Tonight’s Townhall meeting was truly empowering. I must admit that I was tired from the week’s work, a day of brain-chiseling, and the endless meetings; however the several hours spent in Broadway Sky Lounge gave me hope and faith that there is a reason to keep going. And amid the concerns addressed by the various students, I found that there is much reason and purpose in student activism and coalition building against injustice.

Before I continue, I want to make sure everyone is on the same page: the meeting that I am referring to was facilitated by USCC (United Students of Color Council) and addressed the question of “where do we go from here” (“here” being the tiring first semester of hate crimes, injustices, and the sort).

At the meeting, there was one activity that made me realize and realize again that the struggle of injustice is a common battle. Basically the activity consisted of individuals writing down their concerns about the current events on campus (hate crimes, racial profiling, violence) on a sticky note and then putting the sticky note into the balloon. The balloons were scrambled around so that each sticky note author would not get his/her own balloon. Then in small groups the balloons were popped and the concerns of individuals were voiced.

What I realized through this balloon/sticky note activity: We all have similar concerns. These concerns can be described in a concrete manner with phrases such as “lack of solidarity” or issues such as the expansion project and ethnic studies. If we ultimately have the same concern, then why aren’t student organizations working together as a collective voice? Why is there a disconnect between what is going on with (let’s say) expansion issues and those of hate crimes against Asian Americans? Why are we not working together? Why give up?

With these concerns voiced and questions posed, we began to address solutions or possible steps towards a cohesive voice of students. Here are some of the thoughts and actions:

• Education: Don’t assume people know what you are talking about when you refer to a certain term or to a specific event. Be willing to explain and to share. We are all forever learning.
• Communication (this is simple): Let other organizations know what is going on and go and support other clubs that may not be “directly” related to you. Share information and work with people who you might not “know”.
• Don’t Self Segregate: Actively sit next to a person you don’t know (in meetings or wherever you go).
• Reach Out: The people who attend these meetings are typically the same faces. Grab a friend or two and bring them to the meetings. If you are interested and unsure, give it a shot and come to a meeting
  

Although the list of concerns voiced were long, the list of solutions were just as long (I have only listed a few).


While my writing does not do justice to what I experienced at the meeting, I hope that you can get a taste of how empowering and real student activism is on this campus. At the least, I hope that this update inspires you (in whatever way) and informs...


I am happy to see students are not disillusioned to the point of not caring and still believe in striving for something greater than the injustice of today.

Here are some AAA-related events that happened/are happening/will happen during this hell hole of a week:

• National Walkout for Jena 6 (and, in Columbia's case, for SIPA)
• Ethnic Studies Meet & Greet
• Documentary screening for Finishing the Game, as well as a meet and greet with members of the cast and crew (yes, we got numbers; no, we will not disclose them)
• KSA Date Auction (where people dance, sing, and do crazy things for money) at Tokyo Pop
• IFC premiere of Finishing the Game (Look out for AAA members in yellow jumpsuits)
• KAPA Voter Registration Drives at the Korean Day Parade in Manhattan
• Brownscape Made in India screening

& here's an example of yet another racially charged crime.
(Thanks, Nhu-Y)

(Still in London!)

So it looks like the big boys (writers/producers of Desperate Housewives and ABC studios) have finally recognized the uproar (damn, even the Manila government got in on it) last Sunday's episode caused. Here's an article with the details.

"The producers of the show and ABC studios offer our sincere apology for any offence caused by the brief reference in the season premier," ANC quoted the statement as saying.

"There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines," it said.

I'm hesitant to call this a victory but am glad that someone is taking responsibility for their actions and the backlash of it.

(Updated from London!)

As you might have been able to tell recently with our coverage of the Desperate Housewives insensitivity, we at The Blaaag are pretty big television geeks. One of our favorite shows is Heroes, and while it may be for a variety of reasons, we all know one thing: it's got some pretty messed up stereotypes in its characters of color.

So here I'm putting up a piece I wrote in hopes of gaining a spot as Heroes episode-recapper on Carmen Van Kerckhove's blog Racialicious. Enjoy.

From its inception as a global innovation in the fall of 2006, the show Heroes has been inextricably tied to its international and multi-ethnic set of characters and, hence, tricky issues of race and representation that few television programs have had the power to delve into. And at times, Heroes have felt to us viewers a sight a little awkward to observe. After all, this is the show where a Hispanic painter uses heroin to unlock his powers, and a black father, as devoted as he is to his wife and child, escapes from prison on charges of robbery and murder. As viewers who are still getting used to the growing diversity on shows like Lost and Ugly Betty, we know there’s something false about a diversity that still vigorously perpetuates such worn-out stereotypes.

The position of Heroes in maneuvering through this mess of racialized television was no more evident than in what was said at a panel discussion of Heroes at the San Diego Comic Convention this past summer. (You can watch the videos of the panel here.) Here, the producers and actors talked about their visions and justifications for some of the qualities that have made this show so successful (and so problematic.)

Future guest writer Kevin Smith appeared on the panel for a few moments to discuss his aspirations for working on the show. He described a conversation with creator Tim Kring in which he described his initial fascination with the “two gay heroes” on Heroes. Passing off his conception of these “Japanese dudes” (“they’re gay, right?”) as misunderstanding, he incited wave after wave of awkward laughter. Kevin Smith, however, was just the tip of the iceberg. A few minutes later, one audience member eventually asked something conclusively more direct.

Regarding these two Japanese characters, he asked, “Hiro’s a great character… at the same time, he and Ando are arguably the least traditionally masculine of the male characters in the past… I think it’s relevant given Kevin Smith’s joke when he came in here.” More awkward laughter erupted all around, from the panelists themselves as well. The interrogator pursues, “I just feel like there are certain situations that the two Asian characters are put in, such as getting knocked up by that stripper, or being the only two male characters not shown on screen completing a kiss with a girl… I just think that’s closely relevant.”

Masi Oka, the actor who portrays one of the Japanese characters, had only four words: “Wait until season two.” Doesn’t say too much about the show’s sense of racial awareness or lack thereof, but Masi’s certainly got me hooked on the second season.

In addition to the Hispanic druggie and the black convict, these emasculated Asian men are far from the only characters that will have, in a year of casting and storytelling, been typecast into haunting clichés. Two new characters for the second season include a pair of siblings seeking undocumented passage into the United States via Mexico and a black woman displaced by the Hurricane Katrina. The stereotypes don’t end with race; another audience member in San Diego asked if there would be any female leads not represented as “cheerleaders or strippers… or any other diminutive female stereotype”. After all of this, one could argue that there are few shows on television that stereotypically pigeonhole their characters as completely as does Heroes.

But the creators of Heroes might have offered a subtle rationale behind their choices during the San Diego panel. After receiving a compliment for assembling a multi-ethnic cast of actors, creator Tim Kring elaborated upon the meaning that national and ethnic diversity has for the story of Heroes. “We set out to make a certain statement about the world, and the basic premise of the show was … a true global event,” he said, “and so the idea of it happening to, you know, blonde-haired blue-eyed people in Southern California just seemed kind of disingenuous to the idea.” The pursuit of global representation of the human race definitely deserves kudos. Still, what vision of the world is Heroes offering us to embrace? Why does stereotype justify this higher meaning or goal?

To Kring, the world of Heroes is grounded in a particular reality that emphasizes our ability to relate to these featured protagonists. “People need to be able to relate to this show as though it could actually happen,” said Kring. “People look at these characters and have a sense that they look and feel like people that they know and went to school with.” While we might be able to see our friends and neighbors in these characters, as viewers we might realize something else. Our recognition of these characters stems inevitably from stereotypes already cemented in our imaginations by the media from which we have learned so much about our world in the first place. So would this “global” cast of characters truly remind us of classmates, neighbors, and friends? Unless we go to school on one continent and buy groceries on another, probably not.

Ultimately, this does not say that these characters bound by stereotype cannot transcend the limits of their expectations. Perhaps this is what Heroes attempts to do above all – to introduce to us characters we think we’ve seen before and, almost surprisingly, let us connect more with them than we had expected to. Certainly this doesn’t have to be done with stereotype after stereotype, but the end result – rising above a typecast image and showing what really matters – could just be worth the means. Let’s just hope first that Hiro the Japanese cubicle worker scores a girl soon.

Below is the statement from Ugnayan, a comprehensive grassroots organization of Filipino youth based in New York and New Jersey dedicated to educating, organizing, and mobilizing for the rights and welfare of the Filipino youth in the US, regarding the racist comment about Filipinos on "Desperate Housewives". I found it appropriate to post this statement in light of a comment in the initial Blaaag entry about this incident. The Ugnayan statement provides important historical context and also nicely details why, frankly, we're angry.

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October 3, 2007
Contact: Joana Palomar, Spokesperson, Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, 212-564-6057, ugnayan_nyc@yahoo.com

Statement of Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Linking the Children of the Motherland) on the Racist Comment Made Against Filipinos on "Desperate Housewives"

Progressive Filipino American youth in New York and New Jersey strongly condemn ABC's Desperate Housewives' executive producer and writer Marc Cherry and the other producers, editors and the director of the show for the racist remark made against Filipinos in the Sept. 30, 2007 episode. We join the Filipino community and its allies in demanding from ABC a public apology and recognition of the existence of systemic racism in the corporate media and corporate-driven pop culture.

In the Sept. 30, 2007 episode of Desperate Housewives, Teri Hatcher's character is told by her gynecologist that she might be hitting menopause, to which she replies, "Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines." The comment reflects systemic racism at its worst. Targeting an entire education system (rather than targeting individuals based on skin color, which is how we have traditionally defined racism), the comment is based on the racist assumption that the products of a western education are far more qualified than the products of a Philippine education.

Filipino youth, conscious and aware of our history, know that it was the US who set up the Philippine education system in the first place when the Philippines was a direct colony of the US in the early 1900s. We understand that the main beneficiary of this crippled Philippine education system IS the US, especially in the medical field. The US opens and closes its doors to immigrants based not on qualifications, but on the need for labor. This was the case at the height of the "Brain Drain" in the 70's and 80's when there was an influx of medical professionals migrating from the Philippines into the US, and US immigration laws were relatively lenient. However, once saturated with medical professionals, the US closed its doors by setting up stricter immigration policies.

Filipino youth, conscious and aware of the issues of our community, know that the Filipino medical professionals who migrated in the 70's and 80's are becoming replaced by a new generation of service workers, mostly domestic workers, who hold the same degrees from the same colleges as the previous generation, but who are working much less desirable jobs. There is a systemic de-skilling of the Filipino community in which the primary beneficiary is the US, and in which the US corporate media and corporate-driven pop culture are complicit. This large-scale de-skilling of an entire population would never be acceptable to white Americans, but is so palatable that it is a punchline in a TV show. That is racism on a systemic level.

Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan condemns ABC and the staff of Desperate Housewives for being complicit in the problems that plague our community and for perpetuating systemic racism. We support the initiative of so many in our community who are taking action on this issue and urge all to sign the online petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/. We will take action if ABC does not heed the demands of the Filipino community.

Ugnayan vows to continue the struggle of Filipino youth and all Filipinos against systemic racism; and to fight for the genuine development of our community and for the life and liberation of the Filipino people as a whole.

Demand an apology from ABC!
End systemic racism!

Thanks to everyone who showed up tonight at the Q&A session with actors Sung Kang, Roger Fan, McCaleb Burnett, producer Julie Asato, and writer Josh Diamond! If you didn't come, basically they commanded us to check out the trailer for their new movie Finishing The Game, premiering in NYC October 5th at the IFC Center. So check it out.

So besides being mad creepy around these guys, The Blaaag also is going to do interviews with them, separately or together, this weekend. We're asking for questions from you guys. What do you want to ask Roger and Sung???

To submit them, just write a comment to this post or send us an email at theblaaag@gmail.com.

And if you still want to wear a yellow jumpsuit for the FTG screening... email us. We'll try to hook you up.

If anybody was a homegrown TV geek like I was while growing up, he or she must remember that show with Dean Cain (Ripley's Believe it or Not! host) playing a bespectacled Clark Kent / Superman ca. 1990s in a suit that was way too tight. This guy suffered over two things: saving the world, and saving his rocky relationship with the ever unappealing Lois Lane (played by Teri Hatcher).

Well, Lois Lane is now Susan Mayer in Desperate Housewives and Susan Mayer makes even worse of an impression.

As quoted from a forwarded e-mail:

" I heard through the grapevine about a remark made on an episode of Desperate Housewives last night. The scene entailed Teri Hatcher's character (Susan) at a hospital, being told by her gynecologist that she might be hitting menopause. Susan replied, "Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines." If you go to abc.com, you watch the full episode and witness the scene at about 18:50 minutes into the episode.

This type of derogatory remark is not only unnecessary and hurtful, but is also unfounded, considering the presence of Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the health care industry. Filipinos are the second largest immigrant population in the United States, with many entering the U.S. and passing their U.S. licensing boards as doctors, nurses, and medical technicians. In fact, the Philippines produces more U.S. nurses than any other country in the world. So, to belittle the education, experience, or value of Filipino Americans in health care is disrespectful and plain and simply ignorant."

Thanks, ABC, for using racism as a form of comic relief on TV!

Craziness captured with my trusty audio recorder.

Phil: "Damn, the mango's still intact."
Henry: "I moon many people."
Jia: "... no comment."
Aretha: "Why can't I have a good diaphragm?"
David: "Calvin, you are way too kinky for us."

This Friday on October 5th, Carmen Van Kerckhove, CC '99, of New Demographic will conduct a workshop for Columbia's Center for Career Education on racial stereotypes in the workplace.

"Racial stereotypes impact our perceptions of and interactions with others and are often at the root of workplace diversity issues. This seminar examines the most common racial stereotypes—both negative and positive—and demonstrates how these widespread ideas can manifest themselves in the workplace. Building consciousness around these stereotypes will help your employees to proactively examine and improve their interpersonal interactions within the company, as well as with external clients."

So The Blaaag, as tremendous fans of Carmen (she was the keynote speaker for the 1st Annual New York City Asian American Student Conference in which AAA took part spring this year) is telling you to do the following things:

1. Register for the event online here.
   
2. Join the Facebook event.
3. Email Carmen at carmen@newdemographic.com if there are any specific questions or issues you would like addressed.
4. Come on Friday. The workshop will be from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Broadway Room of Lerner Hall.

Carmen is the president and co-founder of New Demographic, an anti-racism training company. She also writes for four (4!) of her own blogs: Addicted to Race, Racialicious, Anti-Racist Parent, and Race in the Workplace.

Dear Carmen,

The Blaaag is dying to be able to write Heroes recaps for you.

Please take us.

Love,
The Blaaag

[Update 6:46 pm]

Amazing turnout & people. I'm expecting Spec to headline it tomorrow. Huge props to all those who took their time to plan everything this weekend!

If you were anywhere near this campus (or passing by in one of those huge red tour buses), I don't need to describe the event to you.

---
On December 4, 2006, six black teenage students were charged with beating a white student after a series of racially charged incidents occurred in Jena, Louisiana. Evidence proves that these charges (attempted second degree murder; conspiracy to commit attempted second degree murder) were racially discriminatory after equally injurious crimes committed by white students were left unpunished.

On September 20, 2007, rallies were held in Jena to show "support of the Jena Six and all African Americans in the United States who have been unfairly treated by the justice system". Among the expected 40 to 60 thousand attendants stood a huge number of students from Columbia University.

On September 26, 2007, racially charged graffiti targeted against "people of Middle Eastern and African descent" was found in a bathroom stall of the International Affairs Building. In an emergency meeting held on Thursday evening by the Black Students Organization, one student commented that "this is an echo of what happened in Jena."

On October 1, 2007, leaders of 50 campuses nationwide plan for a national walkout to take place at noon. Though the aforementioned events do not directly target Asian American students (and, in turn, the Asian American Alliance), AAA's members wish to help fight against racial injustice and show solidarity towards all students that have been treated unequally by the law.

Columbia University's walkout will take place TODAY at NOON on LOW STEPS. Wear black to show your support.

(For more information, click here)

[update Monday 8:41 am]

In North Hills, Long Island, AAA is just a bunch of hooligans munching on Nutter Butters and Milano cookies, passing out from exhaustion on the carpeted basement floor, scrawling on each other's faces with highlighters, blasting bad songs in the morning, and groaning over bagels and breadbowls of soup in Panera (until the next LIRR train arrives).

It was, to say the least, a gross misrepresentation of AAA as it exists on campus: a group of witty, clever, and responsible individuals.

(Who has pictures?)