In our own little sheltered worlds today, we tend to forget the past, and surprisingly enough even the past of those who walk amongst us. It tends to surprise us when we find out that a mother was unable to see her 1 month old son for 38 years, or a young boy of 11 didn’t get to see his older brother for another 40 years. But for many in China and Taiwan it’s a common story, and one that isn’t often told or shared. Lung Yingtai tried to change that with the release of her new book, “Da Jiang Da Hai 1949” (“Big River, Big Sea — Untold Stories of 1949”)
Ms. Lung is a Taiwan-born author and University of Hong Kong professor, and the daughter of the mother mentioned in my example earlier. Her mother, left her son with his grandmother in September of 1949 at a train station, since he was being fussy. But she had no idea at the time she wouldn’t get to see him again for another 38 years after being forced to flee to Taiwan with the Communist takeover of China in October of 1949.
The young boy in my example above was my father, and although his tale isn’t told in Ms. Lung’s book, it is one of many stories of separation of families in China and Taiwan. The book is currently published in Chinese only, and already banned in the PRC. In addition to her own stories, Ms. Lung also includes tales of other Chinese families, elderly people who as young men fought for the Kuomintang, the Communist Party, or both, and even Japan.
I’m hoping the book gets translated and published into English, since I would certainly be among the purchasers of this book. When I tell my father’s tale to others in the U.S., it always surprises those who hear it. These tales aren’t commonly told, and it’s obvious by people’s reactions to them. I was lucky enough to meet my uncle and his family in 2003 on a trip to China with my parents before my dad and mom passed away. My great-grandparents (who raised my uncle) and dad’s sister (also raised in China), unfortunately are also no longer with us. My mother had her own story from that time as a little girl in Japanese-occupied Taiwan. But that’s another story for another blog article.
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A few weeks ago, Jee wrote a rave review Lac Su’s new book I Love Yous Are For White People. Comments from other folks who have already read the book agree with Jee — Lac’s book is a great read!
Wanting to get to know our new friend even better, Jee and I decided to see if Lac would play along with us in a round of 8 Questions with 8Asians. And what do you know? He was game!
You’ll find our questions — his answers — after the jump.
Continue Reading »
Shopping With GASP!
Okay, so the pessimists (or realists, depending on who you ask) know that the statement “love sees no color” is a fallacy. But leave it to okcupid — a Web 2.0 dating site that emphasizes quizzes like “The What type Punk Rocker are you Test” and user badges like “Less Desiring of Love” — to post a whopper of a blog post on their blog called Your Race Affects Whether People Write You Back, where a couple of engineers gathered profile data of a half a million okcupid profiles, put them into a couple of matrices full of red, yellow and green squares, and came up a troll-bait goldmine of a blog post, with soundbite gems such as “White women prefer white men to the exclusion of everyone else—and Asian and Hispanic women prefer them even more exclusively.” But is there room for interpretation in this data? And now that we know the racial reply rates of Vampire Weekend emo boys and female bi-poly Burning Man fans, does this really tell us anything about, well, anything? (Full disclaimer: I’m part of the problem.)
(Hat tip: George)
Others have blogged about this Target commercial earlier, but I wanted to chime in and also upload and link to a higher quality version. While I was watching TV over a week or so ago, I was fast forwarding through a bunch of commercials on my DVR when I noticed that there seemed to be a bunch of Asians in the commercial – so I quickly rewound and watched the commercial in full.
I was delighted. Target was highlighting “Shannon,” a mother of two and wife, taking care of herself and her family with products at Target where she can “Expect More. Pay Less.” I think this was the first time I’ve seen an Asian American simply portrayed as the normal, all-American family for a major nationwide brand. To many, this may be making something out of nothing, but for those who actually pay attention to such things, it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised. Just like when I saw Art in an eHarmony ad, an Asian American couple on a date in a Wells Fargo commercial, or Larry in an ad for CareerBuilder.com and having nothing to do with being Asian or not.
In general, I’ve always liked Target’s commercials; they’ve had always a certain level of creativity and hipness, and their choice of music and playfulness with everyday products has really improved their brand and business, and made it cooler to shop at Tar-zhay rather than Walmart.
A year or so ago, we had a post about Hepatitis B and how it disproportionately affects Asian Americans. For those who don’t already know, Hep B is a disease that attacks the liver without many noticeable symptoms leading many to dub it as the “silent killer” because those who could be infected rarely get tested for it to be diagnosed. Hep B leads to complications with the liver, in forms of liver cancer and liver failure, and could very much lead to death.
Hepb.org claims that over 12 million people in the United States have Hepatitis B and that it has an infection rate of 100,000 a year. An estimated 2 million people have chronic Hepatitis B in the United States and over half of those are of Asian decent. For that very reason, the B Here Campaign is trying to raise awareness on Hep B and it effects on the Asian American community. Recruiting many Asian American artists and performers, the B Here Campaign is bringing the likes of David Choi, KevJumba, AJ Rafael, Kaba Modern, Paul Dateh and others to UC Irvine, UC Davis, and the University of Houston to the spread the word. The performance and exhibit at UC Irvine will actually be tomorrow night, (they’ll visit Houston on the 13th and Davis on the 27th) so make sure you head on out! Visit willyoubhere.com for more info.
Ming-Na rocks. Seriously. Rocks.
And I love her even though she’s seriously messing with my fall season TV mojo. The thing is, I’m really trying to limit the number of new shows I get into this season. Originally, I only had Glee and Three Rivers on my list, but now I have to add Stargate Universe (SGU), too.
SGU is a military science fiction television series– part of the Stargate franchise– which debuted last night on Syfy (let’s not talk about the stupid re-branding of this cable station… whatevs!). The show follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team on board the ancient spaceship Destiny that is stranded in a distant corner of the universe and unable to return to Earth. Ming-Na is part of the regular cast as Camille Wray — the first regular Asian-American lesbian character on a TV series.
According to Wikipedia:
[Camille's character] is an International Oversight Advisory (IOA) accountant who becomes the highest-ranking IOA member left stranded on the ship. She has “a false sense of importance and superiority to the other military and civilian population along with a stubborn way of asserting it”… She is the first openly gay character in the Stargate franchise. Her long-time partner back on Earth, Sharon, will first appear in “Life” in a possibly recurring role.
Incidentally, the role of Sharon is played by 24‘s Reiko Aylesworth, who is part-Asian (she’s of Dutch, Welsh, and Japanese ancestry). According to SheWired.com, fans of girl-girl action “can expect a fleshed-out relationship replete with some on-screen intimacy.” (If that doesn’t get people to watch this show, I’m really not sure what else would!)
This character is history-making, not only because of the character’s openness and ethnicity, but also because it comes at a time when there is a dearth of (regular) lesbian characters on television– the only other one is played by Jessica Capshaw on Grey’s Anatomy. Among the varied roles Ming-Na has played– animated heroine Mulan, a doctor on ER, and Chun-Li in Street Fighter to name a few– this is her first lesbian character, which also gave her the chance to do her first on-screen kiss with another female. (Yes, it has already been taped, says Ming-Na.)
Even though the show is brand new, leaks about the storyline have already hit the Internet. A few months ago, it was reported that Camille’s character is ostensibly depicted having sex with a man, causing an uproar in the LGBT community. When SheWired asked, “Why do you think people responded so vigorously to that plot point in which outwardly, it seemed as though the writers copped out on the whole lesbian aspect of you character?”
Ming-Na responded:
There was a lot of misunderstanding, because when you get a breakdown, it’s never what the end product is—at all. It was an eye opener because I did see the passion from the lesbian community.
I wish my own community, the Asian-American community, would be as passionate about stuff. I really respect that. I think the producers were definitely aware of it and then they tried to correct some of the wrong impression that was made based on the breakdown. And to me, it was just truly an incredible episode. I’m kind of nervous about just watching the outcome –not what the reaction is – because I think once you watch it you’ll realize that it’s about what we take for granted and if that is stripped away from us, how do people deal with what they’ve lost?
And that’s sort of the crux of our show. All these people stranded on Destiny have lost everything except the shirt on their back and all they’re left with is really facing themselves. There are a lot of great morality plays to be dealt with. It’s about life. It’s about all of us. We’re so distracted by the computer, by Twitter…by television, shopping, and all this bombardment of commercialism, but if you take it all away? Who are you really? [full story]
So who is Ming-Na really? Well, according to her Twitter profile (@MsMingNa), she (briefly) describes herself as an “Actress, Geek, Cook, Knitter, Gardener, Decorator and now twitterholic.”
I’d add “role model” and “kickass rockstar” to that list. Hooray to Ming-Na for depicting an Asian-American lesbian character– giving visibility to an often invisible community (she didn’t find out the character was lesbian until after she was already cast). I’m looking forward to watching her character develop on SGU.
If you missed the premiere episode, catch it for free on iTunes or at SyFy Rewind.
At the U.S-Mexico border, an intriguing anomaly has unfolded. Authorities report an almost ten-fold spike in arrests of illegal immigrants from China in the southern Arizona desert. The Border Patrol in the Tucson sector has caught at least 261 Chinese crossers this year, compared to an average of 32 during the past four years — keeping the sector’s only Mandarin-speaking agent, a former Mormon missionary in China, very busy.
Chinese immigrants belong to a rare category known as OTMs: Other than Mexicans. OTMs are big business for smuggling gangs. Compared to Mexicans who pay about $1,500, fees for Central Americans and South Americans reach $6,000 and Haitians pay from $10,000 – $20,000. But the Chinese pay the most of all — they often work off fees between $30,000 and $70,000 over the course of several years as indentured servants in sweatshops and kitchens of New York and other cities. So why the influx of Chinese illegals? Enforcement officials are not sure. See the full story for more details.
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B HERE Live Event: Art Exhibit & Live Performance – B HERE, a new campaign created to raise awareness of hepatitis B. The event consists of an art exhibit featuring up and coming Asian American artists and a live performance featuring YouTube celebrities KevJumba, HappySlip and KABA Modern from MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. (October 5, 2009 from 10am to 9pm, Irvine CA)
AsianinNY.com Hosts Moon Festival Event – AsianinNY.com, New York’s leader in Asian networking and a multi-cultural sharing site, will host a Harvest Moon Festival event on Oct 9th 2009 from 7pm to 10pm at Bennett Media Studio to raise funds for Typhoon Morakot victims. On August 8th, 2009, Taiwan suffered from Typhoon Morakot, which caused the loss of hundreds of lives and millions of dollars in damages. The Moon Festival Event will be a dedication of the friends and families whose lives have been altered by this tragedy, and a celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. (October 9, 2009 from 7pm to 10pm, NYC)
Boston Asian American Students Intercollegiate Conference – Super strength, telekinesis, invisibility. “What’s Your Power?” is the theme of this year’s Boston Asian American Students Intercollegiate Conference (BAASIC). This conference aims to encourage Asian American students to open the discussion of political, social, and economic issues and explore Asian American culture and identity. (October 10, 2009, Boston)
Last week, Ken Jeong made his debut in the second episode of the new NBCs show Community, a comedy which follows the lives of community college students of diverse backgrounds. In the show, Ken portrays the self-described Spanish teacher, Señor Chang. In his first class, Señor Chang gives a nice little speech about him being a Spanish teacher: “Every once in a while, a student will come up to me and ask ‘Why do you teach Spanish?’ ” This reminded me of when I first started work and someone asked me – “Where are you from?” – and when I reply I’m from Massachusetts, he asked me “No, where are you really from?”
Why can’t Ken Jeong be a Spanish teacher? Of course he can be and that is what I love about his speech… Señor Chang then goes a little crazy and I worry he’s going to be a Vince Vaughn like character, but then acts normally – which I hope Ken remains, since in a lot of his movie roles, who often goes overboard, which can get tiring quickly.
UPDATE: Early bird gets the
wormautographed Mike Shinoda “Glorious Excess” art book! The first commenter is the winner! Congratulations to itzk2di2dm (Kimle)! Thanks to everyone who entered, and also to all the 8Asians contributors for not quitting because of Rule #2!
About a month ago, we reported that Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park fame opened a exhibit of his artwork called Glorious Excess (Dies) at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.
If you didn’t heed our advice and go see the exhibit right away, you and the rest of the procrastinators of the world have one final weekend to check it out. Glorious Excess (Dies) will be closing October 4, so it’s your last chance to check out this one-of-a-kind art show. While you’re at it, why not check out the ID Film Fest also happening in Little Tokyo this weekend, as well?
What’s that? You love Mike Shinoda and you want a little something to remember this exhibit by? Shinoda published a special Glorious Excess “Art Book” which is a 128-page full-color book that documents the bodies of work he created for (Born) and (Dies). The forward is written by world-renowned artist Shepard Fairey and also includes five insightful chapters written by Shinoda himself. (All proceeds from the book and other merchandise from this exhibit go to various charities Shinoda supports.)
What you could win from 8Asians:
One AUTOGRAPHED copy of the Glorious Excess Art Book
How do you enter?
Simply leave a short comment stating why you want to be chosen as the winner of the autographed Mike Shinoda book. (Be sure to use the email address you’d like to be contacted at if you’re the winner.)
Hurry, the deadline to enter is: Monday, October 5 at 11:59 pm (Pacific Time)
ONE lucky winner will be selected and contacted on Tuesday morning.
Rules for entering:
1) Please be in the US or Canada. Sorry, I will not be shipping anywhere else!
2) Contributors to 8Asians and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.
Prize courtesy of: 8Asians, with thanks to JANM and Mike Shinoda.
(Mike Shinoda photo taken by jozjozjoz; Cover artwork from MikeShinoda.com)
Even though Southern California is a melting pot of different cultures and deliciously diverse dining, the ways of the yummy Asian noodles might be lost on lawmakers. Kim Tar noodle factory has been in business for 25 years, supplying restaurants and markets with fresh rice noodles. But, a state law requiring refrigeration of noodles is threatening the life of these Asian noodles. Thankfully, some wise Asians are gathering their forces to fight the man who is trying to keep our noodles down. What I love even more than the fact that they are going to rally for the noodles is that they are planning a press conference at a restaurant in Monterey Park! (I grew up a stone-skip away from Monterey Park and still enjoy delectable Asian cuisine in MP.)
Health officials are standing their ground saying this is a matter of public safety and that “ethnic foods are not treated differently than other foods.” Newsflash health officials — Not all foods are created equal! If it’s customary for rice noodles to be stored at room temperature — and they have been for thousands of years — then storing them in the fridge doesn’t suddenly make them safer to eat! In fact, putting rice noodles in the fridge can ruin them! Asians noodles are not like other pastas. Leave our noodles alone!
By June
Some questions were raised in a recent interview in NPR about why there is a high percentage of suicide among Asian-American women. There are allusions to the high pressures of Asian parents and the usual stereotypes of submissive or sexualized women.
When I heard about this, I wasn’t surprised, because this has happened in my own family. But I can’t say I relate to the women stereotypes, because I was still just a kid when I first became depressed. Maybe I relate to some of the stereotypical parental pressures, but there were other problems.
I was born in Taiwan but raised in the U.S. from babyhood. I started out as a happy kid, but I became very depressed at the age of eleven. I felt helpless about finding help for this, because I didn’t feel I could relate to or communicate well with my own family, even my older brothers, who were essentially raised in a different culture. I felt I couldn’t talk to my American friends or teachers about it because I felt that they wouldn’t understand the kind of difficulty I was experiencing. Also having been raised in an affluent background, I sometimes questioned the validity of my own depression.
All this on top of the fact that seeking therapy or admitting to mental disorder seemed completely taboo (I’m sure this is true for many non-immigrant Americans as well), and one of my brothers probably had Asperger’s Syndrome when we had no idea what it was. I started to resent my own family for not addressing my brother’s Aspergian issues. It was a dysfunctional family without a lot of hope.
Like Ms. Wang experienced in her therapy, I was also skeptical of finding an American therapist or teacher who understood what I was going through. There were other Asian-American kids at school, but somehow they all seemed much more assimilated into American society and didn’t outwardly reflect the problems I was feeling. (My Chinese piano teacher seemed horrified that I was unfamiliar with all the standard Christmas songs, for example. Was I supposed to be mad at my teacher or my parents?)
But I was incredibly fortunate that I had a very functional and inspirational older brother who detected signs of my depression, and even though he had moved thousands of miles away to college, he recognized my feelings and my pain and kept reminding me that eventually there would be a way out. He helped me focus on what I could do later in life, when I could escape the confines of a dysfunctional family. I am not sure I would be here if he didn’t reach out to me that way.
When I was in my teens, my mother died, suddenly. I was told that she died of a heart attack. I was so stunned and numbed by this news, that I didn’t even have the impulse to hug my father like I wish I could have. It wasn’t until my father died many years later of cancer that I learned that my mother had actually committed suicide. But I wasn’t surprised. I knew she was depressed. But I didn’t know that she had also suffered from delusions.
I’m sure my whole family felt the guilt of not reaching out to her… and probably still do feel that guilt. Aside from the stereotypes of Asian culture, we had communication problems, we had cultural misunderstandings, and conflicts of values having grown up in differing cultures. I couldn’t comfortably express my feelings or thoughts at home, or if I did, I didn’t believe that anyone would listen or do anything about it. There was a huge sense of betrayal and isolation that grew from all of that. I also felt that my father was domineering and verbally abusive.
But looking back on it, my father likely had Asperger’s Syndrome as well. I believe my mother felt trapped (like I did) and tried to survive long enough to take care of us. When she became depressed and delusional, my family hid her mental illness from me (being the youngest) and anyone else. I understand that they wanted to protect us, but it ended up being very damaging, as my mother didn’t get the help that she needed.
There is a lack of education and awareness about mental disease in general, and any time there are unknowns, people become very afraid of it. I am still learning about it and dealing with it. I think there needs to be a heightened awareness especially for immigrant families, who fear mental illness and don’t know how to address it.
My parents also were very socially isolated, so that only diminished any hope of healthy-minded friends who could have reached out to them. As a result, I’ve made a point of broadening my social circle as a kind of extended family and support group. And even though my parents are gone, I have grown closer to my cousins and visit my extended family during the holidays to maintain a sense of family.
People who know me now recognize me as one of the happiest people they know. I’ve even been asked if I am ever sad, which is a little ridiculous. I am not a happy robot. I survived a very dark time, and so everyday I feel very fortunate to live a functional life now. I feel that I owe it to my parents to do what I can to be happy, because they weren’t as lucky to enjoy that. I had a lot of fears growing up, and along the way I’ve assured myself that I am capable and have found people who will support me. So now when times are difficult, I believe there is a way out of it, and I just need to be patient in finding it. And while I still try to be a very independent adult, I know that I can ask for help if I need it.
I should also point out that therapy is often not covered by insurance, so I am sure the financial burden of seeking therapy is a huge part of the problem. My father was self-employed, so I grew up without health coverage. My parents ultimately sacrificed their lives for us, and probably didn’t know any other way to deal with it, under the circumstances. I hope that any health reform that happens will address the complications of mental illness.
I hope that by sharing my story, it might help others understand the issues that lead to such tragedies and might prevent it from happening in your family.
ABOUT JUNE: June Shieh is a freelance Toy and Web Designer and a Californian transplant, now living in New York (soon to reside in Greenwich Village).
(Flickr photo credit: Paul J Everett)
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