Being Called American Isn’t The Ultimate Compliment You Can Give Minorities

In a continuation of the number one most asked question towards me ever, my Languages of Communication professor was going around the table last week, asking every minority “where they were from”.

“Well, I’m from here-“ I started.

“Right” he laughs, “From Colorado or something, right?”

“…But my family is from Hong Kong.”

This has become my answer crafted from years of being subject to the gamut of everything from “what ethnicity are you?” to the even more eloquent “what are you?” 

Frequently Asked Question: Who Cares?

“You put so much emphasis on race, why does it even matter so much to you?”

“Why do these situations make you so upset?”

“The more we talk about racism the more power we give it”

“Give me one reason why you care about racism so much”

That is a dose of friendship realness that I have received over the years about my passion for the Asian American community, racial politics, and my overall loathing of racism. 

I, for one, think it’s an outrage that people are not more outraged. 

Self- Racism? Asian on Asian Hate and the Internalization of Mainstream Prejudice

 

I remember first stumbling upon the viral video of the Asian American Chicago teen being violently beaten bloody and senseless by a group of six other teens behind an elementary school. (I will not post the video here because the sheer atrocities against humanity and all goodness in the clip are so severe it is tear and vomit inducing.)

Quick Thoughts on the Racists Over at Zadig & Voltaire

 

French brand Zadig & Voltaire is opening a hotel in Paris. This is what owner Thierry Gillier had to say about it:

“It will be a slightly private hotel, not open to everybody, with 40 rooms. We are going to select guests. It won't be open to Chinese tourists, for example. There is a lot of demand in Paris — many people are looking for quiet with a certain privacy.”

Perfect. 

On Cat Calls, Intersectionality and Being an AA Woman

Living as an Asian American woman in New York City, being attacked by racism is a daily situation. Being called “Chinadoll”, “cute Chinese girl” and the like is an everyday reminder of my extremely vulnerable position as an Asian American female in American society- constantly exoticised, sexualized and demeaned, all at once and with the expectation that we as AA females are just supposed to quietly take it. It is never just a “compliment” about your supposed attractiveness- it is attractiveness perpetually linked to the fetishism of the Orient, an Asian woman to fit in your box of assumptions and ideas of the exotic.

On Ni Hao and Being Chinese in America

Let me begin by saying that growing up Chinese American in the San Francisco Bay Area is really an amazing experience. The population of San Francisco is inundated with Chinese and Chinese Americans, especially in little niches and ethic enclaves like Chinatown and the Sunset District- many of these Chinese being Cantonese-speaking, much like myself.

On PSY and the American Consumption of the Asian Male

At 150 Million views on YouTube, South Korean hip-hop artist PSY's song and music video for "Gangnam Style" has gone beyond viral. On statistics and hype alone, chances are you've heard of it as well.