Militant and Lady Militant Go To LA

I'll respond to comments when I get a hold of a computer there. More food adventures and voyeuristic ramblings to come. Stay tuned. You won't wanna miss it! Off to killa-kah-li-phon-ia we go! West side, baby! West Siiiiiiiddddddeee!!!!

HOW THE "ACCIDENTAL ASIAN" GAVE ME BIRTH

I used to sit in Barnes and Noble a lot pondering what I was gonna do with my life. I've always wanted to write but could not find an author that I could follow from. This was my second year of college and I was fresh out of the navy. I was still learning about Asian American literature so I didn't know what to expect because it was a fairly new program here in the Midwest. Outside of drinking myself silly and not studying for any of my exams until the very last week of classes, I found an author named Eric Liu, who wrote Notes of a Native Speaker: The Accidental Asian.

I'm not gonna trash his book because he gave me a reason to study more AA lit. He was successful, overachieving, accomplished, was a young speech writer for Slick Willy when he was in office, went to Yale as an undergrad and Harvard Law for his JD, and he was the epitome of an assimilated Asian man growing up in these corrupted states. He even married a White woman and bragged about it. Not only did he write about how successful he was, he threw it in my face.

At this time, I was drunk half of the time so I didn't know what to take from it except that his writing wasn't half bad. What he did tell me was that he was proud of who he has become, no matter how ignorant he was of social inequalities and racism. Could you believe that? In his book, never once did he point a finger at White patriarchy. This guy was speaking Bill Cosby through an Asian man's body. In a sense, I was admirable about how such a man could have a perfect life when I went through hell and back. I was angry and jealous I never got the same opportunities.

This snobby, upper middle-class "latte liberal" elitist insinuated to me through his book that his he faced no prejudices or otherwise growing up in this land. How could that be? Where is this place that he grew up in so that we A-me-li-kkkans can move there and raise our kids free of race identity politics and all that other bullshit piled on top of it? I envisioned a perfect world where all kids of different racial backgrounds held hands through the schoolyard and climbed monkey bars together and laughed at one another as they fell off the motherfucker.

What he left me with was a laundry list of how "white" he was so that people like me could learn from this outrageous discourse and take on what it really means to fully assimilate into the fabric of mainstream society.    

Aside from grounding a pole in your frontyard and letting the ensign wave in the direction of the wind, here is a list of ways you can say Liu was a banana:

Here are some of the ways you could say I am “white”:

I listen to National Public Radio.

I wear khaki Dockers.

I own brown suede bucks.

I eat gourmet greens.

I have few close friends “of color.”

I married a white woman.

I am a child of the suburbs.

I furnish my condo a la Crate & Barrel.

I vacation in charming bed-and-breakfasts.

I have never once been the victim of blatant discrimination.

I am a member of several exclusive institutions.

I have been in the inner sanctums of political power.

I have been there as something other than an attendant.

I have the ambition to return.

I am a producer of the culture.

I expect my voice to be heard.

I speak flawless, unaccented English.

I subscribe to Foreign Affairs.

I do not mind when editorialists write in the first person plural.

I do not mind how white television casts are.

I am not too ethnic.

I am wary of minority militants.

I consider myself neither in exile nor in opposition.

I am considered “a credit to my race.”

Could you believe that? He doesn't even care if they bash his people on TV.

He's wary of "minority militants" and probably avoids them as all costs. That list has nothing to do with being White, if I may. That's socio-economic standing, meaning you are a boring prick that wears dockers and thinks you're smarter than everyone else. That's just an assumption of course. By his standards, I guess he would presume that people like me are a disgrace to his race.

Because of know-it-alls like Eric Liu, he has found a special place in my fire-breathing liberal heart. When I started understanding politics a little more by reading and keeping up with current affairs while struggling through a third-tier college, I decided to develop my thoughts on a blog and be the polar opposite of everything he stood for. Thanks, Eric, for helping me find a new hobby when I'm sober. 

That is the real story behind my alias.

Why I Don't Respond To Isolationists

Jeffy Lew said:

It's really simple: Marry within your ethnicity to preserve your culture and your bloodline. If you can't find a mate here in America, pack up your bags, move to Asia, and find a wife there. If you are really militant, this is what you would do.

I don't by the thing about not being able to relate to Asians IN ASIA because you are "Americanized" and somehow of a superior pedigree. That's bullshit. You are no better than an Asian person in Asia simply because you are "Americanized". Sorry, I digress....

But yeah... listen to your "old fashioned" and "close minded" parents, because none are more militant than they. If you are truly militant, you would do whatever it takes to preserve your Asianess, even if this means to move back to Asia at some point. If you are not willing to take these measures, then well, you're not really militant. You might be "progressive" "activist" "integrationist" or what have you, but you are not a militant.

Jeffy Lew said:


I live in San Francisco. I used to take the bus. I will tell you right now that Chinese people get beaten up, harassed, and taunted on Muni buses all the time.

Black people are constantly acting out on the bus and picking on Asian riders. In my time, I've seen a Chinese kid beaten senseless just for sitting down next to a black kid.

I can't even begin to go into the bullshit that Chinese riders have to put up with day in and day out from surly blacks in Chinatown.

When I saw this video, I immediately understood what the old woman had gone through and I totally sympathize. This is actually the first time I've seen a Chinese person stand up for themselves.

TMM, you are an even bigger asshole that I thought for taking the side of the black attacker over the elderly Chinese woman. In your lame attempts to be "fair" and "rational", you do nothing to advocate for Asians.

Worse of all, you laughed when you saw this. Honestly, you are a major asshole if you think the type of day-in day-out taunting that blacks dish out to Chinese people IN CHINATOWN is funny. Hey, fuck you, okay?

Finally, you think that young Chinese woman at the end is a hero? Why didn't she jump in until the old Chinese woman got the upper hand? Why didn't she jump in when the black woman threw the first punch? Perhaps she, like you, has been conditioned by the white media to immediately sympathize with black people?

Oh, and once again, you are an asshole for laughing at that shit. This shit ain't funny to me, because that could have been my mother.

For all you idiots and black sympathizer, I KNOW this was racial because I've experienced it for years and years. Why don't you try coming down to my neck of the woods and try to ride the muni for a while? I suggest taking the 29 or the 54 any time between 4:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon if you want to see what normally happens.

Folks,

If someone keeps attempting to prove me wrong by telling how they've been bullied by Blacks all their life and uses it to perpetuate more hate, I don't respond to them. If you think Asians should only date Asians and that we need to have a more isolationist take on the AA community, you have no place in my home and I suggest you get the fuck out now.

Seriously, if you can't adapt, you are politically dead.

Don't sit here and tell me how hard you had it. Do you have to come right out and tell me how difficult your life is riding a Chinatown bus? Are you serious? I grew up in inner city Chicago, don't give me a lecture about race relations. You don't know the half of it. If you share the same views as the commenter, don't ever come back to my home.

Don't sit here and try to undermine me by telling me I don't stand for Asians.

You guys are a detriment. I don't stand for isolationism. That's called a death trap.

Thanks For Your Inspiration, Mate!

Guest Post

Got some sad news from Australia. Jack Wong Sue, a WW2 Australian ANZAC has passed away aged 84.  You can find the news link below:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/6479722/wwii-hero-jack-sue-dies/

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,26357538-2761,00.html

His story is fascinating because of the racism and discrimination at the time.  He joined up with the merchant navy because a neighbour sent him a white feather, a symbol of cowardice, assuming that he was just a ‘jap’.  He was only 16 and forged his parent’s signature.  When he tried to sign up for the Royal Australian Navy, they rejected him telling him it was because of his Chinese background.  But still he persisted and got into the Z Special Unit.

There are more details about his achievements in his book, but there was a lot more racism that he had not presented in his book. I was in the process of making a mini documentary with his son Barry when Jack’s passing occurred so I am quite shocked.

I feel there isn’t a lot of awareness in Australia about the role of Chinese-Australians who fought for Australian and other Asians who helped Australian and American troops behind enemy lines.

Hope you find his story interesting and inspirational.

Cheers

Yuan

Thanks for the email, Yuan. After a little back and forth, I apologize for the confusion. RIP, Jack. 

I WILL NOT BE ATTENDING BANANA

For security reasons and for the safety of the audience and everyone attending, I will not be at USC on the 21st. I will be in the LA area, but will not jeopardize this historic event. Thank you.

Just An FYI

Please ignore Jeffy Lew and let him ramble. Trust me.

Finding My Voice

After almost a year and a half of blogging, I can honestly say that I have found my voice in writing. I used to be afraid of talking about certain subjects in fear of a drive-by from these gangbanging progressives, but thanks to my small readership that continues to support me every step of the way, I grow bolder by the day.

Thank you militants for helping me become a better writer. I work hard for the pleasures of your visits to my home and it is an honor for me to be your host. When I see my Google Reader count continue to grow every week, I know I must be doing something right for someone.  

If you attempt to get in my way of talking about AM issues and empowerment, I will plow you like snow. I know both sides of the issues and you better not come here with some regurgitated shit from a forum or talking points from the Huffington Post. You had better come with some real ammo or you will be figuratively dead as deep-fried fuckin' chicken.

That's a promise.

BOK-BOK-BAAAAGAAAAWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!


This is my last week of classes and I am getting ready to make a departure for LA this weekend. If I haven't caught up to responding to your email, I will make sure I get back to every one of you when I find the time. Thanks.

Adopting Ideas From Gangsta Rap Pioneers

Chinx, meet Gookstaz. Gookstaz and Chinx, meet the militants.

Chinx (Toronto), per my man Royal over at Asian Rap Worldwide:

CHINX is a Chinese rapper from Toronto, Ontario. The name "CHINX" is an acronym for "Chinese History Now eXplained. CHINX has released a music video for his song Keep it Movin' featuring Renny Holladae. Keep it Movin' is a song about CHINX's hustle and grind to make it big.

Per an interview with Gookstaz (Bay Area) by AZN Raps:

Basically we're all Family...cousins. But the name speaks for itself. I mean, we're on a different side of the playing field in this rap game yaO MinG? The name just came through knowing because we're different in many ways... because of who we are, Discriminated, not portray'n it because "they" labeled it, and we accepted... The name stays till we flipped another chapter.

Right now you're probably askin' why these cats have to be rockin' their aliases under a slur, and how they should be ashamed of themselves for not knowing their history. Without being affluent or educated, ignorance is bliss. Not saying these guys are ignorant, but they live in a different world that has been misunderstood.

When an Asian man gets down with hip hop culture, all of a sudden he is a wannabe thug, and that's the preconception that we all get. They are speaking for a subculture that is still unsung, the cries of young Asian men growing up in this country and not getting any love. A specific group of people that have been disrespected in media all the way down to the enclaves of an Asian ghetto. When that happens, they demand it, on the streets in a gun fight or in a music video released on YouTube.

I have an email from a 14K Triad I will share with you tomorrow.

But back to names.

NWA (Niggaz With Attitude) gets credit for pushing the limits and taking on mainstream America by storm even though they were censored in many media outlets, while at the same time giving birth to Gangsta Rap. They told the stories of young Black men crying behind the walls of a room in the projects, in an America that reciprocated no love back. They portrayed a reality that was socially unjust, a system that worked to their disadvantages and raped them of their dignity.

I'm not gonna say Black Gangsta rap worked to everyone's advantage because it denigrated other groups in the process. But I will go as far as to say it was a revolution, a media melee that brought ideas to round-table discussions and intellectual debates. It became a major focus that became ever-more apparent as we talked more about race relations and social inequality within the minority populations.

Intellectuals didn't spark that debate even though they were writing about it, artists did.

Now for people like Chinx and Gookstaz, they see it as empowerment, the same way Black folks still call each other "niggaz" to show affection. Even though we've come this far in race relations, you have to ask yourself why they are doing this before you knock on them. It's apparent to me that not all -- including ignorant intellects and the goons that still hang from their nuts -- people know what it's like to be in an Asian man's shoes.

I already jumped ship from the progressive boat two years ago, and I refuse to be a part of an ideology that is headed -- not there yet -- toward censorship. I'm a bleeding liberal, no matter how much it has been stigmatized in the media.

It's about fucking time we took back our image from mainstream America. To quote Gookstaz,"The name stays till we flipped another chapter." I'm right behind you.

In Support Of The Arts

So I have a monthly stipend for purchases of creative works made by, or starring, diasporic Asians. If you care -- and I don't really give a fuck if you do -- here is the list:

1) Four tickets to Grace Kim & The Spiders From Mars, a play directed by Philip W. Chung, the last show at the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble (Greater LA Area). $36.

2) A DVD porn called Pure, starring Thai Briton Kenny Styles, the first mainstream Western Asian male pornstar, in his American debut.  $37.

3) A book entitled Our History is Still Being Written by Armando Choy, Gustavo Chui, and Moises Sio Wong. $12.

A night with Lady Militant after two bottles of Pinot Grigio: Priceless.

There it is, folks.

@ Lady Militant -- I know you are reading. I better not catch you watching my man Kenny Styles in action without me! Daddy Militant is gonna have to lay the smackdown on you! *spank*

Just shoot me an email if you would like two free tickets to Grace Kim & The Spiders From Mars if you are in the So-Killa-Cali area.