Asian Outlook Spring 2008 Issue #1

ASIAN OUTLOOK

VOLUME XXI ISSUE I FALL 2008

Barack Obama and Why He’s Right for Asian America...

Life After Binghamton: A Bearcat’s Tale

Brush up on your Asianese for Halloween

Editors’ Letters: Get out and make a difference!

Inside: The Beijing Olympics, Anime Conventions, Updates on the Burma Cyclone, Sichuan Earthquake, and much more...

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C O N T E N TS

LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS

On being a conscious, enlightened Asian American population...

F EATU R E S

ASIAN STUDENT UNION GROUP DESCRIPTIONS Meet the subgroups of the ASU

NEWS

BEIJING OLYMPICS: OPENING CEREMONY CONTROVERSIES

What went wrong, and, more importantly, how it was portrayed...

RACISM AT THE OLYMPICS A sordid tale of two teams...

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Kenneth Eng

IN BRIEF: CYCLONE NARGIS AND THE SICHUAN EARTH- 10 QUAKE The facts on two of the worst disasters of 2008 1

asian outlook | october 2008

Mogana Jayakumar and Nicele Arana

E NTE RTAI N M E NT

AMERICAN J-HORROR

A short history of American remakes of Japanese movies

CHARICE PEMPENGO

The woman, the myth, the sensation...

INSIDE ANIME CONVENTIONS A whole new world...of cosplay

SPORTS

HOME GROWN

A look at Asian Americans in baseball

EDITORIALS

BARACK OBAMA...

...and why he’s right for Asian America

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Tathiana Gordon

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Jarucha Jiradacharoen

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Priscilla Goon

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Andy Kwan

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Albert Kim

ASIAN SEXPLOITATION: WHY IS IT BEING TOLERATED?

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ACKNOWLEDGE ME

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Taking a stand...

Life as a minority...

COLUMNS

Calvin Prashad Anonymous

ASIANESE: HALLOWEEN EDITION

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THE REAL LIFE

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Learn insulting, original Halloween phrases to put your suite to shame...

Fan Chen, Lali Ha, and Karina Rodriguez One Bearcat’s Tale of Life after Binghamton...

CONSCIENCE

A. Liu

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CREDITS

editors-in-chief Will To and Devek Singh treasurer Wilson Chen

editorial staff Victor Chen Jarucha Jiradacharoen Karina Rodriguez conscience editor Kari Tam

secretary Alyssa Alimurung

layout editors Lali Ha Fan Chen Elliot Won

publicity Linda Su Kaming Cheung

EDITORIAL POLICY

Thanks to our contributors:

Albert Kim Nicele Arana Mogana Jayakumar Tathiana Gordon Chris Lu Kenneth Eng Dave Sweeney Calvin Prashad Andy Kwan A. Liu Anonymous...

Asian Outlook is the art, literary, and news magazine of the Asian Student Union here at sunny State University of New York, Binghamton. Originally conceived and created to challenge, redefine, re-imagine, and re-volutionize images and perceptions associated with Asians and Asian Americans; further, Asian Outlook serves to protect the voice of those in the minority, whether by ethnicity, gender, and/or political orientation. All matter contained within these beautiful pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Asian Outlook reserves the right to edit submissions and publish work as deemed appropriate. Prospective contributors are encouraged to discuss his/her work with the editor(s) prior to submission. Articles may be submitted as an email attachment to ao.editor@gmail.com, all literary and art pieces may be submitted to aoconscience@gmail.com.

C O NTACT PO LI CY

Uninvited contact with writers and contributors is forbidden under pain of punishment. Please direct all questions, comments, and complains to ao.editor@gmail.com 3

asian outlook | october 2008

L ette rs f ro m t h e E d iitt o rs

In one 2004 public service announcement that was created by a veritable who’s-who of Asian-American actors, titled “The Least Likely”, it was announced that Asian-Americans were, as the title implied, the “least likely” to vote; I asked myself if we were also the least likely to care. At this point, I wondered if it was futile to reflect on the vicious cycle of how political candidates, be they presidential, senatorial (all of whom are downright conspiratorial) ignore Asian Americans because they don’t vote, and how as a result of being neglected, many Asian Americans see voting (and other forms of activism) as useless.

Granted, the very size of the Asian American demographic may contribute to this problem; according to Slate Magazine, of the fifteen million Asian Americans in the US, there are approximately 7 million eligible voters, of which only half, around 3 million voters, actually show up at the polls come Election Day. However, one study finds that, even with the small size of the AsianAmerican demographic, Asian-Americans are underrepresented, holding “less than one percent in the seats of the House of Representatives and 1.1 percent of state legislatures nationwide.”

On campus, however, apathy and contempt (at least in terms of voter registration) does seem to be the exception rather than the rule, or at least for now. Many of the Asian-American groups on campus have been out registering voters on several occasions, and a significant amount of Asian-Americans I spoke to have confirmed that they have already registered, and encouragingly, inaction seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

And yet, at the same time, this newfound energy, however refreshing it may be at the moment, seems more a burst of speed, a quick sprint in a long race than a slow, measured, but most of all, steady, effort. After all, once the elections are over, can Asian Americans on campus transfer their political consciousness to other, equally important issues, of which there are many? As all of you may know, tumultuous events both on the world stage and the domestic sphere have taken place as we were away for summer break, and also occur now, as school continues. Such events include, among others, the many trials and controversies of the Beijing Olympics; the recovery efforts behind both the Sichuan earthquake and the Burma cyclone, which have claimed over a hundred thousand lives in total; the subprime mortgage disaster and subsequent bailout, which threatens to topple the very structure of our economy.

Another matter that is closer to home, and one which Asian American students have the power to directly affect, would be the ongoing fight to achieve campus-wide recognition for Lunar New Year as a school holiday (and perhaps set a precedent for other districts and campuses). Though Lunar New Year may seem small in comparison with other problems, be it the aftermath of the natural disasters or the looming financial crisis, to many Asian-American students on campus, it is still an important one, and one worth fighting for. Though it is true that, should we wrestle a Lunar New Year holiday from the administration, we would not see it (as the school calendar is written years in advance), it certainly is worth it--as a small victory and the first step for an increased Asian American social-political consciousness.

Hell, if that doesn’t appeal to you, then do it for the bragging rights.

Best, Will To Editor-in-Chief (1 of 2)

I’ll be brief. As my senior year has kicked off with much pressure to figure out how to survive and make a difference in the real world, I find myself trying to make up for lost time here at BU; I’m keeping my plate permanently full. My own apathy and complacency when I was younger (ah, the smell of fried plantain and masala in the air) caused me to miss out on a lot of great things here. I mean, I’ve been doing my best for the past couple of years, but there’s so much to be done. There is a lot of potential all around us, and it mostly gets overlooked and wasted. So I’m going to write to you what I wish someone would have told me when I was younger: you have to try your best to tap into that potential. You’re at a pretty good school with some really great professors here and there, and you’ve got to make the most of that. There are a ton of cultural groups on campus, and you should get involved so you can connect to your own roots and understand others’. Yes, a lot of these groups can be very cliquey and a bit exclusivist, but if you show up, be proactive and make some effort, you can change things. Have faith in yourself and find something to believe in, something to do. If you don’t like something, do something about it, and this applies to the upcoming election as well of course. You owe it to your family (okay now I sound elderly for a 20-year-old); they suffered and struggled to get you to this point.

Oh, and make sure your bite matches your bark, and if you don’t have any bark then go get some. So wake up, get out there, be inspirational, and make a difference. Good luck.

No one on the corner have swagger like us, Devek Singh Editor-in-Chief (2/2) october 2008 | asian outlook

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MEET THE SUBGROUPS OF THE ASIAN STUDENT UNION ASIAN STUDENT UNION

PHILIPPINE AMERICAN LEAGUE

The Asian Student Union (ASU) is one of the largest cultural groups in Binghamton University. Representing over 20% of the campus, ASU along with our seven subgroups, serve to defy stereotypes, define culture, maintain a sense of tradition, and what it is to be Asian American in today’s world. Every semester ASU works hard to educate the campus through means of educational workshops, cultural events, and holiday gatherings.

We will be holding a China earthquake and Burma cyclone relief charity event on November 14th in the Susquehanna Room.

Everyone is welcome to come and show support.

The Asian Student Union (ASU) is one of the largest cultural groups in Binghamton University. Representing over 20% of the campus, ASU along with our subgroups, serve to defy stereotypes, define culture, maintain a sense of tradition, and what it is to be Asian American in today’s world. Every semester ASU works hard to educate the campus through means of educational workshops, cultural events, and holiday gatherings.

We will be holding a China earthquake and Burma cyclone relief charity event on November 14th in the Susquehanna Room. Everyone is welcome to come and show support.

The purpose of the Philippine American League (P.A.L) is to spread the Filipino culture throughout the college community and to create unity and awareness through various educational, cultural and social events. P.A.L. welcomes Filipino, as well as non-Filipino students to participate in the activities presented to them. These people not only join a club, they join a family.

The Binghamton University Japanese Association (BUJA) is an all-student organization that attempts to promote Japanese culture throughout the Binghamton campus. A Non-exclusive club, BUJA is comprised of members spanning the ethnic spectrum, all sharing a common interest in Japan. With a 13 year history of catering to the curiosity and interests of the student body, BUJA offers various events and activities throughout the academic school year, culminating in the biggest event of the year, Japan Night.

The cooperation and consideration of our members is what drives this club, and in turn we offer an opportunity to experience the distinct tastes otherwise only available in Japan.

The Chinese American Student Union was founded in 1982 to serve as an educational and social voice for the Chinese American community on campus. As one of the six subgroups of the Asian Student Union, CASU strives to unite and share common interests with our fellow Chinese and Chinese Americans. As an organization, we base our concepts of cultural and political awareness on all races and cultures, focusing on unity among the Asian cultures. We are here to represent the new Chinese American voice and to expand our identity in a positive and diverse direction.

Every year, our e-board members work collaboratively to de-

BINGHAMTONUNIVERSITYJAPANESEASSOCIATION

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asian outlook | october 2008

CHINESE AMERICAN STUDENT UNION

liver successful and entertaining show such as Asian Night, China Night, and Lunar New Year Banquet. We also actively organize and participate in fundraising and charitable events, as well as supporting our fellow subgroup organizations. We look forward to an amazing year with you all, so keep an eye out for more fun and exciting events from CASU!

TAIWANESE AMERICAN STUDENT COALITION

KOREAN AMERICAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION

KASA is a cultural organization that is built on the foundation of seeking, maintaining, and fostering different aspects of Korean and Korean American identity, tradition, and culture.

We are organized and run solely by the students of Binghamton University. The great development and successful accomplishments of KASA are possible, without any doubt, by the hard work and dedicated efforts of the awesome executive board members, Korean night directors, professors, and both former and current members of this organization.

TASC, is a network of college students who come together based on a common interest in Taiwanese culture, based at Binghamton University. We are here to provide a support group, to facilitate the defining of one’s Taiwanese American identity and to afford an opportunity to actively address the issues and concerns of Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans.

TASC was officially chartered by the Student Association in November 1994, formed to have a representation of Taiwanese Americans on the campus and to network students based on a common interest in Taiwanese culture. TASC is a sub-group along with 6 others under the Asian Student Union (ASU).

The goals of TASC are to promote an environment in which the student body can get to know each other, learn about Taiwan and Taiwanese culture and to promote events that share many aspects of the Taiwanese culture to the public. Events for the school year include but are not limited to Night Market, Asian Night (done with other Asian sub-groups), and the TASC Banquet.

ASIAN OUTLOOK MAGAZINE

AO was founded in 1988 as a cultural publication to voice the concerns of the Asian student body on campus. Our purpose is to educate our readers about the key world issues concerning Asians and Asian-Americans, and to provide a forum for students, especially Asian-Americans, to publish and expose their work to the public.

We strive to promote an understanding of Asian culture and AsianAmerican related issues.

Asian Outlook endeavors to publish new issues on a monthly basis and distribute throughout campus. We are always looking for new members and submissions. Weekly meetings are Monday at UUW329. Please send questions, comments or submissions to AO.Editor@gmail.com.

october 2008 | asian outlook

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Beijing Olympics’ Opening Ceremony Scandals: Depictions in the Press

By David Sweeney

estern publications often tional style to overemphasis its message. scolded, China promised us ’56 children skew people’s understanding It conveys indignation that the 56 child from 56 Chinese ethnic groups.’” If that of China by writing biased ar- performers in ethnic costumes, suppos- is the kind of publicity a country gets for ticles. Conflicting interests is the main edly to represent China’s different ethnic spending the most money in Olympic culprit of creating this misrepresentation. populations, were actually hired from an history on their performance, one would The publisher exploits the underlying cul- acting troupe and majority of them were be surprised if the next host of the tural differences and misperceptions to of Han ethnicity. The article also men- Olympics even bothers to have an opensell newspapers. By comparing two arti- tions the allegations that parts of the fire- ing ceremony.

The author mocks a statement made cles from The Washington Post and The works display have been digitally Western Mail with three articles from the produced. Not only, it mentions the scan- by a Chinese official by inserting a ranSouth China Morning Post, this report dal of the actual singer of the Chinese dom quote from the actress Katherine will show that Western publications sup- anthem 'Ode to the Motherland' being Heigl, ‘he needs to just not speak in pubport and reinforce a framework of “The author is clearly lic.’ The author is clearly trying to make Chinese officials look bad, no Western superiority. Overly critical tr ying to make Chinese matter what the official really had to depictions of China’s ‘Asian-ness’ officials look bad, no say. Calling the Han ethnicity “the have given people a bad perception of both China and Asia as a whole matter what the official white people of China… [Who] dominate the economy and politics,” the and gives justification for being culreally had to say” author is perhaps referring to how turally intolerant.

The tone of the Western articles gives replaced by a prettier girl who had to lip- ‘white people’ monopolize the economy the first clue of its bias. The article from synch. The article went on to quote other and the politics of the West. The author the Washington Post is blatantly melodra- publications who called the children and also makes another correlation with the matic, using a tongue-in-check sensa- the fireworks fake. “The outraged reports West by adverting to a U.S. sporting team, 7

asian outlook | october 2008

there has been a lot of development, which has been accompanied by the changing of the social structure. Today’s generation must feel inspired by the achievements of its country, yet there must also be a feeling of moving away from its traditional cultural roots. So, journalists must express and cater to these feelings of China's economic gains and its social loss. If journalists were to write about events in Tibet, they would selectively highlight the economic development and express the need to integrate the community into adopting the communistic ideology instead. 'the custom has become controversial, shaken by this display and didn’t know The public at large always wants to be the article explains, and some schools what to make of it. Yet the article belies reassured that its cultural values are right. have dropped their "Indian nicknames those fears by calling them ‘Scary Goose- This is the reasoning behind the Western and mascots."' Americans seems less Stepping Soldiers’. Even though the newspapers’ criticism of China. It is racially controversial now, but also also why Chinese newspapers scoff at “ T h e Wester n pr ess forgot their long history of racist the criticism. The Opening Ceretreatment of minorities. They just b l u r s the lines between monies in Beijing have given them a use this opportunity to criticize p o l i ti cal criticism and unique opportunity to once again critr a cial pr of ili ng” China for issues like suppressing icize China for being communist and rebel minority forces.

Asian. The perception of ‘East’ and Yet the way in which China operates goose-step is the type of march the sol- ‘communist’ become fused together. is seen as improper, unmoral and back- diers were executing, ‘Scary Goose-Step- Conveniently ignoring faults of the ‘West’ wards. Ever since the Cold War, freedom- ping Soldier’ just doesn’t sound makes America seem a whole lot better loving American Democrats and intimidating. In fact, it sounds quite than it really is. And in the end, journalRepublicans, have hated communism. timid. ists are really just being overly critical of The message presented in the South Painting China red entirely benefits the a few minor discrepancies of the cerepolitical and publication system in which China Morning post is generally an up- monies. those depictions are written and ex- lifting one. They stress the fact that China pressed. These newspapers play on the was very successful in hosting the stereotypes of its target readers, Ameri- Olympics. They highlight their additional cans, by depicting China as an authorita- burden of overcoming the criticism, such tive state, actively censoring and as the air pollution and the protests from Sources: shamelessly marketing itself to promote a Tibetans. They underline their aim of “Something Else at the Olympics Rings False”, The Washingnational identity. This implication serves presenting a spectacular show with no ton Post. Lisa de Moraes.

“Fireworks – and protests – erupt as the Beijing Olympics lay as a convenient distraction away from any flaws. They also present an optimistic, yet on a spectacular ceremony”, The Western Mail.

“Beware of Imitations”, The South China Morning Post. social inequalities and unjust activities oc- sobering, outlook for the future where Frank Ching. they express the need to develop infracurring here in the state. Thus, maintain“Fake Minority Children Took Part in Games Opening Ceremony”, The South China Morning Post. Lane Cai & Peter ing this ideology is good for the politician structure but also the need to develop Simpson.

“Despite Worries, the Games Have Gone Well”, The South and good for business, specifically the their spiritual cultivation.

However, it is hard to say that this China Morning Post. Chris Yeung. newspaper.

The Western press blurs the lines be- writing is unbiased. It appeals to the Chitween political criticism and racial profil- nese mentality. The last three decades has ing. One example is the way they depict seen great changes in China. With the Chinese soldiers marching. The article end of the Cultural Revolution and the describes how TV reporters were a little institution of China's open door policy, october 2008 | asian outlook

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Racism at the Olympics

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by Kenneth Eng

y, what small eyes you have.” Many Asian people can testify that their friends have made fun of their small eyes.

However, imagine what a slap in the face it must be to have an entire nation ridicule you.

Shortly before the Olympic games started, advertisements were run by a Spanish courier company, Suer. The

“advertisements depicted both the men’s and women’s Olympic basketball teams with ‘slit eyes’”

advertisements depicted both the men’s and women’s Olympic basketball teams with “slit eyes” as a blatant racist gesture toward their Chinese hosts. The full page advertisements ran in Spain’s best selling newspaper, La Marca. Ironically, the Spanish basketball team is sponsored by Li-Ning Footwear, a Chinese company

created by Li-Ning, the final torchbearer during the Olympic opening ceremony.

The British press shed light on the situation by running an article condemning the Spanish Olympic teams for their insensitivity. A second Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, had debated if the pictures were racist and came to the conclusion that Britain was trying to give Spain a bad name. The Spanish basketball teams said that they did not mean to offend anyone with their pictures.

As if two photos were not bad enough, shortly after, in April, the Spanish women’s tennis team deemed it was appropriate to take a similar picture and put it on the official website of the Spanish Tennis Federation. The caption of the

picture read, “Estamos preparados para China," which means “We are prepared for China."

Again, when the picture surfaced, the Spanish tennis team issued an

“the Spanish women’s tennis team deemed it was appropriate to take a similar picture and put it on the official website”

apology stating that they did not mean to upset anyone. However, it is hard to believe that this picture was not intentionally aimed at the Chinese because of the caption chosen for the picture.

These extremely offensive pictures came with awfully weak apologies.

The Spanish Olympic teams were not reprimanded in any way. It is sad to think that some people would produce pictures like this during a time when we should be fostering global friendship and unity. Not a single member of any of the teams stood up and protested that these pictures might be insulting to the host nation. Hopefully, these pictures will hurt Spain’s chances to host in the Olympics in 2016 or 2020.

Picture Sources: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/255 9578/Beijing-Olympics-Second-Spanish-team-photographedmaking-slit-eyed-gesture.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/11/olympicsbasketball.olympics20081

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asian outlook | october 2008

Cycl one N ar gi s

by Mogana Jayakumar

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Last May, Burma was hit by the most devastating cyclone to ever affect the region, Cyclone Nargis.

Since then, the country has been in an enormous state of need. The estimated death toll of almost 150,000 could reach one million if conditions continue to worsen.

Burma is on the brink of an epidemic, with its contaminated water stores and poor living conditions breeding disease and infection. Cyclone Nargis hit a very densely populated area and outbreaks of malaria have already ensued.

The isolationist regime of Burma has delayed or even, in some cases, rejected help from others. Although multiple countries have been allowed to send aid, the amount is still insufficient. To further complicate matters, the Burmese government has deemed itself the only source to distribute emergency medical supplies. As the situation

appears to become more and more dire each day, the United Nations’ statement that the relief effort in response to Cylone Nargis is a “race against time” has proven true.

“death toll of almost 150,000 could reach one million”

Source: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/images_news/011_en/0000005946 /p1.jpg

Sichuan Earthquake

by Nicele Arana

The Sichuan Earthquake hit Sichuan province of China on May 12, 2008, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale. Located in southwestern China, Sichuan province is a mountainous area inhabited by over 15 million people. For 24 hours after the earthquake, a

series of aftershocks continued to strike the area, the highest at a magnitude of 6.1.

As of September 22, 69,227 are confirmed dead, 374,643 injured, and 17,923 missing. The exact number of teacher and student casualties remains unannounced, as many were trapped when school buildings collapsed around them. Currently, 11,687

“69,227 are confirmed dead, 374,643 injured, and 17,923 missing”

schools require reconstruction, in addition to thousands of hospitals and factories1. The earthquake thus raises questions about China’s enforcement of current building codes since Tangshan, the last major earthquake to hit China in 1976. Any new buildings that will be constructed must have the capability to withstand considerable structural damage.

According to the Chinese government, earthquake costs have amounted to $9.5 billion, with over $125 million in public donations2. Over 5 million people remain homeless.

Sources: MCEER International Federation of Justice for China http://i0.sinaimg.cn/dy/c/p/2008-05-19/U2008P1T1D15569874F21DT200805 19085347.jpg

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E A R T H Q U A K E10

AMERICAN J-HORR

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by Tathiana Gordon

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or the past decade, the most common about violence, body counts, and horritrend in American horror movies has ble sequels instead of what it should be been the art of the remake. Several clas- about: plot and atmosphere. Thankfully, sic horror movies have been remade for Japanese filmmakers have managed to the current generation, including some capture these two elements, making heavy hitters like Psycho, Thirt13n them American filmmakers’ idols. JapanGhosts, The Amityville Horror and The ese horror films usually use revenge as a Omen. Hollywood will look any and common theme among them. They also everywhere for inspiration for the new typically have twisted plotlines and conblockbusters, and recently, they have fuse audiences by not letting them know been importing Japanese ideas by the exactly what is going on. This is exactly the kind of the movie that the Japanese truckloads. people generally respond to. They loved later, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Kairo became Japanese moviemakers are considered to be the most creative and visual horror movies that kept them guessing our Pulse and made it impossible for moviemakers the modern world has ever all the way up to the end. This is what anyone to use a computer for quite some seen. Moreover, Japanese horror film- American filmmakers sought to emulate; time. I should know. I was one of them. makers are the crème de la crème. They a gutsy thriller that was designed to keep Finally, to round off our list of the most possess the unique ability to use graphics moviegoers on the edge of their seat noted American J-Horror movies, Masayuki Ochiai’s Shutter was remade and skilled actors to bring nightmares to until the very last second.

J-Horror didn’t really crossover into this year, with the remake bearing the life on screen and to create images that American mainstream until the thriller same name of the original. This movie will haunt the viewer for weeks. Their Ringu was remade into 1998’s The Ring was especially frightening because it feadexterous use of stop-motion photograunder the leadership of Hideo Nakata, tured something that I’ve encountered phy and computer generated graphics more than once: spirit photography. I capture everything that we fear refuse to take pictures after that one “Hollywood will look any and place it on a screen for us to face if, and only if, we are and ever ywhere for inspiration for two weeks. There are a few othbrave enough. And this is a skill for the new blockbusters, and ers that didn’t do so well in the box office, but are worth seeing, and that Hollywood has been trying recently, they have been imthose are 2004’s Dark Water and to match. porting Japanese ideas by the 2008’s One Missed Call.

For years, Hollywood’s horSadly, it seems that we didn’t take ror movies have been more truckloads.” many of the lessons we learned from Japanese filmmakers to heart, as we who originally directed the Japanese ver- are reverting to our former gory ways. sion. At first, American moviegoers had Ironically enough, earlier American horno idea what to make of such a film. ror films, such as The Shining and PolterAfter growing up with ghosts that flew geist, which were psychological thrillers through walls and moaned plaintively, based on ancient ghost stories and folkthe stilted and almost broken move- lore have been cited by famous Japanese ments of Samara, the childlike evil plagu- filmmakers as their inspiration. Maybe ing Naomi Watts, threw them into a this is their way of telling us to go back stupor. They recovered quickly, and The to our roots. Maybe not. Either way, all Ring was a complete success. we can definitely say is that when these American filmmakers soon realized two cultures mesh to make a movie, what a hot commodity they had on hand, we’re bound to lose sleep over it. After and like everything else we get our hands all, isn’t that why we all flock to theaters on, they exploited it to the best of their every Halloween? ability. Soon after, Takashi Shimizu’s Juon migrated across the Pacific Ocean Picture Sources: and became 2004’s The Grudge, starring http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/8650/grudge2o Sarah Michelle Gellar. A mere two years nesheet2iv0.jpg 11

asian outlook | october 2008

Charice Pempengo: An International Singing Sensation

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by Jarucha Jiradacharoen

harice Pempengo, also known simply as Charice, has been making headlines in the United States ever since her debut on Ellen Degeneres’ daytime talk show in December of 2007. It is undeniable that this sixteen- year- old girl has an impressive

voice for singing voice since Oprah even hailed her as “the most talented girl in the world.” Surprisingly, Charice has succeeded to stun Americans in a relatively short time. This is a major feat because Asian singers often try to carry their popularity to the U.S. with little success.

From Charice’s humble beginnings in the province of Laguna, Philippines, she has established a name for herself internationally. She first gained attention in her birth country after appearing in Little Big Star, a talent contest, and making it all the way to third place after being asked

october 2008 | asian outlook

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to return as a wild card despite being eliminated earlier. People who live outside the of the Philippines were introduced to her after videos of her performance in Little Big Star appeared on the FalseVoice channel of YouTube. The videos gained received numerous hits and she was sought by Ten Songs Production, a recording company in Sweden, to record seven songs. Her fame spread further when a Korean broadcasting system saw the video of her performing “And I Am Telling You I’m not Going” from Dreamgirls. She went on to perform the song in Star King, a popular talent show in South Korea. Ellen Degeneres was so impressed after seeing videos of Charice that she invited her as a guest on to come on her show. Not long after, she appeared on The Paul O’Grady Show. She has also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show twice, once in May of this year and again in early September.

In addition, Charice has also received acclaim from other people in the music industry, such as David Foster, who asked her to perform with him twice in his concerts. David Foster is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, and singer-songwriter. Andrea Bocelli, a classical crossover singer who performed in operas, also invited her to his birthday concert in Lajatico, Italy. In On September 15th, she performed a duet of Because 13

You Loved Me with Celine Dion in Madison Square Garden. She won rave reviews from both The New York Post and The New York Times. Charice’s powerful voice tends to surprise people since it comes frombelonged to such a young personsinger. Her raw talent is awe-inspiring and refreshing in a time when the voices of singers tend to be processed and altered by audio systems. Her renditions of “I Have Nothing” and “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston are truly impressive. Just listening to the songs does not do her justice since

asian outlook | october 2008

Charice has an undeniable stage presence on stage. Not only does she makes you really feel the song in your heart, she can gives you goosebumpsgoose bumps when she belts out the high notes. If you want to see her perform live, don’t miss the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC this year.

With all of the support Charice has from her fans in the Philippines and overseas, thereThere is a lot of potential for Charice her to go far. considering the support from her fans in the Philippines and overseas. Besides, praise from Oprah is more than enough considering how influential the talk show queen is in the United States. Charice recently released a debut album with six songs under Star Records but half of it is her rendition of other artists’ songs. She would definitely have greater success with more the releases of more original songs. Even though Charice has been to many countries and performed under big spotlights, she still retains her joyful youthfulness and humility which only adds to her charm. http://charicepempengco.com/ http://www.chariceonline.com/ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/arts/music/17c eli.html?_r=2&ref=arts&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

INSIDE A NIME CONVENTIONS

By Priscilla Goon

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or the last few decades, the Japanese craze has escalated in the Western world. Technology and entertainment are some of the many Japanese products imported into the United States. Bookstores often stock manga and anime which are Japanese comics and cartoons respectively. To embrace Japanese culture, annual conventions are held across North America during the entire year. A few well-known conventions are Anime Expo in Los Angeles, Anime Boston in Boston, Otakon in Baltimore, Anime North in Toronto and AnimeNEXT in New Jersey.

These conventions are typically three days long, lasting from Friday to Sunday.

Tickets could be purchased at the door or by online preregistration. Badges are provided as proof of purchase and attendees can walk in and out of the convention as long as they have badges.

Conventions are usually not a small affair.

For example, from 2002 to 2007, AnimeNEXT grew from just over 1,000 attendees to more than 7,000 attendees.

What happens in a convention? Every year renowned guests of honor, ranging from manga artists to American voice actors, come together from all parts of the world. Panels are hosted to let fans learn more about upcoming and current projects which are then followed by an autograph session. There are activities geared towards people from all walks of life. For

those over 21 years old, there might be a sake tasting panel. Feeling creative?

There might be panels on how to pack a bento, make a plushie, or even dress up as your favorite character.

Some conventions, such as AnimeNEXT, also feature a free show. Since AnimeNEXT began in 2002, there have been concerts hosted by the J-House of Rock on Friday night. Some of the featured performers include 12012 (ichi ni zero ichi ni), Peelander-Z, and D’espairsray.

This year at the New York Comic Con, T.M. Revolution performed a two-hour concert for the attendees. Admissions are usually free but paid VIP sections are available.

There’s also the Dealer’s Room where people can buy anything from an authentic sword to a keychain with their favorite mascot. Be prepared to wait in line to get in especially when it first opens or on Saturday. Most people would say that the wait was worth it. Many items are shipped from Japan including limited edition figurines and DVDs. There are also awesome deals if you want to catch up on some manga series.

Lately, conventions have been expanding from the traditional focus on Japanese anime and manga. Korean and Chinese works, such as Goong, are also often seen at the convention. Live action shows and movies are gradually gaining popularity amongst fans. For example,

the East Coast Convention premiere of Death Note as a live action full length movie was well received by AnimeNEXT in 2008. New York Anime Fest featured both NANA movies based on the manga bearing the same title by Ai Yazawa.

Another great thing about conventions is the chance to see characters come to life. Many attendees and staff cosplay various characters from books, shows, and even Japanese celebrities. Don’t be shocked if there’s a lot of cross-dressing.

Gender bending is a common occurrence where guys don school girl outfits and girls are pretty boy characters like Sesshomaru from Inuyasha or Yuki from Fruits Basket. There are usually photoshoots for many famous series such as Final Fantasy or Bleach. If you want to dress up but not as a character, that’s fine too. Many people are dressed up in yukatas or in Gothic Lolita styles.

Chances are you’ll be asked for a picture or two.

Want some more information about upcoming conventions?

Check out http://www.animecons.com to learn about conventions near you.

october 2008 | asian outlook

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HOME GROWN:

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A LOOK AT ASIANS AND ASIAN AMERICANS IN BASEBALL

ith the MLB post season al- cant Asian Americans in baseball’s storied most upon us, now is a good history. time as any to talk about America’s greatest pastime, specifically in THE SPEED DEMON AND THE BOY regards to the role of Asians in baseball. WONDER Now this won’t be a piece arguing that With baseball’s history starting someAsians have game, because frankly, does time in the mid nineteenth century, it’s anybody need to be convinced of that not surprising that Asian Americans’ inanymore? If the numerous cases of volvement with the sport began quite Asian players finding success in the Major early, namely in the 1870s. In Hawaii, to Leagues – highlighted by pitcher Hideo escape the daily drudgery of the plantaNomo and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki – tion fields, Japanese laborers (the Issei) weren’t enough evidence, the South began playing baseball. The phenomenon Korea’s gold-medal win over the peren- was not restricted to Hawaii however, as nially dominant Cuban national team dur- the Issei on the mainland were quick to ing this past summer’s Olympics should form amateur teams as well. Used as a serve as a fresh reminder that there are means to not only find relief from work, plenty of talented Asian players – in the but as a way to socialize with fellow counMajors and abroad. But within that dis- trymen, baseball caught on in a big way tinction lies a glaring disparity: virtually for the various Asian communities in all of the Asians curHawaii. During the “[...]becoming the rently in the Major 1920s, this eventually first Japanese American led to the formation Leagues are from to play professional of Hawaii Univeroverseas. Of the prebaseball in the U.S. mier players, Ichiro, sity’s Chinese Team, outfielder Hideki Nushido appeared in an amateur baseball Matsui and pitcher eleven games for the Sa- team that toured the Takashi Saito all hail lons and belied his phys- mainland to play against college, semifrom Japan, while pitchers Chan Ho ical stature (5’ 1’, 110 pro, and black proteams.

Park and Chien-Mingpounds) by pitching big.”fessional Undoubtedly the Wang arrived respectively from South Korea and Taiwan. most prominent member of this team Clearly there’s a lack of Asian Americans was leader Lai Tin. Nicknamed “the in the sport. But despite the under-repre- Speed Demon,” the swift shortstop was sentation of Asian Americans in baseball, renowned for his adept fielding ability, an their presence within the sport is still a attribute that earned him Spring Training pertinent one. In honor of that, here’s a invitations from the New York Giants rundown of some of the more signifi- and the Chicago White Sox. Although he 15

asian outlook | october 2008

by Andy Kwan

never made it to the Majors, Lai Tin still had a fruitful career in the minor leagues and semi-pro leagues.

At the same time in the mainland, the teams originally formed by the Issei were now filled with members of the Nisei generation, who had grown up on the sport. Although generally centralized in California, dozens of Nisei semi-pro teams formed throughout the U.S. and played in exhibition games against high profile major league players, including Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Perhaps the most prominent player from these Nisei semi-pro teams was Kenso Nushido, a Japanese American right-handed pitcher from Hawaii. Nicknamed “boy wonder” by sportswriters for his affable and outgoing nature, Nushido pitched for the Hawaiian Asahi Team before his move to California, where he played in the Japanese League of Central Valley. Soon after, Nushido caught his big break when he signed a contract with the Sacramento Salons of the Pacific Coast League, becoming the first Japanese American to

play professional baseball in the U.S. Nushido appeared in eleven games for the Salons and belied his physical stature (5’ 1’, 110 pounds) by pitching big. His finest performance came against Seattle where he took a no-hitter to the seventh inning.

U NDERGROUND LEGENDS With Hawaii being such a hotbed of baseball, I’ll be remised to not mention Ichiro “Iron” Maehara, Hawaii’s baseball renaissance man. In his prime, the Hawaiian native played shortstop for the HC&S sugar plantation team. Further into his career, Maehara participated in exhibition games during the 50s, where he played against a veritable host of baseball legends, among them Jackie Robinson and Yogi Berra. But perhaps Maehara’s biggest impact on the world of baseball came when he hung up his cleats. Upon his retirement in 1960, Maehara was hired as a scout for the LA Dodgers, a position he would hold for more than thirty years.

In addition to his scouting duties, Maehara was instrumental in organizing Little League baseball in Maui and Lanai. His biggest accomplishment came in the early 70s, when he helped develop the Maui ballpark War Memorial Complex. Upon his death in 1998, the ballpark was renamed Iron Maehara Stadium in his honor.

While Iron Maehara was busy carving his place in baseball history in his home state, his contemporary Wally Yonamine branched out from his native Hawaii, taking a more unique path to become a baseball legend. Even before Yonamine’s baseball career began, the multi-sport athlete made history in 1947 by becoming the first Japanese American to play in the NFL as a running back for the San Fran-

cisco 49ers. However, an untimely injury ended his football career, prompting Yonamine’s return to baseball. After an uneventful year in the minor leagues, Yonamine decided to take the advice of his club manager to revitalize his career, realizing that his chances of making the majors was slim to none.

In 1951, Yonamine moved to Japan and joined the Yomiuri Giants, becoming the first Japanese American to play baseball in Japan after WWII. Yonamine’s transition to Japan was not the smoothest, as he arrived in an environment that was hardly the most hospitable for people like him.

Japanese nationalists still loathed Americans for their loss in WWII, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the continued American occupation of Japan. But this hatred paled in comparison to their feelings for the Japanese who left for America. Despite facing hostility from teammates and fans alike, Yonamine had a stellar rookie campaign, hitting .354/.441/.519. In addition to his successful debut, the multi-tooled outfielder gained further attention for introducing a new style of play characterized by aggressive base running and flashy outfield catches to the rigidly disciplined and conservative baseball of Japan. Yonamine steadily built on the success of his first year and eventually earned the respect of some of his former detractors.

By the end of his twelve-year career, Yonamine was an MVP winner, an eleven-time All-Star, a three-time batting champion, and the winner of four Japan Series Championships. Upon his retirement, Yonamine took the field again as the coach/manager of the Chunichi Dragons, leading the team for seven seasons. For an illustrious career that began on shaky terrain, Yonamine was justly honored in 1994 with his induction into

the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, making him the first American to be admitted into the Hall.

BIT PLAYERS, BIG FEATS The following players will never be mistaken for world-beaters; they never made an All-Star team and in fact, hardly received any regular playing time. Yet together, these three men made the 1970s a watershed decade for Asian Americans in baseball. It began with pitcher Ryan Kurosaki, a Honolulu native who became the first Japanese American player to make it to the MLB, debuting on May 20, 1975 for the St. Louis Cardinals. Although Kurosaki only made seven career appearances, pitching a total of twelve innings in relief, his name will always be a grand footnote in the history of Asians in baseball.

The next member of the triumvirate is Lenn Sakata, the first Japanese American positional player to make it to the MLB, an achievement accomplished during the 1977 season with the Milwaukee Brewers. Unlike Kurosaki, Sakata enjoyed a much longer career (eleven seasons) as the light-hitting utility player/journey man for four major league clubs, including the Baltimore Orioles, where he won a World Series ring during the 1983 season.

Completing the trio is the first Korean American to play professional ball, in-

october 2008 | asian outlook

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fielder Wendell Kim. Although he had a steady minor league career in the San Francisco Giants farm system, he really earned his distinction as a coach.

Throughout the 80s, Kim coached in the Giants minor league system, before making his mark in 1989 as the third base coach for the ML club (and the first Asian American coach in the Majors), a position he would hold for eight years.

ALL-STAR DUO The 1980s was an even better decade for Asian Americans in baseball as the league saw the rise of not only two pitchers who had fairly long careers, but a pair of All-Stars at that. Born to a HawaiianChinese mother and a French-Canadian father, Ron Darling already showed traces of brilliance on his mound during his tenure at Yale University. In his sophomore year, Darling compiled an 11-2 record with a sterling 1.31 ERA. Amazingly, he would top this achievement in his junior year by pitching a no hitter through eleven innings, the longest no hitter in NCAA history. Drafted ninth overall in the 1981 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers, Darling would go on to have a prolific, thirteen year career, marked by lengthy stints with the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics. Although Darling struggled with consistency and control problems throughout his career, clearly displayed by his poor performance during the World Series, he still managed to compile a respectable 136-116 record with a 3.87 ERA, capturing a 1985 All-Star bid and 1986 World Series ring along the way.

Born to a Japanese mother and American father, Atlee Hammaker was an army brat, forced to call many different places home to accommodate his father’s military career. As if moving around during childhood wasn’t hard enough, Hammaker also struggled with his multiracial background, something that took him quite a

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bit of time to reconcile. “I felt in between […] I remember feeling like I didn’t want anything to do with the Japanese part of me. I didn’t want the heritage thing to be a part of my life. I felt like I wasn’t one of the guys. But I’m proud of it now.”

Drafted twenty-first overall in the 1979 draft by the Kansas City Royals, Hammaker would spend the majority of his twelve-year career with the Giants. Although he too showed flashes of brilliance on the mound, culminating in 1983 when he became an All-Star and won the National League’s ERA title, his career was largely decimated by injuries. He would finish his career with a 59-67 record and a 3.66 ERA.

THE MODERN AGE To most baseball fans, Dave Roberts and Johnny Damon will forever be known as being part of “The Idiots,” the rambunctious, fun-loving Red Sox team that made an improbable post-season run all the way to the 2004 World Series title.

Few fans however know that these two center fielders share a deeper connection; you guessed it…they’re both Asian Americans.

The son of a Japanese mother and a retired US Marine, Dave Roberts was raised in San Diego, where he developed into quite an athlete, excelling in three sports. In fact, it was Robert’s athleticism that helped him find a niche in the major leagues, as a light-hitting speedster with great range in the outfield. Although the journeyman outfielder has helped several

asian outlook | october 2008

clubs over the years, his most memorable season came as a valuable reserve for the Red Sox. And it was that season that gave birth to the greatest moment of Robert’s career. During Game 4 of the 2004 AL Division Series, with the Red Sox down 43 against the Yankees and facing elimination, Dave Roberts stole second base in the 9th inning and eventually became the tying run, giving Boston a chance to rally back and win the game. Thanks to that single play, Roberts was immortalized in Boston Red Sox history.

Fellow idiot and Thai American Johnny Damon has a significantly more nuanced relationship with the Red Sox faithful. Originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals, Damon spent six seasons there, where he gradually established himself as one of the league’s young rising stars. Although not much of a defensive stalwart, Damon more than made up for it with his offensive prowess, the main reason why the Red Sox swooped in and signed him in 2002. It was in Boston where Damon truly came into his own; he increased his offensive production to the tune of two All-Star selections and developed his signature look in the form of unwieldy long hair and a caveman beard, becoming one of the more eccentrically recognizable players around the league. And most importantly to Red Sox fans, Damon was a nightmare for the Yankees, a fact that reached its crescendo in Game 7 of the 2004 ALDS, when Damon hit two home runs (including a grand slam) against the Bombers to ensure his team the victory. All of these factors made Damon a folk-legend in Boston. The good will vanished almost instantaneously a year later, however,

when Damon committed the most egregious offense known to Red Sox fans by defecting to the Yankees. To this day, Damon is still voraciously booed at Fenway Park.

Although Damon’s feelings about Boston sports fans are ambivalent at best now, his feelings in regards to his ethnicity are a lot clearer; as he notes, “most of my makeup is Asian and I’m very proud of it.” He’s not the only one proud of it either. In 2006, the Prime Minister of Thailand wanted Damon to come to the country to run baseball clinics for children during the winter, and went so far as to wine and dine Damon’s mother to help convince the Yankees outfielder.

More recently, Damon visited Bangkok with his family, something he hadn’t done since early childhood. When asked for the reason for his trip, Damon remarked, “It’s important for me to come back and see my heritage, to promote my Thai ancestry and promote the game of baseball.”

HANGING WITH THE BOYS In an industry dominated by testosterone, Kim Ng is not only holding her own, but she’s blazing past her male contemporaries. As an assistant general manager for ten years, Ng is the highest ranking female official in MLB front offices and is the first Asian American to attain the position. Anyone who knows a little bit about Ng’s background wouldn’t be a bit surprised by her meteoric rise in the major league infrastructure; after all, she has sports in her blood. Raised in Queens, NY by her Chinese American father and Thai mother, Ng showed her propensity for sports at an early age by being the best stickball player on her block. This skill-set translated nicely as she grew up, helping her become the MVP infielder of the University of Chicago’s softball team. Upon graduating, Ng attained an internship with the Chicago White Sox and eventually parlayed that into a full-time position. A few years later, Ng was hired by the New York Yankees to be their assistant GM, becoming the youngest person to ever

hold that position at the age of twentynine.

In 2004, Ng left the Yankees organization to become the assistant GM and VP of the Dodgers baseball operations.

She interviewed for the team’s vacant GM spot a year later but lost out to current Dodgers GM Ned Colletti. Naturally, all success stories have their blemishes. For Ng, her worst publicized moment came during the GM meetings in 2003, when Mets scout Bill Singer made racially insensitive remarks to Ng, speaking in mock Chinese gibberish.

Singer was shortly fired by the Mets organization and Ng has since attributed the incident more towards gender than race. “I think that’s the ironic thing. People match it up to race, and I think it was more about gender.”

Despite the obvious barriers that she faces – as a woman and a minority – Ng’s star still shines brightly. Many people in the industry widely believe that she’ll be baseball’s first female and Asian GM. With a vacant GM position in Seattle, and Ng among the better-qualified candidates, will she break even more ground this winter?

A NEW WAVE? Asian Americans clearly have had some sort of presence in professional baseball over the years, but even with the increasing diversification of the player pool today, they’re still woefully underrepresented. So what gives? Ron Darling speculates that appearances may have something to do with it.

“Scouts look for raw talent,” he observes. “On the surface, it looks better to recommend a player who looks like a big leaguer over a smaller Asian kid who might not throw as hard but knows how to throw strikes and pitch with finesse. I like to remind people of tennis player Michael Chang. He’s not the biggest tennis player and doesn’t hit the ball as hard as others. But no one has as much heart, and he knows how to win.”

Another theory comes from Kim Ng, who notes, “I’ve never hypothesized why there aren’t more Asian Americans in

baseball. It’s the same in football, basketball and hockey. I don’t know how much importance the game plays in the lives of Asian American kids.”

But there is a silver lining to this problem. With the increasing success of Asian imports in the MLB, alongside the rise of young Asian American players – led by Athletics’ catcher Kurt Suzuki, Giants’ first baseman Travis Ishikawa, and Angels’ catcher Hank Conger, there’s a good chance that we’ll see more Asian Americans by the dugout in the near future.

While there’ll probably never be an Asian American A-rod, I’ll happily settle for an Asian American Michael Young.

For more information, please visit: www.thediamonddangle.com www.asianweek.com www.baseball-reference.com www.iexaminer.org, www.sports.yahoo.com www.espn.com www.proazn.com www.nytimes.com

Picture Sources: http://www..sfgate.com http://www..boston.com http://www..daylife.com http://www..wallyyonamine.com http://www..teamanizer.com

october 2008 | asian outlook

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ith the upcoming presidential election, Americans face two options: to elect a president that will continue along the lines of the regime of President Bush and fail America--and the rest of the world while they’re at it--or elect a president that will bring back both the integrity of this nation and the strong economy we once had. While those lean-

BA R AC K O BA M A AN D W H Y H E ’ S R I G H T F O R A S I AN A M E R I C A

ground.

Barack Obama is more committed to the welfare of middle-lower class Americans than John McCain. After graduating from Harvard law school, he worked as a community organizer, helping poor Chicagoans rather than taking a well-paying corporate job; Obama also worked with a firm that represented people in equal opportunity and anti-discrimina“having another Retion cases. Obama’s tax cuts would publican as this nation’s mainly benefit middle-class Americans, president will lead to four while McCain's would benefit the more years of neglect for wealthiest in America. When it comes Asian Americans” to healthcare, Obama's plan would exing toward the right come out with pand opportunities to get health insurcountless excuses and hiccups, the more ance, whereas McCain's plan would rational ones understand that this nation exclude a higher number of people; needs change.

“Obama cosponsored [both the] minorTo begin, having another Republican ity health improvement and health disas this nation’s president will lead to four parity elimination act (2).” Meanwhile, more years of neglect for Asian Ameri- John McCain opposes expanding the cans. Republican presidential nominee successful state health insurance program John McCain “condemned comprehen- for children, which would provide health sive immigration reform legislation he insurance to millions of low-income chilinitially championed with Senator dren. Further, McKennedy.” He seems to have forgotten Cain is a champion that this nation was founded by the hard of de-regulating the work of immigrants and as president, market--no matter John McCain will likely enforce a strict what the conseimmigration policy. However, Demo- quences--which has cratic presidential nominee Barack led not only to the Obama can relate to Asian Americans current bank disasand their experience as a minority group ter and recession, living in America. For instance, in 2007, but also to an inBarack Obama “praised [the] passage of crease in accidents, The College Cost Reduction and Access a decrease in safety, and an increase in cost, which provided millions for tribal employer discrimination. In addition, and AAPI [Asian American and Pacific John McCain has admitted to not underIslander] institutions (1).” Also, Obama standing economics and in a time of ecounderstands what it is like to be bi-cul- nomic disarray, it is likely that McCain tural, considering he was raised in In- would not know what to do. donesia and Hawaii (which also happens The Republicans represent a brutal, to have a large Asian American popula- hegemonic force. With the invasion in tion). After all, he has spent his life per- Iraq and the continuing destruction of ceived as a foreigner simply because of the Iraqi nation, John McCain will conhis atypical name, skin color, and back- tinue Bush’s failed policy of unilateralism.

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asian outlook | october 2008

by Albert Kim

However, Barack Obama's foreign policy is a more diplomatic and multilateral approach. He would seek the cooperation of other nations and seek to build positive relationships with the rest of the world. The U.S. would regain much of the respect and good-will we lost under Bush if Obama is elected.

In conclusion, far too many elections have been lost due to the lack of voting; “In 2000, the Presidential election was decided by roughly 500 votes in Florida.

In 2004, it was just two percent of the vote in Ohio (3).” However, the growing numbers of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters could help change that. In a recent poll done by Harvard, nationally, two-thirds of Asian Americans are registered to vote; of this, 57% of AAPI voters identified as Democratic.

The remaining 43 % of registered Asian American voters identified themselves as Republican (15%) and Independent (29%). It seems that, amongst the Asian American population, at least, Obama stands a good chance of raking in a good amount of votes.

Therefore, Asian American students of Binghamton University, be sure to vote for a president who will listen to your needs and rebuild this nation’s economy and reputation.

Vote for Barack Obama.

Sources: www.asianamericansforobama.com/wpcontent/uploads /2008/09/obama-mccain-aapi-issues.pdf www.asianamericansforobama.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/why-aapis-should-vote.pdf http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/fr ankaum

Asian Sexploitation: Why is it being tolerated?

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by Calvin Prashad

ver the summer, while flipping through old copies of the AM New York daily newspaper, I noticed a trend that shocked me. Every day, this newspaper - which claims a circulation of over a million readers - runs a advertising section composed of sexist ads that objectify and eroticize Asian women while playing on old stereotypes. These stereotypes paint Asian women as “submissive” or “easy”, especially concerning Western men. These ads, poorly disguised in a section called “Looking and Feeling Good,” advertise massage parlor services. While I have no objection to the people that provide these services to make a living, the portrayal and terminology in these ads made me wonder what their purpose really was. “Take a short trip to Asia”, one proclaimed. Another one promised “Asian bodywork” with an “attentive Asian staff.” Nearly all of them featured a smiling Asian woman, often skimpily dressed and in a seductive pose. Nearly all tried to imply an erotic nature to their services.

Massage parlors already have a seedy reputation for prostitution and human trafficking. Yet, despite that history, this major newspaper has no problem in running these misogynist and exploitative ads.

I was outraged, but it gets much worse.

After complaining about it, I was told to

look at the advertising sections in the “Village Voice” newspaper. What I saw actually made me physically sick to my stomach. My senses were assaulted by five full color pages of ads: not only for massages, but “escort services” and various other services that I was not aware were legal in this state. About half of

these ads referred to Asian woman in a manner befitting livestock. I’m no Puritan, but this offended me in ways that I have never been offended before. I’m not even an Asian woman, and I was outraged.

These ads aren’t selling massage services; they’re selling the masseuses. But, when I tell people about these ads, they themselves are surprised. Although many of them read that newspaper, they often gloss over those ads or don’t notice them at all. What does this mean? Are we are

so used to stereotypes that demean women that we don’t even notice them anymore?

Furthermore, this problem not only exists in advertising, but in mass media.

Asian woman in a leading role? Forget it.

Asian woman as a sultry sex toy? No problem. In an episode of “Lost” that guest-starred Bai Ling as a sultry Thai tattoo artist, she had approximately three minutes of screen time before she was in bed with a main character from the series. I feel it necessary to mention that her swimsuit, which she wore for most of her three minutes, consisted of two strips of cloth and some strings.

These sorts of roles are typical in American movies and television, showing a trend that shows no signs of stopping. I don’t wish to place the blame on actresses that take these roles. The media, however, plays a major role in perpetuating these stereotypes. Ignorance perpetuates all stereotypes, and it is important for the API community rail to against these negative portrayals and reinforcement of stereotypes.

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A

! e M e g d e l w Ackno

long with my very Anglo boyfriend and almost-ABC best friend, I walked into Wal-Mart one beautiful afternoon. Because of our chattiness and my accidentprone self, we found a cape much like the one in Harry Potter. We caught on to it by mistake, and suddenly, my boyfriend walked the grounds of Wal-Mart alone.

To locals, it seemed like we were two Chinese tourists led around by our white tour guide, not to be spoken to or made eye contact with.

When we came to the air-freshener aisle, my best friend and I commented on different scents, while my boyfriend listened attentively. Towards the end of our deliberation, a woman -- who may have been a local -- decided to join in on our conversation. Given our looks, she thought that my best friend and I couldn't understand her when she spoke English. So, she made an effort to look over us while recommending the vanilla scent to my boyfriend. While he awkwardly nodded, we came to his rescue and replied politely. To make sure she knew we were talking to her, we looked her in her face. Despite our effort to not be invisible, we failed again, as she continued to look past us.

Now, if any of you are ready to throw tomatoes at this lady, please hold your fruit. She was simply another victim who fell to the distasteful habit of stereotyping. Now, if something like this had happened once or twice in the 21

good old U.S. of A, it might have been unreasonable for me to discriminate against their discriminatory behavior. However, I’ve recieved reports -- from other Asian friends of mine -- about similar experiences they’ve had while strolling around town. Some have been mistaken for waiters at Chinese buffets, despite their obvious lack of uniform. Some have been mistaken for tourists by local firemen, wearing sweatshirts that display “Binghamton University."

If we lived in Minnesota, where the Asian population is pathetically small, I’d have more sympathy for these Binghamton locals. However, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 1,500 Asians in Binghamton. And even though we comprise only 14% of the population on this university, we’re still the secondbiggest ethnic group on campus!

We are unlikely to change the view of locals overnight. However, the next

asian outlook | october 2008

anony mous

time something like this happens, put down this magazine, stand up straight, and walk up to the “perpetrator.” Then, look them sternly in the eyes and say, “I am an American, damn it!” If you wish to be polite, you can even add a “please” at the end.

“To locals, it seemed like we were two Chinese tourists led around by our white tour guide, not to be spoken to or made eye contact with”

Picture Source: http://images.inmagine.com/img/blendimages/bld073/ bld073007.jpg

ASIANESE Trick or Treat yourself to a Happy Halloween in Three Languages!

by Fan Chen Translated by Fan Chen, Lali Ha Karina Rodrigues.

n K o r e a C h i n e s eJ a p a n e s e

AW… THIS IS THE ONLY DAY YOU WILL FIT IN WITH EVERYONE. C: o zhè shì nĭ wéi yī néng gòu róng rù dà jīa de yì tīan

WHO NEEDS A MASK WHEN YOU HAVE THAT FACE! C: yóu nĭ nà yàng de lĭan shéi hái xū yào mìan jù a

噢…这是你唯一能够融入大家的一天。

有你那样的脸谁还需要面具啊!

K: Ya, nu-hago bisut-hageh sengin gut-

deul mantah.

K: Geu-nyang seng-allo nahga.

야, 너하고 비슷하게 생긴것들 많다.

J : Sonna ni kakkouwarui to kamen

shika inai.

そんなに格好悪くったら, 仮面をなんかいらないじゃない?

J : Aa, fuku ga niatteru hi wa kyou dake ああ, 服と似合ってる日は今日だけしかいな い.

그냥 쌩얼로 나가.

nanka iranai ja nai?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! C: Wàn shèng jíe kuài lè.

K: Jil-kuwoon Halloween bo-neh. 万圣节快乐!

J:

Picture Source: http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u17/editprofile/HalloweenAnime.jpg

즐거운 할로윈보내! ハッピ ハッロウエーン!

NICE MASK! OH… SORRY. C: nĭ de mìan jù zhēn hăo! O… duì bù qĭ.

K: Gamyun allma-joogo sasuh?

你的面具真好! 噢…对不起.

Oh...mi-ahn.

J : Suteki na kamen da ne! Aa, gomen. 가면 얼마주고 샀어? 오… 미안.

Machigatta ka na.

素敵な仮面だね! ああ, ごめん. 間違ったかな.

TOUCH MY CANDY AND YOU DIE. C: nĭ yào shì pèng wŏ de táng nĭ jìu sĭ ding le.

K: Neh satang gundulliji mah, animyun 你要是碰我的糖你就死定了。

gako-heh.

내 사탕 건드리지 마, 아니면 각오해.

J : Okashi ni te wo dashitara, honki de kowaseru yo.

おかしに手を出すと, 本気で壊されるよ.

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“The Real Life”

by A. Liu

T H E R E A L L I F E

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Before my own graduation, I couldn’t count how many times graduates told me the same exact thing: “College is going to be the best years of your life, so enjoy it while it lasts.” Those very graduates would then go on to describe how much they missed college life, how the “real world” is nothing like college, and how much they regretted taking college for granted.

Over a year ago in 2007, as the days ticked off to my commencement, I was more than excited to go out into the “real world.” Regardless of all the warnings of the dreary life that awaited me, I was anxious to begin my “real” life, outside of the enclosed campus, the bubble which is Binghamton University.

Early in the spring semester of my senior year, I was offered a position as an underwriter at one of America’s largest insurance companies. The company is a Fortune 100 company with offices all over the world. The type of insurance that I would underwrite was Professional Liabilities Insurance. My daily activities would include the analysis of other companies’ stock performance, financial conditions, business strategies, etc.

My job would be to rate the exposure involved in providing these companies with insurance, in case they were sued by shareholders alleging fraud or negligence; for examples, think Enron and MCI WorldCom.

When this job was offered to me, it was hardly a difficult decision. The salary and benefits package was equivalent to an entry-level salary for any of the Big 4 accounting firms. But instead of working in the humdrum line of accounting, I would be immersed in the exciting world of finance--minus the investment banking hours. All indications pointed in the direction of accepting

the offer.

The only thing that held me back was my heart.

While I was in the School of Management, studying for a Bachelors of Science in Business Management (with a concentration in Finance and International Business), I found my true passion in the world of theater. During my young(er) days as a freshman, my involvement in China Night had sparked my love for being on stage. From then on, for the next three years of college, I was always torn between passion and duty. In the back of my mind was always the dilemma: to go into a career where I was guaranteed a check in my name every two weeks and slowly work through the ranks into management through diligence and “The only thing that held me back was my heart” hard work--or to go into a career of uncertainty and difficulty, where I am never guaranteed to make it or even be paid, but a career in which I would enjoy what I do every day.

Aside from my own uncertainty of what kind of life I wanted to pursue, I also had pressure from my parents to conform to what they saw as a perfect life. To my parents, a perfect life would be one in which I earned a lot of money, while doing something involving little physical effort. I once told them of my intention of being an actress, at which they exploded, threatening to disown me.

Conversely, when I informed them of the job offer I received from the insurance firm, my mother and father were ecstatic and practically spilled over with pride. As

asian outlook | october 2008

the child of parents who lived their lives in a completely different culture, who were brought up with values worlds apart from my own, I was torn between the desire to chase my own dream and the duty to fulfill my parents’ dreams.

Unable to decide, I looked into doing a double major, but after calculating the number of credits I needed to fulfill the requirements for both SOM and Harpur, I realized that I would need to stay in college for at least an extra year.

As I considered this road, the words of the wise alumni haunted me: enjoy it while it lasts. Why not draw it out a year or two? But I could never believe the words. How could life have nothing more to offer than what College had to give? Are the best years of my life defined by the lack of responsibility, getting drunk every week, sleeping through my morning classes? And so I itched to get out of college, to start living and working toward my goals, toward my life. I decided that I did not need a degree in theater to go into theater. I took classes in the Binghamton Theater department as side classes each semester. Each class I took only confirmed my love for theater even more.

In the end, I took the job offer with the insurance company.

I rationalized that I should have a steady job (like this one) to pay off as much of my student loans as possible, and then, after I was freed from the loans, I could pursue anything I desired. I also knew that if I wanted to enter the acting industry, I would never be able to do it under the supervision of my parents; I had to move out of the house. In order to do so, however, I needed to have money, and money was something that this job would provide. So, as a result, I called the HR contact to tell her of my decision, but to myself, I vowed to continue to work towards an acting career on the side.

And that’s where my story begins. I am now working a day job at this company that we will refer to as Stable & Steady, Inc. But like Bruce Wayne/Batman, after the sun sets, I throw off my business suit and rush off to an audition, an acting class, or a rehearsal.

Picture Source: http://www.cagle.com/news/Graduation2006/images/wells.gif

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Conscience

By Fan Chen october 2008 | asian outlook

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Conscience Sudoku

"Long Story Short, My Weekend in Binghamton"

Fill in the black squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.

Word Scramble

sropiemai cbreliahnam knepekh agenerracan getnava Try to unscramble the words 25

asian outlook | october 2008

By Lali Ha Are you an artist, poet, or creative writer? Want your work published?

Submit to AO’s Conscience at aoconscience@gmail.com

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3 Conscience

Word Search REPUBLICAN VOTE

DEMOCRATIC

LIBERTARIAN

CONSTITUTION GREEN

MOONCAKE LUNAR

OBAMA

MCCAIN PALIN

BIDEN

Word Puzzle:

See if you can figure out what these words have in common.

Banana Dresser Grammar Potato Revive Uneven Assess

Answer: No, it is not that they all have at least 2 double letters. In all of the words listed, if you take the first letter, place it at the end of the word, and then spell the word backwards, it will be the same word.

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2.

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7.

Conscience Ode To The Girl In My English Class

By Sunroot Liu

I! I have a FETISH! I have a fetish and maybe it's the kinky asian in me but I am not ashamed!

I have a thing for chicks with huge... honkin'...

BBRRAAAAIIIIINNNSSSSS! Mwahahah Listen up, you know that girl. That girl in your english class and she's damn fine already. Every time she starts to speak up and you think damn, this must be what heaven's like. Or at least a nice private school, 'cause you're thinking HOLY BALLS that last comment was motherfreakin' insightful-- well thought-out, and beautifully articulated.

She keeps going and you now realize that she knows she's smart.

She is smart and she knows it and she's arrogant as hell and goddamnit that's sexy.

Maybe you find yourself shifting uncomfortably in your seat every time she raises her hand, or getting clammy hands when she answers a question.

And maybe you find yourself donning suits to class to convince her that asian males can have sex appeal and you try to act all cool and blasĂŠ and interesting in class so she'll maybe overlook the fact that your name might be sunroot.

So maybe you write an Ode To Her, the girl in your english class, knowing full well that in all likelihood she won't read it. And even if she did she'd never think it was her. And if she did... well... that would make tuesdays and thursdays awkward.

Maybe you'd write this to honor her, not just because she refreshes your mind but because she leaves you craving a cigarette after every class.

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Conscience

"spring and fall"

By Karina Rodrigues

You know that there is spring and fall, and they are very different.

Where spring walks, flowers bloom in her step. She is reedy and warm, her moods bright with frivolity of ease. She wears skirts of shining green and gold, and the upturned edges of her mouth are never set in a hard line. But her hunger is anything but soft, and she consumes, even as her footprints scatter tiny pink buds along every path, unfurling beneath her toes.

Fall is not small: she is large-boned and brittle, solid and nut-brown. Her coat grows thinner as she dances, leaving her sun-gold hair cropped close to her elegant skull. But she wears another name, “autumn�, and it is this cloak of velvet red that shields her waxy ribs. Her breath is cool; her smile is unforgiving.

When she passes through, her sharp eyes reward those who take notice.

They are still sisters, spring and fall; in the time between, they walk hand-in-hand until everything has changed again.

artwork by Fan Chen

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Conscience

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“The Chinese Scholar's Garden was a very beautiful, tranquil place that allowed me to catch a glimpse of ancient Chinese culture. ”

~

“I just wanted to be lost in my thoughts as I looked into the landscape......”

~

“I hope that anyone who comes across the borough of Staten Island will find time to visit, explore, and relax in the Chinese Scholars Garden at the Staten Island Botanical Garden.”

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All photos and quotes are by Kim Hom

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Conscience Softly now, softly

by Devek Singh Too much poetry is delicate, too gentle; it doesn’t work - it just dances sometimes.

But it won’t mend wounds in your walls.

Alright, look: I waded through clouds, watched starlight fade and regress into night like shadows on the ceiling merging back into bedsheets to haunt their fibers.

Or The gust from the window rustles your pages on my bookshelf.

See?

photography by Will To october 2008 | asian outlook

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ASIAN OUTLOOK

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