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While I was taking Number One Son to the emergency room, I felt like the worst parent in the world…
In what activities should we push our children? How hard? Why do we push them? These are all questions that came to mind after reading this article.
Ms. Liu wanted Chris to take violin lessons and two months ago started him on the Suzuki method, pioneered in Japan for young children. She thought it might be another opportunity to meet Asian-American children, but that has not happened. “The other Asian kids, they’re more advanced — I think they started younger,” she said.
[…]
In this spirit, she’s also started Chris on karate and tennis lessons. “I know it sounds ridiculous,” she said, “but golf, too — he starts tomorrow.”
One of the 8asians bloggers pointed out how some Asian American parents seem to push their kid’s activities as a way to earn bragging points. What ever happened to teaching music as a way to teach a love of culture and art? What happened to sports as a way to teach a love of physical activity and exercise? From my perspective, parents often have multiple motivations, some good and some bad. There are definitely some Asian-American parents who push force these activities as a way to brag about their children or to live vicariously through their children.
1 Comment | Posted in: Family
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Did you see the first Presidential debate where John McCain throws out a random statistic, while talking about the North Korean’s regime, he mentions how they are also 3 inches shorter than the average South Korean? A brief Youtube clip here (warning: clip also comes with editorial flourishes).
New York Times‘ Tara Parker-Pope also delves into the random statistic in her recent health blog entry, where the 2004 study published in Economics and Human Biology showed that North Koreans were 2 inches shorter than their South Korean counterparts. (Fact check alert, Senator McCain!)
I’m surprised to see that there was actually a study done comparing the heights of the two populations, with an interesting and thought-provoking study result. And whenever my mom returns to Korea she is thrilled that people have grown taller, thereby making her less of a “tall freak” as a woman of 172 cm. I once rode the subway with the Yonsei basketball team, and needless to say, they were very tall. My sister used to say that Stanford (her school) guys were somewhat shorter than the average, which she claimed very unscientifically to “stress-related dwarfism”. Of course there will always be anomalies; when I read the article, it made me think why I was not as tall as both my parents, who were both born in South Korea. Being born in the U.S. and growing up on In-N-Out hamburgers and lots of great nutrition and exercise, I’m wondering why I’m not 5′8″ like my mother.
I think McCain’s statistic is thought-provoking, but definitely “needs more research”, and probably not scientifically supported enough to throw out in a Presidential debate (my humble opinion, of course). On a non-Asian note, if you want to read more about how Americans are shorter than Western Europeans, the New Yorker has a fascinating article about that as well. I guess a richer country = not always a taller population? Interesting theories, definitely!
6 Comments | Posted in: Current Events, Observations
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This past Friday, I went to a Presidential Debate party (you watched the debate, right?) / fundraiser for David Chiu, who is running for San Francisco Supervisor, District 3. (District 3 consists of Chinatown, Nob Hill, North Beach and Telegraph Hill). Given my experience and blogs rants on pathetic involvement of Asian Americans in politics, I was pleasantly shocked and surprised to see a TON of Asian Americans at the debate party/fundraiser.
I guess I shouldn’t have been totally surprised, since David Chiu is an Asian American and over 30% of San Francisco is Asian American (but given the Democratic fundraiser in SF I had attended which I blogged about without many Asian Americans… ). But still, like I said, Asian Americans are SHAMEFULLY the least active of all demographic groups in the United States, despite our above average education and income backgrounds.
As I like to follow Asian Americans who are running for public office, I didn’t realize that David Chiu was running for San Francisco City Supervisor. I had recently blogged about the top 3 candidates running for San Francisco District 1 (Richmond District) are Asian American - which should be the case given that the Richmond is 50% Asian American.
As for David Chiu’s candidacy, from his “resume,” I hate to use the analogy or term, but he seems like a “model minority politician” - his qualifications are just ridiculously good:
“David and his siblings all attended Harvard University, where David received a degree in government from Harvard College, a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government… Chair of Lower Polk Neighbors and a founding member of the leadership team of the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association… former staff attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights … a former Assistant District Attorney with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office… founded Grassroots Enterprise, a leading online communications technology company… David currently sits on San Francisco’s Small Business Commission.”
I could go on-and-on. Read for yourself how qualified Chiu is. The only problem is that Chiu’s competitors are being supported by big business and he is being outspent by a crazy amount. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, District 3 is the hottest race in town. Chiu is endorsed by current District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin. So if you live in San Francisco, I implore you to consider David Chiu for District 3 Supervisor!
1 Comment | Posted in: Observations, Politics
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Earlier this week, I attended the opening of the Obama campaign office in San Jose. No, there isn’t really a chance that California is going to the Republicans. This office is for phone banking into swing states.
Now you probably know where I am going. San Jose is the 10th largest city in the nation (believe it or not, with almost 1 million residents - larger than San Francisco) and is approximately 30% Asian American. With a packed campaign office, was there 30% Asian American representation? Of course not.
There was plenty of diversity in the office, with white, Latinos, African Americans, and some Asian Americans - maybe a handful - that were there. Asian Americans will never get the support and interest in government if we’re not involved! Get active. Donate (for Obama hopefully). Don’t be a silent minority… as this recent local TV news story in the swing state of Nevada in Las Vegas discusses.
2 Comments | Posted in: Observations, Politics
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Saturday, October 11, 2008 – 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Hilton San Francisco Financial District
750 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Join us to celebrate Asian American women in leadership, service and community.
Please note: Tickets are not refundable. Park across the street at Portsmouth Square garage on Kearny between Clay and Washington (entrance of left side of Kearny) or at the hotel.
Tickets available at: http://www.sawlbanquet08.eventbrite.com/
No Comments | Posted in: Announcements
15 Comments
I am a fan of Saturday Night Live, especially with last week’s impression of Governor Sarah Palin by Tina Fey. However, this past Saturday, I was offended - perhaps you were too. James Franco was the host, and he is currently a student at Columbia University in New York City, apparently to get his Master’s in Writing. Franco’s roommate is supposedly a “Ken Wo”:
“I got a great roommate named Ken Wo. He’s a bio-chem major. He’s here tonight… (camera on “Ken Wo” - audience laughter) You know, we have our arguments… He prints out his homework when I’m trying to sleep and I threw away his bed so my publicist could have a desk…”
Like Franco would actually be living in a Columbia University dorm room? Later, Franco’s “RA (Residence Advisor)” Craig shows up during the opening monologue and says:
“Come on man. Until you moved into Livingston Hall, I was top dog. It was just me and a bunch of dorks like Ken Wo. (camera on Ken Wo - audience laughter) - My bad, KWo, my bad.”
Come on Saturday Night Live (and the U.S. media)! Give us Asian American men a break. We *are not* all geeks and nerds who are pre-Med or engineering, etc. I had just previously written about Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles, and now I see this? Am I overreacting? As Angry Asian Man would say, “That’s racist.” (Hmm.. I wonder if Angry Asian Man will ever link to 8Asians…). Take a look for yourself and you decide here. (update: video taken down…)
15 Comments | Posted in: Discrimination, Entertainment, Observations, Sports, WTF
18 Comments
The short answer: No, but it won’t be for a lack of trying.
The long answer: Anyone who has a basic knowledge of J-Pop or K-Pop music knows who BoA is. If you don’t, here’s a brief synopsis: A 12 year old Korean girl auditions and gets drafted into the Korean music scene. She becomes huge in South Korean, then promptly goes to Japan and records a bunch of #1 Japanese records, making her the first Korean to do so. She promptly becomes a superstar all over Asia. Now BoA is 20 and there are dreams for her to make it big in the United States. Don’t they all, really? But this will be easier said than done, because — and let’s be brutally honest here, because I’m actually a really big fan of BoA since her Kimochi Wa Tsutamaru days — the girl can’t pronounce her Rs.
No, seriously. Take this song, performed by teen fashion dolls turned bad pop band Bratz, for example: I played this for a friend once and when BoA butchered the line “All the Girls” as “ARR DE GURRS,” I instantly lost what little credibility I had.
So now BoA is giving another go at it with her new single “Eat You Up,” and the big guns have been called: the song is produced by Bloodshy & Avant, who produced another song you may have heard of called “Toxic,” by Britney Spears. Her video producer is Diane Martel. And Flo Rida is rapping on one of the remixes.
If I was the agent of a pop star, those are the names I would want to be using, really. But at the end of the day, the great American music machine is more than that — it’s promotion, it’s going to radio stations, it’s going to TRL and having 15 year olds from New Jersey being able to love you through an accent and a lot of peace signs. And it’s a shame, because she has the image skills, she definitely has the dancing skills and watching an exhausted-looking BoA learning hip hop moves and auditioning dancers and dealing with Americans that speak 100-words-a-minute, she most definitely has the drive and the work ethic. And it’s for those reasons that I really want her to do well when her single comes out in digital format on October 7th.
But given the track record of Asian in the American music industry? I’m not holding my breath. At all. Here’s to vocoders and chest pops taking you to the top, girl. Vocoders and chest pops.
Update: The full song is available via a YouTube link here.
18 Comments | Posted in: Entertainment, Music
1 Comment
Did you know that this is a presidential election year? That Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama are running for president? If you’ve been tuned out to the election so far this year, here is a chance for you to learn more. The [San Francisco] South Bay First Thursdays, Asian Pacific Islander Justice Coalition, and Generation Engage are sponsoring a “Know Before You Go! Asian American Voter Education Night“:
United Way Building
1922 The Alameda, Room 107
San Jose CA 95126
Event schedule:
“Donations support refreshments, room rental, misc costs, and fee waivers. Recommended donation for program and food: $10 - $20 No one will be turned away for lack of funds.” RSVP here.
1 Comment | Posted in: Current Events, Politics
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