The irony was not lost on any of us when the initiative measure known as Proposition 8, which fundamentally alters the California state constitution, would be titled the “California Marriage Protection Act” (emphasis my own). It might have been titled the “Marriage Definition Act,” as the initiative seeks to define what is and is not “marriage.” “Marriage Protection,” however, no matter where one stands on the issue, makes no sense.

Marriage is an institution. It is an establishment, an organization of behavior or relationships charged by social and cultural models. Social and cultural models change with time, with the changes relative to the demographics of the people in that society or culture. Thus, institutions change. They change because people reach little epiphanies along the way about what “fair and justice” or “equality” means.

Please, by all means let us argue and debate over what “marriage” means. Discourse is good. Where civil rights may be involved, though, it becomes imperative that we first find common ground. So let’s say “marriage” at its very basic definition, means the formal ratification of a human union or relationship. Marriage is the institution that governs that formal ratification process. This denominator protects the most people. That’s what our purpose here is, right? To protect people, namely our neighbors, who we love; because when God said love thy neighbor, the implication there is that we ought to protect them. That’s part of what it means to love.

A “Marriage Protection Act” should therefore protect all human unions or relationships that seek to be formally ratified. Then, the details of the governance would be worked out through the democratic ways we Americans have been trying to preserve with our War on Terrorism. A provision that reads “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California” (which is word for word how Article 1, Section 7.5 of California’s Constitution will read if Prop 8 is passed) is not a protection of the institution of marriage, but rather is explicit discrimination within the institution of marriage.

Before we go any further, I would like to revise Section 1 of Proposition 8 so that our laws utilize language more precisely. It is the “Marriage Definition Act” at its nicest and “Marriage Discrimination Act” at its most accurate. I would be okay with any of those two titles. I am not okay with the misleading title “Marriage Protection.”

As a social conservative, I am voting NO on Prop 8 because marriage is sacred to me, and I oppose any law that might pervert the sanctity of marriage.

Even if equal protection is irrelevant to me (as a minority in this country, equal protection should NEVER be irrelevant to us), I still care about the economy. Passage of Prop 8 means significant revenue loss, mainly in sales taxes, to state and local governments. This could mean a loss of tens of millions of dollars in just the next few years. That kind of money does not sound negligible to me, and I’m sure a public school district receiving that money for rehabilitation wouldn’t consider it negligible, nor would any other group or institution receiving those “excess” funds.

Finally, if we really want to pass Prop 8, then we must also rethink the Pledge of Allegiance. “With Liberty and Justice for All”? We should amend it with a measure called “Justice for All Protection Act” and include an asterisk with a list of exceptions by the word “All.”

Oh, and no, I won’t bother tying this into Asian Americanism to validate this post’s place at 8Asians.com. As people who have historically been excluded from what “All” means in this country, it would be shameful for any of us to support any form of inequality.

[Editors note: Although the blog post was written by akrypti, the title was conceived by Ernie. Flickr photo credit: brenbot.]

However, to encounter the same question and comment in China from the local Chinese absolutely perplexes me. While I speak fluent Mandarin, it’s clear I’m not a native speaker. Thus every single time — not once or twice; I’m talking about a 100% phenomenon here — I talk to a stranger in China, I get asked the question, “Where are you from?” If I say America or refer to myself as American, the stranger looks at me like I’m lying through my teeth and I get asked again, “No, where are you really from?” In the event that I insist I’m American by virtue of being born and raised there, the stranger then asks me, “Well then where are your parents from?” When I say Taiwan, they smile and remark, “Ah, so you’re Chinese.” No I’m not, but better to not get into a political debate over Taiwan’s independence in mainland China … or you might end up somewhere horrible.

I get a kick out of the way the local Chinese think they know my heritage better than me. They tell me that my homeland is China, not America, not Taiwan, but China. They won’t let the issue rest if I consider America my home or even refer to Taiwan as a place of origin. It’s China. You’re Chinese. Your homeland is China. You’re not coming to China; you’re coming back to China. The locals I talk to never fail to correct my grammar on that point — I’m not coming “to” Zhong Guo, I’m coming “back to” or “returning to” Zhong Guo. If I bother to argue that I have no relatives at all in China, they point out, “Yes you do. You have relatives in Taiwan. That’s China. So you’re Chinese!”

Seriously. It’s not like I’m aching for a fight and initiate conversations about cross-straits relationships; the Chinese bring it up, vigorously insisting there is no such thing as Taiwanese, but only Chinese. It’s infuriating to me, utterly offensive. Live and let live, for crying out loud. If I think I’m Taiwanese, not Chinese, what’s it to you? What right do you have to tell me otherwise? If you feel you gotta, then nuke the island to the bottom of the ocean just because you can; but don’t point an index finger at my face and tell me how I should think and feel. That much is my own prerogative.

There’s also the issue of conversing in English with other expats in China. If you’re white and speaking English in public in China, then that’s okay. Nobody looks at you funny. If you’re chinky looking, like me, and you’re speaking English in public in China, then people stare. I’m talking unabashed full out open-mouthed gawking. Locals have admitted to me that they find it offensive when Chinese(-looking) people speak English in public. They think that we think we’re better than them simply because we can speak English and thus by speaking English in public in China, we’re flaunting our sense of superiority in their faces. I find that to be twisted logic and a bad case of insecurity on their part for thinking like that; and yet the mentality persists. I’m not sure what negative legacy other expats have left in China to cause the local Chinese to think this way, to think that American-born Chinese strut around with a sense of superiority over the natives, but there it is.

For whatever reason, the sense of superiority whites feel over the locals is not a matter of concern, but the sense of superiority Asian Americans supposedly feel is intolerable. White Americans in China are treated like royalty, but Asian Americans in China are treated like crap. I’ve witnessed it: a white guy struggling to order a meal at McDonald’s in broken Mandarin gets smiled at and receives all the patience in the world, but an Asian American struggling with the same gets a cold glare and no help at all.

So what if I was born in some hick little middle-Americana town like any other Joe Shmoe white folk? So what if I was raised in some hick little middle-Americana town like any other Joe Shmoe white folk? I’m not white and thus not American enough to be considered such in America and now apparently because I’m not white, I’m not American enough to be considered such in China as well. The native Chinese hold the same thought as mainstream white America: that you’re not really an American unless you’re white. What I never knew before was how pervasive the ignorance really was. It saddens me to no end that the native Chinese have adopted an ignorant typically-white perspective on what it means to be American. To cite another cliché, Asian Americans really are caught in this margin between an Asian identity and an American one.

Thus, I have given up trying. Instead of identifying America as my “lao jia” or homeland when talking to people in China, I simply say Taiwan, even though I’ve been to Taiwan all of, what, three times in my lifespan? When they say after that, “Ah, so you’re Chinese,” I sigh and say, “Sui bian ni. Ni yao shuo wo shi zhong guo ren, na wo jiu shi zhong guo ren ba.” (translation: Whatever. If you wanna say I’m Chinese, then so be it, I’m Chinese.)

Then, of course, if I’m overheard speaking what I consider to be my native tongue, the Chinese will further exclaim, “Wow. Your English is very, very good! Where did you ever learn to speak it so well?!”

Setting aside the situation of China pointing missiles at my homeland (i.e., Taiwan) or the news we hear in the States about media censorship by the Chinese Communist regime, general violations of human and civil rights, lead-poisonous toys, subjugation of the Tibetan people, outlawing reincarnation (just because they can?), among other miscellaneous shameful ways China behaves, I could not have foreseen myself singing in the shower a song with the lyrics, “I love you, China! I love you, China!” I also never imagined myself glowing with admiration for the Chinese people (look at how they came together to help victims of the Sichuan earthquake; when Hurricane Katrina happened, Americans plundered and looted; when 512 shook up China, the Chinese ran toward ground zero to rescue their countrymen). Dare I say it, my heart has begun to beat with a pulse of pride in China, the blessed Middle Kingdom.

Why? Because here in China, I’ve been watching TV and shopping at malls.

There has been a massive scale movement in both the government-controlled media and the subculture of Generation X and Y to breed patriotism. And I, like many other folks in China, have been swept away with giddy nationalism and gotten brainwashed. But can I really help it, without proactive self-evaluation and 24/7 critical analysis? Why exhaust myself like that? Especially when the “I Love You, China!” jingle is so darn catchy! As I mentioned, I absent-mindedly croon the chorus in the shower.

A popular T-shirt worn by youths in China sports a knock-off of the “I (Heart) New York” logo design, replacing “New York” with “China.” Waiters at night clubs, restaurants, and mall employees wear the “I (Heart) China” T-shirts as part of the company uniform. Furthermore, the T-shirts are sold for cheap anywhere one buys clothing, so many of the kids walking the streets are wearing these tees as well. When I passed a street vendor selling cute little baby tees with the logo and the tees cost 10 yuan (about 2 bucks US), I succumbed and bought one, too. I now own an “I (Heart) China” baby tee. Who among those familiar with my politics could have seen that one coming?

Also, if I watch three commercials, one of those three will refer to the greatness of China. A particular toothpaste commercial begins with a celebrity declaring, “I trust in the strength of China. Likewise, I trust in the strength of [Toothpaste Brand].” I’m not too good with my philosophy, but I think that’s a logical fallacy. Moving on.

There are frequent interruptions to scheduled programming on TV to air government-sponsored music videos featuring singers belting from the Great Wall or dancing hand in hand in the blooming pastures of central China. (There are tons of depictions in the media of various minority cultures in China wearing their traditional garb, holding hands and smiling, a la It’s-A-Small-World-After-All; who’d know from watching such footage that many of these cultures clash in civil strife and ethnic tension.) The songs for these music videos are always about the beauty, the magnificence, the strength and tenacity of China, the determination and heart of the Chinese people, yada yada ad nauseum. I say ad nauseum now, but at the time of watching such musical numbers, I get moved to tears and feel compelled to leap into the air and applaud. They’re so feel-good you can’t possibly watch unscathed. The direct correlation of America’s MTV-youth-subculture here in China would be pop stars singing and rapping about how great it is to be Chinese and fashion that include national Chinese emblems, like the Chinese flag.

There’s at least one channel on TV that broadcasts around the clock heartrending inspirational news about the earthquake. By news, I don’t mean the corruption of government officials in the Sichuan area who let negligent construction of public schools go uninspected, thereby causing the buildings to collapse like a tower of playing cards. By news, I mean the heroism of Chinese soldiers, the bravery of law enforcement officers, and the greatness of earthquake victims who received government relief checks but gave every penny right back to the government to “help other earthquake victims…” or so the story goes. The truth of the matter? I do not know. Nobody but the government really knows. Basically, after watching that channel for an hour, one cannot help but feel a sense of respect and esteem for the Chinese government, grateful are we to the core for all the Communist Party has done to rescue earthquake victims.

I caught the evening news a few nights ago and couldn’t help noting the difference of tone in Chinese news broadcasting and American news broadcasting. If negative news is reported in China, such as a horrific crime or natural disaster, it ends the broadcast with an uplifting message about what the Chinese government has done to step in and help victims or survivors. This gives the viewer a sense of security and reliance and faith in the government. I don’t ever recall feeling that way after watching American news broadcasting. In American news broadcasting, I get the daily sense that the world is coming to an end tomorrow and all hell is breaking loose. The more news I watch, the less sense of security and reliance and faith in the government I feel. No wonder the Chinese people seem to love their government and we Americans seem to hate ours.

Finally, while the rest of Asia’s soap operas and dramas are about unrequited love, suicide in the name of love, threats of suicide in the name of love, and general deaths as a result of being lovestruck, soap operas and dramas produced in mainland China are about the Communist Party. I’m constantly flipping past programs on TV about the courage and bravery of soldiers during the Cultural Revolution, the Communists fighting the KMT, the evil KMT, and the intellectualism of Maoist philosophy. The number of military movies is quite frightening. After watching just one or two of them, the seeds of patriotism were deeply implanted into my subconscious. Nurturing that seed with a shower of Chinese-pride commercials and music videos and before I knew it, I found myself a born again Chinese patriot. And I’m not even Chinese. I’m Taiwanese.

The Asian Diaspora has been firmly rooted in the West for centuries. And yet not a single APA writer appears on any of the aformentioned listings of banned books. No one is going to ban Amy Tan, Maxine Hong Kingston, David Henry Hwang, Gish Jen, Chang-rae Lee, or the new arrival Min Jin Lee. If put to the task, I’d figure Alexander Chee, Frank Chin, and Evelyn Lau might be banned, but they haven’t been. Why? Because few people outside the APA readership community has even heard of these writers.

If political change is what you’re after, the first thing you need to get done is have a book written by an APA writer be banned in schools. Until we’ve been banned by high schoools across middle America, we haven’t really made our mark yet in American letters.

Our bloggers keep getting head-bumped by affiliates of other APA sites, such as the Fighting 44s and the aforementioned MM. The head bumping come in the form of dissenting, arguably truculent comments to postings on our site, igniting flame wars we’d rather not feed. Then when we stamp out the little fireballs of “You whoriental white-loving submissive [insert your favorite profanities here],” we get accused of censoring opinions we disagree with. No, we don’t do that. Trust me if we did that, there wouldn’t be 50-some-odd comments to a thread containing the keyword “bi-racial.” We just censor opinions that if posted, would put our website in the NC-17 ratings.

The accusation of “model minority blog” implies that people think we as a whole group turn a blind eye to racial marginalization, to its unsettling, enduring legacy, its passive-aggressive manifestations in modern society, and its application to Gen-X and Gen-Y APAs. Wrong. We cried foul to the Mister Wong controversy when a German social bookmarking website tried to export their slanty-eyed Chinaman logo into the U.S. along with the ever catchy slogan “ping pong, King Kong, Mister Wong.” Our objections resonated loud enough to catch the attention of Germany’s Newsweek, which cited one individual APA blogger’s opinion as the voice of Asian America. Talk about feeling “uh…no, that wasn’t what I meant…” In any regard, the efforts prompted by our site caused Mister Wong to change its logo. 8A, the model minority? Between “INCREDIBLY FUCKING ANGRY” Asian and “model minority” Asian, I would NOT have picked “model minority” Asian to describe our dear Ernie there.

We handled flack from incensed white people for some of the content on our blog with a nod and tacit understanding, but what we don’t make heads or tails of at all is the flack we get from other APAs. I’d like to see open dialogue between our bloggers and those at MM, Fighting 44s, and any other APA-interest websites out there.

Heck, I call for a cyber-conference involving representative members from all interested APA-interest blogsites and discussion forums to address head-on an agenda listing of issues we’d all like to once and for all hash out in real-time and make public the transcript to that cyber-conference. It’d be a phenomenal resource to offer on the world wide web and might better help us understand each other and work toward a semblance of Asian unity. So, MM, Fighting 44s, any others: what say you?

Liu has been charged with second degree manslaughter for the death of Poon and for driving while intoxicated. Liu is now facing a possible prison sentence of anywhere from 2 to 7 years if convicted. Also, Poon hadn’t been wearing his seatbelt, according to a source. In many states, that’s also Liu’s fault. It’s been argued that Poon wasn’t required to wear his seatbelt, since he was sitting in the back; but sources also state that but for the fact he did not wear his seatbelt, he would be alive today.

An onslaught of outrage toward local authorities came from the campus communities and the Lambda Phi Epsilon brotherhood. They’re mad at the harsh treatment of Liu. It’s tragic that Willie Poon died in such an existential manner, but give me a break. Do people really think Liu should get away with this scot-free? He repents. He feels bad. His irresponsible asinine choices resulted in the death of someone he called a brother. Who wouldn’t repent and feel bad? His personal guilt doesn’t absolve him from legal consequences. He broke the law. Why does the charge of second degree manslaughter and DWI shock anyone’s conscience here? I’m sure Liu would welcome prison, the opportunity to atone for the harm he caused. If he doesn’t welcome prosecution, then he’s just another wayward youth who won’t own up to the consequences of his actions.

I’m perplexed at PressConnects, a local Binghamton news source, for watering down the culpability of Poon and Liu and anyone who knew that these boys were getting into a car with a drunk driver. The article mentions the graduation gift his fraternity got for him: a radar detector. Why would he need a radar detector? That really screams good citizen to me. A guy who needed a radar detector. It’s not clear to me what contribution Poon has made to his community. The greatest trait the author of the article could muster was “[Poon's friends] described Poon as a prankster, but also a serious student. He cared deeply about his friends.” Fine. Honor your dead; but no delusions of grandeur, please.

I’m further perplexed that nobody seems mad at Liu. I hope he gets convicted for involuntary manslaughter because not only is there a prima facie case for it against him, but kids like him — and there sure are a horde of them — need to face the difficult consequences of their recklessness.

“It just depends on how much you know about the individual,” says Wheeler. He tells us the police have narrowed down the suspect as being a “Hispanic male. Not a Black male, not a Chinese male,” Wheeler goes out of his way to lift his arms up and pull his eyes back into slits, “with his eyes like this…”

I first heard about this at Think Progress, here. Thank you, Courageous Kiwi, for the tip.

In the past, Wheeler has worked for the Attorney General of Ohio and also served in the Washington, D.C. police department.

Dear Mr. Wheeler:

Shame on you, sir, for turning on the community that supported and rallied behind a cause that might have been near and dear to your heart called the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Richard Aoki and Yuri Kochiyama ought to ring a bell if you have any respect for your own heritage and socio-political legacy.

In a time when minorities in this country should unite and combat together all that makes us feel marginalized, like second-class citizens, you have stood out to make your racial prejudice and ignorance known. I thought a man of your stature would be wise and open-minded. I thought you would see how your acts on national television are equally reprehensible as the anti-black statements the white majority make behind your back.

You still fight and over-achieve just to make it in a society that begins by assuming your incompetence. Why prove beyond a reasonable doubt to us all how uneducated you are by doing such a thing? You had to go out of your way to lift your arms up and pull your eyes. You had to demean an entire race of people who struggle with the same struggles as you.

I wonder, Mr. Wheeler, are you sorry you did it?

This year, our beloved Ernie, of the award-winning “Little. Yellow. Different.” and the founder of 8Asians.com, will be competing for the grand prize of cash and…and other prizes? Ernie, do you want to comment here on what those other prizes are?

The first challenge has gone underway, which is for each contestant to introduce himself. See Ernie’s here: “This is the part where I introduce myself.” To vote for him, click on the “thumbs up” image at the end of the entry on the right hand side. Check back weekly as each new challenge is given and click into Ernie’s post to give him the thumbs up!