ways that asian america impacts, consumes and creates culture

For my latest projects "Urban Tao" and "Americasiana" I have been interviewing kids in every single city Slanty Eyed Mama visits on tour and so far that is 11 major cities and growing. This in addition to the hours of feedback sessions on both my concerts comedy shows etc went into the following which was designed to tell the people who make decisions about how we are portrayed in the media, as well as those who make decisions about how to market to different demographics, a thing or two. Do I speak for all asian americans? NO. Are we underrepresented and NEED people to be asking these questions to asian americans of all walks of life. YES. Am I afraid of you bloggers who know better than me? NO. Not because I think I am right, but because I think the blatant disregrard for asian americans in making decisions about American culture especially popular culture is an insult and WE NEED TO get the issues on the table. Another issue this is making me think about is that because we are so tragically underrepresented, stuff like this sometimes can start a shitstorm that has nothing to do with either the validity of the statements or the services snapdragon can offer. Because AAA (angry asian americans) are absolutely starved for anyone listening to us as a group and will take any opening as an opportunity to soapbox and rant which unfortunately simultaneously is the spirit we are wanting to tap AND a HUGE turnoff to the people who NEED to start considering Asian Americans in their marketing and media decisions. Nothing scares a white person afraid of being called racist than a person screaming racist. So guess what. No asians on TV in commercials in fashion etc. The screaming emotional political activist who cant see the forest for the trees gets everyone all riled up and we all get ignored. So,
I dont give two shits if everyone agrees with me or not. I dont care if you want to shitbomb my house for doing a show about stereotypes called "chink-o-rama" or one about the development of identity called "Birth of a NASIAN". I care that you speak, I speak and that the people who are so invested in ignoring Asian Americans, let me repeat that Asian AMERICANS start to listen. So go ahead and respond but know that I embrace you, your opinions and also stand behind my research and my 10 years on the road talking to everyone about how they feel and what they want to see....I have already had some arguments. Bring it on. let's get real and start listening to each other and respecting the ever growing sense of what it is to be Asian American. Shout out to Maxine Hong Kingston who called me her sister and makes me proud to continue the dialogues.

25 ways Asian America Will Impact, Consume and Create Culture for the Year 2007


-More hybrids of american culture and martial arts in design and media: Jackie Chan shopping an entertainment show now, movies like kung fu hustle
-The rise of HAPA culture -- a term coined in Hawaii to designate mixed race asians (release of feature Americanese in 2007, rise of hapa groups, and tour of the hapa project around at museums nationally)
-Proliferation of Asian American spoken word poets on the underground scene
-Asian American graduates of film schools accelarating
-Asian American rap and hip hop gaining steadily with features currently being written for VIBE and URB
-Notorious for being label whores, the brand appeal expanding from luxury clothes to luxury branded household items, car accessories etc
-Branded Gym fashion
-Branded gourmet foods as status symbols
-Rebel Youth reacting and rejecting older generations' pressure to pursue careers in medicine, law, finance.
-Blasian families
-More shitcanning of celebrities who make fun of Asian Americans in the media (in the last two years Rosie O Donnell, Shaquille O Neal, Adam Carolla)
-Black/Asian collaborations in film/music/media
-American Idol 7
-Baby Phat
-Graffiti art and skate board art
-Hawaii is coming back as the hippest state in America and best place to be
-Asian American comedians (margaret Cho, Kate Rigg, Dat Phan, Amy Anderson, Chinaman, Henry Lee, Steve Byrne, Jokoy etc etc etc)
-Korean culture infiltrating steadily from on line community building to restaurants to fashion, Korea is the new Japan-Harajuku
-Ebb and flow of relationship between "Asian" and "South Asian" continually redefining itself.
-UK Asians (mostly from India/Pakistan) in hip hop/trip hop
-Bollywood stars as sex symbols
-Pan asian extending now from restaurant menus to design palettes
-Cambodian activism
-Adoptee culture just now beginning as the first wave graduates college
-Asian kids in crisis centers dealing with more and more and more street culture/drug issues and being overloaded in major urban areas
-resurgence of the asian gang, this time outside of chinatown
-Asian American short story and poetry
-Immigrant stories
-Air Guitar Nation
-Iron Chef

15 things you shouldnt say to your asian friend

1. Are you chinese?
1.a) Are you chinese or japanese? (presented as a choice)
2. Do you do martial arts?
3. What medical school do you go to?
4.Do you speak chinese?
5. "What are they saying?" (at an Asian movie, at a nail salon at a restaurant)
6. How do you see through those eyes?
7. Are you friends with (insert name of famous asian person)
8. Oriental. Just dont ever say it about a person ever.
9. Ching chong ching chong ching chong see note on celebrities in media above
10. Where are you from? (the answer is usually something like Westchester, or Boston. With middle finger alit)
11. What are you? (especially to HAPAS see note on hapas above)
12. Anything with the phrase you people or your people in it.
13. Can you help me with my math homework?
14. Coz, asians are like, smart right?
15. Slit slant slope chink jap nip gook horrie yellow face chinaman.

15 Things Asian American Youth want from you

1. Hybrid hip hop, asian style and design
2. Street cred
3. Tricked out cars (West coast especially)
4. personalized electronics
5. Faster blingier gadgets to show off with
6. Heroes. Role Models. Props given to asian american sports and art stars (The Black Widow poker champ, The golf star, The American idol contestants, the finalists in America's Got Talent, the Asian Americans in major rock bands like Linkin Park and Black Eyed Peas) who get overlooked in publicity campaigns and editorial.
7. Less nerd images on TV and more punked out skater graffiti Dj images which reflect their energy.
8. Hot asian guys front and center.
9. Badass asian chicks front and center.
10. Pocket sized luxury items (Dior purse is a generation ahead, Versace homefurnishings ditto.)
11. MORE: Dolce, Missoni, Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Moschino, Betsy Johnson, Comme Des Garcons, Monique Lhuillier, Westwood, Jimmy Choo, Cole Hahn.
LESS: Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Christian Dior (except sunglasses).
ALWAYS ENDURING: Hilfiger, Armani, Versace Polo.
12. Roles like () on Heroes
13. Bubble Tea and cool japanese soft drinks
14. Hot sauce
15. Anime with american story lines.

10 things you don't know about asian americans

1. We call white people "white people" the same way african americans do
2. We love love love hip hop
3. We also love easy listening adult contemporary and are a little closeted about that
4. There is a very very high rate of attempted suicide in asian american youth especially girls often attributed to bi-cultural issues
5. Martin Luther King is one of our heroes
6. We would go without food for the right designer item
7. The men are as status hungry as the women and this translates into fashion, grooming, automotive and electronic luxury lust
8. DJ culture on the west coast is dominated by Asian Americans
9. Skate culture is also very asian american
10. Poker culture and all forms of gambling extremely asian american
11. Most Asian Americans HATE William Hung not personally but because of what it did to them in the workplace/classroom etc