not thrown about willy-nilly in an effort to get some cheap laughs. It does remind many of their time in internment camps or when facing other severe racial profiling. Some liken it to the “N-word” for African Americans.

Paramount has responded to the criticism and public outcry by releasing this statement: “The Goods satirizes and exaggerates the extremes of the sales and celebrity culture” and “is in no way meant to be mean-spirited, disparaging or hurtful to any individuals and we regret any offense taken. We understand that when presented out of context, jokes and situations in the movie about a variety of topics might be offensive to some people.”

I say that they released this statement and not an apology because frankly they don’t believe they did anything wrong. They could have also said “We regret the use of internment camps during WWII. In no way did these camps mean to disparage or hurt any of the individuals involved and we regret any offense taken. We understand that the situation might have been offensive to some people.” I understand that I’m exaggerating the wording here, but let me move to a couple stories that require no embellishments.

Let us consider the story of Vincent Chin. For those who don’t know, Vincent was a Chinese American man who was beaten to death in Detroit after being mistakenly identified as Japanese during the height of anti-Japanese sentiment in the early 80’s. The two Caucasian men responsible for his death were left off with a slap on the wrist: no jail time and three years probation for manslaughter… for a hate crime. It took years and the help of the Asian American community for some semblance of justice, and this in civil court.

Over this past weekend a similar hate crime was carried out, this time in Australia. 23-year-old Caucasian male, James Anthony Dean-Willcocks, was drunk while celebrating his birthday when he encountered 67-year-old Magno Alvarado. Witnesses say James called Mr. Alvarado a “Jap” and told him to “F--k off to Japan” while beating him. One witness attempted to stop James who responded simply, “Mate, he is Japanese and he deserves it.” Though rushed to a hospital, Mr. Alvarado died the next day. He was a man of Filipino descent.

After hearing these two stories, scroll up and read the excerpt from The Goods again. If that doesn’t put a fire in your ass, I don’t know what will. This is not the playful use of stereotypes that Hollywood (may have) intended, but a full blown outrage.

So what do we do now? First off, like alcoholics, we need to understand and accept that this is a problem. Then we must take action.

I’m not one to take command or give direction, but if you were upset or offended, start by telling someone. Tell anyone, including your friends, family, neighbors, or household cats. Direct them to the article describing the hate crime in Australia. Then continue to voice your opinions to those responsible: Paramount, Neal Brennan (director), and even Ken Jeong. Write a letter, send an email, tweet, or Facebook message them. Allow them to see for themselves the wrongs they have committed. Let your voice be heard.

Asians on the Big Screen

Darold

Pause for a second. Name the first Asian celebrity that comes to mind.

Who was it? Let me guess… Jackie Chan?

I’m going to assume that I’m correct for over 50% of you. Why was I able to predict this? (Not just because of the large picture of him to the left)

Simply put, there aren’t enough Asian stars to choose from, and I didn’t even limit you to movie stars. Sure you could have mentioned Yao Ming or Ichiro, but what influence (unrelated to fantasy sports) have they had on you? Jackie Chan has been relatively prolific, with his achievements including the Rush Hour series and recent ventures into animation. Few others have seen his success or recognition.

The fact of the matter is that we, Asian Americans (AA’s) need more stars, but we’re cutting them down before they can make it near the top. We do this through our hypersensitivity, let me explain.

As AA’s, we are outraged when we are not selected for major roles in movies that we think we deserve. There was a public outcry following the release of the movie 21, which portrayed the drama underlying the famed MIT Blackjack team. In reality, this team was comprised mainly of bright Asian American students, who combined their talent and wits to earn boatloads of cash. It was important for them to be of Asian or ethnic background to fulfill their appearance as rich children of technology moguls.

Instead of keeping consistent to a team filled with AA’s, Hollywood decided to fill the cast with white actors, throwing in a token Asian male with a decidedly one-dimensional role. Suffice it to say, many prominent AA leaders were not pleased, some even went so far to say that the exclusion of AA cast members was unconstitutional.

This displays a sort of hypocrisy that occurs in our community. The outrage over the lack of AA actors is only matched by the outrage over AA actors in “degrading” roles. When Better Luck Tomorrow displayed the violence and lawlessness of AA teenagers, the traditional community was up in arms. They believed that the movie portrayed our youth too negatively and wanted to ban the movie to save face.

The problem is that in order to gain presence on film, AA’s need to take on these multidimensional, albeit offensive roles. In order to be granted the leading role in a film, AA’s need to break stereotypes. Progress cannot be had all at once. This could come from a psychotic gay crime lord (Ken Jeong, The Hangover) or an overzealous pothead (John Cho, Harold & Kumar). AA’s have been furious over these characters, deeming that they detract from Asian values.

But we need to relax and stop putting the weight of our people on their backs. After all, do you want to be known only as a bunch of Jackie Chan’s for the rest of your life?

Dirty Word

Darold

Picture yourself in a dark, lonely place. A looming figure approaches you and says: “You immigrant.”

 

Now the biting connotation of this word has been circulating through American mouths for over a century. When we think of immigrants today, we envision people crossing over the Mexican border, bypassing the “Great Wall of Mexico,” built to protect the borders. Still, an estimated 500,000 illegals enter into the United States a year, many times with help from a “coyote,” or smuggler.

 

But I’m not here to talk about the underground life of coyotes, the U.S. Border Patrol, or outraged Texas citizens. I’m going to talk about the real meaning of the word immigrant, a meaning that instills pride.

 

As Americans, we are tied in some way to immigrant ancestors (unless of course you are of Native American descent). The ties could go back generations, to the pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, or to yourself. Most Asians Americans are more recent immigrants, hailing from the 1^st to 3^rd generations.

 

So we should not feel that we do not belong, that we are any less American, for we are the very definition of America, a country settled from abroad. As immigrants or recent descendents, we are searching for something that many Americans have over time lost or given up. We are fighting for the American Dream.

 

Immigrants leave their home in search of something better, bringing their bright ideas and energy. Asian immigrants in America are more likely to start their own businesses than “natives.” They come with an entrepreneurial drive and something to prove. Also, nearly half of the Asian American population has attained a Bachelor’s degree or greater, as compared to a quarter of the total United States population (2007 Census for those over 25 years of age). Asian American education has improved over the past decade, while the total population has remained stagnant. The future looks bright.

 

This is not to say our situation is all snowflakes and flowers. A greater percent of Asians Americans fall below the poverty line than the U.S. as a whole.

 

As a proud 2^nd generation immigrant, I view this statistic with a smile. I say to them, “Hello Immigrant. Go and find the American Dream.”

The Problem is not Racism, but Ignorance

Darold

I have always been impressed by the steps taken towards racial equality in this nation. The general population (this includes Asians) is being gradually educated on what racism is and how to avoid it. When racism occurs nowadays, we chalk it up to ignorance… and not hatred. We try to reply to racist comments with statements like “Oh, they don’t know any better” or “they just haven’t met enough [fill-in a race] people.” Usually this happens with older generations, especially immigrant generations, who hold onto their pre-conceived stereotypes.

 

But ignorance isn’t so limited. Recently I was sitting in the doctor’s office flipping through a magazine, when I stumbled upon an article about single, Asian American women. The article featured an interview with several women, who were successful and independent, making a great stand against the stereotype of the “Asian submissiveness.”

 

There was a point, though, that shocked me and made me question the case of the article and the women involved. The women were asked what they thought about the Asian American men in their respective workplaces. Their response? “They’re so gay… totally lame.”

 

*Blink Blink* What? Their initial answer was “gay” and then almost as an afterthought or affirmation they decided to add in “totally lame.” In efforts to celebrate the success of these women, the magazine forgot to respect the diverse identity of its readership. I’m sure readers from the gay community were offended by the carelessness of the wording… as well as the poor coworkers of these ladies.

 

It upset me to see that this attempt to step forward actually resulted in a stumbling backwards. So is this one of those harmless statements of ignorance? Or is it a sign that we need to get our act together if we are truly working towards unity?

Say to Play

Cubicle Man

Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article regarding the rationale behind why the LPGA has instituted its English requirement:

In fairness, comparisons between the L.P.G.A., an independent organization not affiliated with the PGA Tour, and other sports bodies are imprecise. The L.P.G.A., much like the PGA Tour, is a group of individual players from diverse backgrounds whose success as an organization depends on its ability to attract sponsorships from companies looking to use the tour for corporate entertainment and advertisement.

Rarely are N.B.A. players called upon to play one-on-one with a corporate executive whose decision to write a sponsorship check is predicated on whether one had a good time shooting free throws with Kobe Bryant.

In other words, the LPGA needs these international players not only for their ability to excel at golf but also for their ability to excel at drawing in the sponsorship dollars by actively mingling and schmoozing with corporate executives.

But if the LPGA’s claim is actually credible, all I’d like to ask them is this:  Even with the years of English training, have you ever tried to carry on a meaningful English-only conversation with a FOB???

Now, if you’re a FOB and you’re reading this, please don’t be offended.  I don’t mean to belittle you in any way.  I love FOBs.  Some of my best friends are FOBs.  Even my parents are FOBs.  But, let’s face it, your guys’ grasp of the English language and American social phenomena is somewhat limited.

Granted that the current international players on the Tour are of varying English proficiency, for the LPGA to demand within four months, without warning that these players acquire not only the English proficiency but also the American cultural and social proficiency to induce these stodgy, white, male corporate execs (generally speaking) to open up their checkbooks in the style of a hobnobbing session with Kobe Bryant is not only unreasonable, it’s darn near impossible. 

I’m sorry, but you’re setting these players up for failure by setting the bar so high that failure is nearly assured.  And perhaps, that is their intent, as golf, it seems, is probably the only remaining mainstream sport out there that still has yet to fully break from its bigoted and aristocratic past.  As an example, I remember the stories my father, who is a golfing fanatic, used to tell me about country clubs in the South that remain even to this day “Whites Only”.  And who can’t forget the fried chicken comment directed towards Tiger Woods by Fuzzy Zoeller in the 1997 Masters tournament? 

At a time like this, it’s hard not to be reminded of those comedy films we all watched growing up, where a cabal of cool, jock fraternities, in being so threatened by one particular nerdy/uncool/outcast fraternity, take it upon themselves to have the misfits revoked from the Greek system by instituting a new accrediting process that only they-–the cool ones--can pass. 

And when taking into consideration the fact that the LPGA has yet to even come up with a process or standards to even measure the English ability of these international players, the analogy and the hidden dynamics at play become that much clearer and ridiculous.

Are You More Asian or Are You More American?

Cubicle Man

I read this interesting article recently, titled Koreans Have Beef with Korean Americans. It was about how South Korea recently resumed the importation of American beef after a moratorium placed a halt on all U.S. beef imports due to mad cow fears. Over the past few weeks, however, there has been a furor of public protest in South Korea, decrying the resumption of the imports, calling into question the actual safety of American beef. The contentiousness was further fueled by the backstabbing many South Koreans alleged of their Korean brethren in the U.S., as the majority of Korean Americans chose to side with America over the issue.

One part of the article that made me somewhat reevaluate my dual identity as an Asian and an American was this one:

“Proving its position as the most wired country in the world, Korean cyberspace has crackled with South Koreans’ disappointment towards the immigrants. They accuse Korean Americans for not standing up for Korea, or worse – of being a lapdog of the American government. One reader of JoongAng Ilbo, a major daily newspaper in South Korea, wrote in the comment section, ‘Korean Americans are those who would aim guns at us if Korea goes to war against the United States.’”

Pause.

Though I am not a U.S. citizen, I feel as though I am one, as I’ve called America home from the time I was barely a one year-old. And for any 1.5 and 2^nd generation Asian American who grew up under the roof of those “traditional Asian parents,” who were fanatical about preserving the traditions of the old country in you by sending you back to the motherland every summer vacation for as far back as you could remember during your K-10 years will know what I’m talking about here. There is a tension inside all those like me, where it is nearly impossible to choose sides in situations like the one above. How does one choose between their birth mother and their adoptive mother? And even if you knew your “mother” was in the wrong, how could you not stand by her? God-forbid, if America ever went to war with your respective country of origin like the one reader eludes to above, who’s side would you choose? It is during times like these—as silly (as a beef ban) or as serious (as actual war) as it may be--that bring to the surface and really test perhaps a no greater defining characteristic of one’s loyalty and identity than to and of country.

For as long as I was old enough to know about the role race played in my identity, I have always felt this way: During the times I am in America, I am ultra-patriotic of my Asian motherland. And during the times I am visiting my motherland, I somehow, very naturally, switch sides to become ultra-patriotic of America.

What do you think? For any Asian American who’s lived in America long enough, do you see yourself as more Asian or more American?

Un-Happy Meals :(

Cubicle Man

I recently read this strange but true story about these black students who were unable to get a summer job at a local Mcdonald’s in a Latino enclave of the U.S. The reason why? Because they were unable to speak Spanish. In other words, the only language they were able to speak was English.

The somewhat unfortunate nature surrounding the circumstances of these black students in this story was reminiscent of a low-grade Twilight Zone episode: An American not being able to get a job in America, because s/he speaks English?? And only English???

Which brings me to the overarching theme of the article:

Should those who immigrate to the U.S. be required to know how to speak English?

Or, at the very least…

Speak English well enough to manage their way through a Mcdonald’s restaurant transaction?

Why is this relevant to us Asians? Well, because I think the existence of such exclusively ethnocentric cities or sections-of-cities is a fact of life for all immigrants, whereby the prevailing language (in all its forms) within the borders of these so-called “[Blank]-Towns” or “Little [Blanks]” would make any observer wonder if the town in question was even an American town at all. Furthermore, I know at least from my own experience that a lot of immigrants who inhabit these towns intentionally choose to live in them, because it affords them the convenience of never having to learn or speak a single English word.

This issue is very personal to me, as, of course, my parents were immigrants. And while my father spoke English well enough, my mother did not. So, I find myself in a strange middle-ground, where I can neither oppose nor support any legislation requiring immigrants to know English well enough to at least conduct day-to-day American life. However, by all logical and practical accounts, it does stand to reason that the government should impose such legislation.

What do you think? Should those who immigrate to America be required to at least know English well enough to navigate day-to-day American life?

Vote in the poll to the left!

Life Cereal Understands Me

Cubicle Man

I don’t know if you’ve seen this Life Cereal advertisement on TV in recent times, but it seems like it’s a brand-new campaign those Quaker Oats people have set in motion, showcasing real-life American families that center around a unitary theme of what appears to be the “new American household,” aiming to do away with the previously-held notion of the traditional American family (i.e. white, suburban, 2.5 kids, one son, one daughter, etc).

Of the three families featured, the one that surprised me the most (not surprisingly) was the Oh family—but not for the reasons you might think, which I presume would’ve been for their “Asian-ness.” But, no, it was because the parents were an interracial couple. Yet, still, this alone would not have really provoked my immediate double-take. The real shock came, because, in the Oh family, the Asian person was the husband and white person was the wife.

See for yourself: Go to www.lifecereal.com. Click on the “LIFE’s Families” tab at the top and then click on “Oh Family.”

I was stunned. And I am still in the process of trying to get myself used to the idea.

There is so much I’d like to say here at one time that I am at a loss for words, partially due to the fact that I don’t think it could all be spelled out here within the parameters of a simple blog post...of all the cultural implications, of all the social barometry, of all the breaking down of barriers, prejudices, and STEREOTYPES calling into question Asian male masculinity and our worthiness as a group to be considered “man” enough to pair-bond with the female gender of the establishment.

And then to have an American corporation in an industry as non-controversial as breakfast cereal AND to have an American institution such as Life Cereal go out on a limb to publicly bring to the surface (on a national scale) an issue that probably hits way too close to home for all Asian males growing up and living in America today is kind of monumental and remarkable. Furthermore, for them to have featured it in a campaign under the banner of what the new American household looks like is, well, truly unprecedented and applause-worthy.

What do you think?

China-bashing CNN Sued for $1.3 Billion

Ike

CNN is being sued for $1.3 billion-- $1 for every person in China and Hong Kong-- by a Chinese elementary school teacher and beautician from New York who say Jack Cafferty’s remarks insulted the Chinese people. 

For the uninformed, Jack Cafferty said recently that the U.S. imported Chinese “junk with lead paint on them” and continued his tirade by calling the Chinese “basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they’ve been for the last 50 years.”

There seems to be a lot of China-bashing in the news lately by Western media outlets, including reporting on the turmoil in Tibet and botched Beijing Olympic torch relays.  This latest comment by Cafferty has fanned the growing ire of many Chinese, including 14 lawyers who are filing a similar suit against CNN.

Do you think suing CNN for $1.3 billion is going a bit overboard?  And what are your thoughts about the recent bad press China has been getting here in the U.S.?

Cheesesteaks with a Side of Racism

Cubicle Man

I was reading this Washington Post article about a restaurant owner named Joseph Groh. The décor of his Philadelphia restaurant is all 1950s vintage—from the booths to the original soda fountain to the same sparse menu. Mr. Groh was adamant about maintaining the traditional look and feel of his blue-collar eatery, to the inclusion of even its name, harkening back to not just a more innocent era, but also to a more bigoted one.

What is its name, you ask?

Well, how about Chink’s Steak?

That’s right. Pause to do your double-take.

So uncompromising is Mr. Groh about maintaining the original specs of the eatery that he refuses to change the name amid a wave of protests and outrage from the Asian American community in response to his efforts to open up a second Chink’s Steak.

Mr. Groh is actually not the original owner of the restaurant; he bought it from Samuel Sherman, the restaurant’s namesake, after his death. Sherman was supposedly nicknamed “Chink” as a child due to his unusually slanted eyes.

Great.

What do you think? Should Mr. Groh be forced to change his restaurant’s name?

Have You Ever Heard of Daniel Kim?

Cubicle Man

April 16 marked the one year anniversary of the Virgina Tech Massacre, perpetrated by Seung-Hui Cho, a mentally disturbed Korean American attending the school. News of this horrific tragedy was inescapable to us one year ago--graphic images of the killer's video manifesto still haunt the victims and Asian America today. But, have you ever heard of Daniel Kim?

Last weekend, I was watching a CNN investigative piece on campus rampage killings. In it was featured Daniel Kim, whose story I incidentally never heard of on the news during the time of occurrence.

Like Cho, Daniel was Korean American. Like Cho, Daniel was a student at Virginia Tech. Like Cho, Daniel was mentally ill. Like Cho, Daniel purchased a pistol—from the same pawn shop Cho did. But unlike Cho, Daniel only ended up taking his own life eight months following the V-Tech Massacre.

Now, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding this event, pertaining mostly to how responsibly the university might have acted in trying to prevent Daniel’s suicide from occurring.

But I’d like to touch upon something that may run deeper--something that may strike more along cultural lines. A while back, I read an alarming statistic that Asian American women between the ages of 15-24 have the highest suicide rate among women in any race or ethnic group in that age group. This, along with taking into account the prevalence of Internet suicide chat rooms in Asia (particularly Japan), devoted to bringing together the likeminded to commit group suicide, begins to all beg the question of what is going on with Asians?

Does the Asian population simply have more of those people with the right combination of character traits that lead more of them to suicide, or is it more about misguided individuals who find they have no better alternative to life’s problems in a culture that fosters such tendencies through its own ignorance or neglect?

What do you think?

Student Loans Get Scarcer

Ike

No market is immune to the current credit crunch.

At a U.S. Senate hearing today, John Remondi, chief financial officer of SLM Corp, said that the market would notice the shortage of student loans next month as demand increases from new students.

I get a mixed bag of feelings from this. First, I am really happy for future college students who will probably have lower college tuitions as the U.S. becomes less able to subsidize student loans. Since students were able to borrow so much money from government funding, colleges were able to exploit this cash influx by charging higher tuitions. Now with all the credit markets strapped for cash, there is no more easy money for student lenders and hopefully we will see more affordable tuitions very soon.

But I also have great pity for the current students who probably won’t benefit from lowered tuitions yet and/or cannot go to the school of their choice because money is no longer abundant.

With more and more students unable to secure school loans, you may find it a bit easier to get into Harvard in the near future.

Olympic Scorch

Cubicle Man

If you haven’t been in a coma for the past few days, it’s been nearly impossible to not have heard of the chaotic mess surrounding the Olympic Torch relay.  Now, before you begin rolling yours eyes and mutter, “Not another blog post on this thing…”  Let me stop you by saying, No, it’s not!  Really, it’s not.  Well, not per se. 

All I’m wondering is how China’s state television and news service is reporting/spinning all of this (if at all).  Because, if you think about it, under the right editing, watching an overzealous protestor get kicked in the mouth by a security guard, is not all that different (on the surface) from watching an overzealous "fan" being physically put down.

That's all.

There Will Be Blood

Cubicle Man

I got this picture off of Michael Kang's Xanga.  For those of you who don’t know Michael Kang, he is the Korean American director of the The Motel and the more recent, West 32^nd. He is also an outspoken supporter of the fair and equal opportunity/representation of Asians in the media.  Therefore, you could probably have guessed the double slap to my face when I read what he wrote in the caption beneath the picture.

“I just thought this picture was funny,” he wrote.

???

What’s funny about it?

Where’s the humor in this snapshot?  That the oblivious “white guy” who has had or is on the verge of an adulterous affair with the desperate, overly-sexed, Asian housewife is seconds away from major bodily harm at the hands and “ninja stars” of the Asian guy?  And let’s take a look at the Asian guy.  What the heck is his problem?  Could it be because he’s confused over whether or not he's supposed to be Ryu from StreetFighter II coming home from the office or that he's stuck in some kind of anachronistic time warp?

Is that what’s supposed to be so funny about this picture?  To play up the worst stereotypes of an Asian?  Though I wouldn't need to, I don't know where to even begin to try to spell out how many delicate racial boundaries and sensibilities this, I suppose, ad is in violation of.

But, hey, maybe I'm just the stodgy prude here who's projecting his own biases onto something that was never meant to be any one way or another; and that the white guy is actually the Asian lady's husband and the Asian guy is actually a deadly kung fu assassin.

What do you think?

Coming to America

Cubicle Man

I was reading recently about the early days when the first Asians (mostly Chinese) were arriving on American soil in search of a better life.  That search being, as we all know, the intercontinental railroad and the Gold Rush.

I was never actually aware of the specific acts of racism and injustice these early-day immigrants had endured; I just assumed that they had, and that it must've been some pretty awful stuff--mid-1800s?  The Wild West?

But, one tidbit that I did not know was that many of these immigrants, after having worked off their contracts and indentureships, were denied their right to return back to their homelands.  In other words, they weren’t allowed to leave America.

This might not seem like much, but when taking into the larger context of what’s going on today with the difficulty the government is having with trying to keep people from coming into the country, it all just brings into focus the karmic irony of it all and how much times have changed.  But not really...since people are still coming here for the exact same reasons they did back then.

Where Are You From? No, Where Are You Really From?

Cubicle Man

This post is pertaining to the Seven Deadly Sins news item in our Interesting News on the Net section.

I liked this article.  I do think it does a good job in delineating some of the issues we, Asian Americans (AAs), have with the way non-Asian Americans (non-AAs) treat or relate to us.  There is just one thing—one very important thing—I think the article failed to really clarify.

That is the "Where are you from? No, where are you really from?" or "When are you going to go home?" Or "How often do you go home?" question.

I think if there’s a clearer and more unfortunate casualty of miscommunication of all the examples given of the commonly made mistakes non-AAs make when speaking to an AA, it is this one.

Because, whereas all the other questions stem from plain ignorance, this one has nothing to do with bias or prejudice; all it is is a simple clash of semantics!  You see, from an AA’s perspective, when we get asked this question by a non-AA, it should by no means be interpreted as an effort on their part to try to marginalize our “American-ness” or a subtle way of them trying “put us in our place,” which is how AAs too often come to unfortunately perceive it. 

No, this couldn’t be farther from the truth!

I think—and I am putting myself in a non-AA’s shoes right now--all they want to know by asking this question is, “What is your ethnic background?”  Or, “What is your ancestor’s country of origin?”  But, they’re just truncating it or relaxing it to simply:  “Where are you from?” 

I think non-AAs ask this question, because they, at the same time, don’t want to be accused of being that “ignorant American” who assumes all Asians come from China.  And, maybe, they’re just curious or want to know more about your cultural ancestry.  Can you fault them for that?  Heck no! 

Their intention is sound, but not so much their execution.

So, for next time, non-AAs:

don’t say: “Where are you from?” 
and do say:  “What is your ethnic background?”

Have a nice day!

Eat with Chapsticks

Cubicle Man

Last weekend, I went to my local A&P to do some grocery shopping, and something happened which I'm not entirely sure was completely racist.  Maybe, you guys could advise me on it?

So, what happened was that I needed to buy some Chapstick.  However, as hard as I searched, I could not find it anywhere.  Adding to my dismay was the peculiar nature of Chapstick (among other things) which fall into that category of item that is always found in ubiquity, but that one time you actually need it, you're never able to find it.  I searched high and low, deep and mighty, but no Chapstick to be found.

And so, I decided to ditch my self-reliance and simply ask one of the employees there.  She tells me, “Oh, Chapstick?  That would be Aisle 5.”

Aisle 5?  I perplexed inwardly.  But, shouldn’t Chapstick be found along with all the other health aides/medications/toiletries--that is in the aisle that I am standing in right now, as we speak???

Okay, whatever, I’ve been wrong before, I resigned and headed toward Aisle 5.  As soon as I get there, lo and behold, I abruptly learn that she has pointed me to the Asian Foods Aisle!  At which point, I realized she had thought I had questioned her about chOpsticks!  Not, ChApsticks!

Had I been any other race, would she have made the same assumption?  Would she have pretended to give me her full attention by not assuming that I was in need of eating utensils characteristic to my race and not a remedy for dry lips, had I been some other race?

As a minority in any country, there is no doubt you would’ve experienced outright racism, but in your lifetime, have you ever experienced any questionably racist moments such as mine?  If you've found yourself the unwilling protagonist in any such ambiguously racist stories, please, share it with the rest of us in the comments section below!