The Fighting 44s

Jaehwan asked me, quite some time ago, a very interesting question on where I stand with regard to writing and activism itself. He said this:

Just a question: what are you eventually going to do with your writing? Do you plan to start stuff up, do activism, fiction, write polemics, or something else? I know that you described yourself as not being an activist …. I’m just curious about where you plan to go from here.

I was responding to xian’s post yesterday, and I think he’s right: a lot of talented people have just fallen out. You probably know more about this than anyone else since everyone goes to you or [Lopan] to complain, but I’d like to work to get the activism thing going if people are interested or able. (”able” is an important question since people may be different in person than on the web…) Our activist group in Portland is doing really well–we had an awesome meeting last week where we analyzed the local cultural scene. It would be cool if there were some way to take everything we have and make it into something bigger.

Posted in Activism, Blog, Features, My Opinion, Racism | | Permalink

Thanks to John from 8 Asians for blogging about this story.  I have a slightly different take on the article.

We’ve all read this kind of nonsense before, plus we’ve all seen this kind of thing before.  An Asian woman marries a white guy, has a half Asian child, then goes around China, making her voice really loud and speaking down to the natives.  I used to read this stuff in A Magazine, and now we read it in the NYTimes and Asiance.  I’ve seen it during my travels to Asia.  Seriously, if you’re in Asia and you hear a female voice start complaining loudly, turn around, and most likely you’ll see one of these Toy-Langston/Hong-Kingston types, raising her voice and using her white man’s status as a crutch.  No one ever mentions the internalized racism behind the though processes of these nouveau orientalists, nor does anyone ever mention how they use the mainstream media to spread their views.  Nor does anyone ever mention how much they look down on Asian people.

 Here’s my favorite quote from the author, Ms. Vivian Toy:

Posted in Racism | | Permalink

I don’t think I can take any fucking time off this summer. FUCK!!! I’m applying anyway. From Seibertron.com.

Hey, I just found this at comingsoon.net. There appears to be a casting call for Asians in the Bethlehem PA area.

So I’m gonna submit my form and see if I can get squished or something!!

http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=7209

“We are looking for Asian talent for the new Dreamworks feature film, “Transformers 2″, directed by Michael Bay.

Needed are Asian men and women, boys and girls, ages 7-65, for a scene set in a fictional Chinese city. Shooting will take place in the Bethlehem PA area, in the beginning of June 2008.

No acting experience necessary; both SAG and non-union talent will be considered. All roles are paid positions.

In addition to “real” people, we are also looking for any Asian talent with a military background.

If interested and available, please e-mail a picture to: Tr2bethlehem@gmail.com

Be sure to include all contact information, union status (if any) and state military experience, if any.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
May 14 2008″

Posted in Blog, Entertainment & Media, Newsworthy | | Permalink

This is almost as big a realization as matter/energy interchangeability.

Race cited in fishing attacks

Ontario Human Rights Commission releases report on assaults on Asian-Canadian anglers

May 13, 2008 03:51 PM
Noor Javed
STAFF REPORTER

Racism was the primary motivation in physical and verbal assaults against Asian Canadian fishermen, according to a report released today by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

“Racism played a role in the harassment and assault of Asian Canadian anglers,” said Barbara Hall, the chief commissioner.

“It also reaffirmed racial profiling exists and that successful communities acknowledge that and take steps to combat it,” she said at a press conference in Markham this afternoon.

The report entitled Fishing Without Fear offers solutions and commitments to address discrimination in communities across Ontario.

The report outlines 50 commitments aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.

The commitments are the result of consultations with 21 community organizations.

Initiatives range from information brochures to providing racial profiling training to conservation officers.

Police in Georgina, where many of the incidents occurred, will also launch a project this fishing season aimed at monitoring popular fishing sites for problems.

Posted in Newsworthy, Racism | | Permalink

Part I was our discussion on 80/20, Part II was 44’s vs. Reappropriate, and Part III was yesterday, where I discussed “Free Food for Millionaires.”  Hear the full interview here.  See my previous 44’s article here.

Those who know my blogging know that I’m usually very cautious about praise.  I make certain that I’m comfortable with a work or project before recommending it, and I never ever recommend or endorse anything without fully understanding it.  With that in mind, I have to give my wholehearted endorsement to William, Albert, and John’s program: Fallout Central keeps getting better and better.  I thought my part of the podcast was good, but I nearly died of laughter when I was listening to them discuss “The Importance of Being Earnest” right afterward.  It was especially hilarious to hear William link it up with “Falling For Grace.”  They really know how to keep it real.  And their delivery keeps improving.  How many projects have succeeded in delivering constant improvements in quality–other than the 44’s of course, because we also keep on getting better too!  These guys are awesome, and I can’t wait for them to get their own satellite radio show.

Posted in Blog, Newsworthy | | Permalink

Just saw this article in the Washington Post about racial incidents that the Obama campaign is facing as they move around the country. As the article mentions, Obama himself is shielded from this, but his supporters, even those who are white, are getting some pretty bad treatment from people who don’t want to see a black president. In addition to the vandalism and racial remarks from people, people, including ethnic officials, are launching ethnic and (completely baseless) religious insults:

In a letter to the editor published in a local paper, Tunkhannock Borough Mayor Norm Ball explained his support of Hillary Clinton this way: “Barack Hussein Obama and all of his talk will do nothing for our country. There is so much that people don’t know about his upbringing in the Muslim world. His stepfather was a radical Muslim and the ranting of his minister against the white America, you can’t convince me that some of that didn’t rub off on him.

“No, I want a president that will salute our flag, and put their hand on the Bible when they take the oath of office.”

Posted in Blog, Politics, Racism | | Permalink

I’m sure many of you have already seen this.  There was an earthquake in China a couple days ago that has killed upward of 12,000 people.  It comes on the heels of the cyclone in Myanmar.  They say it’s China’s worst natural disaster in three decades.

The quake, which was estimated preliminarily to have had a magnitude of 7.9, ravaged a mountainous region outside Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, just after lunchtime Monday, destroying 80 percent of structures in some of the towns and small cities near its epicenter, Chinese officials said. Its tremors were felt as far away as Vietnam and set off another, smaller quake in the outskirts of Beijing, 900 miles away. 

Many of the casualties came from a school that collapsed.  It’s very sad.

Posted in Blog, Newsworthy | | Permalink

Thanks to evil_FUX for posting this excellent article.  Discuss here or in the forum.  It’s good to finally hear some good news or positive outlooks coming out of the media.  God knows that we need some encouragement after 7 years of Bush and a tanking economy.  Zakaria is right.  We can all thrive.  Billions of people leaving poverty is a good thing.

My favorite part of the article is the pro-American part:

More broadly, this is America’s great—and potentially insurmountable—strength. It remains the most open, flexible society in the world, able to absorb other people, cultures, ideas, goods, and services. The country thrives on the hunger and energy of poor immigrants. Faced with the new technologies of foreign companies, or growing markets overseas, it adapts and adjusts. When you compare this dynamism with the closed and hierarchical nations that were once superpowers, you sense that the United States is different and may not fall into the trap of becoming rich, and fat, and lazy.

Posted in Blog, Newsworthy | | Permalink

Yesterday, AsiaFest  took place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.   I had the opportunity to run the booth for the Oregon Commission on Asian Affairs, which is the official government liaison between the Asian American community in Oregon and the governor’s office.  It was fun.  I spoke to the people about our upcoming Frank Chin event, and I was able to see many people in the community whom I haven’t seen in a while.  They had a number of really cute performances by little kids.

It’s really important to get out there and meet people.  For me, it humanizes the whole advocacy/activism thing.  You can’t really know a person’s problems or issues until you’ve conversed with them in person.  My demographic–young people with or without families–was not very well represented, but it was a lot of fun working the floor.

I think I also learned a thing or two about promotion.  The booths with the brightest and friendliest displays or games got the most action.  The only reason people came to my booth was that I was located next to the unmanned Spirit Mountain Casino display, and old ladies kept approaching me to find out when the bus left from Chinatown.  Next year I may not be so lucky with my location–they may put me next to Falun Gong (who was also there) or Asian Americans for Hillary (if she’s still running after the new president is already in office)–so it’s best to be proactive with the promotion.

Posted in Activism | | Permalink

They had an interesting video feature in the New York Times today. It’s about Hmong Hip Hop and how a certain artist named Tou Saiko Lee uses it to talk about his heritage. I’ve never really taken much of an interest in hip-hop and spoken word, but it’s pretty cool how Tou is using this to bring his Hmong community together; the after-school sessions where he teaches hip-hop looked pretty wild. Also, check out the part of the video where he raps with his grandmother (4:12). It’s a nice sounding fusion.

Along with this video feature, the New York Times also had an article on General Vang Pao, who is mentioned in the video. I haven’t been following the Vang Pao story, but it seems that things got messed up once again because of America’s involvement in SE Asia.

Posted in Blog, Newsworthy | | Permalink