Food Politics

Thanks to Lawrence Sumulong, a student in last semester's Contemporary Asian American Issues course, a video lecture by Jennifer 8. Lee entitled "Who Was General Tso? and Other Mysteries of American Chinese Food." It's a great piece discussing the politics of production, consumption, and circulation of American Chinese food from its historical origins during the 1800s exclusion era to its present day. It's a witty, funny, and provocative when compared with other so-called "American" foods, but she falls flat on her conclusion taking a moralistic ground instead of a more critical analysis. I suppose it's okay considering her audience, but so much of her critique is historically and politically grounded that I was surprised she didn't follow up with a larger critique about the politics of race and food politics. Oh well.

"First Asian Boy"

By way of Angry Asian Man ...

I laughed out so loud that I think my colleagues next door were startled. The tune is catchy, good rhymes, and it's just plain fun.

Those Funny Asian Canadians

I came across this vid by way of Angry Asian Man and apparently an Asian student social club at University of British Columbia is in trouble for a recruitment ad video between a no accent Asian female student with a heavy accented "Hong Kong" boy. It's a parody of the popular Mac/PC commercials, which are funny, but the humor here and the intent of promoting "diversity" just doesn't work for me. In fact, it really does conjure up a lot of the old "ABC" v. "FOB" nonsense.

UPDATE: Apparently, CVC took down the video recently.

CVC vs. THC from CVC on Vimeo.

My Students

Not a day goes by when I am truly amazed and in awe of my students. They are simply the best students that I have ever worked with and it's only the second week.

Two of my students in my Contemporary Asian American class identified themselves as student leaders in two Asian American student organizations. We're going to meet again and talk about their plans for the year and how I can best contribute. One of them, a biology major, said that she had arranged her entire class schedule around my course so that she can take it. She even said that she'll do whatever she can to take my course next semester as well. Another student, a senior, told me that he's been waiting three years to take a course like mine and he's loving everything about it. I can't remember the last time anyone was this genuine and sincere about the class and how engaged they are with social justice in a long long time. They're passion is infectious! And I am truly humbled by them.

But it made me sad to think about how many students who wanted to enroll this semester but could not. Then I thought about how many years of APA students graduated from the college without ever having just the choice to take a course in Asian American history, politics, and culture. It was even sadder to think that when I leave, this course may not be offered again until who knows when.

One Week Left

One week left before the new semester starts and I'm already behind in everything. My trip to San Francisco was great. My younger brother's engagement party was a wonderful get-together and my parents looked extremely happy. There was a hitch with my other brother who threw a hissy fit about one thing or another. Whatever. That's his problem. But my trip, as short as it was, comes with a price and I'm feeling the pain in my head as I'm trying to get things in order.

Speaking of pain, I've never heard of Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE) but they came out with two public service announcements about voting. They both made my head turn and say "WTF?" is up with the ninjas, martial arts, and Asian Americans with pointed ears? It makes me wonder if we're elves or Vulcans. But seriously, can we actually have "normal" Asian Americans voting? I know this sci-fi/fantasy theme is a way to appeal to that age group but it seems very gimmicky and superficial.

Bah. Whatever.

STOOPID!

OMFG ... (by way of Angry Asian Man ) ... OMFG ... WTF asshattery is this??? OMFG ...

TCM's Asians in Film

Turner Classic Movies is hosting a month long retrospective called Race and Hollywood: Asian Images in Film for the month of June. Every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 8pm and ending in the wee hours of the early morning, thirty-seven films will be aired representing historically significant and stereotypical images of Asians in cinema. It's an impressive selection from early films such as The Cheat (1915), Broken Blossoms (1915), Shanghai Express (1932) to recent films such as Enter the Dragon (1973) and The Joy Luck Club (1993). Although some of the choices for these recent films are totally random like Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Mr. Baseball (1992). It features some of the first Asian American actors and actresses like Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star in the 1920s, James Shigeta who is considered to the first Asian American leading male in the 1960s, Nancy Kwan and her debut role as an exotic prostitute in The World of Suzie Wong (1960), and of course, the martial artistry of Bruce Lee and many others. It also covers the politically charged and problematic practice of "yellow face" with actors such as Peter Ustinov as Charlie Chan and Christopher Lee (yes, Count Dooku himself) as Fu Manchu.

I would totally give this an "A" but I'm not. It gets a "B" grade not because of a lack of content or bad selections, but who TCM hired as their "expert" on the subject of Asian American representation in film. I don't know how the hiring process works or what the mechanics that drove this retrospective, but the choice made me wonder if someone in TCM was on crack or just didn't know. I think the latter. There are numerous other scholars who have studied and researched this subject for decades, but I guess he's the one to represent all of that work. Whatever.

The APA Vote

I'm getting rather annoyed at the way in which Asian American voters have been "MIA" in the news especially when they've always been crucial especially in big states like California. It doesn't help when the hot topic these days is the "black-brown" debate about why the Latino voting block overwhelmingly supported Clinton's campaign than Obama's. Is it because Latinos are "more racist" to blacks? That is just as stupid as saying men who vote against Hillary are misogynist.

Look, the simple fact is this. Hillary is courting and benefiting from very well-established political connections with the Latino electorate from San Antonio to Los Angeles. Of course, Bill had a lot to do with it, but it's clear that Hillary is working the connections, strengthening her network, winning the Latino leadership, getting their votes, and paying her dues. She did the same thing with the Asian American electorate as well. She's also made it a point to reflect diversity in her campaign staff (1-year old by the way. I also think it's funny that Rudy's campaign staff is all white, and McCain had no Asians). Hillary has the highest number of Latinos and Asians in key positions on her staff. All of which translated into a California victory. As a matter of fact, CNN reported that Asians and Latinos carried Hillary outpacing the white-black vote who were in support of Obama. Go figure that out.

A colleague out in Los Angeles notes plainly that Hillary sent her money and ran a strong bilingual ad campaign. Obama did not. Obama made the same mistake that current LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa did when he first made a run some years ago. Villaraigosa "assumed" Latinos would vote for him, therefore he didn't run a strong ad campaign which did not translate into sending money to local tv/radio/newsprint media which did not translate into ... *drum roll please* ... VOTES! Obama may have strong Latino support, but they are not the historical leadership that are located in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas in the agricultural industry which I'm hearing he's been slow on the ball with Texas. Check out the analysis by my old friend and colleague Jeff Chang about the different political strategies that enabled Clinton's victory of California and the Asian American-Latino voting block.

It just occurred to me that Obama's "message" of "Yes We Can!" is the English translation of "Si Se Puede!" which I think -- and I have to check this to be sure -- is the old 1960's rallying cry for the United Farm Workers, the labor union founded by Cesar Chavez and Philip Vera Cruz. Did Obama just appropriate that phrase? *ponders*

Anyways, I digress. My original post was to talk about the APA absence in media coverage and our role in the presidential elections. So the moment CNN does cover APA electoral power, we get this nonsense. Bad accents and bad journalism all at once. WTF?!?

"Call for Papers"

Just as I was about to sign off, I get this CFP announcement for the Journal of Asian American Studies. I HAVE to submit something and get my publishing record started.

Journal of Asian American Studies

Special Issue: Asian Americans and Violence

Please note the early deadline: July 15, 2007


This special issue invites essays that address the relationship
between race, culture, and violence as it pertains specifically to
Asian Americans. Extra consideration will be given to essays that
consider this topic broadly, and that focus on Asian Americans not
only as the objects of violence but also its agents. For instance,
essays might address questions like: What does it mean for Asian
Americans to be perpetrators as well as victims? What effect does
this have on our understanding of gender roles and gender relations?
What affect does this have on representations of Asian Americans?
How important is it for us to define violence broadly to include
domestic abuse, public policies that abandon large groups to
premature death, or war? How does focusing on violence help us to
understand transformations in the structural position of Asian
American racial formations? The primary occasion for this special
issue is the recent shooting at Virginia Tech. As revelations of the
shooter’s racial and ethnic identity led to expressions of worry
about a racial backlash, we are reminded of the ways in which race
and violence have long been inextricably linked to one another in the
U.S. But when the shooter turns out be Asian American, adding Seung-
Hui Cho’s name to a list that includes Chai Vang, Andrew Cunanan, and
Gang Lu, we are compelled to consider how complex this link can be.

VT Aftermath

Two articles by way of Angry Asian Man, a possible incident of anti-Asian violence at Auburn University. It's being investigated as a retaliatory attack after the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech. And an essay written by a high school student that had violent themes was reported to the police for investigation. The identity of the kid? He's Asian, and a straight A student.

"This is what I've heard thus far."

I was going to write another post about the newest development in the VA Tech shooting with links to his video and other posts.

But I decided against it. I'm pretty fed up with the major news networks, their coverage, and the spin machine for various political agendas. Even the progressive / liberal coverage is just falling short on so many points. And I don't even want to talk about the conservative pundits -- they're simply too heinous to reiterate.

But I'm going to talk about this in my own way and on my own terms. And this is what I've heard thus far.

I just heard that the fear of a backlash against Korean Americans is on the rise, and two Korean students were physically assaulted as an act of retaliation was reported. I've heard that the South Korean embassy is asking the Korean American community here for assistance in locating their students because of this growing backlash. That the international students should find other locations from their current residences, and to travel in pairs or have escorts for their own safety.

And that's all I have for now.

"Asian" or "Asian American?" (Cont)

Reposting from SFGate.com. It's a great article addressing this problem of the shooter's racial and national identity, and it's impact on political discourses and analysis.

Virginia Tech Massacre
Shooter Debate: Speculation Mars Discussion Online
by Vanessa Hua

Initial media reports described Cho Seung-Hui -- whose shooting rampage Monday at Virginia Tech left 33 dead, including himself -- as a resident alien, an Asian and a South Korean.

On Tuesday, racially tinged speculation, based on the 23-year-old Cho's heritage and immigrant status, flew around the Internet, even though he spent two-thirds of his life in the United States.

"Yet another reason for the U.S. to further restrict immigration to this country," a user going by the name of Christabella posted on a blog at SFGate.com, The Chronicle's Web site. "Had they not allowed Cho to waltz into the nation on a student visa, those 33 people would still be alive."

Cho, the underlying argument went, was a foreigner.

That kind of thinking has alarmed Asian American leaders. Overemphasis in news coverage of his immigrant status, and stereotyping in general, could influence perceptions of all Asian Americans -- not only Koreans -- especially in areas with little connection to Asians and Asian Americans, said Eric Mar, a San Francisco school board member who is Chinese American.

The Asian American Journalists Association, headquartered in San Francisco, questioned stories and online comments posted Tuesday morning that highlighted Cho's race and immigration status because that emphasis suggested those factors played a role in the shootings.

In fact, Cho was like many school shooters -- about three-quarters of whom have been white boys and young men, according to a 2000 report from the U.S. Secret Service. Cho appeared to feel marginalized and angry, according to criminologists and psychologists such as Louis B. Schlesinger, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Born in South Korea, Cho, 23, immigrated as a child to the United States in 1992. He was raised in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, the son of a couple who worked at a dry-cleaning business. He was sullen and depressed, an English major whose twisted fiction concerned faculty and a fan of bloody shooting games, according to media reports.

"A useful way to think about this is, 'How connected might an individual feel to a community and a society?' " said Daniel Webster, co-director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at Johns Hopkins University. "Sometimes the barriers might be racial, sometimes it might be language. Sometimes it might be their own mental health that prevents them from forming bonds."

The public is attempting to make sense of the tragedy by categorizing Cho and his motivations, said James Garbarino, a professor at Loyola University in Chicago, and author of "Lost Boys: Why Our Boys Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them."

People have "an impulse to distance themselves" from the campus killer, Garbarino said. "The more someone is like one of us, the harder it is to sleep."

Some of the people posting to blogs and chat rooms online Tuesday blamed Cho's actions on his "foreign" status. Others dismissed such arguments as preposterous and asserted that the massacre resulted from easy access to guns, violence in the media or the popularity of violent video games. Still others theorized he was a member of al Qaeda, carrying out a terrorist attack. He was an English-as-a-second-language student depressed about finals, according to another theory.

Indeed, commentators' theories may say more about them than about the gunman.

"It's a psychological protective technique," said Franklin Zimring, a criminologist at UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law. "This is about gun control, or immigration, or not allowing guns on campus. People are painting the picture."

Backlash Against Korean Americans

Reposted from Salon.com.

"It's Like When 9/11 Happened"
With the Virginia Tech shooter's identity revealed, some Koreans, fearing a backlash, are fleeing the campus.

by Joe Eaton

Apr. 17, 2007 | As Virginia Tech students grieve the worst shooting in American history, which left 33 dead on this state university campus in southwestern Virginia, some Korean students and their parents are fearing a backlash.

Police announced this morning that Cho Seung-hui was the suspect in the shooting deaths of 32 students and staff members in two Virginia Tech buildings. Cho apparently killed himself with a gunshot to the head. Cho, 23, was a permanent U.S. resident who was born in South Korea and moved to the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington in 1992.

At about 1 p.m. Monday in front of Harper Hall, the residence hall where Cho lived on the second floor, Young-je Ko, 21, and his girlfriend Hyun-jung Kim, 19, sat in a black Mustang preparing to leave campus. Ko, a senior accounting major, said he and other South Korean students are afraid to stay on campus. Ko said many of their friends in a Korean Christian group were also planning to leave Blacksburg for Northern Virginia.

"It's like when 9/11 happened," Ko said. "Arab people are victims even though they didn't do anything wrong. It's just the same to me." Ko said Korean students have been e-mailing and calling each other since the release of Cho's name this morning. He said he wanted to attend today's convocation at 2 p.m., where President Bush was scheduled to speak, but friends warned him against it. "People said don't attend because it could be a bad situation," he said.

Ko, who emigrated from South Korea in 2001, and Kim, who emigrated in 2002, were heading home to Annandale, Va., near Washington, where their parents live. "My parents were so worried," Kim said. "When I left my dorm, I felt like the white kids were staring at me."

Jae Kun Lee, a Korean national, also decided to leave. His parents had called him from South Korea, where the shooting is being covered extensively by the media, and expressed concern for his safety.

"Sooner or later it's going to impact us directly or indirectly," said Lee. "If someone lost a loved one, of course, they are upset. Some bad things might happened just because I am Korean."

Lee was heading to a friend's house in Northern Virginia. "It's good to stay away and wait."

Racist screeds have cropped up quickly among right-wing commentators and on the Internet, including the idea that Korean males are excessively prone to violent jealous rages.

In Christiansburg, Va., less than 10 miles from Blacksburg, Mi-hwan Park said her daughter Veronica would be attending the convocation. Veronica is a member of the campus Korean Society. Her mother said she raised her children to think of themselves as individuals more than part of a nationality. She hopes others see the crime as the act of an individual, but she is worried. "This is an individual thing, not a nation thing," she said.

Michael Ko and Mindy Koo, both 20-year-old Americans of Chinese descent, said other Asian-Americans they knew were afraid to be seen in public. "For me," said Ko, from Richmond, Va., "I just don't feel like I'm scared."

Mindy Koo said her parents called and asked her to leave Blacksburg and return to her home in Northern Virginia because they feared for her safety. She declined. "I feel that would be worse if all the Asian-Americans fled campus. We can't leave Virginia Tech in this time of grieving."

But Koo said she did wonder whether people were watching her this morning as she ate breakfast in a school dining hall. And Michael Ko said some of his friends had left Blacksburg.

Andy Wong is a 19-year-old freshman who lived on the same floor as Cho and never met the shooter, who has been characterized as a loner. Wong does not think there will be an anti-Asian backlash on campus. "It's not going to be taken as a race thing," he said. "People understand this is a special case."

Amy Ballard, a 19-year-old white sophomore at Virginia Tech, said that among her friends, the issue of the shooter's race and nationality hasn't really come up. "It's interesting that he was an international student, but I feel it isn't really relevant at all to anything."

Representatives of the South Korean government sent condolences after Cho's national origin was revealed. South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun said he was "indescribably shocked once again by the fact that the tragic shooting incident at Virginia Tech on April 16 was caused by a South Korean permanent resident.

"We convey deep condolences to the victims and their bereaved families and the [American] people," said Cho Byung-Jae, head of the North American affairs bureau of South Korea's foreign ministry. But he also mentioned that the government was taking "safety measures" for Koreans in the United States. He was apparently referring to the possibility of reprisal attacks against ethnic Koreans in the U.S. He said he hoped the shootings would not "stir up racial prejudice or confrontation."

Before Hyun-jung Kim and Young-je Ko drove out of the parking lot at Harris Hall, Ko questioned whether things might be worse in Annandale, a Northern Virginia city with a large Korean community. Still, he said he felt safer with family. "We are all Hokie [Virginia Tech students] here, but we don't know what will happen."

"Asian" or "Asian American?"

My friend over at Poplicks made this observation that he picked up over at Angry Asian Man. The shooter was Seung-Hui Cho, a senior majoring in English from South Korea. From the numerous reports, he is a legal resident of the US and his family resides in Centerville, VA. Now here's where it gets a bit dodgy ... He's 23 years old, but documents indicate he was living in the US since 1992. That's 15 years ago. That means he's been socialized as an "American kid" since he would've been 8 years old at the time he arrived to the US. So why are news agencies still calling him, seemingly at great lengths, a "legal immigrant" or a "resident alien?" Technically, he's "Asian American" or in Asian American Studies terms, he fits the classic 1.5 generation: foreign born, but raised in the US. There's very little to suggest that he's "foreign" in the recent immigrant sense of the term. He's just as American as the next kid. So what gives???

Just When I Thought It Was Safe ...

... along comes this freak. I've been trying to avoid mentioning "he-who-really-must-not-be-named" as much as I could, but to no avail. "He" was on FOXNews awhile ago. "He" wrote an op-ed piece in AsianWeek, based in San Francisco, about why "he" hated African Americans. It's a vile piece of reading, and apparently, "he" also hates whites, but loves dragons with guns (don't ask me). Naturally, the community of SF was up in arms over what "he" wrote. But the controversy also caught the ears of FOXNews and of course aired "his" side of the story. And this interview just confirmed how much of a moron, and mental nutcase, "he" really is. Enjoy ... or not.

*raises fist at Kenneth Eng*

Ethnic Cleansing in LA? "Little Asian on the Hill?"

Posting an awesome analysis by Oliver, a colleague/friend of mine at Poplicks, about a recent op-ed piece in the LA Times about black/latino race relations. The article, Roots of Latino/Black Anger, was written by Tanya K. Hernandez and it's generated a bit of discussion. Not because of what she raises as an important complex and much needed address on minority-minority relations and conflicts, but how she presents the material. Oliver's critique is right on the mark. There's also an accompanying piece in the New York Times about Asian Americans and higher education focusing on UC Berkeley by Timothy Egan called, Little Asia on the Hill -- I guess it's a derivation of "Harvard on the Hill" when someone goes to a not so great college. Oliver's response raises some insightful points about educational policies like affirmative action and its relationship on Asian American students. It's a damn good read not because he's a sociologist, but because he's an alum of UC Berkeley. It's a really interesting perspective of then when he was an undergraduate, to now at CSU Long Beach as a professor in sociology.

WTF Rosie?!? Follow-Up

So Rosie O'Donnell finally apologized after a week of what appeared to be some intense pressure from her "ching chong" episode. It was the lamest apology which was obviously done on the spot as she was fumbling over words to describe "Asian people." It sounded more defensive than an apology. But the kicker was when one of the co-stars noticed TWO ASIANS in the crowd. Rosie then asked whether the "ching chong" bit offended them, and they said it did not. It's so damn predictable to turn to a "legitimate source" (i.e., Asians) to demonstrate that the slur wasn't all that bad. That is not the point. The point is that she and others on the cast should've known better not to do it. If you're not going to use homophobic slurs on air, then you better not use any others. But props to The Soup for catching and turning it on it's head. Now that was funny.

Her apology:

[UPDATE: Apparently the clip is not available from YouTube anymore.]

And The Soup's version of it:

WTF Rosie?!?

Just because you are a "liberal" and/or identify with a minority that doesn't excuse you from being an intolerant/racist git towards another. That is hypocrisy plain and simple. And by the way, thanks Rosie for reinscribing a denigrating stereotype on national television. As if we needed your help in maintaing racial prejudice.

Here's the original clip and a pretty decent response:

Has Asian Masculinity Arrived? And to Where Exactly?

Well yes and no. It's a whole lot better than what it was when I was younger -- geeky, dorky, nerdy. Really depressing stuff. But today, we have images and celebrities like Yul Kwon from this season's Survivor, Daniel Dae Kim from Lost, John Cho from Harold and Kumar, and Masi Oka, the sex appeal of dorkiness, in Heroes. And they've made it in the sense that they are ranked in People's Annual Sexiest Man Alive. In case you're wondering, George Clooney topped the savory list of mouth drooling masculinity and I most definitely agree with that result.

At the same time, however, I can't help but notice how the polls are also revealing about the details. One of the polls asks "Which Lost star do you want to share a deserted isle with?" Leading the pack is Matthew Fox (47%) and Josh Holloway (44%). Daniel Dae Kim? He's at 2% and Naveen Andrews at 5%. But Harold Perrineau rounded out the bottom at 1%. I have to keep in mind that the low numbers could be about how their characters were developed in the story and I am not a Lost fan so I'm not familiar with the narrative too well. But to contrast that point, we can turn to the Heroes poll, which does look a bit more promising than the Lost crew. Milo Ventimiglia (30%), Santiago Cabrera (27%), and Adrian Pasdar (23%) lead the index of desirability, while Sendhil Ramamurthy received 18%, but Masi Oka ended up with 2%. Hmmm ... what gives?

It's refreshing, and reassuring, to see a whole new generation of Asian American men defining, and whether they know it or not, challenging preconceived notions about stereotypical representations of Asian masculinity. However, I can't help but notice the near bottom rankings of these men. It confirms for me, yet again, that our sense of desire and fantasy are racially organized. I am not surprised at this outcome but I am not discouraged. I think these polls also reveal how much further Asian American masculinity can go. There's nowhere else to go but up and that's something I can look forward to.

Heroes

I just started watching Heroes recently and I'm enjoying the show. The rag tag set of characters and their emerging powers is simply fun to watch. I'm especially keen on the Japanese character, Hiro Nakamura, who can bend time and teleport. His real name is Masi Oka, a Brown alum 1997. There's a great article on Wired about him and his transition from a computer programmer as an undergrad to special effects wizard (it seems water is his speciality) at ILM, and finally an actor. There's even an in-character blog that provides commentary about himself after each episode.

The character is still stereotypically geeky for an Asian and there's so few of them both on television and the big screen. It's certainly not breaking any stereotypes about Asian masculinity. But ... it is a fanboy's dream of living their life straight out of a comic book. And there is a lovable appeal about him ... oh geez is this the "William Hung" effect again? Where you're so dorky and geeky, yet sincere, that people can't help but fall in love with you?