Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty…father, why does this word sound so nasty? It’s the dreaded plastic surgery that turns Asian eyes into pseudo-caucasian eyes; that gives the patient an extra fold for eyeshadow, eyeliner, some kind of security that since their eyes are larger, their lives will somehow be better, that they would see more, that they would take […]

Harajuku Girls

Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku girls have been getting lots of lip service lately, and I have to say I am confused. I like Gwen Stefani, she’s alright. She is very stylish and has a nice voice and a really flat stomach. She is a rock star, and quite good at it. I am always impressed by […]

Mapquest Equality

On my book tour, I have to be very good natured about all the racism and ignorance that I encounter because if I got angry at every single incident, I would wear myself out. It is difficult enough just to keep up with the schedule, with no sleep and no time for regular meals between […]

Worst Lady

“What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this–this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them.” Eew. This is what Barbara Bush […]

Waking Up

The rest of the country is waking up to something that many of us have known for a long time. The Bush Administration does not care about poor people or black people. It is evident in their flagrant disregard for these communities ravaged by the hurricane. The delayed response for emergency services clearly shows how […]

Katrina

I am very sad for New Orleans, and for all the communities destroyed by the hurricane. But New Orleans in particular is a painful loss because the city is very special to me. The news coverage has been extensive and predictably racist. When black people steal, it’s looting. When white people steal, it’s because emergency […]

Badlands

Badlands is an unfortunate yet appropriate name for a gay bar in San Francisco that is being cited for racial discrimination. It is alleged that the owner required African American patrons to show multiple forms of i.d. before being allowed entry, as well as having a dress code and employment policies that were equally prejudiced. […]

Imagine

Imagine being Anna May Wong at the premiere of your film, “Thief of Baghdad,” title apropos to these times, as a Chinese American at Graumann’s Chinese Theatre, then in its Chinarama phase, chock-a-block with faux orientalism, a chinkee apocalypse in plastic and red paper. And you, surrounded by an extraction of your own culture, are […]

Why I’m Political

Why am I political? Because society’s consistent and constant disregard and lack of respect for minorities, even the title ‘minority,’ when in many areas of the country we are in fact the majority, is too much to bear silently. Their insistence at our invisibility, whether it is as subtle as non-inclusion, or as loud as […]

In Defense of Michelle Malkin

Michelle Malkin, the author of the controversial book, In Defense of Internment, speaks from University of California at Berkeley, fiercely trying to defend her position against the loud and angry demonstration outside protesting her appearance. Malkin’s views are incredibly unpopular, especially on such a liberal campus. Her take on the racial politics of the internment […]

What Would Fat Albert Say?

Why does Bill Cosby have to cause a rift between the younger generation of African Americans and the older generation when we need unity more than ever? I understand this in a small way, in the rejection of my entrance into ‘popular’ culture by older Koreans, who didn’t accept the fact that I was not […]

My Skull is Such

I am pretty sure I have to get glasses. I don’t mind, but let me tell you something. My skull is such – that is a memorable phrase isn’t it and worth repeating – my skull is such that a normal pair of glasses will not fit my head. My nose does not have a […]