K-Drama Bullying Is No Joke: Korean Drama Podcast - Boys Over Flowers #4

A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.



Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.

In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.

In this week's episode, we are faced with even more K-Drama tropes including personal space issues, awkward tardy dates (in the snow) and JEALOUSY! New rival Oh Minji adds drama to the drama and our hosts are powerless to resist. Also, Korean drama bullying is no joke (don't bully).

Jackie Chan goes full-on Revenge Dad in 'The Foreigner'

Trailer for upcoming action thriller promises a darker, revenge-ier Jackie Chan.



Jackie Chan is not messing around anymore. While the 63-year-old international action star is known for his comedic physicality and upbeat everyman hero roles, the new trailer for the upcoming thriller The Foreigner promises Chan in full-on Revenge Dad mode, à la Taken. And that means a lot of people are gonna die.

Chan plays a humble London businessman Quan, whose long-buried past (cue vintage photo of young shirtless Jackie) erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when his teenage daughter is killed in a terrorist blast. In his search for the identity of the bombers, Quan is forced into a cat-and-mouse conflict with a British government official, played by Pierce Brosnan, whose own past may hold clues to the identities of the killers.

Note the look on Jackie Chan's face. That's a look that says I am going to kill all the terrorists.

Idiot air passenger fears Sikh man is a terrorist

These snaps should give you a sense of what it's like for anyone who appears to be Muslim to travel by plane.



The thing about commercial air travel is that you never know what kind of weird or awful or questionable people you're going to be forced to fly with. For instance, this recent flight where a Sikh man boarded the plane. No, I'm not calling the Sikh passenger weird or awful or questionable. I'm talking about the asshole who freaked out over the sight of a guy with a turban and beard and broadcast his racist assumptions on social media.

Because a guy who looks like that could definitely be a terrorist, right? This jerk recently documented his ridiculous prejudice and paranoia on Snapchat, posting photos of the Sikh passenger seated nearby, taken surreptitiously over the course of the flight, chronicling his activities with fearful commentary like, "Please god just let the man sleep" and "Ok he just walk to the back of the Plane then to the front then to his seat."

Screen grabs of the Snapchat posts were shared on social media by educator and activist Simran Jeet Singh, who is also Sikh and is all too familiar with the "uncomfortable stares" of fellow passengers in an era of heightened Islamophobia. And yet Singh tries to show compassion even when faced with such ignorance.

"This series of snaps should give you a sense of what it's like for anyone who appears to be Muslim to travel by plane," Singh wrote in a series of tweets. "As a Sikh who flies frequently, I'm no stranger to the uncomfortable stares and misguided fears people have of me."

Store owner sentenced to eight years for killing shoplifter

Min Kim pleaded guilty to fatally shooting Jakeel Mason in the back.


Photo Credit: KOMO
Last week in Washington state, a Korean American convenience store owner was sentenced to serve eight years in prison for shooting and killing a fleeing shoplifting suspect last year.

Spanaway convenience store owner who shot & killed thief sentenced to 8 years in prison

31-year-old Min Kim pleaded guilty earlier this year to fatally shooting Jakeel Mason after he caught Mason shoplifting at his convenience store, Pacific Quick Shop in Spanaway. Mason was trying to flee from the store when Kim shot him in the back. Kim initially claimed he shot in self-defense.

However, prosecutors say surveillance video showed that Mason, who was unarmed, put his hands up and backed away when Kim pulled a gun on him. When Kim started fighting with him, Mason broke free and ran toward the door. Kim shot him twice in the back, killing him.

Read These Blogs

The Slants on the Power of Repurposing a Slur: "The battles about hate speech shouldn’t be waged at the Trademark Office, decided by those who have no connections to our communities. Those skirmishes lead to arbitrary, inconsistent results and slowly chip away at the dignity and agency of oppressed people to decide appropriateness on our terms."

* * *
The Slants show full meaning of free speech: Can freedom of expression and protection of the oppressed coexist? According to the Portland band whose dispute over their name lasted over eight years before finally going to the Supreme Court -- yes, it can.

* * *
Asian 'Boat People,' Once Opposed More Than Syrian Refugees Today, Speak Out: One Lao and two Vietnamese refugees speak frankly about how their experiences relate to the need to support refugees today. "There are a lot of innocent people who are refugees, and given the opportunity, [they] would give back 100 times more than what was given to them."

* * *
Be Better: A Guide to Avoid Cultural Appropriation: Soleil Ho breaks down cultural exchange versus cultural appropriation -- and even provides examples what you should and should not do at a party.

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No, it's not "fine" to call me a Chinaman: Is it so hard to recognize Asian Canadians as Canadians in Vancouver?: C'mon, you lazy racists. People can be both Asian and Canadian.

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The Lost Generation: From 'The Joy Luck Club' To 'Crazy Rich Asians': An entire generation in the U.S. missed out on seeing Asian American families represented in film and television.

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The Inner World of Ali Wong: How the San Francisco native grew up, cracked filthy jokes, got pregnant, filmed a Netflix special, and became the next big thing in comedy.

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5 reasons Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon stayed married after turning their love life into 'The Big Sick': Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon weren't just co-writers on the screenplay for producer Judd Apatow's The Big Sick; they put their own real-life romance on-screen for the world to see. Here, Nanjiani and Gordon dole out some dating advice based on their experiences.

* * *
Why Are Brown Men So Infatuated With White Women Onscreen? While projects like The Big Sick, Master of None, and Homecoming King offer welcome depiction of brown Muslim men in love, the characters pursue white women at the expense of women of color.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 13: The Call Us The Slants

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. 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.

This week, we welcome Simon Tam, front man for the embattled Asian American rock band The Slants. He talks about the eight-year fight to trademark their band name, the landmark Supreme Court ruling in their favor, and the important right for Asian Americans and other marginalized communities to call ourselves whatever we want.

Angry Reader of the Week: Alfa

"I'm still learning how to stay authentic, and not to veil my true self."



What's up, good people of the internet? It's 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 Alfa.

There will be a vigil tonight outside the home of Vincent Chin's killer

Vincent Chin died on June 23, 1982.



Thirty-five years ago today in Detroit, four nights after being severely beaten in the head with a baseball bat, Vincent Chin died. The case would become a seminal rallying point for the Asian American community. And tonight, concerned community members plan to gather for a vigil outside the home of Chin's killer.

For those unfamiliar with the case: Chin was out at a strip club celebrating his bachelor party when he got into a fight with a couple of disgruntled auto industry workers, Ronald Evens and his stepson Michael Nitz. Witnesses say they heard Ebens yell "It's because of you little motherfuckers that we're out of work!" -- referring to U.S. auto jobs being lost to Japanese manufacturers. Vincent Chin was Chinese American.

The fight was broken up, but Ebens and Nitz weren't finished. They searched for Chin outside the club, tracked him down to a McDonald's and attacked him. Nitz held Chin in a bear hug while Evens repeatedly bludgeoned him with a baseball bat until his head cracked open. Vincent fell into a coma and died on June 23, 1982.

NPR's Morning Edition aired a Story Corps interview Vincent Chin's best friend, Gary Koivu, who talks about his lifelong friendship with Vincent and hauntingly recounts the night he witnessed his murder.

Officer, at least unbuckle his seat belt before you unjustly beat the shit out of him.

Dash cam video of Minnesota traffic stop shows police officer violently assaulting motorist.



The ACLU of Minnesota is calling for an investigation into the police officers who pulled over a motorist and violently assaulted him. Dash cam footage shows one officer viciously beating the young man who is still buckled in his car seat, while another officer purposely turns off the camera's audio.

In the Blink of an Eye, Police Officers Turned This Traffic Stop Into an Unnecessarily Violent Encounter

Anthony Promvongsa was driving in Worthington, Minnesota on July 28, 2016 when Agent Joe Joswiak of the Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force pulled him over and proceeded to beat the shit out of him. Well, first Joswiak threw open Promvongsa's door and screamed "Get the fuck out of the car, motherfucker!" Then he beat the shit out of him. Promvongsa didn't even get a chance to unbuckle his seat belt before Joswiak started swinging.

In police dash cam footage obtained by the ACLU, Joswiak can be seen punching, kicking and elbowing Promvongsa several times in the back before yanking him out of the driver's seat of his Honda Pilot, throwing him to the ground. Then he presses his knee to the back of Promvongsa's neck, pinning him face down on the pavement while he and Sgt. Tim Gaul of the Worthington Police Department handcuffed him.

At some point, Gaul intentionally turns off the audio of the encounter. After he is placed inside the squad car, Promvongsa can be heard breathing heavily and sobbing.

"Perm Boy, Violin Guy, Pottery Boy and Ringo": Korean Drama Podcast - Boys Over Flowers #3

A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.



Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.

In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.

In this week's episode, we dive back into the story of Perm Boy, Violin Guy, Pottery Boy, and Ringo in Episode 3 of Boys Over Flowers. As we try to piece together the not-quite-love triangle (or a line with 3 points) forming among the characters, we continue to wonder: where are all the adults?

The Amazing Debut of Beat Box Man and Poem Woman

"How a Mother Remembers"



Behold! The debut collaboration between "Beat Box Man and Poem Woman," aka poet Christy NaMee Eriksen and her 8-year-old son Diego. Christy shares a poem entitled "How a Mother Remembers" while Diego backs her up with some sweet, sweet vocal rhythm. It's a little rough around the edges -- Diego introduces the video with the disclaimer that it's "just a test" -- but it's absolutely lovely and charming. Enjoy:

She's white, dammit, and she wants to see a white doctor.

"Can I see a doctor please that's white, that doesn't have brown teeth, that speaks English?"



This one comes from our neighbors to the north... A woman at a Toronto-area clinic was caught on video demanding for a "white doctor" who "doesn't have brown teeth" and "speaks English" to treat her son.

Video shows woman demand a 'white doctor' treat son at Mississauga, Ont., clinic

The video was filmed on Sunday at the Rapid Access to Medical Specialists walk-in clinic in Mississauga, Ontario, where the woman was awaiting treatment for her son, who was apparently experiencing chest pains.

Except she made clear that she wanted a very specific kind of care.

"So you're telling me that my kid has chest pains, he's going to have to sit here until 4 o'clock?" she asks a clinic employee. "Can I see a doctor please that's white, that doesn't have brown teeth, that speaks English?"

Trust the Process: An Interview Poet Bao Phi

Award-winning poet opens up about his latest collection 'Thousand Star Hotel.' By tk lê.


Photo Credit: Anna Min
Bao Phi is a performance poet and writer based in Minneapolis. His second poetry collection, Thousand Star Hotel skillfully weaves a range of topics -- police brutality, Asian American representation, masculinity, fatherhood, and his immigrant experience growing up in Minnesota, to name just a few. In this interview, Bao talks in-depth about what the process of writing this book has been for him and elaborates on some of the heavier subject matter. Also, kittens.

92-year-old former internee receives high school diploma

72 years after internment, Mary Matsuda Gruenewald finally graduates from Vashon High School.


(Photo Credit: Aileen Imperial/KCTS 9)
Over the weekend in Washington, a 92-year-old Japanese American woman received her high school diploma -- with honors -- alongside the graduating class of Vashon High School -- 74 years after her education at the school was interrupted when her family was forced into an internment camp during World War II.

92-year-old woman receives high school diploma 74 years after internment

Mary Matsuda Gruenewald was 17, in the middle of her junior year in 1942, when her family was forcibly removed from Vashon Island and incarcerated in a dusty California concentration camp, like thousands of other innocent Japanese Americans on the west coast. She was a good student, a member of the honor society and served on the student council. But she missed the opportunity to graduate with her classmates.

On Saturday, she finally graduated from Vashon High School. Receiving a standing ovation, she was presented with her diploma, along with a copy of the 1943 yearbook and the 2017 yearbook signed by students and staff. The ceremony was streamed live on YouTube (Gruenewald is first acknowledged in the principal's remarks at the 51:46 mark, and receives her diploma at 1:48:02):

The Slants win Supreme Court battle over band name

Asian American rock band wins the right to trademark their "disparaging" band name.



'The Slants have won the right to trademark their band name. The Supreme Court ruled Monday that even trademarks considered to be derogatory deserve First Amendment protection, in a ruling that could have significant impact on how speech protection is applied in other trademark cases.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Rule Against Disparaging Trademarks

The Slants' frontman, Simon Tam, filed a lawsuit after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the band from registering its name, and rejected repeat appeals, citing a section of the 1946 Lanham Act, a federal law that prohibits registration of trademarks that "disparage" or "bring into contempt or disrepute" persons, institutions, beliefs or national symbols. Tam contended that the 70-year-old law violates free speech rights.

In an 8-0 ruling, the court agreed with The Slants, determining the law's disparagement clause violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment.

"The commercial market is well stocked with merchandise that disparages prominent figures and groups, and the line between commercial and non-commercial speech is not always clear, as this case illustrates," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his opinion for the court. "If affixing the commercial label permits the suppression of any speech that may lead to political or social 'volatility,' free speech would be endangered."

Muslim teen abducted, assaulted and murdered in Virginia

Darwin Torres is accused of killing 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen with a baseball bat.



In Virginia, a Muslim teenage girl who was reportedly assaulted and disappeared has been found dead, and a 22-year-old man has been charged in her murder in connection with the case.

Teen Missing in Fairfax County Believed Dead; Suspect Charged: Police

Police believe a body found Sunday afternoon in a pond in Sterling is 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen, who was reported missing after she and some friends got into an altercation with a motorist near their mosque.

According to police, a group of girls was walking back from breakfast at IHOP early Sunday when they got into a dispute with a motorist -- witnesses say he appeared to be drunk and was brandishing a baseball bat -- who got out of his car and assaulted one of them. The rest of the teens ran back to their mosque, the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), where the group reported that Hassanen had been left behind.

"Immediately thereafter, the ADAMS' personnel notified both Loudon County and Fairfax County authorities who immediately began an extensive search to locate the missing girl," the mosque said in a statement.

Police searched the surrounding wooded area for several hours, and found the body in the pond, located about two to three miles away from where the original altercation happened.

Read These Blogs

Who Is Vincent Chin? The History and Relevance of a 1982 Killing: Although the death of Vincent Chin has become a staple of Asian-American studies courses taught across the country, there are still many -- Asian Americans and others -- who do not know about what happened the night Chin was beaten or understand its continued significance for the Asian American community.

* * *
Op-Ed: 35 Years After Vincent Chin, Echoes of the Past Haunt the Future: "Vincent Chin gave us clarity as Asian-American civil rights activists 35 years ago, and now we must bring those lessons to bear on a new generation of civil rights struggles."

* * *
How Asian Americans Remade Suburbia: Asian immigrants, once the "ultimate outsiders," have profoundly reshaped the suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area. A new book, Trespassers? Asian Americans and the Battle for Suburbia, explores that tension in the context of Fremont, California, the largest Asian American-majority suburb in the Silicon Valley.

* * *
How The White Establishment Waged A 'War' On Chinese Restaurants In The U.S.: They may seem ubiquitous now, but not so long ago, Chinese restaurants were feared by the white establishment.

* * *
How Anti-Chinese Propaganda Helped Fuel the Creation of Mestizo Identity in Mexico: Jason Oliver Chang's Chino: Anti-Chinese Racism in Mexico, 1880-1940, uncovers the forgotten history of anti-Chinese propaganda and violence around the years of the Mexican Revolution.

* * *
In Little Saigon, scraping out a living, one home-cooked meal at a time: Com thang is a popular practice of home cooking made in mass quantities to sell as quick meals for families too busy to make their own meals. Such small business practices are familiar to many immigrant families.

* * *
We're Indian-American With Adopted White Children And Here's What People Ask Us: Grocery trips turn into adoption education, and there is no shortage of difficult questions from the adopted children.

* * *
After not finishing a book in 35 years, how my father became a reader: Mariya Karimjee shares about a very special book club of two: her and her father, who had not read a book in 35 years.

* * *
Why You Need to Listen to Nancy, a Radically Honest Podcast on LGBTQ Issues: Nancy is a new podcast from WNYC, hosted by Kathy Tu and Tobin Low, that centers the LGBTQ experience.

* * *
11 Asian-American Playwrights Recommend 11 Asian-American Plays: Prince Gomolvilas reached out to eleven celebrated Asian American playwrights to recommend old and new Asian American plays.

Angry Reader of the Week: Tiffanie Hsu

"Stories with real people going through real shit captivate me."



Hello, internet friends. You know what time it is. It's 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 Tiffanie Hsu.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 12: They Call Us Asian American

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. 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.

This week, we celebrated Heritage Month, ahem, eleven months early, discussing the complexities of Asian American identity and community with Professors Karthick Ramakrishnan and Jennifer Lee of the National Asian American Survey.

"I just take no racism. Get that shit out of my face."

Philadelphia restaurateur Han Chieng suffers broken ankle in sidewalk fight with drunken racists.



A Philadelphia restaurateur suffered a broken ankle after getting into a sidewalk fight with several drunk individuals -- a fight that he says started when one of them shouted "ching chong wong" at him.

Han Dynasty owner breaks ankle in sidewalk fight: 'I just take no racism'

Han Chiang, owner of Han Dynasty in Old City, says he and several employees were outside on a cigarette break Thursday night when they encountered a group that had apparently just been kicked out of 2nd Story Brewing, the pub next door. Chiang and his colleagues were about to go back inside when one of the group yelled something to the effect of "ching chong wong" at them. Chiang called him on it.

"I turned around and said, 'Fuck you, you racist motherfucker,'" Chiang said in a phone interview with Billy Penn. "The guy denied saying it, then his friend Ian jumped in and hit me with a skateboard." Then it was on.

The fight escalated, with multiple people joining in, and Chiang getting his ankle broken in the fracas. At some point, the fight was broken up, and Chiang was hospitalized. But not before skateboard guy and the gang yelled "Fuck you, you Chinese faggots!" as they made their getaway.

Later, Ian Carroll, the guy who apparently hit Chiang with the skateboard, posted a note to Han Dynasty's Facebook page, preemptively recounting his version of the altercation, alleging that it was the Han Dynasty employees who started the fight when they tried to jump him and his friends.