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.
In this episode, we welcome two of the legions of Asian American women of a certain age who were named after journalist Connie Chung: writer Connie Wang, whose New York Times piece "Generation Connie" put a spotlight on this phenomenon, and cartoonist Connie Sun, one of the many namesakes of the trailblazing newswoman who participated in the "Con Con." They talk about this unique sisterhood, the aspirational qualities of naming your kid Connie, and The Good, The Bad and The WTF of being named Connie.
And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.
'Black Lives Matter' to Me Because...
In the wake of protests over the murder of George Floyd, cartoonist Connie Sun has been looking inward and reckoning with her personal role in the context of anti-black racism as an Asian American. Recalling a painful memory from childhood, she drew this comic to start a dialogue. Read the rest of the comic here.
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EVERYONE I HAD BLACK LIVES MATTER WRITTEN ON MY BACK WINDSHIELD. THIS MAN CAME TO THE HOUSE AND PROCEEDED SO SCREAM ALL OF THIS RACIST SHIT. IM FUCKING TERRIFIED. WAY TO GO SCV. #blacklivesmatterpic.twitter.com/eWOKgKhgpq
"EVERYONE I HAD BLACK LIVES MATTER WRITTEN ON MY BACK WINDSHIELD."
Imagine being someone so offended by the sentiment that Black lives matter. This person caught an interaction with a neighbor who came knocking, incensed, because she had "Black Lives Matter" written on the back windshield of her car. Props to the friend who holds her ground. And no props to the asshole neighbor.
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BAY RIDGE DOES NOT WELCOME RACISTS
You know those racist flyers that recently popped up in Brooklyn? The neighborhood has clapped back. After flyers declaring "CHINESE ARE DESTROYING BAY RIDGE" showed up on lamp posts in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, someone started posting flyers declaring equally emphatic capitalization, "BAY BRIDGE DOES NOT WELCOME RACISTS. BAY RIDGE LOVES ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS."
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Investigation Launched Into Welfare of YouTuber's Adopted Son
Authorities launched an investigation into the welfare of Myka Stauffer's adopted son, Huxley, after the YouTuber announced that she and her husband, James Stauffer, had placed him with another family. "The Delaware County Sheriff's Office has received several inquiries regarding the welfare of a local 5-year-old child, who was recently given up for adoption. This child is not missing," the Ohio-based sheriff's office said in a press release. "Our primary concern is for the well-being of this child, as well as the other children in the household." Thankfully, the kid is not missing -- and hopefully, with a better family than with these crooks.
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Wu-Tang’s RZA on the Influence of Bruce Lee
In celebration of the new 30 for 30 documentary Be Water premiering on ESPN, Wu-Tang Clan's RZA dropped a new track, "Be Like Water" -- his tribute to martial arts icon Bruce Lee.
I'm on vacation! This week, I'm taking a much-needed break to recharge the batteries and get a change of scenery. To keep things going around here, I've enlisted the help of several friends of the blog to submit guest posts on various topics of their choosing. Here's a comic strip from Connie Sun.
There is nothing more central to my Asian-American identity than trying to hold on to enough Chinese to communicate with my immigrant parents.
