I’ve always been a sucker for the Winter Olympics. The down-hill skiing, luge and of course hockey. This year however, I’ll be keeping an eye on the short-track speed skating. Why? Because J.R. Celski will be competing.

“Celski was born in Monterey, California where his father Robert Celski was serving in the U.S. Army. He was raised in Federal Way, Washington. His father, Robert, is of Polish descent and his mother, Sue, is of Filipino descent” (Wiki).

Celeski also made a 47-minute documentary of the Seattle hip-hop scene called, “The Otherside.” 

“We went to a whole mix of local shows,” said Dom, who graduated from the University of Washington. “We wanted to first show the diversity of the types of sounds coming from here for those not familiar with the hip-hop scenes. We followed Macklemore way before he got where he is now. We’ve seen the work and dedication that he put into his music.”

Other Seattle hip-hop artists featured in “The Otherside” include the Blue Scholars, Fresh Espresso, Massive Monkees, Mad Rad, RA Scion, Grynch, The Physics and many more.”

“The Otherside” is also available for streaming HERE

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

So I visited a few on-line newspapers and using their search function I entered, “Asian American.” Some interesting returns have connected nicely with topics discussed in our seminars. Even though some of the stories are from last year, they are good reads– perfect for the Scissors category.

The first two are from the New York Times:

As Parents Age, Asian-Americans Struggle to Obey a Cultural Code

This article is about Asian Americans who distance themselves from the tradition of caring for their parents. At the prospect of being sent to a home many elders believe being in a nursing home creates “trouble in the head.”

“In a country that is growing older and more diverse, elder care issues are playing out with particular resonance for many Asian-Americans. The suicide rate for Asian-American and Pacific Islander women over 75 is almost twice that of other women the same age.”

 

Star Types and Stereotypes: Maggie Q and Lucy Liu: Asian-Americans as Leading Ladies

Lucy Lu; Elementary

Next, this one takes a look at Asian American women on television and how they are overcoming stereotypes– mostly.

“In both cases [Maggie Q-- "Nikita," and Lucy Liu-- "Elementary"], though, the actresses and their writers have avoided or transcended easy stereotypes. A lot of effort has gone into humanizing Nikita, and making her a sisterly or even maternal figure for the younger assassin Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca), and the emphasis on violent action has decreased over the show’s run. In “Elementary,” Watson has embraced her role as apprentice detective after suffering a catastrophic failure as a doctor, taking some of the shine off her super-competence. And unlike other characters in the same mold, she appears to have a normal, nonneurotic romantic life.”

Watch out! Angry little girl is sharing her feelings

When I read this next one in the Los Angles Times, the first thing that came to mind was the Secret Agent Man we read about in East Main Street. This main difference is that this comic is from a female point of view and has become a TV show.

“Against all odds — Lee figured — critics from the LA Weekly and the Los Angeles Times gave it sparkling reviews, saying it offered “bold dialogue on subjects often kept unspoken.” Twenty people went up to her after the showing, telling her, “I love ‘Angry Little Asian Girl.’ She says everything I want to say. I was her growing up.”

“It’s not easy being a girl, stuck with mean parents, a dumb boyfriend and annoying friends,” Lee says, by way of introducing her main character. “I love the freedom of being able to say just what you need to say.”

The comic-strip heroine acts out where her creator never had the nerve. Lee tells of being raised by ultra-strict parents, the youngest of four daughters in a Korean American household who were constantly pushed to achieve and “be somebody.”

THE KAWAII AMBASSADORS

I recalled ‘The Kawaii Ambassadors’ that I had saw on TV in Japan while we were talking about ‘Kawaii’ in class. (‘Kawaii’ is often translated to cute and lovely. ) The reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan had appointed three young leaders as Kawaii Ambassadors in February 2009. It means that Japan is try to place ‘Kawaii’ on the market in the world through national government administrative organ.

Like Cibo-Matto, some Asian musician and people tried to remove stereotypical image toward Asian female as exotic and sexual object. Personally, I don’t want people to think like that either. But, nowadays, Japan is using to ‘Kawaii(cute)’ culture for global market.

“In the past, the Japanese government has presented a decidedly traditional face to the outside world, highlighting such aspects of Japanese culture as kabuki theater, noh drama, the tea ceremony, and cherry blossoms. This began to change in 2008, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed its first ever “Anime Ambassador,” with the idea of using pop culture to stimulate interest in Japan overseas, especially among young people. The job went to a blue-and-white robot cat known as Doraemon, a favorite among children in Japan and other countries thanks to a long-running series of manga and anime adventures.”(http://web-japan.org/trends/09_culture/pop090827.html)

I feel like this kind of campaigns are making new images toward Japanese female again like three ambassadors: wearing a school uniform, cosplay, and harajuku fashion style.

P.S. “Kawaii” is used not only for Gothic & Lolita style, but also for anything and anyone that are described as cute or lovely.

For me….the pictures below are all KAWAII! lol

So I found this article, and it talks about the large population of Asian Americans that live in Philadelphia. Many of them are in poverty, and can’t find good jobs… but because of the ‘model minority myth’  they also can’t find any help or resources.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140206_Report_dispels__model-minority__myth_of_Asian_Americans.html

-Meeting in B1107 in the afternoon
-Applications falling at Evergreen
+Mostly a stepping stone towards graduate school
-Ken Ishii “Extra”
+Not “progressive” genre
-Nujabes “Battlecry”
-In legendary Shaolin training, there was a trial where monks had to survive 36 chambers to graduate
-Emi Meyer “Happy Song”
-ABC “American Born Chinese”, FOB “Fresh Off the Boat”, the “world of Alphabet soup”
-MC Jin “ABC”
+Also did “Top 5 (Dead or Alive)”
-Cibo Matto and the term of kawaii
-What does Asian American mean?
+What is pop culture?
-Cibo Matto “Sugarwater”
+Also with “Know Your Chicken” and “Sci-Fi Wasabi”
-Manong or manang, or “older generation”
-Resistance vernaculars (Tony Mitchell) to spectacular vernacular (Russell Potter)
-Ang Buhay Ko is Tagalog for “my life”
-Balita is Tagalog for “news”