Sorry I've been MIA from the blog (not that I assume you've even noticed). I've been apartment hunting and packing for the last few weeks. Finally moved this weekend. Now that the madness is (mostly) over, I can pay a little more attention to the rest of the world.
I've lived in this last apartment for 3 1/2 years, which is the longest I've ever lived anywhere, save Mom & Dad's. When I came to California from Texas 4 years ago, I didn't have too much with me. I had moved alot during college (once, 7 times in a year, yes 7), so I had gone against the pack rack tendencies so prevalent in my family and shed a lot of stuff.
I think I need to do that again, cuz man, it was a bitch to move. I've got a lot of crap now. I completely filled a truck and felt embarrassed about it. On top of my own stuff, Hyphen has no office and most of its stuff was stored in my apartment. The new apartment is smaller, so I've been running around, trying to divvy up the goods among different staff. Still, I had to move plenty of Hyphen boxes.
I tried to go through my stuff while I was packing, but apparently I did not let go of enough. I probably recycled half the magazines I owned. I had collected a year's worth of New York Times Sunday Magazines. There were New Yorkers from a year ago I still had not read. And countless indie mags. I feel especially bad when I throw out an indie magazine because I know all too well from experience what went into making an issue. Blood. Nothing less than blood. But damn, magazines are heavy, so some of them had to go, even pilot issues and first issues.
I also have back issues of various Asian American magazines and I feel obligated to keep those, especially since so many of them aren't in publication any more.
Anyhow, speaking of magazines, I just got my Bust magazine in the mail and Sandra Oh is on the cover. Two of my friends don't like her. One complains that she is difficult to look at. The other says she's always got "that look" on her face. By that, I think she means an exasperated, annoyed look. Whatever. How can you complain about someone in TVland who doesn't have that generic pretty look? As to that look on her face? I think it depends on the character she's portraying. And Sandra often plays strong women, women who will beat your sorry self with a motorcycle helmet. So, she's all good in my book. Kick ass, Sandra. Kick ass!
Posted by Melissa at 12:22 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Sorry I've been MIA from the blog (not that I assume you've even noticed). I've been apartment hunting and packing for the last few weeks. Finally moved this weekend. Now that the madness is (mostly) over, I can pay a little more attention to the rest of the world.
I've lived in this last apartment for 3 1/2 years, which is the longest I've ever lived anywhere, save Mom & Dad's. When I came to California from Texas 4 years ago, I didn't have too much with me. I had moved alot during college (once, 7 times in a year, yes 7), so I had gone against the pack rack tendencies so prevalent in my family and shed a lot of stuff.
I think I need to do that again, cuz man, it was a bitch to move. I've got a lot of crap now. I completely filled a truck and felt embarrassed about it. On top of my own stuff, Hyphen has no office and most of its stuff was stored in my apartment. The new apartment is smaller, so I've been running around, trying to divvy up the goods among different staff. Still, I had to move plenty of Hyphen boxes.
I tried to go through my stuff while I was packing, but apparently I did not let go of enough. I probably recycled half the magazines I owned. I had collected a year's worth of New York Times Sunday Magazines. There were New Yorkers from a year ago I still had not read. And countless indie mags. I feel especially bad when I throw out an indie magazine because I know all too well from experience what went into making an issue. Blood. Nothing less than blood. But damn, magazines are heavy, so some of them had to go, even pilot issues and first issues.
I also have back issues of various Asian American magazines and I feel obligated to keep those, especially since so many of them aren't in publication any more.
Anyhow, speaking of magazines, I just got my Bust magazine in the mail and Sandra Oh is on the cover. Two of my friends don't like her. One complains that she is difficult to look at. The other says she's always got "that look" on her face. By that, I think she means an exasperated, annoyed look. Whatever. How can you complain about someone in TVland who doesn't have that generic pretty look? As to that look on her face? I think it depends on the character she's portraying. And Sandra often plays strong women, women who will beat your sorry self with a motorcycle helmet. So, she's all good in my book. Kick ass, Sandra. Kick ass!
Posted by Melissa at 12:22 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Sorry I've been MIA from the blog (not that I assume you've even noticed). I've been apartment hunting and packing for the last few weeks. Finally moved this weekend. Now that the madness is (mostly) over, I can pay a little more attention to the rest of the world.
I've lived in this last apartment for 3 1/2 years, which is the longest I've ever lived anywhere, save Mom & Dad's. When I came to California from Texas 4 years ago, I didn't have too much with me. I had moved alot during college (once, 7 times in a year, yes 7), so I had gone against the pack rack tendencies so prevalent in my family and shed a lot of stuff.
I think I need to do that again, cuz man, it was a bitch to move. I've got a lot of crap now. I completely filled a truck and felt embarrassed about it. On top of my own stuff, Hyphen has no office and most of its stuff was stored in my apartment. The new apartment is smaller, so I've been running around, trying to divvy up the goods among different staff. Still, I had to move plenty of Hyphen boxes.
I tried to go through my stuff while I was packing, but apparently I did not let go of enough. I probably recycled half the magazines I owned. I had collected a year's worth of New York Times Sunday Magazines. There were New Yorkers from a year ago I still had not read. And countless indie mags. I feel especially bad when I throw out an indie magazine because I know all too well from experience what went into making an issue. Blood. Nothing less than blood. But damn, magazines are heavy, so some of them had to go, even pilot issues and first issues.
I also have back issues of various Asian American magazines and I feel obligated to keep those, especially since so many of them aren't in publication any more.
Anyhow, speaking of magazines, I just got my Bust magazine in the mail and Sandra Oh is on the cover. Two of my friends don't like her. One complains that she is difficult to look at. The other says she's always got "that look" on her face. By that, I think she means an exasperated, annoyed look. Whatever. How can you complain about someone in TVland who doesn't have that generic pretty look? As to that look on her face? I think it depends on the character she's portraying. And Sandra often plays strong women, women who will beat your sorry self with a motorcycle helmet. So, she's all good in my book. Kick ass, Sandra. Kick ass!
Posted by Melissa at 12:22 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Egads! It's the last day of Asian Heritage Month. Well, i rather resent that designation because to me, every month is Asian heritage month. Just like every day is My Day, a Woman's Day (take that, Peter Gabriel!). I mean, isn't ownership implied --when a white man tells us it's our month, it means the months are his to give, right? and it means the rest of of the months are white man's months. unless it's secretary's day, or collect flyswatters week, or bike to work day.
Yes, I get it. We have our special month so that documentaries will get aired on PBS and we have some special time to schedule AA arts festivals and such. And it's obviously necessary to get attention at some time of the year, so why not May?
Wait! I just looked up the Census Bureau website and it turns out that May is also "Older Americans" Month. What's up with that? We have to share our month? What if you're both older AND Asian? that's like having your birthday on Christmas -you're kind of dissed.
Is that saying something about Asians, that we're the same month as "Older Americans"? (Older than whom, anyway? Older than me? the president? their children? I guess that's supposed to be a nice way of saying "old". Old Americans Month. Elderly? Senior? I don't know anyone above the age of 16 who appreciates being called "older" or who ran around saying, "this is my month! I'm older!)
I also didn't notice any public celebration of Older Americans Month. It was subsumed by APA Month. So are we unwittingly oppressing Older Americans? Or is every month Older American Month --I mean, look at Congress, the president, the heads of corporations, most rich people. They're older. So they don't need to have special Older Americans Festivals, Street faires, and little public service announcements on TV.
I didn't actually set out to write a big gripe about APA heritage month --i meant to share that if you have a kid in your life, you can get them to write an essay for "Growing Up Asian in America" essay contest. Click the link to read past winners.
Anyway, the month is almost over, so everyone can go back to living their regular, non Asian Heritage Month lives. You can ignore us again, starting tomorrow.
Posted by jennifer at 11:15 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Egads! It's the last day of Asian Heritage Month. Well, i rather resent that designation because to me, every month is Asian heritage month. Just like every day is My Day, a Woman's Day (take that, Peter Gabriel!). I mean, isn't ownership implied --when a white man tells us it's our month, it means the months are his to give, right? and it means the rest of of the months are white man's months. unless it's secretary's day, or collect flyswatters week, or bike to work day.
Yes, I get it. We have our special month so that documentaries will get aired on PBS and we have some special time to schedule AA arts festivals and such. And it's obviously necessary to get attention at some time of the year, so why not May?
Wait! I just looked up the Census Bureau website and it turns out that May is also "Older Americans" Month. What's up with that? We have to share our month? What if you're both older AND Asian? that's like having your birthday on Christmas -you're kind of dissed.
Is that saying something about Asians, that we're the same month as "Older Americans"? (Older than whom, anyway? Older than me? the president? their children? I guess that's supposed to be a nice way of saying "old". Old Americans Month. Elderly? Senior? I don't know anyone above the age of 16 who appreciates being called "older" or who ran around saying, "this is my month! I'm older!)
I also didn't notice any public celebration of Older Americans Month. It was subsumed by APA Month. So are we unwittingly oppressing Older Americans? Or is every month Older American Month --I mean, look at Congress, the president, the heads of corporations, most rich people. They're older. So they don't need to have special Older Americans Festivals, Street faires, and little public service announcements on TV.
I didn't actually set out to write a big gripe about APA heritage month --i meant to share that if you have a kid in your life, you can get them to write an essay for "Growing Up Asian in America" essay contest. Click the link to read past winners.
Anyway, the month is almost over, so everyone can go back to living their regular, non Asian Heritage Month lives. You can ignore us again, starting tomorrow.
Posted by jennifer at 11:15 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Egads! It's the last day of Asian Heritage Month. Well, i rather resent that designation because to me, every month is Asian heritage month. Just like every day is My Day, a Woman's Day (take that, Peter Gabriel!). I mean, isn't ownership implied --when a white man tells us it's our month, it means the months are his to give, right? and it means the rest of of the months are white man's months. unless it's secretary's day, or collect flyswatters week, or bike to work day.
Yes, I get it. We have our special month so that documentaries will get aired on PBS and we have some special time to schedule AA arts festivals and such. And it's obviously necessary to get attention at some time of the year, so why not May?
Wait! I just looked up the Census Bureau website and it turns out that May is also "Older Americans" Month. What's up with that? We have to share our month? What if you're both older AND Asian? that's like having your birthday on Christmas -you're kind of dissed.
Is that saying something about Asians, that we're the same month as "Older Americans"? (Older than whom, anyway? Older than me? the president? their children? I guess that's supposed to be a nice way of saying "old". Old Americans Month. Elderly? Senior? I don't know anyone above the age of 16 who appreciates being called "older" or who ran around saying, "this is my month! I'm older!)
I also didn't notice any public celebration of Older Americans Month. It was subsumed by APA Month. So are we unwittingly oppressing Older Americans? Or is every month Older American Month --I mean, look at Congress, the president, the heads of corporations, most rich people. They're older. So they don't need to have special Older Americans Festivals, Street faires, and little public service announcements on TV.
I didn't actually set out to write a big gripe about APA heritage month --i meant to share that if you have a kid in your life, you can get them to write an essay for "Growing Up Asian in America" essay contest. Click the link to read past winners.
Anyway, the month is almost over, so everyone can go back to living their regular, non Asian Heritage Month lives. You can ignore us again, starting tomorrow.
Posted by jennifer at 11:15 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Hello from Wisconsin, the cheese state! And when I write "cheese", I mean it metaphorically, as well as literally. I wandered to the state capitol building yesterday (I'm in Madison, natch), drawn there by the sight of crowds and the sound of punk rock. There, at the weekly farmers market, I saw a band composed of 10 - 14 year olds, playing a remarkably competent cover of Green Day's "Longview", with a blonded woman not much older than I am -- very obviously one of the bandmembers' mothers -- dancing away furiously as he sang "My mother says to get a job but she don't like the one she's got."
Such is life in the 21st Century Midwest. The long view on a cultural milieu in which I (partly) grew up, is not why I'm here, though. I'm here to be a major geek by attending the annual feminist science fiction convention, Wiscon, until recently the only of its kind, and still the largest and preeminent. Here's where our nation's smartest and most enlightened nerds exclude the lesser media (games, television, films and comic books) in favor of literature and raise science fiction to a literary endeavor. Here's where, supposedly, our geekelite wrangle the free reflection of the identity politics of the day through fantastical and futuristic fictions. And here's where the cheese really hits the fan.
I started my Wiscon experience having my palms read by a woman whose heavy cleavage was liberally bedecked with chest hair. No, San Francisco, she's not a transsexual on hormones. This was, presumably, a naturally occurring phenomenon, and one, I dare to suspect, more commonly occurring than we know. What makes this Wiscon is that she was wearing a low-cut top and baring cleavage. The (to urban hipsters) scary and (to urban hipster haters) refreshing thing about geeks at all, and about smart Wiscon nerds in especial, is the Dare To Be Ugly ethos. You've never seen so many unkempt beards (yes, there are men at a feminist sci-fi convention), unwashed pony tails (especially those topped by balding domes), elastic-banded waists, and too-fast, nervous elevator talk in one place before. (Well, you haven't. I have.) My condescending tone aside though, this is a place where looks really don't matter, dress really doesn't matter, your understanding of fashions -- be they textile or literary -- doesn't matter. What matters is what of that stuff between your ears you can put on the table, and how nice and friendly you can be doing it. It's not the pretty society, but it is, in the abstract, the ideal one. You go, nerds and nerdlets!
Thus far I've attended panels and heard papers on The Colonial expressed in science fiction (and was told by a man claiming American Indian ancestry that my criticism of whites who "go native" was a projection of 21st Century ideas onto the 18th); The expression of honor in "Star Trek"; and Our Love/Hate Relationship with Fashion Dolls (including Barbie.) Later today I will take in Buddhism and Taoism in Science Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy as a Teaching Tool, and probably yet another reading. And tonight I'll attend my third round of parties on the sixth floor of the hotel. Yep, it's a convention; the only thing I need to complete the experience is a hot tubbing moment.
For those nerds isolated out in the "mainstream" world, where realism, and especially gritty urban realism, is the height of literary legitimacy, conventions such as these are essential to maintaining healthy self-esteem and a community of the like-minded. But even within a gathering of outcasts such as Wiscon, there are minorities. My most meaningful event so far was my attendance at the Carl Brandon Society panel. The Carl Brandon Society (named after the fictional African American sci-fi fan invented by white writer Terry Carr) is a newly-incorporated collective of speculative fiction writers of color first convened at Wiscon in 1999. Thus far their only programs aside from gatherings at Wiscon have been a website with a national events calendar, a very useful annual bibliography, and a listserv: i.e. all virtual. Gettin' ambitious now, Carl Brandon is planning more substantial, in-person activities which necessitate money, and is therefore instituting membership.
Only about 10 or 11 people attended the panel. The base of anger, stubbornness, and consciouness of self in a contrary space, that underlies all ethnic-specific endeavors, appeared at its odd moments to contradict the language of togetherness all ethnic-specific endeavors must adopt. I felt very much at home suddenly. Later that day, when explaining what the Carl Brandon Society was to an English fashion photographer (himself rather out of place at Wiscon), he laughed at me and said, "I have more color than you do! I want to be a person of color too!" I laughed, but felt even more powerfully after that how little headway the Hyphen Magazines of the world have made. Look here at how many ways there are to exclude and to simplify people. Look here at how equally important it is to ally yourself and to maintain your integrity as an individual. I hope that's what I'm doing here.
Posted by claire at 9:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Hello from Wisconsin, the cheese state! And when I write "cheese", I mean it metaphorically, as well as literally. I wandered to the state capitol building yesterday (I'm in Madison, natch), drawn there by the sight of crowds and the sound of punk rock. There, at the weekly farmers market, I saw a band composed of 10 - 14 year olds, playing a remarkably competent cover of Green Day's "Longview", with a blonded woman not much older than I am -- very obviously one of the bandmembers' mothers -- dancing away furiously as he sang "My mother says to get a job but she don't like the one she's got."
Such is life in the 21st Century Midwest. The long view on a cultural milieu in which I (partly) grew up, is not why I'm here, though. I'm here to be a major geek by attending the annual feminist science fiction convention, Wiscon, until recently the only of its kind, and still the largest and preeminent. Here's where our nation's smartest and most enlightened nerds exclude the lesser media (games, television, films and comic books) in favor of literature and raise science fiction to a literary endeavor. Here's where, supposedly, our geekelite wrangle the free reflection of the identity politics of the day through fantastical and futuristic fictions. And here's where the cheese really hits the fan.
I started my Wiscon experience having my palms read by a woman whose heavy cleavage was liberally bedecked with chest hair. No, San Francisco, she's not a transsexual on hormones. This was, presumably, a naturally occurring phenomenon, and one, I dare to suspect, more commonly occurring than we know. What makes this Wiscon is that she was wearing a low-cut top and baring cleavage. The (to urban hipsters) scary and (to urban hipster haters) refreshing thing about geeks at all, and about smart Wiscon nerds in especial, is the Dare To Be Ugly ethos. You've never seen so many unkempt beards (yes, there are men at a feminist sci-fi convention), unwashed pony tails (especially those topped by balding domes), elastic-banded waists, and too-fast, nervous elevator talk in one place before. (Well, you haven't. I have.) My condescending tone aside though, this is a place where looks really don't matter, dress really doesn't matter, your understanding of fashions -- be they textile or literary -- doesn't matter. What matters is what of that stuff between your ears you can put on the table, and how nice and friendly you can be doing it. It's not the pretty society, but it is, in the abstract, the ideal one. You go, nerds and nerdlets!
Thus far I've attended panels and heard papers on The Colonial expressed in science fiction (and was told by a man claiming American Indian ancestry that my criticism of whites who "go native" was a projection of 21st Century ideas onto the 18th); The expression of honor in "Star Trek"; and Our Love/Hate Relationship with Fashion Dolls (including Barbie.) Later today I will take in Buddhism and Taoism in Science Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy as a Teaching Tool, and probably yet another reading. And tonight I'll attend my third round of parties on the sixth floor of the hotel. Yep, it's a convention; the only thing I need to complete the experience is a hot tubbing moment.
For those nerds isolated out in the "mainstream" world, where realism, and especially gritty urban realism, is the height of literary legitimacy, conventions such as these are essential to maintaining healthy self-esteem and a community of the like-minded. But even within a gathering of outcasts such as Wiscon, there are minorities. My most meaningful event so far was my attendance at the Carl Brandon Society panel. The Carl Brandon Society (named after the fictional African American sci-fi fan invented by white writer Terry Carr) is a newly-incorporated collective of speculative fiction writers of color first convened at Wiscon in 1999. Thus far their only programs aside from gatherings at Wiscon have been a website with a national events calendar, a very useful annual bibliography, and a listserv: i.e. all virtual. Gettin' ambitious now, Carl Brandon is planning more substantial, in-person activities which necessitate money, and is therefore instituting membership.
Only about 10 or 11 people attended the panel. The base of anger, stubbornness, and consciouness of self in a contrary space, that underlies all ethnic-specific endeavors, appeared at its odd moments to contradict the language of togetherness all ethnic-specific endeavors must adopt. I felt very much at home suddenly. Later that day, when explaining what the Carl Brandon Society was to an English fashion photographer (himself rather out of place at Wiscon), he laughed at me and said, "I have more color than you do! I want to be a person of color too!" I laughed, but felt even more powerfully after that how little headway the Hyphen Magazines of the world have made. Look here at how many ways there are to exclude and to simplify people. Look here at how equally important it is to ally yourself and to maintain your integrity as an individual. I hope that's what I'm doing here.
Posted by claire at 9:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Hello from Wisconsin, the cheese state! And when I write "cheese", I mean it metaphorically, as well as literally. I wandered to the state capitol building yesterday (I'm in Madison, natch), drawn there by the sight of crowds and the sound of punk rock. There, at the weekly farmers market, I saw a band composed of 10 - 14 year olds, playing a remarkably competent cover of Green Day's "Longview", with a blonded woman not much older than I am -- very obviously one of the bandmembers' mothers -- dancing away furiously as he sang "My mother says to get a job but she don't like the one she's got."
Such is life in the 21st Century Midwest. The long view on a cultural milieu in which I (partly) grew up, is not why I'm here, though. I'm here to be a major geek by attending the annual feminist science fiction convention, Wiscon, until recently the only of its kind, and still the largest and preeminent. Here's where our nation's smartest and most enlightened nerds exclude the lesser media (games, television, films and comic books) in favor of literature and raise science fiction to a literary endeavor. Here's where, supposedly, our geekelite wrangle the free reflection of the identity politics of the day through fantastical and futuristic fictions. And here's where the cheese really hits the fan.
I started my Wiscon experience having my palms read by a woman whose heavy cleavage was liberally bedecked with chest hair. No, San Francisco, she's not a transsexual on hormones. This was, presumably, a naturally occurring phenomenon, and one, I dare to suspect, more commonly occurring than we know. What makes this Wiscon is that she was wearing a low-cut top and baring cleavage. The (to urban hipsters) scary and (to urban hipster haters) refreshing thing about geeks at all, and about smart Wiscon nerds in especial, is the Dare To Be Ugly ethos. You've never seen so many unkempt beards (yes, there are men at a feminist sci-fi convention), unwashed pony tails (especially those topped by balding domes), elastic-banded waists, and too-fast, nervous elevator talk in one place before. (Well, you haven't. I have.) My condescending tone aside though, this is a place where looks really don't matter, dress really doesn't matter, your understanding of fashions -- be they textile or literary -- doesn't matter. What matters is what of that stuff between your ears you can put on the table, and how nice and friendly you can be doing it. It's not the pretty society, but it is, in the abstract, the ideal one. You go, nerds and nerdlets!
Thus far I've attended panels and heard papers on The Colonial expressed in science fiction (and was told by a man claiming American Indian ancestry that my criticism of whites who "go native" was a projection of 21st Century ideas onto the 18th); The expression of honor in "Star Trek"; and Our Love/Hate Relationship with Fashion Dolls (including Barbie.) Later today I will take in Buddhism and Taoism in Science Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy as a Teaching Tool, and probably yet another reading. And tonight I'll attend my third round of parties on the sixth floor of the hotel. Yep, it's a convention; the only thing I need to complete the experience is a hot tubbing moment.
For those nerds isolated out in the "mainstream" world, where realism, and especially gritty urban realism, is the height of literary legitimacy, conventions such as these are essential to maintaining healthy self-esteem and a community of the like-minded. But even within a gathering of outcasts such as Wiscon, there are minorities. My most meaningful event so far was my attendance at the Carl Brandon Society panel. The Carl Brandon Society (named after the fictional African American sci-fi fan invented by white writer Terry Carr) is a newly-incorporated collective of speculative fiction writers of color first convened at Wiscon in 1999. Thus far their only programs aside from gatherings at Wiscon have been a website with a national events calendar, a very useful annual bibliography, and a listserv: i.e. all virtual. Gettin' ambitious now, Carl Brandon is planning more substantial, in-person activities which necessitate money, and is therefore instituting membership.
Only about 10 or 11 people attended the panel. The base of anger, stubbornness, and consciouness of self in a contrary space, that underlies all ethnic-specific endeavors, appeared at its odd moments to contradict the language of togetherness all ethnic-specific endeavors must adopt. I felt very much at home suddenly. Later that day, when explaining what the Carl Brandon Society was to an English fashion photographer (himself rather out of place at Wiscon), he laughed at me and said, "I have more color than you do! I want to be a person of color too!" I laughed, but felt even more powerfully after that how little headway the Hyphen Magazines of the world have made. Look here at how many ways there are to exclude and to simplify people. Look here at how equally important it is to ally yourself and to maintain your integrity as an individual. I hope that's what I'm doing here.
Posted by claire at 9:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The US Pan Asian American Chamber of Conference held the largest national business conference for AAs at the beginning of May. Guess what they called it? CelebrAsian 2005!
This may not be the first or last time I'll complain about this, but people! Come on! Making -tion and -cion words into "blahblahAsian" is NOT clever! Not original! Not funny! In fact, I'll go so far as to say it makes us Asians look like big loser dorks. ImaginAsian? InnovAsian? Think a little harder please!
Anyway, Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor, was one of the speakers at the conference. Chao was recently honored by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) Inc, who presented her with Ellis Island Medal of Honor in a ceremony on Ellis Island on May 14.
The award is for "Americans of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their own ethnic groups and to American society." We've written a little about Chao in Hyphen because Chao has done all sorts of anti-labor, anti immigrant stuff and is seen by many in the AA community as Not A Help At All, a token, or Just a Little Less Bad than Condeleeza Rice.
(Go here to see some reasons why.)
But Hey! She's the first Asian American woman to hold a cabinet level post (Shame on you Democrats! How did you let the Republicans beat you at this!) and is thusly celebrated on Ellis Island, which she supposedly passed on her way to New York on a freighter at age 8.
Other great things about CelebrAsian? "The Corporation of the Year and Government Agency of the Year awards were also given to Verizon and the U.S. Department of Interior, respectively."
Government Agency of the Year? Now, why didn't we think of that! Hyphen should give out awards for like, Ambassador of the Year, Senator of the Year, (give you a hint: it won't be Bill Frist) Vice President of the Year (no award for the last 5 years) and State Department Undersecretary of the year. those guys are the unsung heroes, man.
(Don't even get me started on Verizon, though. thanks to the lies told to me by their rep. they were trying to charge me an extra 80 bucks the other day. If you really want details email me.)
But I shouldn't make fun of the chamber of commerce. The USPAACC works to diversify government contracts, awards scholarships, helps nurture entrepeneurs, recognizes talent in the community, and all around tries to promote Asian Americans in business. They could probably give Hyphen a pointer or two on, you know, business stuff.
Just please, Chamber of Commerce Chairpeople, when you're giving us an award in 10 years, don't put "CelebrAsian 2015" on the trophy.
(PS: I'm not as cocky of a bastard as I sound. really i'm not.)
Posted by jennifer at 10:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The US Pan Asian American Chamber of Conference held the largest national business conference for AAs at the beginning of May. Guess what they called it? CelebrAsian 2005!
This may not be the first or last time I'll complain about this, but people! Come on! Making -tion and -cion words into "blahblahAsian" is NOT clever! Not original! Not funny! In fact, I'll go so far as to say it makes us Asians look like big loser dorks. ImaginAsian? InnovAsian? Think a little harder please!
Anyway, Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor, was one of the speakers at the conference. Chao was recently honored by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) Inc, who presented her with Ellis Island Medal of Honor in a ceremony on Ellis Island on May 14.
The award is for "Americans of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their own ethnic groups and to American society." We've written a little about Chao in Hyphen because Chao has done all sorts of anti-labor, anti immigrant stuff and is seen by many in the AA community as Not A Help At All, a token, or Just a Little Less Bad than Condeleeza Rice.
(Go here to see some reasons why.)
But Hey! She's the first Asian American woman to hold a cabinet level post (Shame on you Democrats! How did you let the Republicans beat you at this!) and is thusly celebrated on Ellis Island, which she supposedly passed on her way to New York on a freighter at age 8.
Other great things about CelebrAsian? "The Corporation of the Year and Government Agency of the Year awards were also given to Verizon and the U.S. Department of Interior, respectively."
Government Agency of the Year? Now, why didn't we think of that! Hyphen should give out awards for like, Ambassador of the Year, Senator of the Year, (give you a hint: it won't be Bill Frist) Vice President of the Year (no award for the last 5 years) and State Department Undersecretary of the year. those guys are the unsung heroes, man.
(Don't even get me started on Verizon, though. thanks to the lies told to me by their rep. they were trying to charge me an extra 80 bucks the other day. If you really want details email me.)
But I shouldn't make fun of the chamber of commerce. The USPAACC works to diversify government contracts, awards scholarships, helps nurture entrepeneurs, recognizes talent in the community, and all around tries to promote Asian Americans in business. They could probably give Hyphen a pointer or two on, you know, business stuff.
Just please, Chamber of Commerce Chairpeople, when you're giving us an award in 10 years, don't put "CelebrAsian 2015" on the trophy.
(PS: I'm not as cocky of a bastard as I sound. really i'm not.)
Posted by jennifer at 10:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The US Pan Asian American Chamber of Conference held the largest national business conference for AAs at the beginning of May. Guess what they called it? CelebrAsian 2005!
This may not be the first or last time I'll complain about this, but people! Come on! Making -tion and -cion words into "blahblahAsian" is NOT clever! Not original! Not funny! In fact, I'll go so far as to say it makes us Asians look like big loser dorks. ImaginAsian? InnovAsian? Think a little harder please!
Anyway, Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor, was one of the speakers at the conference. Chao was recently honored by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) Inc, who presented her with Ellis Island Medal of Honor in a ceremony on Ellis Island on May 14.
The award is for "Americans of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their own ethnic groups and to American society." We've written a little about Chao in Hyphen because Chao has done all sorts of anti-labor, anti immigrant stuff and is seen by many in the AA community as Not A Help At All, a token, or Just a Little Less Bad than Condeleeza Rice.
(Go here to see some reasons why.)
But Hey! She's the first Asian American woman to hold a cabinet level post (Shame on you Democrats! How did you let the Republicans beat you at this!) and is thusly celebrated on Ellis Island, which she supposedly passed on her way to New York on a freighter at age 8.
Other great things about CelebrAsian? "The Corporation of the Year and Government Agency of the Year awards were also given to Verizon and the U.S. Department of Interior, respectively."
Government Agency of the Year? Now, why didn't we think of that! Hyphen should give out awards for like, Ambassador of the Year, Senator of the Year, (give you a hint: it won't be Bill Frist) Vice President of the Year (no award for the last 5 years) and State Department Undersecretary of the year. those guys are the unsung heroes, man.
(Don't even get me started on Verizon, though. thanks to the lies told to me by their rep. they were trying to charge me an extra 80 bucks the other day. If you really want details email me.)
But I shouldn't make fun of the chamber of commerce. The USPAACC works to diversify government contracts, awards scholarships, helps nurture entrepeneurs, recognizes talent in the community, and all around tries to promote Asian Americans in business. They could probably give Hyphen a pointer or two on, you know, business stuff.
Just please, Chamber of Commerce Chairpeople, when you're giving us an award in 10 years, don't put "CelebrAsian 2015" on the trophy.
(PS: I'm not as cocky of a bastard as I sound. really i'm not.)
Posted by jennifer at 10:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Colonial Me was born on distant shores and flew on a jet plane to a parallel life in a new land, wailing and shitting her diapers. There, a culture rich in means, but starved in education, rejected her with television and gap-filled history books, ravished her heritage with stereotypes and unbelievably corny magazine advertisements. They married and had many misunderstandings. Apparently, true multifculturalism had yet to be invented.
Do you think that this ad from Colonial Williamsburg intended to trip so many totally not okay wires, or do you think their ad agency is just stoopid? For the record, this appeared in the Atlantic Monthly last month (thanks to Annalee Newitz for the tip) and I tore this one out of the New York Times Style Magazine (yes, I know: why do I still bother reading them?) from last Sunday.
For those of you dying to know, "Colonial Williamsburg" is pretty much just that: a theme park whose theme is the Williamsburg, Virginia of colonial times. In their words:
"Colonial Williamsburg is the world’s largest living history museum—the restored 18th-century capital city of Britain’s largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World. Here we interpret the origins of the idea of America, conceived decades before the American Revolution. The Colonial Williamsburg story, “Becoming Americans,” tells how diverse peoples, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolved into a society that valued liberty and equality. Americans cherish these values as a birthright, even when their promise remains unfulfilled."
Indeed.
As the ad's tagline says "Connect with your inner 18th Century". And why not? If their ad agency can do it, so can you.
Posted by claire at 2:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Colonial Me was born on distant shores and flew on a jet plane to a parallel life in a new land, wailing and shitting her diapers. There, a culture rich in means, but starved in education, rejected her with television and gap-filled history books, ravished her heritage with stereotypes and unbelievably corny magazine advertisements. They married and had many misunderstandings. Apparently, true multifculturalism had yet to be invented.
Do you think that this ad from Colonial Williamsburg intended to trip so many totally not okay wires, or do you think their ad agency is just stoopid? For the record, this appeared in the Atlantic Monthly last month (thanks to Annalee Newitz for the tip) and I tore this one out of the New York Times Style Magazine (yes, I know: why do I still bother reading them?) from last Sunday.
For those of you dying to know, "Colonial Williamsburg" is pretty much just that: a theme park whose theme is the Williamsburg, Virginia of colonial times. In their words:
"Colonial Williamsburg is the world’s largest living history museum—the restored 18th-century capital city of Britain’s largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World. Here we interpret the origins of the idea of America, conceived decades before the American Revolution. The Colonial Williamsburg story, “Becoming Americans,” tells how diverse peoples, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolved into a society that valued liberty and equality. Americans cherish these values as a birthright, even when their promise remains unfulfilled."
Indeed.
As the ad's tagline says "Connect with your inner 18th Century". And why not? If their ad agency can do it, so can you.
Posted by claire at 2:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Colonial Me was born on distant shores and flew on a jet plane to a parallel life in a new land, wailing and shitting her diapers. There, a culture rich in means, but starved in education, rejected her with television and gap-filled history books, ravished her heritage with stereotypes and unbelievably corny magazine advertisements. They married and had many misunderstandings. Apparently, true multifculturalism had yet to be invented.
Do you think that this ad from Colonial Williamsburg intended to trip so many totally not okay wires, or do you think their ad agency is just stoopid? For the record, this appeared in the Atlantic Monthly last month (thanks to Annalee Newitz for the tip) and I tore this one out of the New York Times Style Magazine (yes, I know: why do I still bother reading them?) from last Sunday.
For those of you dying to know, "Colonial Williamsburg" is pretty much just that: a theme park whose theme is the Williamsburg, Virginia of colonial times. In their words:
"Colonial Williamsburg is the worlds largest living history museumthe restored 18th-century capital city of Britains largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World. Here we interpret the origins of the idea of America, conceived decades before the American Revolution. The Colonial Williamsburg story, Becoming Americans, tells how diverse peoples, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolved into a society that valued liberty and equality. Americans cherish these values as a birthright, even when their promise remains unfulfilled."
Indeed.
As the ad's tagline says "Connect with your inner 18th Century". And why not? If their ad agency can do it, so can you.
Posted by claire at 2:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
With the hype of imminent summer mega-blockbusters like "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," fresh in both our minds and the headlines, it's hard to imagine the entertainment industry (or at least some parts of it) are suffering:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/16/DDG0VCP0031.DTL .
The fun times never end!
Posted by at 12:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
With the hype of imminent summer mega-blockbusters like "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," fresh in both our minds and the headlines, it's hard to imagine the entertainment industry (or at least some parts of it) are suffering:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/16/DDG0VCP0031.DTL .
The fun times never end!
Posted by at 12:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
With the hype of imminent summer mega-blockbusters like "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," fresh in both our minds and the headlines, it's hard to imagine the entertainment industry (or at least some parts of it) are suffering:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/16/DDG0VCP0031.DTL .
The fun times never end!
Posted by at 12:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
From Livia Ching, one of Hyphen's copy editors
I don't have a whole lot of free time to surf the Internet so when I do I try to make it count. It's always been fun to see what new scandals are revealed through the paper trails of the rich and famous and notoriously stupid on The Smoking Gun.
I was reading about Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride and about the mess she made in Georgia. A few of the emails that came in about what a "bowser" she is and how the search was a total waste of time were amusing. I laughed when a couple people wrote in to suggest she get medical attention for hyperthyroidism because her photo showed her eyeballs popping out of her face.
However, when I got to e-mail #23, I stopped laughing.
"While watching the news conference given by the family today there was a gentleman at the end of the tent on the right that went out of his way to keep his face off camera. This was an Oriental looking gentleman. I was scanning the crowd knowing that sometimes people who commit crimes like to be in the limelight or on the fringes of an investigation."
First off, it's disconcerting to know that there are still people who will describe a person as being "Oriental" and thinking that's kosher, the status quo. Even in liberal California, I've faced more than a few uneducated comments regarding my ancestry as "Oriental" rather than "Asian" or "Chinese." Besides the fact that the word "Oriental" comes from Western academia, categorizing regions of the world with colonization in mind, the history of the word has been ugly in the United States. "Oriental" is an ethnic slur, akin to "nigger" and I have had experience with that word being used with that purpose. So when "Oriental" is being used in polite company, knowing what I know about the term, why would I not try to speak up on how that makes me feel as a person who is proud of being Asian American and not "Oriental?"
More troubling about the email is how the "concerned citizen" addresses the "Oriental looking gentleman." The tone smacks of an old American stereotype of the Chinese: "Orientals are sneaky and can't be trusted." Bellsouth.net has at least one customer who thinks it's the dirty chink who did something to the innocent white girl. No need to even veil it with the "Oriental looking gentleman" moniker. I hear you loud and clear Mr. Bellsouth.net. You still think race is a divider and that sneaky Oriental looking men should be suspect whenever you see one. I don't even want to know what you think of Oriental looking women. Chancing upon this kind of prevalent attitude on one of my rare moments of levity made me realize why it is important I continue to work on Hyphen.
Besides the uninformed racial term in the email, if the police were to take it seriously, an innocent Asian man would have had to endure a judgment call purely on the way he looks. And sadly, that's a reality a lot of minorities continue to face today.
I think we need to send more copies of Hyphen to the South... I would welcome any comments you have about terms you've come across in our media that made you feel like the outsider when you thought you were just a part of it all.
Posted by Melissa at 3:14 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
From Livia Ching, one of Hyphen's copy editors
I don't have a whole lot of free time to surf the Internet so when I do I try to make it count. It's always been fun to see what new scandals are revealed through the paper trails of the rich and famous and notoriously stupid on The Smoking Gun.
I was reading about Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride and about the mess she made in Georgia. A few of the emails that came in about what a "bowser" she is and how the search was a total waste of time were amusing. I laughed when a couple people wrote in to suggest she get medical attention for hyperthyroidism because her photo showed her eyeballs popping out of her face.
However, when I got to e-mail #23, I stopped laughing.
"While watching the news conference given by the family today there was a gentleman at the end of the tent on the right that went out of his way to keep his face off camera. This was an Oriental looking gentleman. I was scanning the crowd knowing that sometimes people who commit crimes like to be in the limelight or on the fringes of an investigation."
First off, it's disconcerting to know that there are still people who will describe a person as being "Oriental" and thinking that's kosher, the status quo. Even in liberal California, I've faced more than a few uneducated comments regarding my ancestry as "Oriental" rather than "Asian" or "Chinese." Besides the fact that the word "Oriental" comes from Western academia, categorizing regions of the world with colonization in mind, the history of the word has been ugly in the United States. "Oriental" is an ethnic slur, akin to "nigger" and I have had experience with that word being used with that purpose. So when "Oriental" is being used in polite company, knowing what I know about the term, why would I not try to speak up on how that makes me feel as a person who is proud of being Asian American and not "Oriental?"
More troubling about the email is how the "concerned citizen" addresses the "Oriental looking gentleman." The tone smacks of an old American stereotype of the Chinese: "Orientals are sneaky and can't be trusted." Bellsouth.net has at least one customer who thinks it's the dirty chink who did something to the innocent white girl. No need to even veil it with the "Oriental looking gentleman" moniker. I hear you loud and clear Mr. Bellsouth.net. You still think race is a divider and that sneaky Oriental looking men should be suspect whenever you see one. I don't even want to know what you think of Oriental looking women. Chancing upon this kind of prevalent attitude on one of my rare moments of levity made me realize why it is important I continue to work on Hyphen.
Besides the uninformed racial term in the email, if the police were to take it seriously, an innocent Asian man would have had to endure a judgment call purely on the way he looks. And sadly, that's a reality a lot of minorities continue to face today.
I think we need to send more copies of Hyphen to the South... I would welcome any comments you have about terms you've come across in our media that made you feel like the outsider when you thought you were just a part of it all.
Posted by Melissa at 3:14 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
From Livia Ching, one of Hyphen's copy editors
I don't have a whole lot of free time to surf the Internet so when I do I try to make it count. It's always been fun to see what new scandals are revealed through the paper trails of the rich and famous and notoriously stupid on The Smoking Gun.
I was reading about Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride and about the mess she made in Georgia. A few of the emails that came in about what a "bowser" she is and how the search was a total waste of time were amusing. I laughed when a couple people wrote in to suggest she get medical attention for hyperthyroidism because her photo showed her eyeballs popping out of her face.
However, when I got to e-mail #23, I stopped laughing.
"While watching the news conference given by the family today there was a gentleman at the end of the tent on the right that went out of his way to keep his face off camera. This was an Oriental looking gentleman. I was scanning the crowd knowing that sometimes people who commit crimes like to be in the limelight or on the fringes of an investigation."
First off, it's disconcerting to know that there are still people who will describe a person as being "Oriental" and thinking that's kosher, the status quo. Even in liberal California, I've faced more than a few uneducated comments regarding my ancestry as "Oriental" rather than "Asian" or "Chinese." Besides the fact that the word "Oriental" comes from Western academia, categorizing regions of the world with colonization in mind, the history of the word has been ugly in the United States. "Oriental" is an ethnic slur, akin to "nigger" and I have had experience with that word being used with that purpose. So when "Oriental" is being used in polite company, knowing what I know about the term, why would I not try to speak up on how that makes me feel as a person who is proud of being Asian American and not "Oriental?"
More troubling about the email is how the "concerned citizen" addresses the "Oriental looking gentleman." The tone smacks of an old American stereotype of the Chinese: "Orientals are sneaky and can't be trusted." Bellsouth.net has at least one customer who thinks it's the dirty chink who did something to the innocent white girl. No need to even veil it with the "Oriental looking gentleman" moniker. I hear you loud and clear Mr. Bellsouth.net. You still think race is a divider and that sneaky Oriental looking men should be suspect whenever you see one. I don't even want to know what you think of Oriental looking women. Chancing upon this kind of prevalent attitude on one of my rare moments of levity made me realize why it is important I continue to work on Hyphen.
Besides the uninformed racial term in the email, if the police were to take it seriously, an innocent Asian man would have had to endure a judgment call purely on the way he looks. And sadly, that's a reality a lot of minorities continue to face today.
I think we need to send more copies of Hyphen to the South... I would welcome any comments you have about terms you've come across in our media that made you feel like the outsider when you thought you were just a part of it all.
Posted by Melissa at 3:14 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Did y'all see John Cho the other week on Grey's Anatomy? He plays a sick dude. A little sad for a guy who has starred in movie... But apparently is not quite a movie star.
It got me to thinking, because last week I interviewed Damien Nguyen, star of The Beautiful Country. You haven't heard of him yet because all he's done is background gangster guys. The film will release July 7 (also starring Bai Ling, see Hyphen issue 7 for the interview) but Damien did a really great job.
He plays Binh, a hapa kid of a Vietnamese mom and a GI dad (Nick Nolte, of all people) and has the requisite thick accent and defeated air. But we see Binh's character develop in subtle ways, exploding in rage and grief and growing into risk-taking and confidence.
So here he is, this totally American dude --good looking but not extraordinarily pretty-- and I'm happy for him. He's starred in a movie, he got his break. But will it stick? Or will he, like John Cho, still need to take insignificant bit parts?
It's not that I'm saying we should be above those roles, I just want us to have some bona fide movie stars. John Cho was supposed to be one of them --he's got a lot of real Hollywood experience on his resume. You'd never see any of those other kids from American Pie playing background smaltz to the romantic wranglings of a bunch of medical residents on a Monday night. Can you imagine Tara Reid all pale and croaky about to be wheeled into surgery behind Patrick Dempsey making the moves on some other blonde chick? no. Of course not.
On the brighter side, here's an article about Kalpen Modi aka Kal Penn. The more I read about him, the more I like him. (I actually interviewed him too, and liked him live in person. But sometimes my judgement gets clouded by charm and good looks in those situations.) He's at least getting roles in films (although I will always remember and love him as one of the frat-boys-turned-cavemen on Buffy).
To be fair, John Cho has a bunch of stuff down the pipeline, Bam Bam and Celeste, also starring Margaret Cho, Bickford Schmeckler's Cool Ideas, See This Movie, and Expats. So why why why Grey's Anatomy?
On other representation of Asians fronts...
-There's an exhibition at NYU of "Yellow Peril" memorabilia --which sounds fascinating. You have to listen to the NPR clip on it here --they play crazy clips like "You're a sap, Mr. Jap" --which became a score of a Warner Bros. cartoon.
-The Nguyen Dance Company will perform "Struggle to Survive, 30 Years Crying for Vietnam" at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center on June 10. The group mixes modern dance with traditional Vietnamese movement --but the photos of them hanging upside down in unitards makes me think they lean toward the modern side. Modern dance is just cool and if you haven't figured that out yet, check out their show.
-An Indian American guy got tapped to be CFO of the Executive office of the President. Of the United States. I didn't even know he had a CFO, but I guess someone has to take care of all that money. Read about him, Gopal K. Khanna here.
-Hearings are starting to discuss building a memorial to Japanese Americans who were interned during WWII. Up in Washington State.
-A coalition of Asian American organizations are demanding an on-air apology from the DJs known as "The Jersey Guys," Craig Carton and Ray Rossi, who mocked Asian accents when discussing the candidacy of Jun Choi and said that "Americans" should determine elections (previously reported in the Hyphen blog). While the radio station has issued a written apology, the Coalition against Hate Media says that's not enough --they want an on-air apology, sensitivity training and a change of corporate policy.
-(Not exactly on representation, but whatever): Starbucks is trying to invade Japantown --in the space where the old Japantown Bowl used to live, the redevelopment agency has approved a Starbucks and a UPS store. Locals are mad, citing a previous dislocation during "urban renewal" (--not to mention internment). J-town is already such a stunted few blocks, but it'll be feisty to the bitter end. On the other hand, since there's a Starbucks on every corner in Tokyo, this might bring a extra air of authenticity.
Posted by jennifer at 10:16 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Did y'all see John Cho the other week on Grey's Anatomy? He plays a sick dude. A little sad for a guy who has starred in movie... But apparently is not quite a movie star.
It got me to thinking, because last week I interviewed Damien Nguyen, star of The Beautiful Country. You haven't heard of him yet because all