Saturday, September 20, 2008
APAture 2008 Event: Speak Out! social commentary
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Reactions to APA group presentations
As a Chinese American, I am very familiar with the background and aspects of Chinese American culture. However, even though I am very knowledgeable about Chinese American culture, I do not know much about the small details and facts. One fact that really surprised me in a Chinese American group presentation was that the majority of the Chinese food that I have eaten for my whole entire life is not truly Chinese. Rather, it is Chinese food that was Americanized. I learned that any food that is fried is not Chinese because the Chinese use fresh food, like live fish and live chicken. That means that Panda Express is not giving anyone a taste of China with its popular menu of fried rice, fried noodles, and orange chicken. None of those foods are Chinese at all. They have American aspects combined with them. Fortune cookies are not Chinese either. Americans created the fortune cookie. I found this really shocking because for so long I believed that the Chinese cuisine that my parents made for me to eat was Chinese, not Chinese American.
The Cambodian American group's presentation intensified me the most. I knew nothing about Cambodian Americans until the group gave their presentation. I was struck by the fact that a large genocide took place in which many Cambodians were held prisoner in somber-looking cells and were executed in massive numbers. It never occurred to me that such a large genocide would have such drastic effects on Cambodians. The YouTube video that the group showed depicted enough graphics to prove that the genocide was an important part of Cambodian history that would never be forgotten. I have heard of the genocide of Jews and people of Darfur, but this signigicant Cambodian genocide is not known by many. However, it is important to realize that this genocide occurred and affected so many Cambodians that we learn and understand history.
These series of Asian American culture group presentations gave me new insights into each of the common Asian American groups. I realize that each culture is similar and different in many ways, but each culture has its own unique place in Asian American culture. Since there are so many Asian American cultures that set them apart from each other, I say that there is not just one Asian American culture but many. However, they are all put under one label for us to recognize that they all represent Asian America.
Hyphen Magazine- Space Issue: (___) for President
Throughout United States history, Asian Americans have had little participation in politics. From my point of view I see that Asian Americans are more focused on going about their daily lives and have little time to devote to politics. Many Asian Americans do not even bother with politics or they simply do not care. There are reasons for this matter. A number of Asian Americans do not speak or understand English and think that they have little voice in government. We are a small minority group outnumbered by other groups such as African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Asian Americans are often ignored in the media in regard to politics. However, the good news is that the face of Asian Americans in politics is changing.
More Asian Americans are getting involved in politics. Even though the change is slow, it is happening. There are many dedicated Asian Americans who are now involved in government and politics and many more are soon to come. Some prime figures include Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor and John Chiang, California State Controller. Other figures that are rising in the levels of government include Wilma Chan and Mike Honda. It is a possibility in the future that there will be more Asian Americans on the government board of California and in the federal government. These politicians are strong and believe in what they fight for and represent. If they advance to the next level, they will make a great change in society and in Asian American culture. Soon Asian Americans will not be obscured in the area of politics. Asian Americans will not have to feel a sense of shame of misrepresentation in politics and having their thoughts and voices be heard.
Letter to the Editor, Harry Mok
I really enjoyed your article “Across Asian Middle America” (The Road Trip Issue). It was interesting to read about the lives of Asian Americans who grew up and lived in places where there wasn’t a strong Asian American culture present. I know that it must be tough to live in an environment where there aren’t many people of your own culture that you can relate to. You feel lost and uncomfortable. However, it was inspiring to know how the people in the article overcame their circumstances. Their experiences fueled their appreciation and pride for their own culture.
Sincerely,
Cindy Luu
San Francisco
SFSU ETHS 210
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Filipino Parents, oh my gulay!
What does Asian American mean to you?
But if I had to give a straight “ANSWER THE QUESTION” based opinion on what Asian American means to me, I’d have to basically say inspiration leaders.. family, friends, determination, dignified, .. all those things combined into one identity. From my knowledge, I heard boundless stories of the struggle to get to America and I learned how focused these Asian Americans were to try and reach this goal of getting to America JUST TO LIVE. And not only was it a struggle to get here, but a struggle to stay here. With racisim thrown into the picture, with culture shock, with finding jobs that were limited due to qualifications, etc… to me, I have such respect for this “Asian- American” identity, which we (the Asian-American race) all hold within ourselves, even if we didn’t personally experience these things because somewhere in our blood line has.
*First published on personal blog; xanga.com/x3_gelline on sept 4 2008. Copied &extended here on blogspot (=
Letter to the Editor
I'm glad that there's a culture-enriched magazine like yours that accurately portrays contemporary Asian Americans. Before reading your article, "Life After 9/11," I was ignorant of the xenophobia many Asians—most notably South Asians—faced in the aftermath of September 11. Stephen Funk's story about his experience with the Marines gave me insight to the discrimination within the military; I didn't think that such blatant racism still existed within the armed forces of the United States. Another thing I discovered from the article is the deportation of Cambodian refugees. I find it appalling that the US is sending them back to Cambodia—after settling and creating a life here—because of a war they have nothing to do with. Thank you for letting them have a voice in your magazine.
Sincerely,
Katrina Lui
San Francisco, CA
ETHS 210 @ SFSU
What's Hyphen-ing?
I love how Hyphen has its own unique voice. All the writers' personalities really show through their writing, making the magazine an interesting read. I like how the writers incorporate little details about being Asian American into their articles, so the reader gets a better understanding of the Asian American family because there are not a lot of great depictions of Asian American families in the media. The ones usually being shown over and over are of traditional families, and no one realizes that there are different types of Asian American families and that we can be modern! Thanks for all your (and the staff's) hard work into making this magazine stand out.
--Stephanie Yu
San Francisco, CA
ETHS 210
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Letter to Hyphen Magazine
As I read your article about "Commercial Success," your first two sentences explained it all "Something Odd has been happening... Asian Americans in commercials" and it is something I noticed too. Honestly, what are the odds of seeing an Asian American on television? I would say very slim, but I too noticed that slowly more and more Asian Americans are in commercials or bill board ads. I rarely watch commercials. When they come on I usually start channel surfing, but I remember one day when the Home Depot commercial about getting new cabinets aired I couldn't help but watch it. I remember saying to my sister, "hey look, Asians and not only one, but three of them!" It caught me by surprise that an Asian American family was actually on TV and for once it was not about "kung-fu fighter or garden-variety geisha girl." After reading this article, I had the urge to watch television to count the number of commercials with Asian Americans. It makes me wonder why the sudden change? Does allowing Asian American to be in commercials stand for a sign of acceptance into society? What message is being portrayed by having Asians Americans in TV ads? We won't know, but as it says at the end of your article " perhaps one day we will reach a point when Asian Americans on the tube will have become so common that we won't even care." I would like to see that day come.
Jaimie Lui
San Francisco, CA
ETHS 210
Dear Harry Mok, the editor in chief of Hyphen Magazine
- Gelline Mejia
Elk Grove, Ca
Ethics 210
My letter to the editor of Hyphen Magazine.
Dear Harry Mok (Editor in Chief of Hyphen Magazine)
I’m a huge magazine lover and I was ecstatic when I found out that Hyphen magazine is devoted to getting information about Asian American culture out there for people to read. The layout, articles, and writing style are very fresh and fun to read. Also, thanks for the “Commercial Success” article in the Road Trip Issue. It’s really great to hear that Asian Americans are appearing in commercials, especially those who aren’t portraying the typical stereotypes. Hopefully we can slowly but surely work our way into television shows too. Keep up the excellent work and I can’t wait for the next issue!
Sharon Lee
San Francisco, CA
ETHS 210
[and to anyone that hasn't heard of Hyphen magazine, it's a non profit mag that is all about Asian American culture - so check it out. www.hyphenmagazine.com]