No Racial Gap Seen in ’08 Vote Turnout

Mr. Obama scored upsets in several Southern states. Those victories were attributed to the growing number of migrants from other parts of the country, younger voters and a surge in turnout among blacks.

In other words: populations change, deal with it.

Read the whole thing.

7 Things NEVER to Say to Asian-American Executives

Jae Requiro remembers her friend’s story vividly: Following a meeting in which her friend was the only Asian-American woman, a male colleague said to her, “You’re not at all like my Asian wife … you speak up.”

— Diversity Inc.

Glenda posted this on her blog and to me, this is a good primer for those of you who think there is such a thing as positive stereotypes. Some of my favorites from this article:

• “You’re not a minority because all Asians are rich and successful.”
• “Where are you from? No, where are you really from?” or “When are you going to go home?” or “How often do you go home?”
• “You aren’t like them” or “You don’t act very Asian.”

Read the whole thing.

Lawmaker defends comment on Asians

My frend sent me this article via email:

Lawmaker defends comment on Asians
Call for voters to simplify their names not racially motivated, Terrell Republican says
By R.G. RATCLIFFE
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN — A North Texas legislator during House testimony on voter identification legislation said Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are “easier for Americans to deal with.”

The comments caused the Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday to demand an apology from state Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell. But a spokesman for Brown said her comments were only an attempt to overcome problems with identifying Asian names for voting purposes.

The exchange occurred late Tuesday as the House Elections Committee heard testimony from Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans.

Ko told the committee that people of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent often have problems voting and other forms of identification because they may have a legal transliterated name and then a common English name that is used on their driver’s license on school registrations.

Easier for voting?

Brown suggested that Asian-Americans should find a way to make their names more accessible.

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.

Brown later told Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

Democratic Chairman Boyd Richie said Republicans are trying to suppress votes with a partisan identification bill and said Brown “is adding insult to injury with her disrespectful comments.”

Brown spokesman Jordan Berry said Brown was not making a racially motivated comment but was trying to resolve an identification problem.

Berry said Democrats are trying to blow Brown’s comments out of proportion because polls show most voters support requiring identification for voting. Berry said the Democrats are using racial rhetoric to inflame partisan feelings against the bill.

“They want this to just be about race,” Berry said.

My favorite come back by racist people is how they blame their accusers of making everything about race. Guess what, it is about race! Not only is the ignorance and arrogance amazingly prevalent in these events, but also doesn’t this smack familiar to anyone else? I mean why stop wth those “difficult” Chinese names? Those Polish ones can be a mouthful and you know, Irish names with the O and the apostrophe? Those break web forms often times and forget about URLs… Why can’t they just make it easier, huh?

What? You mean your last name as special meaning to you? Represents your heritage, right? Hmm…

Can’t Hate Everything

“Chopstix, a real asian cuisine” by Aji Bekti

Funny and poinent.

First Asian Boy

Learn Chinese in 5 Minutes

Posted here for some reason.

Ok, so I just checked the calendar, it’s 2008 right? This is rediculous!

A Chink in the Armour

Film maker Baun Mah hilariously examines major Chinese Canadian stereotypes. Enjoy!

(be sure to fast-forward to minute 21 if you get bored!)

via Ernie at 8Asians.

Hollywood Keeps the Status Quo

Ernie, from 8Asians.com, brought up the movie adaptation to the non-fiction book, Bring Down the House which is about how a bunch of MIT students figured out a way to beat the Las Vegas house. The film, entitled 21, stars hardly any Asian American actors in it, despite the fact that most of those who brought down the house, were in fact Asian Americans.

Here’s a chance for Hollywood to take the stand and cast some Asian American talent in non-stereotypical roles but do they? No, despite there being a very convenient Hollywood excuse: the story is based on true events. Here’s the money shot quote from The Tech, MIT’s newspaper:

Mezrich mentioned the stereotypical Hollywood casting process — though most of the actual blackjack team was composed of Asian males, a studio executive involved in the casting process said that most of the film’s actors would be white, with perhaps an Asian female. Even as Asian actors are entering more mainstream films, such as “Better Luck Tomorrow” and the upcoming “Memoirs of a Geisha,” these stereotypes still exist, Mezrich said.

The problem here is that Hollywood is conforming to marketability forces that it helped create. There’s no reason that Hollywood could shake the whole thing up and use their power and influence to create better imaging of Asian Americans and other people of color. The only reason they don’t? Racism. Pure and straight.