Bring Your “Ethnic” Friends

Yes, I figured out how to embed videos. Oh snap!

 

Bury Me a G

A decade ago today, Tupac Shakur died after a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Yet he has become immortalized through current remixes, desperate imitators, and college dorm posters. People continue to idolize Tupac because he was neither derivative nor uninspired; unlike today’s “hyphy” or “crunk” hip-hop movement, Tupac’s songs were intelligent and substantial. They don’t repeat moronic verses over and over, but rather convey a coherent and articulate message.

This is my favorite poem by Tupac:

When Your Hero Falls

When your hero falls from grace
All fairy tales are uncovered
Myths exposed and pain magnified
The greatest pain discovered
You taught me to be strong
But I’m confused to see you so weak
You said never to give up
And it hurts to see you welcome defeat

When your hero falls so do the stars
And so does the perception of tomorrow
Without my hero there is only
Me alone to deal with my sorrow
Your heart ceases to work
And your soul is not happy at all
What are you expected to do
When Your only hero falls?

Changes, perhaps his best known social statement, is both a sample a response to Bruce Hornsby’s The Way it is, a song about the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. Hornsby’s song expresses the pain of segregation and the close-mindedness of racial policy. Tupac viewed his current world, amidst the racial and social complexity of South Central Los Angeles, and points out the covert segregation and hatred that still exists. His response is blunt: “I still see no changes”. Changes asks many questions: by acquiescing to the inherent wrongs of racism mentioned in The Way it is, are we currently condoning such actions because we find it convenient or rather because we simply are limited and cannot progress? Or is Tupac optimistically viewing a rather dismal situation and hoping for, well, changes?

I’d love to hear E-40’s take on the matter, but I’m afraid that the message would be lost amidst an unintelligible jumble of “hyphy”, “thizz”, and “giggin”. Today’s mainstream hip-hop has lost its luster, trading in it’s artistic edge for materialistic image. Too bad: if today’s artists took off their “stunna shades”, perhaps they’d see the potential their art form truly possess to both inform and inspire.

 

Mel Gibson: Drunk Obnoxious Anti-Semite

Well, Mel Gibson has made an ass of himself, not for being an arrogant movie star and multi-millionaire, but for being a virulent anti-Semite. For those of you who haven’t heard, Gibson was pulled over on the Pacific Coast Highway for drunk driving. After berating the officer and the usual drunk Hollywood babble (which probably isn’t that unusual for Malibu), he responded with his own inebriated insight:

(After drunk tirade) The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world! (Turns to Officer:) Are you a Jew?

Gibson later appologized:

I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable.

You can see the police report and commentary here.

So now Gibson is attributing alcoholism to his anti-Semitic comments. Let’s examine the logic behind his apology and ignore the obvious fact that Hollywood is dominated by Jews and that much of his film’s financial support comes from their pockets.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I could possibly get drunk to the point where I could turn from an unbiased person to a raging bigot. These are inherent beliefs Gibson had, and they unfortunately arose in a moment of heated anger. Alcohol certainly removes inhibitions, but it usually doesn’t fuel inherent beliefs. Perhaps by ridding himself of social inhibitions (which excessive amounts of tequila will tend to do), Gibson was able to finally express his “concern” for the world, which at the moment was both inappropriate and untimely.

(Editors Note: Gibson’s blood alcohol level was measured at .12, well above the .8 legal limit to drive but not high enough to be considered, as I would so eloquently put it, “hammered”. Here’s a good synopsis)

 

Joe Biden: Insensitive Prick

This guy owes a lot of people of South Asian descent a huge appology…a brief clip:

Scene: Senator Biden is casually talking to an American of South Asian descent about an upcoming campaign. The Senator is trying to humor his new friend and create a casual atmosphere.

Biden: “You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”

Really? Are you sure you’re not joking?

Watch it here.

The response from the Biden camp:

The point Senator Biden was making is that there has been a vibrant Indian-American community in Delaware for decades. It has primarily been made up of engineers, scientists and physicians, but more recently, middle-class families are moving into Delaware and purchasing family-run small businesses. These families have greatly contributed to the vibrancy of the Indian-American community in Delaware and are making a significant contribution to the national economy as well.

I’m trying to imagine Senator Boxer going to K-town and saying she can’t get her dry cleaning done unless she speaks with a Korean accent or Senator Feinstein heading to Salinas and saying she can’t get fresh produce unless she intersperses “palabras espanoles” in her conversation. Simply unthinkable.

In the process of being a political sycophant, Biden turned himself into an asshole, which I guess is the same thing, but the latter is more overt.

Delaware is no California, but this guy is a frontrunner for the 2008 Presidential bid; he should be more careful what he says next time he wants to garner support.

 

Soccer: the sport of love and brotherhood (unless you are black, Asian, or Muslim)

The aggregate productivity of the world will begin to go down a significant percentage and will continue its downward spiral into the nadir of sloth and oblivion when the World Cup begins in Germany this Friday. Millions will rejoice and neglect any sort of obligation they have to work or school as the world's true game commences with its global tournament, full of excitement, historic rivalry, and emotion.

Soccer has been the universal equalizer, it seems. Religious strife, genocide, war, and pestilence are all eliminated by twenty two players, three referees, two goals, and a ball. Even Bono, the pop world's equivalent of Mother Theresa, has said the World Cup "closes the schools, closes the shops, closes a city and stops a war."

ESPN has already attempted to capitalize on soccer's global appeal and simplistic nature by commercializing its indirect good will, describing the cease fire in Ivory Coast (now known as Cote D'Ivorie) because, "as everyone knows, a country united makes for better cheerleaders than a country divided."

While this is a heartwarming story, this World Cup is already facing international scrutiny. FIFA has had to address the growing trend of racist actions and crimes at soccer games. Germany, once the bastion of xenophobia and racism in Europe, is now attempting to promote racial harmony in the one global event that should echo such noble ideals. Europe has traditionally been a xenophobic area, and its closed identity is glaringly obvious during international events such as the World Cup. Scars from colonial pasts and whispers of racial genocide echo through European soccer stadiums, ghosts of darker times.

Already there have been anti-racist commercials and billboards running throughout European television, bringing awareness to a darker side to a wonderful sport. European soccer stars of black, Middle Eastern, and Asian decent have been harassed and attacked by European soccer fans over the past few years. Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o, originally from Cameroon, has walked off the field mid-game amidst jeers and infamous "monkey chants". Even French star Tierry Henry is subject to the detrimental scrutiny, being harassed by neo-fascist fans and met with the same monkey jeers. Rowdy soccer fans have attacked players on the field and on their respective benches.

Soccer fans have always been a little irrational but for the non-soccer mind imagine this: Oakland Raider fans adorned with tattooed swastikas and burning flags, chanting fascist slogans.

Whoever says Europe is this bastion of freedom and tolerance has probably not seen this ugly side of the continent yet. It is an absolute shame that a place of such culture and history can still be so backwards with its thinking.

Granted, there was no civil rights movement in Europe, and because black and Muslim immigrants make a very small percentage of the population, such actions might go unnoticed in local competitions. But with hundreds of millions of people set to tune into live broadcasts from Germany, FIFA and the EU must prepare to protect the players on the field and punish those who attempt to propagate such horrible circumstances.

I believe in the game of soccer because of its universal appeal; it is the only sport that anybody in the world can play, despite social standing, religion, or race. Soccer does not require an ice rink, a basket, or a net. It does not even require a goal or a real ball; a nice pair of rocks and a melon has done just fine in most of the world. I believe that soccer is a beautiful game that can, indeed, unify this world in a common identity.

Europe has 14 of the 32 teams in the World Cup. While they account for almost half of the qualified teams, Europeans must realize that this is by far not their game. Soccer has trascended barriers and borders to the rest of the world. For the first time in history, five African countries have qualified, complimenting the four teams from Asia.

Granted, these racist soccer fans are bad apples amidst an overall tolerant and progressive European Union. But once play begins on Saturday, the "footballers" have to feel secure on the field so they can devote their full attention to the game and their teammates.

I think an analogy is in order here, and soccer provides the an apt one: we need to focus on our team and, simply put, shooting the ball in the metaphorical goal of life. Once we are distracted by messages of hate and intolerance, we lose sight of the beautiful game we are engaged in. And what a goal it is (pun intended), and an attainable one at that. And for the optimists out there, remember that the game is never over until the referee blows the whistle. Soccer, the multi-faceted metaphor that can be applied to the individual or the nation, soccer's indirect gift to mankind in addition to golden goals, lovely crosses, and Ronaldinho.

Perhaps all of the world's problems would be solved if we saw world as a soccer ball instead of a globe with continents and political boundaries. Whatever the case, for the next month, I expect to hear nothing from the world except for the sound of emotional cheers, chanting in multiple languages, and crying, both for the heartbreaking defeat of the team most beloved and the victory that seemed all but impossible a moment before.

 

Wading through the stream of consciousness, part 2

I was on my evening run today and I thought of something that brought minor distress to my otherwise content existence and was immediately added to my list of pet peeves.

Do you ever notice that in films that feature denizens from other nations or past empires, their speech, when not subtitled and conveniently provided to us in English by the sympathetic producer, is heavily accented to their respective place of origin? For example, when the Arab sheik speaks to his Arab horsemen (implied within the film to be in Arabic), they speak with a heavily Arabic accent (whatever that may sound like), or when the Japanese samurai prays for a blessing from his ancestor, he speaks English with a heavy accent, unable to pronounce his r's.

While this might be Hollywood's convenience for the movie viewers, as an intelligent person I take offense. If these people are among their respective kind and we understand that they are speaking their native language but for sake of the film we remove subtitles and simply provide the dialogue in English, it seems reduntant to add the accent. I think the sheik can speak to his minions just fine, without heavily accenting his own language.

In attempting to be diverse, Hollywood is in fact being insensitive. The German Nazi captain knows how to speak deutch just fine, so don't affect his "wocabulary". Unless, of course, you're making a Hogan's Heroes remake, in which case Colonel Klink can be the walking stereotype he was meant to be.

A nice assessment from none other than Hogan's Heroes:

The show made no attempt to resolve the language problem of the Germans and the Allies. All the German characters in the show simply spoke English with a German accent, although they used certain stock German phrases like "Heil Hitler" and "Jawohl, Herr Kommandant". Because many of the plots involved prisoners impersonating German military, it appears that all of the prisoners spoke perfect unaccented German, and that none of the guards found this to be remarkable. It is possible that only the core group of prisoners involved in sabotage and other activities were the only ones who had this talent, and that they did not share it with the guards in their prisoner guises. If it provided grist for humor, the linguistic difference was exploited: in one episode, a guard was asked if he would say which cell a person was in, the response was "nine", and Carter thought the guard said "nein".

Example number two: Alexander, a terrible historical epic, that features King Phillip of Macedonia speaking with a British accent but his wife with a heavily Eastern European one. Great, and Alexander, through his cultural confusion, wound up speaking with a hint of an Irish accent (more so perhaps because it was Colin Farrell).

Whatever the case, I know that these actors were perfectly capable of speaking correct English, so why can't they do just that. We might be Americans, dumb and simple as we are, but don't patronize us Hollywood with your sly nuances.

To be blunt, it's insulting, and the last thing I want to feel when I'm at a movie this summer, inevitably featuring actresses in svelt attire seducing men with more sex appeal than I can imagine, amidst completely ridiculously egregious yet fascinating situations that I can only dream of (or pay eight fifty for to see), is bad about myself.

 

Thoughts on the Previous Post

What are we as Americans trying to establish with the codification of English as the national language? It seems to me that its the same messge as constucting a large fence around the border, metaphorical or not, and increasing the difficulty of obtaining citizenship: some people are simply not good enough to be Americans.

How ridiculous is this? Last I checked, America was the land of opportunity: A thought from Emma Lazarus that we have all heard from our history or civics lessons:

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

I’m sorry, but when did America cease to become the beacon of hope and liberty and become the country club? Since when did we establish requirements to become Americans besides hard work, dedication, and patriotism? How dare we as the current inhabitants of this country pervert what our ancestors (yes I said my ancestors) toiled and fought over for almost a century and a half.

I appreciate the rhetoric of solidarity spewing out of Capitol Hill, especially in such dark times of international terrorism and national danger, but is this the right answer? Lou Dobbs might economically analyze the illegal immigration problem, Donald Rumsfeld might add with a threat to national security. But lets not sugar coat this with academic nonsense, its xenophobia that has struck our leaders and intellectuals.

America xenophobic? Seems like an oxymoron to me, but alas, this is the country we live in today.

Do we have an immigration problem? Perhaps? But who are we to blame? Those aforementioned huddled masses are coming to this country for opportunity, the same opportunities that our own ancestors sought hundreds of years ago (or within that time). We have made this an illegal immigration issue by creating physical and intangible barriers to this country. To persecute them would be nothing short of hypocritical. And we wouldn’t want any hypocritical actions in Washington, would we?

What we need, and I feel like I am beating a dead horse by saying this, is to increase border security and decrease the difficulty of obtaining temporary and permanent citizenship. We must consider why we would want to discourage people to come to this country; are we really willing to discount the millions of immigrants and their children who have contributed to the general welfare of my fair state and most of the nation?

Before we ask for a completed application, references, and a rigorous evaluation process, consider that Tiger Woods is still not allowed to play at certain golf clubs because of his opaque skin tone. I cannot think of a more qualified candidate for membership to any golf course, but its codified nonsense from a century before that bars Mr. Woods from membership. It’s the same kind of simple-minded ignorant thinking: exclusiveness might be more detrimental to the overall welfare of the system.

What are we saying by establishing a national language? That there are manditory obligations one must take to become American? This is directed at certain groups, whether they speak Spanish, Korean, or Tagalog, but the ramifications remain apparent: you must improve yourself to become one of us. Being diverse or unique is not a character flaw. Imperfection comes with diversity, and our country feeds on diversity.

Perhaps at this point you are wondering what my true thoughts on an American identity truly because of one of my previous posts. Allow me to clarify: I believe in an American identity that transcends nationality or borders, languages and religion, sexual orientation and morality. But the beauty of all of this is the concept of choice; we are Americans and we embrace the principles of this country not because we are coerced to, but because we want to. My point with the last post is that the Korean American community is resistant to adopting American principles due to stubborn Korean ideals. This is a point of conflict between me and others because, I suppose, of a differing idea of the American identity. But I believe that we can all agree on one thing :the second we force citizens to abide by certain rules or adopt an identity is the moment we lose our most valuable ideal–liberty.

This debate in Congress simply represents larger issues about immigration and future definitions of the American identity. President Bush is in a serious conundrum this fall. He knows that immigration will determine the political makeup of Congress for the next few years. And I think he knows what is right. But will he sacrifice his party’s ownership of Congress to do what I believe that he believes is right? I don’t know, but it will be interesting to see what comes out of the Bush camp over the next few months.

 

English: The National Language?

Read these two opinion pieces, both from the Washington Post, about this debate currently being held in the Senate. E.J. Dionne Jr. attacks such a proposal's credibility, while George Will defends its principal.

Let the debate begin.

My thoughts tomorrow.

 

Thoughts on Race Relations and the Fate of the Korean American Community

A recent editorial I read in The Daily Californian has got me thinking about the dynamics of race-relations in this country. How appropriate that this editorial come on “Day without an immigrant” and May Day. Immigration is a whole other issue I cannot wait to tackle, but lets save that for another day.

The editorial discussed the idea of hyphenated identity in this country; according to the writer, people cling to an alternative identity to augment their American one. Our scope is unfortunately been skewed so that we perceive individuals as African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latino-Americans. We are told that these are the benign effects of multiculturalism, that our society is greater because of it. However, this is quickly discounted by the author, who suggests that one of the best ways to reconcile differences and build a greater nation is to remove these unnecessary identities, thereby creating one uniform American identity. Who cares if you are black, white, red, yellow, or green: Americans all bleed the same red and love this country just the same. The second we lose the former part of hyphenated names is the second we embrace a greater identity and progress as a diverse nation.

I agree with the author in the sense that I believe race is simply a categorical tool used to exacerbate social differences and cause conflict. As an American of Korean descent, I find the main problem with the Korean American, as well as the Asian American community, is their stubborn desire to segregate themselves and maintain their distinguishing characteristics. Koreans in particular are extremely xenophobic, ironically in a foreign country. Part of this has to do with the insecurities a minority group might face in a foreign land, especially one of such stark cultural differences. But culture also has a lot to do with it; pardon me for being blunt, but Koreans are notorious for being stubborn and hard headed. I maintain that we (and when I say we I am referencing my fellow Korean Americans) also simply have not tried hard enough to embrace America.

Rep. Mike Honda recently spoke at Boalt Hall and cited that the Asian American community is the most underrepresented community in Congress. If Asian Americans want to be recognized, they need to have the proper representation from their respective communities. An interesting point, I thought as I counted all the Asian American representatives from both houses on one hand. An interesting pattern appeared: almost all were of Japanese descent. Japanese Americans have accomplished something that most Asian Americans in this country have not done: assimilated into mainstream American culture. Rarely do we see a Japan town in major metropolitan areas, nor Japanese American students with cultural barriers or language difficulty. I cannot fully get into why this phenomenon occurs (partly because of a lack of time and partly because I simply do not know the sociological or anthropological explanations). But when I go to Korea Town in Oakland or China Town in San Francisco, the exotic appeal soon is drowned by the realization Japanese Americans have communal appeal because they choose not to isolate themselves; rather they engage in civic dealings and work for a greater community.

Nobody is going to elect a Korean American from an isolated community with strange character nuances that only fellow Korean Americans (or Koreans) will understand or appreciate. Nobody is going to support a candidate with a stubborn grasp on a past identity when his/her future path is clearly present and inviting. A Korean American will be elected to a higher office when he/she can exude popular appeal among the entire community, not just among Koreans.

Korean Americans complain about misunderstanding and a lack of recognition among their local representatives (see the LA Riots) yet they do very little to alleviate the situation. They complain that their voices are not heard, yet they insist on having instruction in Elementary schools in Los Angeles in Korean. They complain about the insensitive nature of American society, yet they shun the migrant workers who have shared their plight yet are of different skin color.

I cannot stand those Korean American students here at Cal who look down upon the greater student body or ignore classmates because of a pig-headed rationale that they have nothing in common. Its these students who praise Korea and Korean culture and mock American ideals or identity (whatever that might be).

To those students I say this: if Korea is so great go back, nobody is stopping you. A note: there is a reason why your parents left Korea in the first place. Korea is not exactly the land of opportunity or freedom, and yes I am grouping both North and South Korea together. Don’t think that South Korea gets away from my rant because of some political technicality. As I say, democracy is as democracy does.

The irony of racism is that those who are subject to it the most often project the most extreme forms of hatred and judgment. It is indeed cyclical, an unfortunate product of our human nature.

Before I begin to receive hate mail from the Korean American community, allow me to clarify: I support cultural diversity, in fact I relish it. When I saw Mexican American workers dancing in Aztec costumes on Sproul today I felt proud, if anything, because only in America could you find a Korean American student watching a Mexican American festival next to the Indus club, Taiwanese student association, and the African American Association. I felt proud to be an American at that moment, because at that moment, I felt part Mexican, part Indian, part Taiwanese, and part black. The comfort I felt inside came from the fact that I realized that despite our different backgrounds we are, in the end, the same.

Diversity is our greatest strength, but it can also be a weakness if we allow ourselves to limit our view to identity. I believe it is folly and ignorant to be held back by one’s culture, especially in the context of a new pan-American culture.

Perhaps it has to do with time: Korean Americans, as well as Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Americans, have only within the past 50 years come to this country. Our parents generation is not of this land; therefore, it is these strong cultural roots that bring security and comfort to them. But we are not and should not be limited in this way, and it is close minded to remain so. If our parents or people arrived here for opportunity, then we should embrace this nation as a whole for its blessing.

How long will it take before Americans embrace the idea of a multicultural identity? When will we stop looking at each other as Chinese-American or Indian-American, but rather as Americans, neighbors, and friends? While I understand and respect the trials and triumphs of respective cultures I nevertheless believe that history and culture makes you what you were, but your current identity makes you what you will become.

And until Asian-Americans in particular cease to desperately cling to the Asian part of their adopted identity, they will become nothing more but overlooked.