Nixon was even worst than I thought - Part 1

Martin Luther King spoke at Cal's Sproul Plaza in 1967,  outlining how civil rights included being against the war.

IN 1968, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese staged the Tet Offensive demonstrating how vulnerable American and South Vietnamese forces were and how fragile the Saigon government was.

In America the anti-war movement was gaining steam with each casualty report coming out of the Vietnam war. Nowhere was the anti-war movement stronger that at our country's college campuses. UC Berkeley, where I was starting my second year, was in the center of the storm. 

Richard Nixon

Even though I was in ROTC, I wasn't immune to the sentiment of my peers in regards to the war. In some ways, those of us in ROTC had more at stake than most. It was a difficult time for everyone and I was no exception. I was torn. I struggled. On one hand, I wholeheartedly agreed with my friends about the war. On the other hand, I attended pro-war seminars and lectures trying to find justification for being part of the military conducting what I felt was an unjust war where the U.S. shouldn't have been involved. These efforts failed.

To people outside of the campus -- people in the Midwest and those political leaders in Washington, D.C. -- it might have appeared that the country was on the border of a real revolution. The Beatles came out with a song titled "Revolution," and people who didn't listen to the lyrics thought it advocated revolution. (Video below)

Other social forces were converging - the civil rights movement, the country was still shaken by the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, the Black Panthers were carrying their guns in the streets, the Brown Berets looked threatening, Asian students and professors were grumbling at S.F. State planning the Third World Strike with their allies in the Chicano and black studies departments --  stirring the pot and added to this bubbling cauldron of social unrest was the anti-war movement. 

To lovers of the status quo, it indeed might have looked like the country and the old social order were on the verge of collapse. 

That sentiment forced President Johnson to decide not to run for reelection and the war was THE central issue of the Presidential campaign which pitted former Vice President Richard Nixon and Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

All of those memories and feelings came rushing back to me last month with the revelation of Nixon's role in sabotaging the peace talks between North and South Vietnam.

As if Watergate wasn’t enough to forever taint President Nixon’s record of public service, if he were alive today, he would be in jail for being a traitor to our country.

I didn’t think that this type of political commentary would fit in this blog’s format but I’m so angry, I had to write about it. Why mainstream media isn’t all over this story with 10 different angles; talking heads would be analyzing this on all our networks; editorials would be lamenting Nixon’s true legacy and Fox News would have figured out a way to twist the facts around and blame Obama – is beyond me.

The state of mainstream media these days is so sad I shouldn’t be surprised at their timidity. I guess the latest suntanning efforts of the Kardasians is more important.

For years, it was rumored that Nixon was behind the failure of President Johnson to negotiate a peace treaty with North Vietnam in 1968. The audiotapes of President Lyndon Johnson White House conversations revealed that the president accused Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign of treason for undermining the peace negotiations to end the war in Vietnam.

It wasn’t until this summer that those rumors were confirmed.

TO BE CONTINUED

No more Whoppers for me; join the boycott

JOIN ME in boycotting Burger King for it's recent gambit for avoiding paying taxes to the U.S.

Yesterday (Aug. 26) the fast-food Whopper maker completed its purchase of Canadian-based Tim Horton's, thus making Burger King the third-biggest of the fast-food chains in America.

The tax-saving maneuver has been denounced by political leaders and at least one senator has called for a boycott.

Burger King's decision to abandon the United States means consumers should turn to Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers or White Castle sliders," said Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio). "Burger King has always said, 'Have it your way'; well  my way is to support two Ohio companies that haven't abandoned their country or customers." Wendy's is based in Dublin, Ohio while White Castle is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Burger King will move its corporate headquarters from Miami to Canada. It is owned by a Brazilian conglomerate and they don't care what country the headquarters is as long as it saves the struggling company money.

While Burger King downplays the tax benefits it would receive, many believe that the move to purchase a foreign company and transfer its headquarters to Canada is in response to President Obama's recent denunciation of American companies strategy to avoid paying U.S. taxes.

News of the deal came out over the weekend and people flooded the fast-food chains Facebook page with boycott threats.

President Obama spoke out about the strategy of "tax inversion" last month and threatened to place restrictions on companies who wanted to pursue that route. Tax Inversion is a situation wherein an American company buys a company based in another country with a lower tax rate, opts out of its American corporate citizenship and becomes a corporate citizen of the foreign country. What it comes down to is tax avoidance.

America gives a company its start, U.S. banks finance it, goods are shipped on government-built roads, American job training programs trains its workers and American colleges produces its management, American-built roads deliver the goods, American customers give it a solid financial foundation. Hell, government granted businesses like Burger King to incorporate with rights and privileges. Corporations like Burger King want to turn its back on America and the taxpayer-funded system that allowed and encouraged it to thrive and grow.

The U.S. corporate tax is high, 35%, but through our loophole-laced tax code, the average American corporation's tax rate is 12-15%, much lower than most households of middle class America. Some corporations are so good at dodging taxes they pay zero, nada, nothing -- in taxes. (That's not fair or right either.)

I gladly pay my taxes and I'm sure most of you pay your taxes because we are part of a larger community. Our taxes comes back to us in our infrastructure, our education, our water delivery systems, sewage, electricity and other government services, Social Security, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act.

Earlier this month, drugstore giant Walgreens also was seeking a tax inversion but after the bad publicity and customer backlash, it decided to abandon those plans.

If Burger King doesn't appreciate what our system of government and economy allowed the company to do; if Burger King doesn't care about our country; if Burger King doesn't need us, well, -- WE DON'T NEED IT. There are plenty of other burger joints in town.

Savor Filipino 2014 - August 30 in San Francisco

PRESENTED by the Filipino Food Movement, a nonprofit started by the Quesada's 2nd generation. Ramar Foods, owned and operated by the Quesada family and headquartered in Pittsburg, California, is the largest manufacturer of Filipino food in the U.S.

Go to Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, August 30, 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Cooking demonstrations, food tasting and entertainment.

Savor Filipino is a unique venue intended to 
expose people outside of the Filipino-American

community to the under-appreciated cuisine of the Philippines. While the American public venturing beyond Chinese cuisine may be familiar with Vietnamese, Korean, Thai or Malaysian food, for some reason, Filipino cuisine has never really caught on. Savor Filipino believes that our food is the next big thing.

This is a must event for anybody who loves Filipino food or anybody who is curious, adventurous and eager to try a new world of tastes that come from Philippine cuisine, which is acknowledged to be a mix of Chinese, Malaysian, Spanish and American - just like the people of the Philippines - halo-halo. 

A word of caution to those Filipinos: don't compare the food here with the food that mom makes in her kitchen. It might smell the same and maybe even smell the same (who could resist the smell of adobo bubbling away?) but the traditional dishes will be prepared and presented as if it came from a 5-star restaurant. 

Go with an open mind and empty stomach. For more information, go to its website: www.savorfilipino.com

Jose Vargas asks government for protection against deportation

JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS, who we last saw at the Texas border with Mexico (See earlier blog below) has kept himself busy. 

Days after speaking at the Asian American Journalists Association's annual convention held in Washington D.C., Vargas and 10 other undocumented immigrants held a press conference to put themselves on the line and to push the Obama administration to act on immigration reform and the status of the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. In doing so, he puts himself at risk of immediate deportation.

The ball is now in the court of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson at which time deportation would be delayed or immediate. The decision could come any day.

The Pulitzer-prize winning journalist came out of the shadows in 2011 to become one of the leading spokesman for undocumented immigrants and immigration reform.

Here's the CNN report of August 21:

(CNN) -- Filmmaker and activist Jose Antonio Vargas and 10 others asked the U.S. government on Wednesday to halt deportation proceedings against undocumented immigrants like themselves who have strong and productive ties to the United States.

In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, they requested that he defer such punitive action and then ask President Barack Obama to consider "administrative relief" to those "who are integral members of our evolving American community."

Vargas and the others said in their letter that they represent just a few of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

"Often, we're treated as abstractions, nameless and faceless, subjects of debate rather than individuals with families, hopes, fears, and dreams," they wrote.

Undocumented leader: 'We're tired'

Undocumented activist of CNN film detained

"Over the past decades, we have been working, worshiping in churches, going to school, and contributing to the communities we call home. We love, fight for, and pledge allegiance to an America whose flag does not recognize us," they added.

In a statement, Johnson's office did not mention the letter, but said he has "been taking a hard look" at "tough issues" around shortcomings in immigration policy and working to submit recommendations to Obama within "the confines of existing law."

Customs and Border Patrol agents detained Vargas, also an award-winning journalist, last month in McAllen, Texas, after learning of his immigration status.

Immigration question: How far can the President go on executive actions?

He was there to call attention to the plight of tens of thousands of migrant youth from Central America, many of them unaccompanied, who have streamed across the southern border this year.

The surge has strained border services and reignited the debate over immigration reform in Washington, a cause that Vargas promotes.

A decision by Johnson to grant the request would delay any deportation proceedings with the hope that Obama would then use his executive authority to expand deportation protections or that Congress would agree to an overhaul of immigration law.

Obama used his executive authority in 2012 to grant work authorization for two years or more for those who came to the United States as children. Vargas missed the age eligibility by only months.

With Congress divided, Obama to go his own way on immigration

Final Robin Williams Tribute

A LOT OF PEOPLE have said some really moving things about Robin Williams and undoubtedly, there will be more. If there is one video you watch today, let it be this one. The words are from Jack, the visuals from some of Robin Williams movies. There's really not any more I can add.

I've added on the vlog by actor Dante Basco, a San Francisco Bay Area native, who played the lead Lost Boy, Rufio, in the Robin Williams movie "Hook." 

Freedom Summer: The 1964 Battle For Civil Rights In Mississippi

IN THE SUMMER of 1964 I was looking forward to my senior year in high school. I had a job at the World's Fair in New York, working in a hot kitchen providing chicken adobo and marinated pork on a stick for the customers of the San Miguel Beer pavilion/beer hall.

The German pavilion across the alley provided a good, steady source of beer-loving customers.

One of my co-workers in the kitchen was a guy from Tahiti. He was 21 and after work we'd hang out in the fairgrounds taking advantage of the free or really inexpensive entertainment venues. During one of these outings, he bought me my first mixed drink - rum and coke. The bars on the fairgrounds were pretty lax about asking for ID's.

Like a dork, I wore my letterman's sweater a couple of times thinking it would be impressive. When asked what the block letter "P" stood for, I'd proudly respond, "Pittsburg." Everybody thought I was talking about Pittsburgh, ( you know, Pittsburg with the "h") and assumed that I went to the University of Pittsburgh. I didn't say otherwise, just pass me the rum and coke.

One of the highlights of that summer was a quick bus ride to Washington D.C. with by brother-in-law's younger brother and another co-worker, a Puerto Rican who had a whisper of a mustache and had that New Yawk accent and what I saw as "street smarts." We had one day in the nation's capitol and all we saw was the mall and some of the nearby monuments.

We were too young to appreciate the history and significance of all that was around us.

We sat in the back of the Greyhound bus and sang songs of the day, like "Up On The Roof" and "Under the Boardwalk." We sounded terrible but we thought we were good. It was a wonder nobody else on the bus complained.

I had no inkling what else was happening the world. I didn't know about the other buses carrying college students to the Deep South to register African Americans to vote.

I didn't know about the lynchings and the deaths of some of those Freedom Riders. I am embarrassed to say how oblivious I was. I lived in California, far from the segregated lunch counters, the separate entrances for blacks and whites, and the Jim Crow laws that prevented blacks from exercising their right to vote. 

To learn more about Freedom Summer, there's an app for that: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/freedom-summer-civil-rights/id893679666?mt=8

For young people today, 50 years ago is ancient history. It may be difficult to imagine how different it was then. You have to picture the civil rights actions that took place in a hostile environment. Back then, local government was the enemy. The figures of authority - including the police - were openly against voter registration for blacks. 

The courage of those young people - black and white - who traveled to the Deep South and went against the bigotry and racism that was the way of life down there. To the good ol' boys, these northerners were breaking the law and upending practices that were rooted in centuries of tradition.

Unfortunately today, we are still fighting against the deeply ingrained values based on racism, remnants of that "tradition." People and monied-special interests are trying to turn back the clock with the anti-government rhetoric; the ultra conservatives are still trying to discredit the President and block any of his initiatives; the GOP continue their Southern Strategy by continuing to appeal to the baseline racists with their xenophobic rantings under the guise of "taking back our country;" and their numerous attempts to limit voting under the guise of preventing so-called voter fraud. (NOTE: the number of voting fraud incidents are so few - even rare - and don't warrant the fear and legislation that has emerged to prevent voting by "certain people."} 

It's all a last gasp effort to maintain the status quo, to remain in power, to stay on top of the heap, to keep unspoken entitlements.

To the young people - including my nieces, nephews and their children in high school and college - go ahead and enjoy your summer: go to the beach, hike in the mountains, laugh with your friends and enjoy your time off from studies. Remember though, much of our world today was shaped by the events that occurred in the summer of 1964. The equal rights won for African Americans, was extended to all minorities and inspired other battles: for farmworkers, for Filipinos, for Latinos, for gays and for women.

The victories won in the 60's are being challenged today. The battles continue in the halls of Congress, in the courts, in the polling booth, schools, business and the streets; in Washington D.C., Sacramento, Los Angeles, Detroit, in Texas and Arizona border towns, in Sanford, Florida and in Ferguson, Missouri -- wherever ignorance and hate raises its head.

The rights we enjoy now cannot be taken for granted. With all that is happening in today's world, if you care about democracy, if you care about our country, if you care about the future for you and your family - you can't afford to be as oblivious as I was in 1964.

###

Robin Williams, RIP

O'Captain, my captain ... you live on ...

ROBIN WILLIAMS committed suicide yesterday and television and the twitter verse is going crazy with tributes and fond memories. He was only 63.

I never met him, but through his work, he was often in my living room on television. He became part of the family, the crazy uncle who was always making us laugh.

He was a brilliant, hilarious man whose comedic frenzy hid the demons he had inside. Like all true great artists he made an impact on peoples' lives through his roles and insights interspersed throughout his manic performances.

And what's the angle? Why am I mentioning him in this blog? Well ...
There's always an angle.

William's second wife is Marsha Garces, a Filipina-American, with whom he had two hapa children, Zelda and Cody. His oldest son, Zachary, is from his first marriage with Valerie Velardi and he has not yet released a statement. 

Marsha and Robin were together for 20 years, the longest of his three marriages. It was through their philanthropic foundation -- the Windfall Foundation -- where Williams donated his time and money to for its good work.

She divorced him in 2010 after another one of his relapses. Her silence at this time speaks volumes about the pain she must be going through.

(THE OTHER CONNECTIONS: And there is Dante Basco who was in the film "Hook," and played Rufio alongside Williams' Peter Pan; and Lea Salonga provided the singing voice for Jasmine in the animated feature, "Aladdin.")

For my daughters' generation, who went through their formative years in the 80's, he is remembered as Mrs. Doubtfire and English teacher John Keating in the "Dead Poets Society."

Good films, like good all good art, have the ability to transform lives when a scene, a quote or an idea hits you in the stomach, you catch your breath, feel the impact, ruminate about it, swirl it, toss it around, place it inside out and upside down, think about it some more - and then you say, "A-ha!."

And then ... and then ... you remember it for the rest of your life.

For me, it was "To Kill A Mockingbird" with Gregory Peck, who played a southern lawyer defending a black man. For those who grew up in the 80s, it might have been this scene from the Dead Poets Society: 

And while we're talking about Williams and Walt Whitman, for those young people growing up today, it might be this commercial in which he provides the voiceover. It may be a commercial for a product, but for me, it was the message, the words, the idea, the question: 

What verse will you contribute?

A bad joke and a so-so apology from "Top Gear"

Jeremy Clarkson awaits a penalty for his tendency to use racist language. 

THIS MAY be old news to some of you, but the ruling issued by Britain's Office of Communications (Ofcam) just came out and it ruled that the BBC violated broadcasting rules when it aired a scene in their show "Top Gear" last spring that included a racial slur.

“After a thorough investigation, Ofcom has found the BBC breached broadcasting rules by including an offensive racial term in Top Gear, which was not justified by context,” an Ofcam spokesperson said. “This was scripted in advance. The BBC failed to take the opportunity, either during filming or post-production, to check whether the word had the potential to offend viewers.”

The episode in question, a special about Myanmar which aired in April, included a pretaped segment featuring host Jeremy Clarkson standing at the end of a bridge over the River Kwai as a local man walked across it.

“That is a proud moment,” Clarkson said, “but there’s a slope on it.”

“Slope” is recognized as an anti-Asian slur, especially in Australia (used mostly in reference to people of Vietnamese descent) and the United States (My addition: where it’s most commonly used against all Asian ethnicities).

“When we used the word ‘slope’ in the recent Top Gear Burma special it was a lighthearted word-play joke referencing both the build quality of the bridge and the local Asian man who was crossing it,” Executive Producer Andy Wilman said in a statement after receiving complaints. “We were not aware at the time, and it has subsequently been brought to our attention, that the word ‘slope’ is considered by some to be offensive and although it might not be widely recognized in the UK, we appreciate that it can be considered offensive to some here and overseas, for example in Australia and the USA.

“If we had known that at the time we would not have broadcast the word in this context and regret any offense caused.”

The excuse sounds kind of lame to me.

This is not a breaking news show where everything is live and people speak out in the moment and you tape whatever you get. It is taped months in advance and scripts are approved months or weeks before the actual taping.

They thought they were being clever but instead they revealed their ignorance and prejudices.

The show, which is known for its "clever" or unusual take on the world, has been in trouble before when it called Mexicans "feckless and flatulent." A month after the Myanmar incident, Clarkson was choosing between two cars and he was using the children's rhyme, "Eenie meenie miiny mo ..." you know how the rest of it goes. The producers at least had the good sense to edit it out of the final product. 

I remember during the Vietnam War when American soldiers returned home and I began hearing that term. They applied it to all Asians, much like the term "gook" used by soldiers in the Philippines-American War when referring to Filipinos became synonymous with all Asians.

I hated the term "slopes" then and I hate it now, no matter the context. Ofcam is supposed to come back with some sort of penalty. Let's hope the penalty is  substantial enough to jog some sense into Clarkson, who reportedly makes millions for his hosting duties.

Why are we still asking: Are Filipinos Asian or Pacific Islanders?

THE FUNG BROTHERS are really brothers and they're hilarious! Andrew and David Fung are two of the Asian-American entertainers who have found a home on the Internet (YouTube specifically) after finding the doors to Hollywood difficult to open. More amazing, they've found a way to make a living off of their videos spoofing all things Asian American. 

They went to a college staging a Filipino-American pista, or fiesta, to ask the question that a lot of Asians have asked about Filipinos. Even back in the 60s the question was asked and discussed at Asian restaurants, college campuses and basements in Manilatown, Chinatown and J-town: "Are Filipinos Asian or Pacific Islander?"

The Fung brothers are originally from Seattle.

Let's see, the Philippines is made up of 7,000 islands separating the China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

However, the original inhabitants probably crossed over land bridges over what is now Malaysia and Indonesia. Later improved seafaring skills led to contact and immigrations from China, Vietnam and probably Japan.

So, really, there are legitimate claims for both designations. But why does it matter? Nevertheless, the question is still being asked, particularly by East Asians, who don't know what to make of Filipinos who are not as reserved as they are and who have an exuberance for enjoying life. They can't understand Filipinos whose culture has been heavily influenced by its colonial periods: Spain, and then the United States. As the Filipino joke goes about the Philippine cultural influences -- 350 years in a convent and 50 years of Hollywood.

Prior to the western visitors, there were thousands of years of mixing with neighboring cultures creating something uniquely different -- halo-halo (mixed up), which is also the name of a Filipino dessert made up of a variety of ingredients. 

I think there is also a bit of classicism that comes into play. Filipinos have sometimes been called the Mexicans of Asia because they are hardworking and willing to do the work others don't want to do. Generally, they enjoy music and like to party. This image is reinforced with the strong Spanish influence on Filipino culture, just like Mexico. In many respects, Filipinos share a lot with Latinos, including how they are viewed by the mainstream public. And in Asia, the mainstream is not white.

In Malaysia, the word for Filipino illegal immigrants is a racial slur. The infamous screed last year from a Hong Kong woman on "How to treat Filipinos" created an international uproar but she was unapologetic and in fact, when faced with the backlash, doubled down on her views. Stories abound about Filipinas throughout Asia being exploited and abused by their employers. There is a widespread perception of Filipinos in Asia that could only be described as racist.

In contrast, no one questions the Asianess of the people who come from the Indian subcontinent even though, racially, Indians are caucasian.

I daresay -- and I'll probably get a lot of grief for this -- some of that anti-Filipino animus in Asia might have drifted across the Pacific.

In California, Filipinos were successful in getting their own ethnic category in the Census and later, the U.S. Census followed suit. In the 60's and 70's, Filipino-American leaders felt it was important to separate themselves from the broad "Asian" category. Leaders and activists in the Chinese and Japanese communities wondered why this was necessary and saw the action as another example of Filipinos being Filipinos, not Asians. 

The reason, of course, was more complicated. For the Filipino community it was difficult to justify creating social service programs directed at Filipinos even though, anecdotally, the need was great. The new law mandated that Filipinos be identified in statistics regarding schools, social service, employment and health institutions. A lot of the funds for social and educational programs were going to Asian agencies which counted Filipinos in their data but their programs were allegedly not being delivered to Filipinos. With the new Census numbers bearing them out, social service agencies and programs sprung up throughout California to serve Filipino Americans.

Politically, the data also benefitted Filipinos. The data surprised everyone because it revealed that Filipinos made up the largest Asian group in California. It gave Filipinos a place at the table on issues affecting the Asian community which up to that point was dominated by Chinese and Japanese Americans. When it came down to it, it was still beneficial to Chinese, Japanese and Filipinos to combine their numbers to wield their political influence. (Vietnamese immigration was just getting underway with the end of the Vietnam War and the tech boom which attracted huge numbers of Indians and Koreans hadn't occurred yet.)

The Fung Brothers got some interesting and funny responses that show that we're still a bit confused where Filipinos fit in the Asian-American spectrum. The clip is funny and makes light of some of our unique qualities. (We do like to have a good time.) The fact that the question is being asked at all indicates that there is still a lot of uncertainty - even in 2014.

Why does it matter if Filipinos are Asian or Pacific Islander? After all, most non-Asian Americans treat all Asians the same - including Filipinos. To mainstream America, we are all lumped into the same basket. Our similarities (rice and karaoke among others) are greater than our differences. Any act of hate or ignorance directed at any Asian is directed at all of us. Any praise or good will heaped on any Asian is shared by all of us ... well, most of the time. Oh well, bahala na.

If you want to check out more of the Fung show, link to fungbrothers.com. They're clever and funny!

The vacation spot no one talks about

El Nido, Palawan

Ooooh! I'm feeling the lure of the islands, again. Just a quick post to bring your attention to this article from Huffington Post about travel to the Philippines. Gorgeous photos. 

Anybody game? Anybody know some good, reliable travel agency offering tours to the Philippines? 

Link to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/02/philippines-travel-destination_n_5361834.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

If you like the Asian-girl fantasy, you are in for a surprise

NO SOONER did I mention Nancy Kwan and this vlog popped up. As a quick follow-up to my earlier writings about sexual stereotypes, James Shigeta, the aforementioned actress Nancy Kwan, etc., Let me introduce you to vlogger Anna Akana, she gives Yellow Fever a new meaning from a contemporary point of view and explains better than I can, the attraction Asian women possess for a lot of guys.

Katy Perry

Anybody who has spent serious time with an Asian woman know that they are anything but quiet and submissive. Most of the Asian women I know are strong individuals, smart, defiantly outspoken and definitely do not fit the stereotype. Some are sexy, some are not. Most fall somewhere in-between. 
Katy Perry's performance during the American Music Awards, dressed as a geisha, did nothing to dispell the stereotype. Her angry response show's she just didn't get it. She's probably never had the "ching-chong" insult hurled her way either.

It's heartening to see that a new generation of Asians - like Akana and a host of other bloggers, vloggers and social and educational activists - is continuing the fight against old prejudices and confronting the same issues that I had while growing up as in America. But at the same time, despite all the examples  counteracting the demeaning image in almost our all our institutions, it's kind of sad after all these years, to see the staying power of this particular stereotype and how it still dominates the view of Asian women.

"Breakthrough" actor James Shigeta passes away

James Shigeta and Flower Drum co-star Myoshi Umeki.

ONE OF the few Asian American actors in the last half-century who could play leading-man roles passed away today (July 29) at the age of 81. Here's the article about James Shigeta from the Daily Variety http://variety.com/2014/film/news/james-shigeta-dies-at-81-1201270730/. 

Shigeta played a lot of movie roles throughout the years - hero, villain, spear-carrier, etc. - and to his credit, he never had to resort to portraying a stereotype.

The role that he is best known for and the one that had the most impact on me was the musical "Flower Drum Song." Originally a Broadway musical, it was released as a motion picture in 1961, The musical and movie were not what we would call "politically correct." It had so many things wrong with it from a 21st century perspective. However, as a young boy, it was a revelation to see an all-Asian cast up on the silver screen singing and dancing and being (so anti-Asian stereotype) - gasp - sexy!

Having Nancy Kwan perceived as sexy is a no-brainer. Who can forget her brash, aggressive performance of "I Enjoy Being A Girl?" American culture has always linked Asian women to sex as in a provocative and sometimes demeaning way-- either as the Dragon Lady or as the exotic creature that will willingly do anything to satisfy men's needs.

But along came Shigeta, a handsome leading man with his deep, sexy voice and presence. He made women swoon. He went against the grain of our society's image of Asian males -- unsexy, geeky and unattractive. With our unfortunate pop-culture tendency to turn screen heroes into role models, Shigeta was the only male role model who looked a little bit like me and a whole generation of Asian boys.

Yeah, "Flower Drum Song," written by two white guys, Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rogers, was a bit cheesy but it was also groundbreaking in its use of an Asian cast instead of having white actors play the roles in yellow-face and taped-back eyes. Credit the producers for insisting on Asian actors, singers and dancers play the roles.

What was amazing was that the rest of the populace, no matter what race, was also drawn to the musical and its story of culture clash, mistaken identity and love-overcoming-all. Somehow, along the way, despite its financial success, Hollywood never attempted anything like it again.

Thank you Mr. Shigeta for being a bright light as I came of age. He was a reminder that we can aspire to be more than the "acceptable professions" of doctors, engineers or businessmen (or, in my case, an architect). We can take risks. We can be actors, artists, poets, writers, singers, dancers or whatever else we want to be.

Asian American social networkers make their presence felt

INTERESTING STATS, eh?

The graphic above, from pollster Nielsen suggests that the typical social media user is a mid-20s Asian woman who graduated from college, has a pretty good income and most likely, is a Red Sox fan. (I think if the same poll was taken today, it would show that she is a fan of the Giants or Golden State Warriors.)

In June 2012, the PEW Research Center issued a report on the use of social media among ethnic groups. "Their" ethnic groups were Whites, Latinos and Blacks.

This caused an uproar among Asian Americans who felt they were slighted. "What about us?" they asked. PEW explained that Asian Americans were difficult to poll because of our great diversity and languages and beside, Asian Americans -- all 17.3 million of us -- didn't make up a big enough ethnic group to be significant.

Not significant? Reduced to insignificance again! Well, that riled up the AAPI community again.

The following three paragraphs is what I imagined happened within PEW's office -- and keep in mind I'm making this up:

The response from the Asian/American community hit a nerve and in order to compensate that particularly vocal minority -- from academicians to ordinary Tweeters and Vimeo users -- PEW staff decided to do another study of the Asian American community. That report, titled "The Rise of Asian Americans," which conjures up an "invasion", came out later in 2012 covering the usual categories of where we live, family income, out-of-race marriage, etc.

PEW researchers were probably surprised at the response. Here they thought they were doing something good to appease its Asian/American critics and all they got in response was ... more criticism! 

Now they were being criticized for portraying the the Asian/Americans as well-educated, better than average income, loyal Americans, strong family ties -- in other words, the data presented reinforced the stereotype of the "model minority," an image that I and millions of other "average" Asians have had a hell of a time correcting.

The criticism apparently hit a chord (again) and in 2013, PEW updated the report to include data from other Asian groups and emphasized the poverty and lower test scores for some of the Asian groups.

I don't think PEW will put "insignificant numbers" and "Asian Americans" in the same sentence again, especially in regards to use of the Internet and social media. Therefore, it would seem, Asian/Americans should be included in any study regarding the Internet or social media.

Other polls have come out indicating Asians' use of social media goes beyond their numbers in the United States. If you go to to some social media sites such as Yelp, Twitter, etc. simply judging by the photos of the users, you will see the preponderance of Asian participants.

RELATED: Asian/Americans love the Internet, social media

When the TV show "How I Met Your Mother," recently aired an episode where its white actors donned yellow-face, the social media response was swift and heavy as Asian Americans flexed their new-found virtual muscles. It wasn't long before the show's producers issued an apology.

The online outcry that occurred when Asians were made the butt of offensive jokes at the 2016 Oscar telecast rallied people in the entertainment industry to express their disappointment which eventually led to an apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts.

RELATED: Chris Rock went one joke too many during the Oscars

Despite its apparent flaws, I found the PEW report interesting for the important information that they presented. It may be the closest thing we have of a researcher's acknowledgement that Asians are part of this American stew and although small in numbers, the influence of Asian/ Americans goes beyond their numbers. Business, political consultants, marketers and policy makers need to keep this in mind when viewing the data.

PEW's response indicates that a lesson was learned. America is not just a black-and-white world and the country's perception -- and the world's perception, for that matter -- of what an American looks like needs to be broadened beyond the broad brushstrokes used by traditional mainstream media,

###

Dreaming with the American dreamers

Just a reminder: While most of the media focus is on Mexicans crossing the border, the attraction to the United States is still strong among Filipinos. Immigration reform and issues are still major issues for Filipinos.

(The question that raises up in my mind is why isn't there any media concern about all the Canadians crossing over the border with America and taking American jobs and American dollars? People like -- Justin Beiber, Ryan Gosling, Michael Cera, to name a few?)

As the video illustrates, you may know some undocumented Americans but don't know it. They are just like you and I and impossible to identify as undocumented unless they have the courage to come and admit it.

Undocumented Filipinos have along been an issue with the Filipino American communitiy that they've come up with a term for it. If you are here without the proper paperwork, you are called TNT. Tago ng tago basically means "hiding" or maintaining such a low profile that one has disappeared. 

Many young people who were brought here at an early age had no idea that their parents were TNT and that they, themselves, were not citizens of this country until they sought financial aid for college or tried to sign up with the military.

Other tidbits:

• The waiting period for someone from the Philippines to the United States can be as long as 23 years.
• According to the latest Census of 2010, there are more first-generation Filipino immigrants than there are Filipino Americans (those born and raised in the U.S.).
• As a result, Filipinos make up the 2nd biggest Asian ethnic group in the U.S. (Chinese are first). According to a recent survey by PEW, Filipinos from the Philippines like the United States more than Americans do. (More on this in an upcoming post.)

As for the most recent border boondoggle where thousands of Central American kids have been caught trying to enter the U.S., many critics are quick to shout "Send them home." The law requiring that we give them hearings is a law that was signed by the last President Bush -- a Republican. 

The U.S. has given refugee status to people from dictator-run countries, from the old communist bloc and other countries we don't like. But what if the country they are fleeing doesn't have a government and it is run by a bunch of gangsters and if you don't join their gang, they kill you? The second video explains the situation under two minutes and worth watching then ask yourself, "do you still want to send them home to almost certain death?" That's a tougher question now, right?

Look, I'm for control of our borders and yes, most countries wouldn't give a second thought to sending the kids home -- but this is America, and we're supposed to be better than other countries. We're supposed to be exceptional.

Lest we forget ... greeting all ships in New York harbor is the Statue of Liberty:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless,
Tempest-tossed to me
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

The significance of the Great Port Chicago Explosion

A little bit of important history took place almost next door 70 years ago. Historians are starting to recognize that the desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces began in a small unknown base in Port Chicago, just a few miles from where I live.

The deadliest home front disaster occurred in 1944 and took the lives of 322 sailors, 220 of them African American. The Port Chicago Weapons Magazine, later to be known as the Concord Naval Weapons Station, was the main munitions supply depot for the war in the Pacific Theater during WWII and during the Korean War.

The black sailors who volunteered to fight the enemy were instead assigned the unglamorous job of loading ammunition aboard ships. It was dangerous work and the sailors - without any proper training -- were encouraged to speed up their already unsafe work. When the sailors refused to work under dangerous conditions, they were threatened with court martial. Most of them returned to work but 50 remained steadfast in their refusal. Those 50 were placed in the brig and eventually court martialed, 

Years later, 49 of the 50 sailors were pardoned (but, not exonerated.) The one holdout maintained that what they did was not treasonous and refused the pardon.

The blast leveled the surrounding area in a mile radius and could be heard as far away as Vallejo, a distance of about 25 miles. (Unsubstantiated rumors say there was a nuclear device involved because that was about the time the U.S. began testing the nuclear bomb drop out in the Pacific.)

The explosion and the aftermath fought to the forefront the segregation that existed in the U.S. military through World War II. (That's why we had the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed 442nd Regiment made up of second-generation Japanese American,  and the 1st Filipino Regiment.

The Navy was the first branch of the U.S. military to desegregate which led to President Truman's order to desegregate all the Armed Forces. Many of the black soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought for our country came back home to a country that deprived them of the rights they fought for. They  came to realize the gap between the military opportunities and the way they were treated in civilian life. As part of the Greatest Generation, they helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement.

Here's a great column about the Port Chicago explosion by Tom Barnidge of the Contra Costa Times: http://www.contracostatimes.com/barnidge/ci_26179065/barnidge-civil-rights-lessons-port-chicago-disaster-still

    

Jose Antonio Vargas: An undocumented American

Jose Antonio Vargas

JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS, a Filipino immigrant, may be the poster child for the thousands of undocumented people awaiting action from President Obama that may legalize their status.

And, oh yeah, he won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize as a member of team of Washington Post journalists covering the Virginia Tech shootings. In 2011, in a moving essay published in the New York Times, he revealed his status as an "undocumented American." Note the terminology. Those are his words Vargas prefers to use.

Since that essay he has become an activist in support of the undocumented Americans. He has formed an organization Define American, challenging the legal concept of American. Are Americans defined by a set of papers, birth, or is an American someone who thinks, believes and lives as Americans, like
Vargas has done since he was 12 years old when he was sent to live with his grandparents in the San Francisco Bay Area. It wasn't until he was 16 that he learned that he was in this country without papers. He attended local elementary and high schools and graduated from San Francisco State.

Since he is over the age of 30, he doesn't qualify for the Dream Act that legalized the status of the children who brought here at an early age by their undocumented parents. Their being in this country illegally, the act says, was not their fault or their intention. Vargas is speaking up for people like himself who were raised to be Americans; who believe they are Americans and who, by their values and mores, are American,

Vargas got himself in a pickle last week when -- as a freelancer -- went into the border town of McAllen, Texas to lend support and record the plight of the thousands of Central American young people who tried to cross the border fleeing the gangs and violence that have taken over their countries.

In a prepared statement, he said: "As an unaccompanied child migrant myself, I came to McAllen, Texas, to shed a light on children who, in parts of America and many in the news media are actively turning their backs on."

Never having been in that part of the country, he was surprised at the level of militarization of the Texas border. There are checkpoints on all the roads leaving Allen as if it was in the Gaza strip. While they were glad to see him, one woman was prompted to ask him, "How will you get out?"

As expected, when he tried to board a flight out of town, he was asked for his ID. All he had was a Philippines passport, which apparently wasn't good enough. He was detained. Fortunately, a few hours later he was released with orders to appear before an immigration judge at a future date.

Homeland Security, taking note of his well-known status, was quick to issue a statement that he was not arrested or charged with anything. In essence, they said they had other priorities that demanded their attention and the status of one individual who was deemed non-violent and who did not have a criminal record, can be dealt with later.

Vargas' documentary "Documented" aired on CNN earlier this summer and will probably be aired in other time slots. Watch for it.

If his purpose was to bring attention to the plight of the Central American children, Vargas has certainly done that. Their hope is that they will be granted refugee status so they can remain in the U.S.A.

Ironically, the fact that thousands of these children were apprehended at the border is a strong sign that the efforts put forth to prevent illegal immigration is working.

The president has asked Congress for another $3.5 billion to make sure the children are afforded their due process (that, too, is the American way) and if necessary, send them back where they must choose to be gang members or get killed.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.