Read These Blogs

Asian American girls saw pivotal icon in ‘Baby-Sitters Club'
The Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club, is based on the popular book series about five girls growing up in a Connecticut suburb. Now, many Asian Americans are now recalling the impact that the character Claudia Kishi had on their own childhoods.

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An Ode to Claudia Kishi, the Coolest Kid in 'The Baby-Sitters Club'
Decades after the release of Ann M. Martin's Baby-Sitter's Club book series, the Claudia Kishi fan club lives on through fan pages and a new Netflix documentary.

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Tammy Duckworth: Tucker Carlson Doesn't Know What Patriotism Is
Tucker Carlson's attempts to distract the nation from recognizing the ineptitude of the Trump administration will not deter Senator Tammy Duckworth, who has words for the Fox News host (and Donald Trump).

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I'm 10 Minutes Away From Becoming a U.S. Citizen
"...but U.S.C.I.S. is sitting on a growing backlog of would-be citizens like me."

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Thamee got national acclaim for its Burmese food. Now it wants to become a model for racial justice.
The pandemic and mass protests for racial justice left many small businesses wondering how to proceed. Jocelyn Law-Yone and her daughter, Simone Jacobson, are making sure their restaurant supports and uplifts the Black community that surrounds them.

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Is Small-Town White Montana Ready for My Loud, Brown Family? Doesn't Matter, We're Here Anyway.
Venu Gupta and her family are currently in Montana -- exactly where they belong.

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ON ADOBO AND ANXIETY
A meal at Savannah's only Filipino eatery becomes a second-generation identity crisis.

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Padma Lakshmi's New Food Show Is a Trojan Horse
Taste the Nation is breezy in tone, but it exposes the betrayals at the heart of "American" cuisine.

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The Appropriation of Avatar
"American culture likes to identify its heroes and villains; Koniezko and DiMartino are neither. For me, they are not "canceled." But contrary to public worship, their work bears harm, too."

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Heroes on Peacock: How Masi Oka would have changed Hiro
Masi Oka talks about the legacy of Heroes, the impact of his character Hiro, and how the show changed his life.

Angry Reader of the Week: Clement Chow

"I belong here, just like everyone else."



Hello, internet friends. It is time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Clement Chow.

Grande Iced Americano for "Ching"

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Starbucks Cup Refers to Asian Customer as "Ching" (That's Not Her Name)
This again. I'm told this occurred last week at the Starbucks location in Arvin, California (along Interstate 5). A group of young Asian American friends got their drink order to discover that the cashier had entered "CHING" on the label where their name was supposed to go. The name was apparently supposed to be "Kim." I don't know how you mishear that. And shit like this has happened at Starbucks before. (Honestly, I've lost count.) According to this Facebook post, the store manager didn't offer an apology or acknowledgement that anybody did anything wrong, and simply offered to refund the cost of the drink. How about telling your employees not to give racist nicknames to your Asian customers?

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Tucker Carlson, Who Can Go To Hell, Suggests Tammy Duckworth "Hates America"
Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed that Purple Heart veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth is unpatriotic following her suggestion for a national dialogue about removing historical monuments. Duckworth, who does not take shit from anybody, clapped back at Carlson via Twitter. The war veteran, who lost both of her legs while serving in Iraq and now uses a wheelchair and prosthetic legs, challenged Carlson to "walk a mile in her legs."

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"My Behavior In The Video Is Appalling"
The man caught on viral video making racist comments at an Asian American family in Carmel Valley has been identified as Michael Lofthouse, a local tech consultant. He has issued a bullshit apology: "My behavior in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments. I would like to deeply apologize to the Chan family. I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel. I was taught to respect people of all race and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day." Lost control? That racism was the calmest shit I've ever seen. Nice try, asshole.

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Identified: Woman Who Told an Asian American Family 'You Can't Be in This Country'
Aaaand some follow-up on that woman who was caught on video telling an Asian American family "you can't be in this country" while they were hiking last weekend in Marin County. The woman, identified as Beth Taska, was employed as the Chief People Officer at Topa Equities -- up until Tuesday. The company reportedly accepted her resignation as a result of this incident in the park. In a statement she sent to KGO-TV, Taska says she "deeply respects the right of all people and regrets her conversation did not illustrate this and wants to work toward unity." However, she also claims the video "doesn't depict what happened" and that her words were "muffled by the mask" and that what they repeat is not what she said. Sorry, but her words were pretty damn clear to me. Would she have said "you can't be in this country" to a white family?

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Little Jenna here is exactly why #representationmatters . I am so grateful for this show, that so many young people can watch this show and say “It’s me” . Thank you @britbrit1432 for sharing this video ❤️💕❤️💕 @HamiltonMusical #hamilfilm pic.twitter.com/iDbb4orVIs

— Phillipa Soo (@Phillipasoo) July 6, 2020

This Girl's Reaction to Phillipa Soo in 'Hamilton' Shows Why Representation Matters
Hamilton star Phillipa Soo recently shared a heartwarming video of a young Asian girl declaring, "It’s me!" while watching Soo perform as Eliza Schuyler in Disney+'s filmed staging of the hit musical. Do not tell me representation doesn't matter.

How Was Your 4th of July? Racism Didn't Take The Day Off.

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.


"Trump is going to fuck you. You fuckers need to leave. Fucking Asian piece of shit."
Jordan Chan was at a restaurant in Carmel Valley, California celebrating her aunt's birthday when they encountered this piece of shit, who started making racist remarks at them. The man, who social media is identifying as Michael Lofthouse, was caught on camera telling them, "Trump is going to fuck you. You fuckers need to leave. Fucking Asian piece of shit." Chan posted the video on Instagram and the internet took it from there. May you suffer the consequences of your actions. Happy 4th of July. Fuck Trump and fuck this guy.

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"You guys can't be in this country."
Meanwhile, in Marin County, an Asian American family was out enjoying a hike in the woods when they encountered a woman who stopped them and told them they "can't be in this country" after scolding them for having a dog on the trail. (There were apparently several other hikers with dogs on the trail. I highly doubt she confronted all those folks.) She told them they were breaking the law and -- classic move, true to form! -- pulled out her phone to call the police, aka The Manager. Then she scurried away when she realized she was being filmed. Meet the internet, lady.

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Woman who went on anti-Asian tirades arrested on separate battery charge
Remember that racist lady in Torrance? You know who I'm talking about. The woman whose racist anti-Asian tirades went viral last month has a warrant out for her arrest -- but not for those incidents. She's wanted in connection with a separate confrontation from last year. 54-year-old Lena Hernandez was charged Thursday in an alleged case of battery stemming from an incident at a local mall on October 14, 2019, in which she verbally assaulted a custodian and struck another person who tried to intervene. According to the city attorney, there is "insufficient evidence" to support filing criminal charges regarding the incidents at the park. Folks calling for her head will have to settle for the battery charge, and hope you don't run into Lena on the street.

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ICE: Foreign Students Must Leave The U.S. If Their Colleges Go Online-Only This Fall
Foreign students attending U.S. colleges that will operate entirely online this fall semester cannot remain in the country to do so, according to new regulations released Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. So these have a choice, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: risk your life going to class in-person or get deported. Another cruel, garbage move by the White House and its ongoing campaign of to rid the nation of immigrants, one xenophobic step at a time.

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The F*CK Racism Collection
A shirt design for our times. A collaboration between People Anyday and ZeebLabs, the limited edition shirt has a fun message when you fold it up. All proceeds from sales of the shirt will go to the Equal Justice Initiative.

They Call Us Bruce 101: They Call Us Adoptees

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

On this episode, we welcome Asian American adoptees Dan Matthews and Grace Newton to share their stories, discuss recent adoption-related controversies in the news, and complicate the narrative around issues of international and transracial adoption.

Angry Reader of the Week: Kulap Vilaysack

"Fuck raisins."


Photo: Andrew Max Levy
Greetings, good people of the internet. It is time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Kulap Vilaysack.

Read These Blogs

Asian Americans Are Still Caught in the Trap of the 'Model Minority' Stereotype
Viet Thanh Nguyen reflects on the Hmong American officer who stood watch while his colleague murdered George Floyd and the limitations of the "model minority" stereotype.

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With 'kung flu,' Trump sparks backlash over racist language - and a rallying cry for supporters
President Trump’s first use of the phrase "kung flu" -- during a campaign rally in Tulsa last weekend -- drew broad political backlash as a racist slur against Asian Americans. Within three days, however, it was also something else: a rallying cry for his supporters.

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'I Will Not Stand Silent.' 10 Asian Americans Reflect on Racism During the Pandemic
Photographer Haruka Sakaguchi has been photographing individuals in New York City who have faced pandemic-fueled harassment or violence. The resulting portraits, which were taken over FaceTime, have been lain atop the sites, also photographed by Sakaguchi, where the individuals were harassed or assaulted.

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The Asian American Response to Black Lives Matter Is Part of a Long, Complicated History
Overlapping histories of empowerment and marginalization contextualizes the various ways Asian Americans are responding to the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Americanizing Asians: The mental toll of being asked to change your name
Experts criticize a professor recently alleged to have demanded that a Vietnamese student "anglicize" her name.

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Op-Ed: Why California needs affirmative action more than ever
In November, a new generation of California voters will have the opportunity to restore affirmative action in the state. Professor Jennifer Lee says reversing Prop 209 will help, not harm, Asian Americans.

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Bay Area creator of ‘We Bare Bears’ marks end of series with new movie
We Bare Bears: The Movie concludes the beloved animated series' four-season run. Creator Daniel Chong says the movie's narrative -- and the broader themes of the show -- are a response to what's happening in the world.

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Hasan Minhaj Discusses The Sixth Season Of 'Patriot Act'
NPR talks to comedian Hasan Minhaj about the latest season of his show Patriot Act.