Asian Names Are Hard to Pronounce

I've written in the past how it can suck to be asian. Now, government official Betty Brown from Texas gives yet another reason why it sucks to be asian. Our names our hard to pronounce.

No wonder we have it so tough. People are having a hard time pronouncing our names. I mean, just look at the name of the man she was directing her comments to. His last name was "Ko" Damn those two letters, what the hell can they mean? Other common names like, "Lee", "Yao", "Sun" can be extremely confusing. Not at all like nice easy "American" names like "Jake Gyllenhaal", "Shia Labeouf" or our Governor "Arnold Schwarzenegger".

I guess Asian people will never be able to be successful in this company or be able to fit in so long as we have these strange foreign names that people just can't figure out how to spell.

No Chinese Noodles in the Chinese Market

I wanted to buy some fried chow mein noodles recently. I only really like them on my salads; they add a nice salty crunch that I really like. Unfortunately, the variety that they sell in the normal market really suck. I remember the noodles I like from the days when my father owned his restaurant, and that was the variety I wanted to get.

So I went to the Asian market in search of these noodles, and I came up totally empty handed. How the heck can I not find Chinese noodles in a Chinese market. I get that these noodles may be a little bit "americanized" but even then, I would have expected to find them there.

Now where do I look ...

Phelps Phan

The story of the Olympics thus far has to be Michael Phelps. The guy just won eight gold medals and in the process set seven world records. It's a feat I'm sure won't be surpassed in at least a generation if not longer.

I could go on and on about how awesome he is as an athlete, but others could do a better job than I. This is especially true given the fact that I can barely swim as is. I blame my Asian genes for not being able to swim, I didn't see that many Asian people in the water. It is most likely due to just how my body is. I try to explain to people how my feet just sink in the water. I tell people this and they try to give me tips on how to float. I tell them, "I just sink, you don't understand", but people who can float just don't understand how someone who doesn't float can't.

Interesting enough, following Michael Phelps throughout the game, they had a piece on why Michael Phelps was born to swim. They described how he had short legs but a long torso. I probably have the exact opposite problem. My legs are long for my body and my torso is short. As almost everybody's legs naturally sink, and you use your torso as a buoy to float the rest of your body, this very much explains why I have more trouble swimming than the average person. Guess I won't be winning any gold medals in swimming any time soon.

But how awesome would it be to have "Greatest Olympic Athlete" on your resume? I mean, what employer isn't going to want to talk about that? What employer isn't going to at least grant you an interview? The hardest part of getting any job is just getting in the door to get an interview but having something like this would just be crazy. it probably would be of bigger benefit outside the swimming world than in it.

2008 Opening Ceremonies - The Chinese Rock!

Wow!!!!!!!

That about sums up what I thought of the 2008 Opening Ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics. The amount of creativity, artistry, and imagination was off the charts. This seriously might have been some of the best blending of art and technology that the world has ever seen. The ceremony itself was just beautiful. The costumes, the performances, and the props were all outstanding. The highlight, for me, was most definitely the movable type performance where they simulated blocks of Chinese characters making up a movable type system. I thought it was amazing before I saw the ending, and then when it was shown that it was all human driven, it drove the whole thing off the charts.

But in reality, I'm not at all surprised that this was easily the best Opening Ceremonies of all time and probably will be for quite some time. Being Asian, and Chinese specifically, I learned one indelible truth growing up, face is everything.

"Face" in Asian culture is quite difficult to understand unless you grew up in it. While Western civilization also takes how others perceive you to be important, the Asian culture takes it to a whole other level. It is often why certain stereotypes exist for Asian people. You have your children do well in school because it is a reflection of what a good parent you are. It is why being a hospitable host is so crucial to the culture.

So the Chinese, with the rest of the world watching, went over the top. They made sure that others would look at these games, and remember it as the best ever. They spent $300 million on the opening ceremonies alone. They practiced it for years and every detail was thought of. They wanted to be sure that everyone else in the world knew what an amazing country China was, is, and will someday become. Boy did they deliver.

Shanghai Kiss - A Review

I rented a movie called Shanghai Kiss. I had never heard of it before I saw it on the shelf at Blockbuster. It caught my eye because it had Hayden Panettiere in it, and I'm a big Heroes Fan. But when I picked it up, and saw the premise, I decided not to put it down.

My girlfriend and I have noticed that Asian Men tend to not date non-asian women. (By the way, I have been noticing more and more examples of this not being true, so maybe the tide is turning). Since this premise of this movie is about an Asian Man dating a White Girl, I thought I would at least see what it was about. Bad mistake.

The basic premise is that Ken Leung, a thirty something struggling actor, meets a 16 year old Hayden Panettiere while taking the bus. They become friends, which is awkward enough, and the whole movie you are wondering if it will turn into more.

Spoilers after this

Most of the film revolves around Leung struggling to find his place in the world. He is neither Asian nor does he feel like he is really American. Everyone in America sees him as Chinese and nothing more. Everyone in China sees him as an American. All the while, the one person who really loves him, Panettiere, is off limits.

This is one of those movies that is just awkward. Why is a thirty year old guy hanging out with a sixteen year old girl? They address this issue multiple times in the movie, so clearly they want you to feel this awkwardness, but it still made the whole thing creepy. I can relate to the Lenug's feeling of being trapped between two worlds, as I often fell this way myself, but the ways in which this movie addresses those issues seem a little contrived. Further, the awkward romance between the two forces you to focus on that rather than Leung's racial dilemma.

In the end, he ends up with Panettiere, of course only after she turns eighteen. It's still creepy though for a 30 something year old guy to be dating an 18 year old girl. Asian guys have it hard enough as it is, there is no need for a stereotype to be formed that we are so hard up for dates, that we will resort to dating underage girls. Maybe it wasn't the point of the movie, but it was certainly what I focused on.

Thanks A Lot

My girlfriend always teases me that Asian men are destined to be single. The main reason behind it is because the media always portrays Asian men in an unflattering light (when they portray them at all). Asian men are always asexual. They are always the wise old Confucius type or the nerd.

These two Chinese students certainly aren't helping the image. Watch the whole thing. Pay close attention to the facial expressions and the coordination. Thanks for making sure all Chinese men stay celibate.

Flight Attendants ARE Evil

It seems that the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) is upset over how the flight crew in this weekends #1 movie Flightplan was portrayed. I haven't seen the movie yet but even if they are portrayed as baby-snatching, devil-worshiping, cannibals I think the AFA has to get over itself. Seriously, its a movie. I'm sure people are able to separate reality from fiction. Just the other day I saw a movie where a man could stick to walls, I didn't think there actually existed said man. I didn't think Airline attendants were evil before, but after this boycott I may have to change my mind.

If everyone gets their way, at some point their won't be any movies portraying anyone in a bad light. You won't even be able to watch a romantic comedy because at some point the Association of Slimy Singles (ASS) will argue that they put into a negative light those who like to cheat on their significant other.

Heck, if anyone has a right to complain it has got to be the Asian-American man. Please name me just one movie where you see an Asian man just play some character where is "asianness" doesn't come into play. There are none. He either knows kung-fu, is part of the Asian Mafia, or is some computer geek. Maybe I should just start protesting all movies out of principle.

Who do Asian Men Date?

My girlfriend (who is Asian) and I have taken up a new pastime. Every time we go out we try and notice inter-racial couples. We have noticed a very disturbing fact. There are very few inter-racial couples involving Asian men.

Inevitably when we see an Asian man as part of a couple he is with an Asian woman. We have seen plenty of other mixtures, White Male-Asian Female and Black Male-White Female being some of the more popular combinations. But seriously, of the hundreds of mixed couples we have spotted thus far, maybe only 1 or 2 have involved an Asian Male and something other than an Asian Female.

Now I have dated other races before but of the people I would call my girlfriend, all of them have been Asian (all different types of Asian). This is not some bias on my part (actually my girlfriend tells me I have a thing for white women) but just how the chips have fallen. My girlfriend has never dated an Asian guy until me. Actually, this is the case for most of my ex-girlfriends; I'm the only Asian guy they have dated.

My girlfriend and I have discussed this in length and believe it’s a societal thing. The stereotypes for an Asian male do not bode well for his success in the dating arena. But it begs the question, if Asian men are only dating Asian women, and Asian women are dating a lot of White men (and Black men for that matter) as our un-scientific sample suggest; whom are all these Asian men dating? Are Asian men resigned to a life of celibacy and being single?

Found: Hot Asian Male

Thanks to Lisa and Amanda, several people have found their way to my blog by searching for "Hot Asian Men" on Google. Thanks guys.

Sucks to Be Asian Male

I was thinking about it and I realized that there is no really no advantage to being Asian male. I'm not saying it is hard to be Asian Male, I'm just saying you have not built in advantage in society. In different parts of society each racial-sex combination has its advantages. I'll admit I'm sure my viewpoint might be a little skewed so if you can think of something I'm missing please feel free to add. I'm going to list a few examples.

I AM NOT SAYING IT IS BETTER OR WORSE TO BE ANY COMBINATION. I AM NOT SAYING I BUY INTO THESE STEREOTYPES. I want to be clear about this. I don't buy into most stereotypes but I recognize that they exist. While certain combinations have advantages in some areas they are more than offset by disadvantages in others. I'm just saying that in no category does it pay to be Asian Male.

Getting into school - This one has advantages for anyone who is not Asian-male or White-Male. Every other combination can find some school where preference is given to that particular combination. White-Male may be neutral in most regards but there is a definite disadvantage to be Asian-Male at most undergraduate schools and almost all Medical and Business Schools.

Getting a Job - Again, advantages for most females. In most male dominated industries, and those that tend to pay better, females have an advantage at companies looking for diversity. Even though companies are not supposed to discriminate the only way they can't is to do it. It's a strange paradox.

In Hollywood - Definitely does not pay to be Asian-Male. If you are Asian-Male you never get the girl. You are only portrayed as someone who either A) Knows Kung-Fu B) is part of the Asian Mafia (and you of course still know Kung Fu)

Dating - This one is the kicker and really what got me thinking about this. Females have the clear advantage in this as race doesn't really factor into this too much. There are few negative stereotypes for women here although I think maybe black-female might have some negative stereotypes associated.

The Asian-Male stereotype is awful. We are usually seen as non-aggressive, feminine, and my favorite having smaller than average, ahem, equipment. These are not things that endear the Asian-Male to most females. I actually had a recent experience where a girl told me she was kind of worried about dating me (she hadn't dated anyone Asian before) because of the horror stories that some of her girlfriends told her. They told her over and over again that the stereotype of Asian-Males was true, that they were horrible kissers, and that they just didn't "measure up" to other guys.

One person try to say, but you have the advantage that people assume you are smart. How is that an advantage when it has no practical application? It won't help you get into school, get a job, and we have already seen it won't get you the girl.

Any thoughts?

Who is a Minority?

When reading over a magazine that detailing admission statistics for some colleges I looked at the column for minority enrollment. Next to it was "****". What did "****" stand for? At the bottom it explained that this meant Asian-Americans were not included in the statistic. Why not?

This always confuses me. I used to be a supporter of affirmative action. I believe that there are definitely some people who are at a disadvantage to others. I believe diversity in a college community is a good thing as different ideas, viewpoints, and cutlures create to the overall learning experience. But I just don't get why Asian-Americans are singled out as the minority that doesn't count.

Asian-Americans make up a about 4% of the population compared to 77% white and 13% black. They earn high-school diplomas 87% of the time and college degrees 47% if time. The percentage earning college degrees is by far the highest of any population group.

But why is it that Asian-Americans receive no preference and are even excluded in population statistics for minorities? Are not Asian-Americans more of a minority than African-Americans? There is the argument that African-Americans have always been disadvantaged because of the social structure of America. But my family came to American with no money and unable to speak the language. You can't really start out much worse than that. In a generation my family was able to send all of its children to college and all have obtained some measure of success.

So what is it? I'm not so sure. I would love to hear other people's opinion.