Okay, time to meet another 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 master's student Jasmine Chan, coming at us from London.
Who are you?
Jasmine Chan, though my friends have given me many "hilarious" nicknames over the years - Jay Kwon Do, DJ Jazzy Jeff, J-Unit. I still prefer Jasmine though.
What are you?
Homo sapiens (most of the time), Chinese-American of the Cantonese variety, student, budget globe trotter, enthusiastic foodie extraordinaire.
Where are you?
I'm currently writing this, slightly hungover, from my room near Covent Garden, London, UK. It's a brilliant location that's walking distance from everything that sustains me - the school library, my favorite coffee spot (shout out to Monmouth Coffee!), Chinatown, the pub. Next month, I'll be moving back to my home base in the Los Angeles area, and while I am excited to be back in the States and closer to my family, it'll be difficult leaving my London life behind.
Where are you from?
I was born near Boston, MA but spent the majority of my childhood in Hong Kong. My family then moved to Los Angeles where I've been based since, with the exception of spending time away at university. I'm also lucky enough to spend a lot of time in New York where I have close relatives, and back in Hong Kong visiting friends and family. What this basically means is that I'm really, really sick of airplanes.
What do you do?
I'm a Master's student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, trying my best to squeak by in my MSc in Media and Communications. My BA from NYU was in History, so the decision to switch fields as a postgraduate was certainly a difficult one. That being said, coming to London has been an incredibly gratifying experience, both academically and personally. Throughout this year, I've become increasingly aware of the media's ability to portray the world in particular ways, which has serious implications for how we as human beings should engage responsibly with each other in the 21st century and beyond. Because of this, I've decided to write my Master's dissertation on the representation of China in American newspapers, a highly relevant issue not only for myself, as a Chinese-American, but also politically, given China's position as an economic and ideological rival of the US.
Provided I get my act together and actually finish my dissertation, I'm looking to return to the States and pursue job opportunities in public relations after completing my degree. Because everything is so digitized now, with information about everything seemingly everywhere, there's a common (mis)conception that traditional communications industries like advertising and PR are becoming redundant. PR especially is a much maligned industry, but I think that it's still a highly relevant and exciting field in terms of guiding consumer perspectives and judging from my past work experience, it's an area I'd love to keep working in.
What are you all about?
I tend to live my life by double-barreled clichés: live and learn, work hard, play hard...
What makes you angry?
This could take awhile but briefly:
- Bad spelling and tYPinG lYK THiS
- Stereotyping on the basis of unfounded judgment and ignorance, especially when it comes to typical misinformed conceptions about Asians. This happens more than people realize.
- Overpriced food. Actually come to think of it, overpriced anything.
- Fox News
- The fact that I can't live without my iPhone