Interesting Things You Might Have Missed: The Asian(American) Edition

Since I only post every other week, I try to alternate between outfit posts and more serious, thought-provoking (I hope) cultural posts. Today's post is of the latter-variety.

Sometimes I feel really helpless when I'm inundated by thoughtful critiques of how Asian(Americans) have been marginalized today/in history/overall. I like to give myself a 1-2 day media breather just so I can try to remind myself that 1. I'm lucky to be alive; 2. There are still a lot of really great people and I'm so glad to be surrounded by them; 3. There is a lot to be done and I need to be more involved. If you are like me and need a little catch-up on your news, critique, and interesting tidbits, here is what you missed in the Asian(American) world:

1. From Race Files: Why Are Asians So Racist?

Image courtesy of Race Files

I thought this was such an interesting read and has given me some really good food for thought. I get asked a lot this question and the other question that Racefiles answers (using historical information no less!): why do Asians stick with other Asians? This answer is much easier to answer (similar struggles/easier to relate, etc) but the former always stumped me. My favorite paragraph (but I urge you to read the entire thing):

Newly arrived immigrants assimilate a culture in which it is business as usual for American authority figures to arbitrarily pick out black people and treat them like criminals. It’s not that hard to see why many reach the conclusion that black people are prone to criminality, a racist impression that will be reinforced by TV, conservative politicians, movies, and popular music. But we all consume these same messages. So are Asians more racist? I doubt it. Instead, I argue we are less subtle because we often don’t understand the accepted racial etiquette. And keep in mind, that etiquette tends to make racism more rather than less difficult to combat by forcing it underground.

2.  NY Times Parenting: "Mixed Kids Are Always So Beautiful"
I am not Hapa/mixed so I don't have the right to say too much about this subject. I will say that as a kid, I heard this phrase a lot and it made me think that I wanted Western features so I, too, could be more beautiful. Obviously, I've left that hurtful and ignorant school of thought behind at the playground but it still pains me to hear people exoticize because of race which is something you're born with.

A few months ago, a white friend told me that if I ever had children with my now-boyfriend (which is not even something we're remotely considering right now or in the distant future/future), our kids would be, that's right, "so beautiful." She apologized but only for the fact that she thought it was forward of her to project our future.

And with that, a few points from the essay:

I think it is overly simplistic to chalk up all of these comments to prejudice (or, in the case of fellow Asians, internalized racism), though for some that could be one of many factors affecting their ideas about what is attractive. I imagine most people are genuinely trying to pay our children a compliment and do not realize quite how it sounds to home in on certain features amid their multiracial background.  

and:

As she grows up, I hope that people learn to bite their tongues in her earshot and refrain from unwelcome speculation and thoughtless remarks about her ethnicity. I hope she is able to mature without measuring herself against a standard of beauty that may slight her Korean half. I hope we can help her understand that beauty itself is highly subjective, and ultimately unimportant compared to everything else she is. And I hope she knows that no matter what, I will always find her beautiful, simply because she is my daughter.

 Courtesy of the Kochiyama family/UCLA Asian American Studies Center

3. What a badass: A brief friendship between Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama. Read and listen to this story on NPR. In a similar vein, what Asian(Americans) owe to the Civil Rights Movement.

4. This past week, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal wrote an op-ed piece about "The end of race" which is silly, ignorant, and (the scariest part) very common. Jindal brings up the fact that we must take heed with what Martin Luther King, Jr once said about America judging people based on the content of his character and not the color of his skin. The fact is, MLK Jr. didn't mean that you should IGNORE the color of his skin. As Alex Seitz-Wald says, Jindal "misunderstands King’s legacy and obscures the problems that minorities still face to this day while protecting the status quo."

5. Want to simultaneously roll your eyes and make your blood boil? Here's another edition of Flying While Brown(TM): Ramadan edition featuring JetBlue and Aditya Mukerjee.

6. And to end on a good note, I strongly urge you to watch Wong Kar-wai's latest about Ip Man, "The Grandmaster" which features several styles of kung fu, beautifully shot scenes, and a really amazing fight scene (spoilers if you haven't seen the movie!):

I know I'm missing A LOT so in the comments, please share the last interesting link/news/critique you read!