Hello, 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 Gene Cajayon.
Who are you?
I'm a father to my two teenage sons, and a semi-retired filmmaker.
What are you?
My mom is Vietnamese and French, and my dad is Filipino. Grew up in Orange County, California with equal doses of Vietnamese, Filipino, and American culture.
Where are you?
I'm writing this in my home office in Long Beach, CA.
Where are you from?
I was born in Saigon, Vietnam, during the war. I was a baby when my family immigrated to Chicago, but we couldn't take the cold so eventually we settled in Garden Grove in OC. Now I live in Downtown LBC.
What do you do?
Like most single parents, I have multiple hustles. For my 9-5 I produce interactive advertising -- banner ads, web development, motion graphics and the like. I also do freelance marketing consulting, independent film consulting, Airbnb, vending machines, and of course, Uber on the weekends. Phew. Just writing that sentence makes me want to take a nap.
In a past life I made a movie called The Debut, and after releasing it spent many years working on my follow up film and a bunch of spec screenplays. But parental responsibilities took precedence, so now most of the film production work I do is in the advertising world.
What are you all about?
Lately I've been all about being a dad. My eldest son just started at Cal Berkeley, which, considering all the challenges our family has had to overcome the past few years, is a minor miracle. My youngest is still in high school but is also looking at college in a couple years. So I'll be all about tuition for the foreseeable future.
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for all forms of diverse, inclusive media, from indie film to theater to music. So whenever I can squeeze it into my schedule, I'm at film festivals, concerts, plays, you name it. And if I ever win the lottery, you can bet I'll be back to producing indie films about marginalized communities in a heartbeat.
What makes you angry?
Trump and all the assholes who supported or voted for him.
Here's why. If you voted for that narcissistic demagogue, one or more of the following things applies to you:
1. You're a racist, sexist xenophobe and you wanted one of your kind to lead the free world. Which makes you an asshole.
2. You might not be a racist, sexist xenophobe, but you're perfectly fine voting for one to be President. To you, those traits aren't automatic disqualifiers when choosing someone to lead the free world. Which makes you an asshole.
3. You're too stupid and/or self-delusional to recognize that Trump is what racism, sexism, and xenophobia look like in 2017. So then you rationalized your vote for a career con man who is completely unqualified for the job of President by telling yourself "he's a straight talker who says what's on his mind," and you're gonna save a few bucks on your taxes, which will "make America great again," or some such nonsensical ignorant bullshit. Which makes you an asshole.
I know I'm mostly preaching to the choir here, but Trump and his ethno-nationalist "movement" are an existential threat to liberal democracy. And the fact there's over 60 million of Trump's assholes walking amongst us (including some in my own family) makes me angry. Thank god for sites like Angry Asian Man to help the rest of us fight the good fight.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go call some more Congress people and fight to preserve my family's health insurance.
