By Chantria Tram
Having gone through theatre school as one of the very few Asians in the program (we all acknowledged each other in the hallways as if to say “Hey! You’re Asian too! Congrats!!”), and reading plays that were beautiful but not quite reflective of the Asian experience, it was quite refreshing to read the script for my latest project entitled, Model Minority.
We have talked about Asians and Jews a number of times at 8asians, from Jewish/Asian marriages, to building bonds between Asian and Jewish communities and comparing limits on Asian admissions to elite colleges to admission limits on Jews during the 20th century. The recent marriage between Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan has heightened interest in this subject, so when couple Helen Kim and Noah Levitt published a paper about Jewish /Asian intermarriage, it made the New York Times. After reading the actual paper, I was surprised by a number of their findings.
http://youtu.be/t45jqsVSJWI
With all the Jeremy Lin news back in full force, it was only a matter of time before someone filmed a parody set to Gotye’s summer hit, “Somebody That I Used To Know.” Can we put this meme (and the Linsanity) to rest now?
A recent study by Michigan State professor Hyunkag Cho reveals that Asian American victims of domestic violence are unlikely to report it or seek help. Professor Cho cites cultural attitudes and also the lack of culturally sensitive services as causes of this problem. I hope that efforts like that of Erin Jerri Malonzo Pangilinan and Jeremy Lin can increase awareness and reduce the stigma associated with asking for help.
The new show Sullivan and Son premieres this week on TBS and I am sure everyone is excited about it. I’ve been seeing tons of ads for this show that seems to have appeared out of thin air and I couldn’t be happier that there is a sitcom that not only has an Asian lead but also a very culturally diverse cast.
We are definitely making strides folks.
But the main question is, “Will I watch the premiere?”
If you haven’t heard already from numerous sources, Jeremy Lin has officially taken the $25 million offer from Houston Rockets after his home team, the New York Knicks, refused to match the offer. If I was in his shoes, I would take that offer because I could certainly use the payroll upgrade. But then there is that question of loyalty and being grateful to the people that made you a standout in the first place. It’s pretty clear that this is not sitting well with a LOT of people.
By Van
Well folks, the television summer season is here, which means out with the old and in with the new. After HBO’s Girls got slammed for its lack of diversity, the latest contender is ABC Family’s Bunheads written by the creator of Gilmore Girls. I’ve gathered so far that Bunheads is a feel-good show about a big city dancer who moves back to the ‘burbs to teach a motley crew of girls how to be ballerinas. Sure enough, the girls are not individuals of color, which has lead to media backlash and the creator’s dodging the issue by citing everything from budget limitations to high demands, the challenges of getting a new show on the air, and trying to show a specific group of people. Hmm, I wonder what “specific” group of people that could be.
http://youtu.be/y1-CupxWo2A
Jeremy Lin is now officially moving to re-join the Houston Rockets (in case you haven’t been following the post-season affairs of the NBA, the draft and post-aftermath of free agency). Yes, I said re-join, since he technically was part of the Houston Rockets in December 2011, for about a week or two before being traded to the New York Knicks:
The Knicks cut ties with Lin on Tuesday night, ending a brief, spectacular and now-bittersweet love affair between Lin, a 23-year-old point guard, and an adoring fan base. Lin will play next season for the Houston Rockets, who signed him to a three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet that the Knicks chose not to match…The decision was said to be financial, not emotional. Lin’s contract contains a third-year balloon payment of $14.9 million, which would have cost the Knicks another $35 million or more in luxury-tax penalties. This so-called poison pill was devised by the Rockets to dissuade the Knicks from matching, and it proved effective.
I’ve meant to blog about this trend, and I sort of have, blogging about Asian Americans such as Nate Shinagawa, Grace Meng, and William Tong (though he pulled out of his Senatorial primary race). This year, there are a record number of 24 Asian American candidates running for Congress in 13 states:
“Three times as many Asian-Americans have been running for Congress in 2012 than in the past two elections, a nonpartisan political group says, and it’s a development that portends greater changes in demographic trends and reflects the recent political awakening of a minority group long confined to the margins of American society. “It’s extremely exciting,” says Gloria Chan, president and CEO of the Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies. “We could really stand to gain seats and affect the balance of power in Congress.””
Congresswoman Dr. Judy Chu is interviewed by CNN to talk about the growing trend of Asian Americans becoming involved and running for public office, as well as addresses some issues and preconceptions regarding the Asian American community. Chu makes the great point that “It’s a great step forward for all of us when the people who are making the decisions about America look like America.”
By Mina T Son
During film school, my filmmaking partner Sara Newens and I came across a story that we thought should get told. Three teenage athletes competing and training around the world for a shot at Olympic glory in the ultimate underdog sport: table tennis. Sign us up! The story is unconventional, quirky and cinematic. So we took to the crowd-sourcing platform, Kickstarter, to see if we could raise money to start filming.
To our surprise, we exceeded our goal and were amazed by the outpouring of interest and support. One year and 150 hours of footage later, we have begun editing. Buoyed by the success of our first campaign, we recently returned to Kickstarter to raise post-production funds to finish this film by early 2013.
There are some times when I’m happier being amongst my Third Culture Kid crowd than I am amongst the Asian American crowd. Having grown up in Manila and Hong Kong, spent extended time in Bangkok and Singapore, and now currently working in Jakarta, every time I head over to a bar or hear an American accent, I usually turn my head in their direction. If it comes from an Asian American (after confirming they aren’t fellow TCKs), I take extra care to make sure they don’t fit into one of the five types of Asian American Assholes in Asia I want to avoid.
Within the Asian American theater and entertainment community, a huge uproar is in the air after the announcement was made on who the cast members were for La Jolla Playhouse‘s The Nightingale, a musical set in feudal China. This came to light for many APA folks in the community after actress Erin Quill released her biting article aptly titled “Moises Kaufman can kiss my ass and here’s why,” in where she is bewildered by the majority of the cast members being non-Asians and where the emperor of China is played by a white dude.
Asian Guys and that One Long Pinky Fingernail
In a Post-Apocalyptic Zombie World, Asian American Man Gets White Girl
APA Spotlight: Kent Wong, Director of the Center for Labor Research and Education at UCLA
The Difference Between Internment Camps and Concentration Camps
Having An Asian Moment: Rihanna And Her Racist Rice Cakes
Asians Behaving Badly: Edward Younghoon Shin Alledgedly Murders Business Partner & Blogs About It
The Science and History of the Asian Squat
Frozen Flower: Reviews via Chat