 "Photo: Mary Kang/The Daily Texan")
When you think of an angry Asian man, the image of a ninja wielding formidable weapons comes to mind. The stereotype isn’t far from the mark when you visit “Angry Asian Man,” a blog run by University of California, Berkeley alumnus Phil Yu.
“The name of my blog is provocative and scary,” said Yu. “It’s different from most people’s idea of what an Asian person is supposed to be. Most Asians in this country are not seen as people who are willing to rock the boat. We’re seen as meek people who just let things slide, but that’s not true at all.”
At a panel in the Texas Union on Thursday, Yu and Nhi Lieu, a UT American studies professor discussed Asian-American media representation and identity in America, as well as the influence of Yu’s blog on the Asian-American community.
Yu started his blog nine years ago as a place to express his own opinions on Asian-American issues.
“I thought I’d just have a couple of casual visitors at first,” Yu said. “Now, my blog is a place people visit to seek information and current events related to a specific community.”
Austin resident Katie Mahoney said she has followed Yu’s blog for two years now because he addresses sensitive issues that other blogs do not.
“He writes about race and racism without hesitation,” Mahoney said.
Yu uses his blog to mobilize his readers behind specific causes, such as Asian representation in Hollywood.
“I sometimes feel powerless to confront things in real life, but you can evoke action through the Internet,” Yu said.
Lieu uses the blog as a model for teaching her class on Asian-American pop culture. Her students learn about race and how it influences types of media, such as film and television. Lieu studies how cultural groups construct their identities and how they engage in that culture while living in America. In terms of representation in the media, Lieu said Asian-Americans are nearly invisible.
“Sometimes there are no stories about Asian-Americans in national news for weeks at a time,” Lieu said.
Yu considers himself an activist and builds on the work of other activists to show how racism is still alive. Lieu and Yu said more stereotypes associated with Asian-Americans have emerged, including the image of Asians as “crazy” after the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007. Arab-Americans have also been targeted, Lieu said.
“It’s sometimes frustrating hearing about hate crimes and discrimination because you would think we would be over racism in this country by now,” he said. “But we’re not even close.”
The fact that you chose to take my post seriously shows that you have no sense of irony or humor whatsoever. The fact that I complained about about a lack of bland food and golf courses should probably have given away that I do not actually feel oppressed. You sound like a guy who LIKES to be oppressed because it makes you feel self-rightous or something. What is it about college that makes people become so boringly serious all the time?
@Tanner, When was the last time you heard of a white man being victim of a hate crime? How would you feel if a white person was victim was killed or had debilitating injuries because of the color of his skin? You don't find Asian-American social issues because you don't live in a country where you are the minority. Or where a lead in a movie is Asian, not coupled together like Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Secondly your childishness about how this would only be interesting if "a ninja yielding swords walking around campus cutting heads off," further shows that you're not willing to even humor the fact that Asians are more or less pushed to the sidelines. I dare you to live in a country where you are the minority and maybe, just maybe you'll know what it's like.
@Leonard, just because someone voices his opinion makes him a crybaby? Granted there's a limit but by no means has he crossed it. The US is the freest and most prosperous country, however doesn't the pledge of intelligence end with; "With Liberty and Justice for all," case in point, about 20 years ago a Chinese man named Vincent Chin was victim of a hate crime by 2 white men. Those two men got two years probation and $3700 fine, no jail time. I'm not saying other races aren't victims of racism but since this is about Asians specifically I'm going to stay on that topic. This isn't about how many Asians are in Hollywood, it's how they are portrayed. In all Jackie Chan movies Asians are all kungfu fighters and evil villains. In others Asians are either/ or nerdy, geeky, weaklings, anti-social, and the list goes on. Other races are portrayed in this way too, but just about all Asian in movies are portrayed in this way. Human Nature can be changed, it's a gradual shift over many many many years. If it wasn't for people like Phil Yu change would never occur. You can't stick your head in the ground and expect change to occur.Now I am an Asian-American, I was born and raised here and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I've been to Europe and Asia and I still love it here. I know yall will probably just call me a "angry asian man," but that's fine, not everyone can or are willing to change. All I ask is that you get out of the plastic bubble in which you live and observe, try it sometime you might learn something.PS: It's a free country, Phil Yu can post whatever he want.