Local ABC hero, Gene Yang

I'm on winter break bumming around the house, trying to not think about homework and failing, and trying to do some homework (and failing, although a little less).

Anyways, a few days night ago my dad called me over while watching KTSF.

It was the usual "Talk Tonight" show, but this time the talk show host was interviewing someone I knew! Not only that, the guy was someone from my hometown church!

"Oh my gosh; it's Gene Yang!"

Maybe some of you have now heard of him, since he wrote a comic book called "American Born Chinese" which won the American Library Association's Printz Award. Which I didn't even know until I saw the show! That is so freaking awesome!!!

Basically, my parents know his parents. I mean, we're all in the same church community, SJCCC (San Jose Chinese Catholic Community) at St. Clare's. Gene Yang was one of the original founders of our youth (and young adult) fellowship group.

But beyond the coolness factor of seeing someone you know on TV (weird!), I was really happy for his success and appreciated what he had to say.



There were two particular points that really grabbed me. One was that he said to follow your interest, put out your work, and whatever it is, it will be Asian American. In other words, as my brother pointed out, you don't have to be super-political or go on protests—you can be whoever you are and still contribute to the Asian American cause simply by being yourself. My brother and I liked that because we are not the type to go canvassing or whatever, but we obviously do care about being represented and treated fairly.

Another point was about his career. He didn't give up on his hobby, comic book drawing, and now he not only has a career he enjoys (teaching), but gets to have some recognition for his side projects. It gives me hope that some day I can have that too.

Finally, I really admire that Gene can really just be himself, and espouse his values through his comic books. It can be hard to be Catholic in today's society, and I often feel embarrassed for being so conservative...but Gene's shown that you can be okay with what you stand for, and even gain respect for it. He's not in your face about his morals. (His company is called "Humble Comics" after all!) He's just who he is, and being Chinese, or Catholic, is just one part of his identity.

I'm really looking forward to buying and reading "American Born Chinese"!
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Here are some interviews with Gene and reviews of the book below; I'll be commenting on them myself soon;

Interview with Edutopia
Gene's own comments on perpetuating stereotypes

The Evolution of a Non-Banana?

"What are you?" - guy

"Um...a person?" - me

Seriously, some guy at a dinner here once asked me that. I think he was just socially challenged and what he actually meant to ask was: "what is your major?" or "are you a grad student or working professional?"

But, it's an interesting question, especially applied to ethnic identity.

I'm Chinese. I'm also American.

So, I'm Chinese American. Asian American. (What does that even mean? A politicized term that only recently came into being...but more on that later.)

A "banana"—yellow on the outside, white on the inside?

No. Just as I used to dislike people calling me "Hana Banana" in grade school, I started to dislike that racial term. It's too simplistic.

I've always felt like I never fit in. Too geeky for the "cool" Asians. Too Americanized for the FOBs. Too Chinese for the Caucasian children. The closest thing I can define myself racially is ABC: American-born Chinese.

I'm not white inside. I'm just me, informed by both cultural influences, the percentage depending on how much I accept from my parents and how much I accept from American society. There are plenty of Chinese and Asian people who act more "American" than me. There are also plenty of Caucasians who may act more "Asian" than others.

What does it even mean to be white? What does it mean to be yellow? Or, to be more PC, Caucasian and Asian?
I had this conversation with my friend recently (who made fun of me for saying "Caucasian" all the time instead of "white", because I was being "too P.C." Any thoughts on that? Do you agree with him? Actually, I used to say "African American" until 5th grade, until another guy pointed out that I was weird. Sigh.)

Well, the rest of us probably can rattle off the generalizations:

Asian: collectivist, communist, more conservative, cheap, filial, beat around the bush/subtle, passive, shy/quiet, polite, values education.

White: individualist, democratic, more liberal, big spenders, rebellious, open, direct, active, outgoing, boisterous, friendly, values entrepreneurship and social skills.

Then again, I'm Chinese—maybe I'm even generalizing Asian cultures by extrapolating from my Chinese stereotypes?

What do you guys think? Did I answer his question correctly?

In future posts I'll deal with specific attributes and cases, but for now I just want to see if I represented my ethnicity well—or not. But you know, stereotypes are around for a reason!

I've also noticed that I've never had many Caucasian friends. Not because I'm racist, but just because it's what I was used to, growing up in one the U.S.'s areas of the largest Chinese concentration. Interestingly, the closest Caucasian friend I have is pretty much like me: conservative, Catholic (more so than me), and a sensitive writerly type. (but she has a great sarcastic sense of humor that I could learn a little bit more from!)

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog.

First things first.

What this blog is NOT:

- a sociopolitical crusade
- a news/media watchdog site
- an academic treatise

Really, this blog is a little more personal.

It's about me deconstructing my identity, and those around me, to better understand myself in terms of ethnicity...to understand how I fit into this demographic called: Asian American.

Why now? Well, other than the fact that this is for a class final... :)

Lately, my Chinese- and Asian-American identity has been more on my mind. Partly it's because I recently moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where there are not as many Asians as in my hometown in California's San Francisco bay area. Partly, it's because as a growing global power, China is in the news all the time now, from the 2008 Olympics, to embarrassing product recalls, to the New York Times' series "choking on Growth". And partly because I recently became close friends with a Caucasian guy (or he likes to say, "white," because he thinks I'm being too politically correct) who started asking me about my cultural differences.

I'm not particularly political, but I think it would be interesting to explore this part of my identity for more self-awareness and understanding of others.

I've always felt like I'm in between categories—not Chinese enough, not American enough. Too conservative for California, not Catholic enough for my community. Not feminine enough, and yet not a tomboy. Now of course, after a bit of growing up, I realize I'm not alone and that many twenty-somethings, especially minorities, are on a similar quest for identity.

I'd like to grow more comfortable, open, and robust in my identity; I'd like to discuss these issues and bond with others over these differences and similarities.

Thus, point of this blog is twofold: for me to express myself, and to generate discussion with others on issues of multiculturalism and identity.

But—before I take myself too seriously—it's also to have fun! I hope to not only make a few deeeeeep comments, but also to sometimes introduce a favorite new Asian song or dish, or just some interesting factoid.

So please, friends, coworkers, strangers—feel free to post comments: agreements, critiques, even recommendations for your favorite new Asian place to eat! :)