Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
What is “Asian”? 1 Behind These Eyes: Circle Live Free, Be Wired: Meet the Artist:
Lenses on the Rise 3 Far East Movement Jennie Liu 6
The Hyphenated Koreans: Finally Takes Asian
in Perpetual Orbital Muted Blight: Attack on Mainstream 5 Why We’re Rooting for
around North Korea 2 Asian Students Ignored 4 Jeremy Lin 7
WHAT IS ”ASIAN” ?
by Sondra Morishima
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THE HYPHENATED KOREANS
in Perpetual Orbit around North Korea
by Harry Lee & Chris Shim
Illustration by Kristina Lim
2 The Hyphenated Koreans: in Perpetual Orbit around North Korea Behind These Eyes: Circle Lenses on the Rise
BEHIND THESE EYES
Circle Lenses on the Rise by Joseph Lin
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MUTED BLIGHT
Attack on Asian Students Ignored
by Vicky Yau
Illustration by Kristina Lim
L
A t the first meeting of the
year for Asian students of South
no resolution for the victims. Instead, the
verdict completely ignores an entire year
Asian students. This year, in addition to a
new principal, SPHS began the school year
Philadelphia High School (SPHS), Otis of randomized attacks on Asian students, fully equipped with extensive security and
Hackney—the school’s fifth principal some of which resulted in broken limbs programming in the hopes of preventing
in six years—stared at the crowd of and concussions. The investigators further violence in the school. Students
students gazing back at him. “I am your subsequently neglected to interview the were also given a pamphlet by community
principal. I’m not asking you to trust majority of the victims, witnesses, school leaders where they could find resources
me from day one. But I am asking for staff and community advocate members and contacts if they fall victim to violence,
the opportunity to earn your trust.” present at the scene on December 3. The even if school staff members are unwilling
What exactly happened at SPHS on issue of a hate crime was essentially to help. However, Principal Hackney seems
December 3, 2009 is still unclear, but rendered irrelevant—there was barely any adamant about keeping all of his students
since that day, news reports confirmed note on the role of race in the incident. safe and promises “to make sure nothing
that at least 26 Asians were attacked in The long-awaited report was filed three like [December 3] ever, ever happens again.”
and around SPHS campus, with at least months after the attacks, but they The new changes this school year
seven students hospitalized. Both Asian seemed to provide no peace of mind to have prompted gradual, but much needed
and non-Asian students have agreed changes. Hackney is not only devoted to
that the spike in violence came after safety, but also to education. His goals
over a year of harassment and assaults The verdict completely for the school year include leading SPHS
of Asian students, in which the school ignores an entire year off the “persistently dangerous” list and
administration had done little to end. of randomized attacks being added to the list of schools with
While many accounts of the day on Asian students Adequate Yearly Progress. Similarly,
describe Asian students as victims there are several campaigns initiated by
of a mass hate crime outside of the the victims or their families. When Judge SPHS students in the hopes to further
school, one narrative speculates that Giles was asked why so many areas were enhance the safety of their school.
a group of Asian students initiated left void in the report, his reply was less While it is a little unrealistic to hope
the violence by attacking a disabled than compassionate: he did not believe that there will no longer be violence at
African American student. in “Monday-morning quarter-backing.” SPHS, students across the country can hope
But despite the validity of these Despite the glaring ignorance of some that there will never again be an incident
accounts, the report reviewed by U.S. officials, there are a select few committed like the one on December 3, 2009—not only
District Court Judge James Giles provided to ending this apparent injustice towards at SPHS, but also everywhere else. G
4 Muted Blight: Attack on Asian Students Ignored Live Free, Be Wired: Far East Movement Finally Takes Asian Mainstream
LIVE FREE, BE WIRED
Far East Movement Finally Takes Asian Mainstream
by Tara Sarath Illustration by Kristina Lim
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MEET THE ARTIST: JENNIE LIU
by Rachel Lin
Generasian: Can you tell us where you can meet on the stage space to explore exploring whiteness in some way—in some
were emotionally, socially, etc. with cross cultural encounter and engagement. way if there’s not a recognition that there’s
your work after graduating from NYU? It’s not necessarily completely on the no ethnic diversity on the stage, then I
Liu: I think it’s pretty common for surface—the representation of different feel like it’s absolutely not relevant to this
undergraduates in the arts to graduate cultural identities is not always what the culture, to this moment that we live in. As
and feel all at once really overwhelmed piece is about—but I feel that through the artists that use human bodies, speaking,
by the seeming immensity of the struggle abstract, through the merging of different and the human being on stage as opposed
before them and also feel really full of forms, I’m able to make a conversation to plastic objects, we have to in some way
themselves, in a good way. I feel like I about felt cultural experience. reconcile with our individual cultural,
was sort of in between those two places. ethnic, historical, familial identities.
I was lucky, in that I had teachers that
really gave me a lot of encouragement One thing I’ve figured G: Is that label a crucial part of
about making work, creating original out over the past eight your work or does it just happen
performance. So I kind of believed years since graduating to be attached to you?
that I had a process—which was kind from NYU is how to use L: One thing I’ve figured out over the
of a huge step forward, I think. my cultural identity past eight years since graduating from
as an advantage NYU is how to use my cultural identity
G: So what is it that you’ve been doing? as an advantage, as a way to set myself
L: What I do is use different forms—I G: Do you feel like the label “Asian a part from the many hundreds, if not
use movement, non-representational American” theater maker applies to you? thousands, of people my age working
movement, movement that is about L: I am a half-Chinese artist, and I will in my field in New York City right now.
movement not about anything else. I also always be a half-Chinese artist, and when To figure out what is really individual
use theatrical devices—character, text, I don’t see an exploration of cultural to me: who I am and how it relates to
story, and design—to create a conversation identity on the stage I completely where I come form—so that I can be
on stage that is about cultural friction. disengage. When I see a play or a dance more of an individual, you know? It’s
I’m interested in how very distinct ideas that is all white people and is not just about figuring out my personal
6 Meet the Artist: Jennie Liu Why We’re Rooting for Jeremy Lin
perspective that has to be completely linked to from acting school. I knew that would be spending
where I come from, what languages were spoken a lot of time in audition rooms being looked at as
in my household, what languages weren’t, and an Asian first and foremost. I knew that I would
the whole crazy history of colonialism and…it be auditioning for limited categories of roles.
has to be related to how I perceive the world. There’s a lack of visibility in the general culture
at large. So I deliberately did not pursue acting in
G: Have you ever felt like your cultural identity commercial media because of that. And also because
was a disadvantage? Nowadays there seems to I wanted to dance and experiment with dance, and
be a greater proliferation of Asians on the media in that field I never felt like I was discriminated
stage. How do you feel about that change? against in any way because dance is about a live,
L: Like Young Jean Lee? Yeah, there has been a greater interesting bodily presence—a presence that goes
increase of Asian faces in the media—I guess, the first beyond a racial/ ethnic frame or a gender frame…
time I thought about it was Sandra Oh. Sideways was dance is about tapping into something deeper.
the first time I saw an Asian face in a film where that
character didn’t have to be Asian you know—she just G: What do you know now that you
was—because we’re human and people. (Laughs) wish you knew eight years ago?
I don’t think I ever felt like it was a disadvantage, L: That’s a good question…I don’t know. It’s about
but then I made an absolutely conscious choice letting go, I think. Allow there to be mystery in
not to pursue commercial acting when I graduated what you’re making. Don’t be freaked out by not
knowing everything about what your making—
To learn more about Jennie Liu and HERE visit here.org that is something that I still try to tell myself. G
Photo courtesy of Benjamin Heller (HERE Arts)
I first read about Jeremy Lin, then a little-known basketball star at Harvard,
in an online scouting report that noted his lack of ball control was the most
noticeable “chink” in his armor. Although the author has since corrected the
language (ball control is now merely “his biggest weakness”) the miscue made
it clear that at least some sportswriters were not accustomed to seeing Asian
Americans in basketball. No one could blame them—only this did October,
Lin became just the first Asian American to wear an NBA uniform since 1947.
Of course, the 6’3” Taiwanese American is only one of several
contemporary Asian athletes to flourish in professional sports. But while
others like Lin have become some of the best within their respective
sports, the backup NBA point guard has quickly developed a cult-
like following among basketball fans of all racial backgrounds.
Lin first made national headlines in December 2009 when he scored 30
points, including two spectacular slam dunks against Connecticut, then
Illustration courtesy of Noah Dempewolf (KoreaAm) one of the best teams in the country. Although Harvard lost, highlights
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of Lin’s performance circulated across their sport much more so than Lin. The to study economics at Harvard. His
the internet. As he literally soared Oakland Athletics’ catcher Kurt Suzuki father, an immigrant from Taiwan, is
past athletes much larger than him, is one of the best in baseball, and the a computer engineer. This is probably
bloggers asked the seemingly inevitable Korean-American Pittsburgh Steeler Hines a biography we are all familiar with.
question: “this guy’s Asian?” Ward has won two Super Bowls. Why The one deviation from the Asian
This fascination only grew after Lin, then has Lin become such an icon for us? archetype is his NBA-worthy talent. We
although not selected during the 2010 cannot sympathize with a childhood
NBA Draft, still outperformed John of intense athletic training, years of
Wall, the Draft’s best player, in an NBA It’s not difficult to Olympic competitions, or the college
exhibition game. This time, Lin caught insert ourselves into experience of an athletic scholarship
national attention: the Golden State Lin’s story—apart from that many athletes have had.
Warriors offered him a contract, and even his basketball career But we can identify with Lin, the
ESPN jumped on the Lin bandwagon. 22-year-old Harvard grad who has
Reflecting on the large Asian American devoted much of his life to academics,
crowd in Madison Square Garden when The answer does not necessarily lie almost to the fault of conforming to a
the Warriors visited, writer Matt Wong in Lin’s athletic ability or his professional racial stereotype. But unlike ourselves,
remarked, “This isn’t like watching Yao basketball player status, but more Lin can soar past seven-foot men and
[Ming]…Asian Americans can more in our perceptions of ourselves. For faces the likes of LeBron James and Kobe
easily relate to the path Lin had to take Asian American students today, it’s not Bryant everyday. He is almost a comic
to get to the NBA…I couldn’t help but difficult to insert ourselves into Lin’s book version of Asian American youth—
get the feeling that I knew him.” story—apart from his basketball career. studious and hardworking student by
I share these exact sentiments when In many ways but one, he complies with day, professional athlete by night.
watching Lin play amongst the best the Asian stereotype so many of us are Like Wong, we cannot help the
athletes in the world. But in these past familiar with: he was born and raised as a feeling that we know Lin when we watch
years, sports fans have seen several devout Christian in northern California, him play. It is an inescapable feeling
other Asian American athletes dominate where he excelled academically enough that we ourselves know too well. G