hardboiled blog

The Model Minority Myth

Hell yes to: Talking about race is not indulging in the “Oppression Olympics”

Asian-Americans = homogenous group of individuals

“Respect for Authority” should not be synonymous with “political apathy”

But near the end, Bui writes:

“The road map to economic justice all of a sudden isn’t about forms of political resistance like the iconic Civil Rights Movement. It’s about replying to inequity with passivity-something that’s worked to keep Asian Americans as a minuscule political force.

Don’t believe me? Asian Americans make up roughly 40 percent of the student body on this campus. But the first languages set to be cut next year? The East Asian Languages.”

Personally, I’m offended. Although I realize that Bui acknowledges that we must “reject political passivity” and is, perhaps, striving to mobilize Asian Americans on campus to care, to say that Asian Americans respond to “inequity with passivity” and is a “minuscule political force” is a gross, gross generalization and an unfair analysis of Asian Americans on campus and around the country.

Recent events and current movements show otherwise: Rock the Vote!, Count Me In!, and API Education/Language Now!

(and look at those exclamation points!!!! They’re anything but passive.)

On Tuesday night, a little past 8:30pm, one of my roommates yelled, “Party on the street! Party on the street! Julie come!” So we headed out towards Shattuck and to my surprise, there was literally a party on the street. There was music playing from Guerilla cafes, a ghetto-fabulous-Berzerkeley -styled-Scooby Doo-mystery-machine with a couple of kegs and old drunken people dancing the sprinkler

Somewhere in the middle of this, I realized that choosing to come to Berkeley really was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Never in my life will I see anything like this and never in my life will I have gotten this opportunity if it weren’t for this town

This thought was strengthened when I went home this weekend. As my friends and I sat around recapping the highlights of our lives from the past month, I found out that this Tuesday night block party wasn’t a nationwide event like I assumed it was

Me: So did Stockton go crazy Tuesday night at around 8:35?

Friend: huh? What?

Me: Tuesday night, elections…

Friend: Well, we were in the library and when we knew Obama basically had it, we did a little ‘woot.’

Me: Oh, so no crazy rampage of students? No broken library windows? Nobody climbing light posts? Nobody climbing on buses?

With a shocked/WTF/damn-Berkeley-people-are-crazy expression, she simply replied, “No.”

So for those who missed out, shame on you! You missed out on history

For those who felt like Waldo in the crowd, have fun looking for yourself in all those facebook pictures. You have some awesome stories to entertain your grandkids in 40 years (even if you failed that bio midterm and now have to retake the class because you spent three hours on the street cheering with your classmates…your grandkids don’t need to know about that part).

Congratulations, Obama! A victory well earned. :)

…And speaking of DEMOCRACY– what’s with hardboiled not getting office space for our organization?? Not even cage space?? Yet people who don’t even want it get offices again? What? -_-. Someone please give me a logical explanation for this!

Just a quick post to remind everyone to VOTE! This is a really important and awesome election, and everyone should participate. ESPECIALLY Asian Americans– let’s make a difference this election, everyone! Turnout for Asian Americans has been gradually increasing for the past few elections, and let’s really make a big impact! The more Asian Americans vote, the more political attention we’ll get, and the more attention we get, the more policy will include our voices.

So everyone, please please vote! And tell your friends to vote! :)

Now, who wants to stay up tonight to watch the numbers roll in? Yeah, yeah??