If you didn't get a chance to watch the Oscars and hear the "jokes" (I was out trying to find my parole officer's pet parakeet who reminds me, and not so oddly, of The Trump) - don't worry. Plenty of sites already have articles on it as well as video:
I've always thought Chris Rock was a great comedian (in total even though I've taken issue with some of his jokes - and I haven't seen everything he's done) and I can't fault him for focusing mainly on Black American issues throughout his career - but I can fault him for bad Asian/Asian American jokes that perpetuate stereotypes of our people. That joke (and were those even the kids' real names or was that some Ching Chong too?) juxtaposed with the fact that we have no representation in places like the Oscars - it makes it even more unpalatable.
I see Grown Ups 3 in Chris Rock's future and I'm guessing that will be a step up from this...
Call me crazy but I just don't think we should, as a community, be bringing up Vincent Chin in the same conversation as Peter Liang - on both sides - for or against.
Peter Liang isn't Vincent Chin and Akai Gurley isn't Vincent Chin.
Vincent Chin's death and the circumstances surrounding it aren't the same as Peter Liang and Akai Gurley.
Not even close.
And yes - I have had thoughts on the Peter Liang case.
Kristina Wong is coming down to Intermedia Arts in Mpls with her show "The Wong Street Journal" on March 11th and 12th (as well as a workshop on March 7th).
And yes - I do in fact already have my tickets and yes - it does look amazing and funny as all hell.
The Wong Street Journal
Written and performed by Kristina Wong
Directed by Emily Mendelsohn
A new solo theater work written and performed by performance artist and comedian Kristina Wong, combining self-skewering personal narrative with a hilarious interrogation of America's legacy on the rest of the world.
The Wong Street Journal tells the true story of how Wong, as a not-so-white savior, became a hip hop star in Northern Uganda. Part plushy TED lecture, part amateur hip-hop extravaganza, and part travelogue, The Wong Street Journal breaks down the complexities of global poverty, privilege and economic theory using uneasy-to-read charts, live hashtag wars, and riveting slideshows from post-conflict Northern Uganda. All of this plays against an all felt version of the New York Stock Exchange that Wong sewed with her own hands.
The Wong Street Journal is the creation of San Francisco-based performance artist, comedian and writer Kristina Wong. The award-winning Wong has been a commentator for American Public Media’s Marketplace, PBS, and Jezebel, among others and was recently featured in the New York Times’ Off Color series “highlighting artists of color who use humor to make smart social statements about the sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious ways that race plays out in America today.”
With a limited two-night run, audiences are encouraged to get their tickets early for this show that critics are calling “extremely entertaining,” “hilarious,” and “deeply thought-provoking.”
Got this sent out and looks like it should be a cool short when done. Loss: The Film, "is a martial arts film that explores the physical manifestation of loss" and features a lot of good folks.
The above picture - a collage of a few screenshots of the scrolling images of shows on Comedy Central - obviously doesn't include everything - but if you scroll through the whole list - besides "The Meltdown With Jonah And Kumail" - there's not much else there.
Kinda sad.
Not teary-eyed sad.
But more like I want to kick someone in the "yeah - that's-what's-up" with some steel tipped boots kinda sad.
Was catching up on some Constance Wu news and thought I would post this image of a tweet from her twitter account (because that's just what's done?).
Nice.
At the same time in case you missed it, Wu will be starring in the independent film "You and Me Both", written and directed by Jennifer Cho Suhr. According to Variety:
Wu will play a struggling addict who, along with her estranged sister, embarks on a road trip from Iowa to Alaska in search of their birth mother. Exploring themes of grief, forgiveness and belonging, the film centers on the bond between siblings and the resilience and humor necessary to overcome trauma — and is aimed at showcasing the breadth and range of the Asian American experience with complicated and deeply human characters.
Definitely digging the videos - it's almost like your going to watch a bunch of superheroes eat food (at least that's the way I felt watching the intros - like I want them to have superhero eating rings that can transport them to anywhere).
Apparently I can't take a decent picture - but I'm just glad I got it in the mail.
I have to take my hat off to the whole KoreAm team for what they accomplished - what they still will accomplish - and for the love they've brought to so many individuals through their work looking in-depth at the Korean American community. To pull that off - to do what they've done in print - and for so long - it's been an amazing run. The fact that this is their final issue doesn't diminish any of that - it highlights all of the work and long hours they've put into helping create a face for so many Korean Americans and the Asian American community.
I think in part I had to start blogging again simply because this is where it's received. I'm a little search, a little rant, sometimes micro poster in a long form blogging world and this is my outlet to post on the Asian American experience.
When everyone doesn't always want to listen to the Asian American experience.
To see the Asian American experience. Feel it in their body down to their core.
Because not everyone can get it.
They may not say anything against it but they can't validate it and verify it either. They're at a loss for the words to participate in the conversation.
Or they just don't want to.
They don't see the struggle of Asian Americans. How we aren't seen and heard on some of the loudest and highest stages. How we still have to fight for what sometimes can seem like every inch just to get a little piece of that dream in everyday life because we're still the ones who take away jobs, go where we shouldn't, and are un-trustworthy at a visceral level in the consciousness of America that still sees Asian Americans only peripherally.
But this isn't for them.
This is for you.
For letting this space be what it is and for letting it flow out of my keyboard like it does because sometimes I just have to get on a rant, or a post, a video in short form, one sentence, maybe it's just a title - but still something that says - yes - this is where you're at.
Because not everyone understands this blog. Not everyone wants to associate themselves with it or admit that they read it - though they may not mind getting a post on it. They don't understand the hyperbole, the visceralness, the irony of the title, the pop of the title, the fact that there's a method to my madness because yes - we're aren't always proper and I think it's important to show it, and they just may not like what I have to say and the fact that there's a platform for me to say it - even though I'm just an iddy biddy guppy in an Alphabet sized world.
I once had a local AAPI arts organization approach me about being on an advisory board except they kinda stopped dialing once they saw my blog here (at least that's my best guess on that because the timing was suspect). And I get it. No hard feelings. I'm sure there's a handful of posts here that could be considered...well...of ill repute (and if you can't handle my posts or think they shape my whole being well - that was probably best anyway?).
And then there are those that think what I do here online is a joke.
Or a liability.
Or both...
But this my place.
My house.
The House Of Slanty if you must MF's.
And I'll say what I will.
And sure - there's no editors. Sometimes no restraint. Sometimes written like yes I did just start learning to conjugate verbs.
But I believe I do something good here.
I wouldn't be here if I wouldn't and like I've always said - if this blog can turn on some more people to the Asian American vibe - in any form - that's what it's about it.
So thank you for supporting it.
For reading it.
Finding a video.
A show.
A news snippet.
For passing it around.
For being down with the cause even if you may not agree with everything I have to say or the way that I say it.
And probably most of all - thank you for being a part of the conversation.
Taking place at a suburban strip mall, “Do it for Umma” is a play based on protagonist Hannah, a 20-something-year-old, Korean-American female version of Hamlet
In this surreal comedic detective story, the ghost of Hannah’s recently deceased mother returns to haunt the Korean convenience store she once ran with an iron fist, shaming, cajoling, and needling her daughter into avenging her extremely suspicious death. While Hannah’s older brother shirks off familial duties in favor of a romantic tryst with the local dry-cleaning maven, Hannah embarks on an epic mission to piece together the clues that will lead her to Umma’s killer. Featuring a chorus of ajummas and a healthy dose of revenge, Do It for Umma is an absurd tragicomedy about a young woman trying to gain her mother’s approval and protect her family’s honor in the strangest of circumstances
You still got time to catch this (I'm talking to you Seattle).
First, let me say unequivocally that Akai Gurley's family should have every bit of justice for his death. No one deserves to be shot in a dark stairwell because the elevator went out and they decided to take the stairs doing nothing wrong whatsoever.
No one.
Police systems at some point need to figure out how to patrol - and who to put on patrol - without endangering lives.
I'm not saying it's easy.
But they have to figure it out.
Now that the verdict has come out and Liang has been found guilty of manslaughter and official misconduct I do hope that it brings some peace to the family and friends of Akai Gurley. I hope that it offers them at least some comfort because at the end of the day Akai Gurley's life is gone.
Peter Liang still has a chance to live a very long life.
I Think We Can Still Ask Questions Though. I Think I Can Still Ask Questions As An Asian American
Was Peter Liang Racially Motivated Or Was Race A Factor In The Death Of Akai Gurley? I think we have to be careful in making any assumptions about the actual shooting and those precious minutes afterwards that eventually led to the death of Akai Gurley. I think to compare it to the countless numbers of White officers who have shot, beaten, or choked to death, unarmed Black men, women, and children in this country, would be wrong. To look at this incident and say that it's indicative of that type of racial profiling - systematic profiling - and is on the same level - it can't be said. The data just isn't there to say that Asian American cops disregard Black Lives and shoot them down like White cops and I think to even draw a thread to that argument only serves to misdirect from the real issues which stem from predominantly White Officers in regard to Black Lives (because police brutality and power in general is a somewhat different conversation).
Is Peter Liang A Scapegoat For All Of The Officers Who Have Went Without Punishment For Taking Black Lives? I believe that Peter Liang has to be held accountable for the shooting no matter what. It goes without saying and I don't think you can argue that. If I'm a bus driver and I accidentally run someone over I would still have to be held accountable. To me the question is really why only Peter Liang when so many other clear cut cases could have also produced the same results for other officers. When I ask that question, I do wonder if Peter Liang, because of being an Asian American - and all that goes along with it - is a symbolic sacrificial lamb in terms of a face - to help quell the hunger for more justice that will never be seen of White officers who took Black Lives.
To help shift that focus away.
Why did his partner get immunity? Why didn't he get charged with misconduct? Didn't he have responsibility to help Akai Gurley?
He did and he should have been on trial as well with Liang for his portion of negligence in Akai Gurley's death.
Should Liang's rookie status have been taken into account? Do we really know whether or not he and his partner patrolling as they were was truly unsanctioned? Was the jury more inclined to make an example and conviction of an Asian American police officer more than a White officer?
I think you can respectfully debate those questions.
Will This Make Relations Between Communities Of Color - specifically Black Americans and Asian Americans - tougher? Overall I'd like to say no to that question, but in reality it could for some communities and individuals. It's human nature. Hopefully though, cooler heads on both sides without a distorted lens on reality prevail and everyone can move forward in a positive way.
You've probably seen them in the Justin Bieber video Love Yourself (although I know people who love the song but haven't seen the video). They have a long history of dancing, and working with different artists and groups - and well - here's a video from 2010 of them doing that smooth smooth Sade.
It's time to get your Asian American film groove on and kudos for all the awesome FREE showings you can go too.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
The Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF) showcases feature-length and short format films by and about Asian Americans across North America, with an emphasis on filmmakers from the Pacific Northwest. Our next festival takes place Feb. 19th -21st, 2016 at Northwest Film Forum.
SAAFF is the only film festival in Seattle to provide a space for Asian American voices, perspectives and histories by screening independent films that reflect the diversity and richness of the city’s Asian American community.
shunpike-art
Seattle Asian American Film Festival is an Associated Program of Shunpike. Shunpike is the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington State with the services, resources, and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable.
His melding of East and West aesthetics is on display in an art show at Golden West College in Huntington Beach. "Constructions of Disquiet," which features other Vietnamese American and Vietnamese artists, runs through March 16.
"This explores what it means to be Vietnamese and what it means to be American and how people see beauty differently," he said. "It's cultural ideology."
The works of California-based Vietnamese American artists Ann Le and Dat Vu as well as two artists living in Vietnam, Quang Pham and Linh Phuong Nguyen, are also in the exhibit.
How many amazing people does this film have in it?
A lot.
So it's great to be able to #TBT it because that means it really did exist (versus being on the cutting room floor or locked away in a vault never to be touched because it had Asian Americans in it).
The slantyapolis/seftre blog has served millions of views trying to help in its own way, to give voice to the Asian and Asian American community, as well as document it, over the last 18 years. Sometimes op-ed, sometimes straight news, sometimes off the beaten path--the continued impetus remains that there's power in sharing voices and in sharing your own voice and reflecting that back into the communities you belong to.
If you're looking for the 2008 In Review Posts, the link list has been moved out, but you can still get to them all by following this link which pulls them up by label (they'll be in reverse so go to the oldest post to read them in order).
2007 In Review Posts
If you're looking for the 2007 In Review Posts, the link list has been moved out, but you can still get to them all by following this link which pulls them up by label (they'll be in reverse so go to the oldest post to read them in order).
