As always, what are some cool things you have read lately?
Image courtesy of Wall Street Journal
I think the title of this piece is misleading as she doesn't talk about her "nerdy" qualities until an afterthought of the piece and as someone who is in the public spotlight, it's not very secret is it?But aside from the nitpicking, here are some gems:
“I grew up watching Miss America for years and years, and as the daughter of immigrants, I always thought to myself that I could never be that — because I didn’t look a certain way; I didn’t fit the model of what was up there on that screen,” she says. “And it shouldn’t be about race, it shouldn’t — but it is. To be able to stand up there, and be an example for other little girls that America is now a very different place, that’s everything to me.”and:
There’s something else that Davuluri, Lee and Yeh have in common as well: They’re all Asian American, the first time in history that three out of the top five Miss America finishers were of Asian descent, in a year that saw more Asian American contestants than ever.
“Isn’t that a pretty good example of where we are as a country?” says Davuluri. “We’re not just a nation of black and white anymore. People need to see the amazing variety of cultures we have in America — and to learn a more inclusive respect for everyone’s traditions and beliefs.”
And a few more point/counterpoint on Miss America:
>>The Truth with Hasan Minhaj: Nina Davuluri is the new America (Youtube)
>>Haters Gonna Hate: The Hollow Victory of an Asian American Miss America (Hyphen Magazine)
>>The First Asian American Miss America Responds to the Hate (Huffington Post)
2. "The Nerds of Color"
Not a specific article as much as a cool site that I just discovered. If you're a geek/nerd culture fan who looks at things with a critical eye, this site is for you.
Image courtesy of GiantBomb.com
3. "Is it time to retire 'Apu'?" and Hari Kondabolu on "Totally Biased"
Apu has long been the bane of young Indian Americans' existence. For many, his name became a slur ("We all got called it," [Hari] Kondabolu asserts).
For those who grew up to become actors, he's practically a living foe. "I hate that guy," says Utkarsh Ambudkar, a Baltimore native born to south Indian parents.
One fine day, Ambudkar says, everyone at school started calling him "slushie boy." A friend explained: "He was like, 'Dude, there's this guy on this show. He runs a Kwik-E-Mart. Thank you, come again.'"
"It totally f--ked with my childhood," says Ambudkar, who made a promise to himself about the parts he would and wouldn't take: "You're not going to catch me selling hot dogs or working at a 7-Eleven."
Image courtesy of NPR
One of my favorite go-to blogs is Code Switch on NPR which combines current news with historical background. After Asian-American news anchor Julie Chen (which we posted about on our Facebook earlier) revealed that she had eyelid surgery to make herself look "less Asian," Code Switch blogger Kat Chow delves into what makes Asian eyes...Asian and also, what's up with European literature calling these eyes almond?
5. Kristina Wong on "8 Reasons People of Color Must Rally for a Long Overdue 'White History Month'" and talks about Asian Fetish guys on W. Kamau Bell's "Totally Biased":
