Hello, my internet friends! It's time again. It is time 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 Jason Y. Lee.
Who are you?
My name is Jason Y. Lee. I'm a skinny Korean-American kid from Kansas and the founder of Jubilee Project.
Not to be confused with Jason Lee, Jason Scott Lee, or thousands of other Jason Lees in the world. Actually, I was supposed to be Oscar. My father is an avid film enthusiast and considered naming me after the Academy Award. But he had a change of heart and named me Jason instead. His inspiration? The popular 1980s slasher horror film series Friday the 13th. I wish that were a joke.
What are you?
I am a... Filmmaker. Christian. Korean-American. Entrepreneur. Activist.
Relatively new Angeleno. Recovering New Yorker. Proud Kansan. Given that most of my life is spent on the internet: YouTube, Instagram and Twitter... home is where the wifi is.
Where are you?
Currently at LAX boarding a flight to Montreal for July 4th (So patriotic, I know).
Where are you from?
I come from a family of dreamers. My parents came to America as graduate students and decided to stay when they had my brother and me. Now, my mother is a computer science professor. She's the smartest, most hard-working person I know. She taught me that anything men can do, women can do (better). My father taught me courage -- to seek out stories and embrace adventure. And my older brother taught me to step off the beaten path and dream big.
What do you do?
As make-believe as it sounds... I'd call myself a storyteller.
Four years ago, I quit my job as a consultant to start a YouTube channel called Jubilee Project. We are now a non-profit media company that tells stories to inspire change. I travel around the country sharing the story of my own journey and searching for new stories to tell. We're currently finishing our first feature length documentary Save My Seoul which explores rampant prostitution and sex-trafficking in Seoul, South Korea.
What are you all about?
I believe we exist to live for something greater than ourselves. Each of us is called to act justly, love compassionately, and walk humbly. And if we're lucky, we can use our gifts to help others and make this world a better place.
What makes you angry?
When people are crappy toward one other. I get angry when people choose hate over kindness, whether it's by treating wait staff rudely, being racist, or turning a blind eye to injustice. I think humans are capable of unfathomable evil, but also incredible love -- my hope is that each of us chooses love.
Oh, also when people talk during movies. The worst.