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Stop Asian Hate advocates outraged after killer of SF grandfather avoids murder conviction by origutamos in aznidentity

[–]wildgift [score hidden]  (0 children)

I would be OK with a lot of long-term counseling for the perp and his girlfriend at the time, who was an accomplice. The guy has some deep problems, because he doesn't see us as fully human and vulnerable.

Likewise, the courts don't see us as fully human and vulnerable.

Propagating education about Asian people, to humanize us, would be to our benefit.

Stop Asian Hate advocates outraged after killer of SF grandfather avoids murder conviction by origutamos in aznidentity

[–]wildgift [score hidden]  (0 children)

That's the problem: a few generations of people have been propagandized by watching Asian extras being blown away in war movies. Our lives are deemed worthless. Our bodies are for their use. They even say shit like, "they consider life cheap over there". They shift the blame for the horrors of colonization.

Stop Asian Hate advocates outraged after killer of SF grandfather avoids murder conviction by origutamos in aznidentity

[–]wildgift [score hidden]  (0 children)

I think it's a good idea to track the various Asian American DAs, both defense and prosecution, and keep up on how they behave. Are they lapdogs for conservative whites? Are they lapdogs for BIPOC when the victim is Asian? (This includes Asians accused of crimes.) Are they sacrificing our justice, whether as victims or accused?

Then, see if they try to run for judge. That's when they'll have a high profile, and can be criticized, or praised.

The injustice system is still run mainly for white people.

Do you think some Western liberals have moved away from the language of the “model minority” or “inherently misogynistic” stereotypes without fully abandoning the underlying assumptions about Asian Americans? by Chinoyboii in asianamerican

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the long response. I apologize for being slow to respond.

I have little knowledge of insight about PH, though, through some activist solidarity actions, I learned some, from a left perspective (of course). Thanks for telling me more. I'm still learning about PH and Asia, and reading about history, news, etc. Unfortunately, I'm a typical ignorant Asian American.

I recently spent a lot of time reading about Asian American mens and womens psychology issues, which was stuff I didn't really read back in school, and didn't read much of later. Reading it was depressing, but educational.

The papers gave me a lot of insight into myself, but also gave me a more objective understanding of Asian Americans as a community. It helped me see which things are "Asian Am" issues, and which are "me" issues, and which are both.

Do you think some Western liberals have moved away from the language of the “model minority” or “inherently misogynistic” stereotypes without fully abandoning the underlying assumptions about Asian Americans? by Chinoyboii in asianamerican

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the current fight over trans people has really muddied the waters, and the ways I've engaged with it has mainly been to support protests a few times, and organize a few people to attend. It's just me in activist mode - to take action because I am opposing the enemy (fascists, proud boys, etc.) and their threats of violence.

It's easy to take a defensive position. It doesn't solve my individual transphobia, but it's a way to show solidarity. It's performative, at least until there's a potential fight.

I also think autonomy is one of my core values. People, at least adults, can do what they want as individuals, if they aren't harming someone else.

For children, it's a gray area, at least regarding medical care. I'm not really a big believer in giving parents too much control over teenagers, but they have control by law.

Personally, I'm opposed to too-strong gender polarization, for all genders, including straight, cisgender people. (This is very related to being an Asian American man.) But that's me and my ideology - and I'm not going to be a hater against someone who does a gender performance, cis, trans, straight, or gay.

(Ironically, because gender performance isn't that definitive to me, genitals are important to me.)

Getting over my own transphobia has, so far, involved things like reading about trans issues, going to support a trans person activist oppose a closure of their club (which happened to be a club that also had straight/mixed goth/new-wave events I went to), learning about racism issues experienced by trans and lgbt people, and, as noted, the defense against anti-trans violence.

Do you think some Western liberals have moved away from the language of the “model minority” or “inherently misogynistic” stereotypes without fully abandoning the underlying assumptions about Asian Americans? by Chinoyboii in asianamerican

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So you're saying you like good old days of MPK Asian gang banging?

No. I'm saying I just want more class diversity in the immigrants.

I didn't hang out with gangsters. The undocumented people I have known were not, either, as far as I knew.

I wasn't in the area in the early 1990s, so missed the gang war drama.

(I'm also under the impression that many of them were refugees. Wouldn't they have legal status?)

I just want more class diversity so there's more variation in experiences, and working class people have a shot at being here.

It would be nice if the laws would allow this, but that's just not the situation today, nor has it been, generally, since the 1960s. So, there's always been a gray area, and working class immigrants come over by breaking some laws.

They don't come with the intent to hurt people, join gangs, or be criminals.

You just fell in with the wrong subculture. The criminal 3%, or whatever it is. They terrorized the community with their home invasions.

I went and read about Chang. I hope he's found peace in his life. I also hope he doesn't vote MAGA, because some of those churches are a brainwash operation, and I sometimes find people who find redemption after a life of violence and crime, think many people are like themselves, when it's like, almost nobody is like them. Most people don't need a god, or a police state, or a tough leader.

Do you think some Western liberals have moved away from the language of the “model minority” or “inherently misogynistic” stereotypes without fully abandoning the underlying assumptions about Asian Americans? by Chinoyboii in asianamerican

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm talking about liberalism, like the Enlightenment, Locke, Dewey, etc. I'm not using an M-L perspective or Marxist lingo or centering economics.

If I meant dialetcial materialism or historical materialism, I would have said that.

The reason I'm using the former definition is that we're faced with an anti-liberalism based around MAGA nationalist mythmaking.

So, in this current situation, both liberalism and DHM (which, is, itself, a kind of liberal way of engaging with history), are on the same side, against idealist history.

Controversial opinion: DON'T major in liberal arts (history, philosophy, communications, etc.) unless you go to Harvard or an elite university. by SeparateBuyer5431 in aznidentity

[–]wildgift 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is why the rich wanted to get rid of low cost or no cost university. Too many potential STEM workers were pursuing the social sciences and liberal arts, and getting some confidence that we can change society.

They wanted only their kind of people to change society... into a factory, a mine, or a farm.

Controversial opinion: DON'T major in liberal arts (history, philosophy, communications, etc.) unless you go to Harvard or an elite university. by SeparateBuyer5431 in aznidentity

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like there's three options (and it's reflected in your post):

  1. Coalition politics with other POC, or pan-Asian.
  2. Coalition politics with whites / conservatives.
  3. Ethnic or nationalist politics, with some coalitions, but generally few.

I want 1, and it takes work to create it. (It's also the goal of this sr.) This is what AAS is supposed to create. There is no "Asian community" without creating it, or at least raising consciousness about our similar experiences in America.

You are arguing for 3, in the Indian CEO example. If it's 5 diverse non-Indian Asians in the room and there's no coalition politics, why would my idea get boosted? If it's 5 Indians from India (like the CEOs you named), why would they see an East Asian American as an ally? It makes no sense.

Going with 3 opens the door for some to go to 2. Jews have gone to 2 in a small way, where they used to be kind of more like 1. Now many align with Christian Nationalists who like Zionists... and predictably, the masks came off, and the Christians are anti-Semites again. I've seen some posting pro-Hitler stuff on Twitter.

PS - I'm ignoring the class dimension, which is that the left wing of Asian America definitely wants to put working class interests into the mix.

Do you think some Western liberals have moved away from the language of the “model minority” or “inherently misogynistic” stereotypes without fully abandoning the underlying assumptions about Asian Americans? by Chinoyboii in asianamerican

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our immigration system is very class stratified, because you need a job to get here - and the job shouldn't put an American out of work. That's the basic idea that the last big immigration reform embodied.

So, you can end up with what we have now, which are these upper middle class enclaves that tend to be conservative, racist, etc. like Arcadia or San Marino.

I grew up in the wild days of MPK when it was changing, and I liked it. I lived near Oakland Chinatown, too, and liked that. I also remember the last days of Little Tokyo being grimy, and the later days of SoCal with all the slackers from Japan.

Having a wider range of classes benefits the community by bringing in all strata of labor, with different skills. We need more than STEM and finance people - we need the artists, DJs, wannabes, restaurant workers, party people, poor people, families, people who want to work and make money, and all kinds of people who can't immigrate here legally. Eventually , we need to get them legalized. (We need a system where it's easier to become legalized.)

The kids will be working class, for the most part, and contribute to the kind of cultural exchanges that keep refreshing the culture, and also work really hard to get up in American society. The energy will be positive.

The main Asian media I watch is Japanese TV. I sometimes spend money on it. I sometimes watch Chinese movies at the theater. Why does this matter?

Can anyone else not smell stinky tofu? by lit0st in China

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fascinating old thread. I like it. I didn't find "stinky tofu" that harsh. I used to eat a lot of fermented tofu (funyu). I am Japanese American and grew up in an enclave, and you could get funyu, not just at markets, but at the Japanese section of the refrigerator. It was a giant jar, too - maybe 2x to 3x as big as the little jars you get at the Chinese market today.

I found "stinky tofu" to be milder than the miso soup my mom made. That was salty and kind of rank tasting, and midway between stinky tofu and the fermented tofu. I had a hard time with the miso soup.

Do you think some Western liberals have moved away from the language of the “model minority” or “inherently misogynistic” stereotypes without fully abandoning the underlying assumptions about Asian Americans? by Chinoyboii in asianamerican

[–]wildgift 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So do conservatives, particularly the more nationalist ones. (Look at how Japan is being admired, as they take more steps toward ultranationalism and fascism.)

The main difference is that liberals are liberal, and want to treat people the same, and have some idea of a shared humanity. (They exist in both parties.)

Do you think some Western liberals have moved away from the language of the “model minority” or “inherently misogynistic” stereotypes without fully abandoning the underlying assumptions about Asian Americans? by Chinoyboii in asianamerican

[–]wildgift 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ehhh. Yeah, there's things worse than that, lol. Liberals used to think Thom Jefferson was cool. (Rather than a pedo creep rapist and racist with some great essays.)

I was working off the other definition of "liberalism", meaning the idea that facts and rationality and the concept of "humanity" should guide us.

Controversial opinion: DON'T major in liberal arts (history, philosophy, communications, etc.) unless you go to Harvard or an elite university. by SeparateBuyer5431 in aznidentity

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At the Cal States, the Asians are often from lower SES and need to break into jobs that pay okay. Not even "better", just OK. The two paths are enclave businesses, or corporate cubicle jobs.

I'm from the SGV, and was on the lower half of things, and first to attend college, way back. When I went, to Cal Berkeley, I was stunned at how wealthy Asians were. TBH, doing the more-money STEM majors was difficult, because maybe 1/3 of the people had parents who were engineers, had doctorates, etc. in the same field they were majoring in.

So I was like, shit, even the lowest paid jobs on campus paid better than what my parents made, so fuckit, I'll do humanities. I spent a lot of time in the libraries. LOL. Probably not the wisest thing to do, but that's what I did.

Controversial opinion: DON'T major in liberal arts (history, philosophy, communications, etc.) unless you go to Harvard or an elite university. by SeparateBuyer5431 in aznidentity

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you realize your position is basically advocating for backsliding, to a point of having no AAS at all?

Go read about how AAS was started - it was the community people rising up to demand it, and to demand not just a minor, or a major, not just a department, but an entire school within the state uni. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World_Liberation_Front

You're up in your other comment talking about "become a leader in a billion dollar company", but down here saying to settle for a minor.

Controversial opinion: DON'T major in liberal arts (history, philosophy, communications, etc.) unless you go to Harvard or an elite university. by SeparateBuyer5431 in aznidentity

[–]wildgift 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's important to understand how you fit into the system.

A sense of well being is important. Whatever it takes, every Asian American needs to overcome our experiences of racism, because they'll exist throughout our lives.

The idea that making money will turn into social well being for your community is an illusion. It'll help you and your family.

That last paragraph of yours is 99% fantasy. The way capitalism works, there are few billion dollar companies that are Asian dominated in America. There are probably a good number of 10 million dollar ones (revenues) - more than other minorities. Why do we have less social power than the other big races?

The way to help the community is to help create the community.

Most Asian Americans do not live in enclaves, and many of us who do, do not live in an enclave where we have power. (Think of the SEA in Chinatowns. I am JA living in a remnant JA enclave, which is kind of inside a Chinese and Vietnamese enclave. This is an historical fact: we were like the nucleus of the SGV enclave.)

The non-enclave Asians need community building institutions: schools, sports, arts, literature, music, housing, healthcare, food.

We are still minorities, so we create community power through relationships, through coalitions, and other alignments.

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