Monday, October 30, 2006
You're My Little Secret.
Every other Sunday, or whenever I conveniently remember to do so, I check postsecret.blogspot.com and I remember all of my own deepest, darkest secrets and I wish I had enough time to make my own postcard to send in.Oh, the joy.
x_magsalita.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Model Minority Status
And I quote...
"...If you're going to blame anyone, I say we blame the Asians.
I empathize with members of the Black Student Union and MEChA who spoke at the rally. As a fellow underrepresented minority at UCLA, I agree that it's hard to find other white people I can identify with on a campus that feels more like Taipei than L.A.
Yes, white people are an underrepresented minority here at UCLA; while they make up 44 percent of the California population, white students only constitute 34 percent of UCLA's student population.
Asian-Americans, on the other hand, make up only 12 percent of the state of California and 38 percent of UCLA students.
That's 300 percent over-representation: Welcome to UCLAsian..."
Taken out of context or not, this shit is fuckin ridiculous and has me hella heated. I'm taken aback by this bullshit. Is this fool seriously tryna argue that Asian[s]
Don't get me wrong, I understand the concepts of whiteness and the seemingly emphatic educational Asian American culture. This writer does point out the [over]representation percentage of Asians at UCLA, but does not consider the diversity of all ethnicities that are Asian American. If the categorization of "Asian American" is truly broken down, I'm sure he would be surprised to see that the percentages of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipin@, Indian, etc. /American students are smaller than he thinks thus putting his arguments to shame. This writer alludes to a concept that has been lingering on in Asian American history classes and textbooks, a perspective felt by those on the inside by those on the outside or vice versa, the same idea that is the title of Ronald Takaki's book - Strangers From A Different Shore. He refers to students of Asian descent attending an American public institution (although I do recognize the possibility of International students from Asia) as Asians. Just ... Asians. We still can't get recognition for being in a country that we have inhabited, built and influenced for centuries. We still can't be viewed as equals or even Americans.
This tactic of reverse racism is getting tired. I understand this article may be an opinion one, but I can't believe that this rhetoric is still being used in the 21st century at one of the top public institutions in the world. I can't sit still knowing that "UCLAsians" has been coined. I can't believe the extent to which I highly disagree with this writer. I'm embarassed for him for racializing space in such an overt way.
"Using grades and test scores as a measure of academic success is clearly just a way to show preference to Asian-American students, who are better at both, and thus promote the status quo."This argument is bullshit because it already assumes that Asian Americans are educated and are successful whiz kids that are shoo-ins for college.
"For example, we could easily decipher potential Asian-American applicants by checking what student groups they are involved in, such as Asian cultural organizations or Key Club.This writer probably doesn't know that people who are identified as white do receive benefits and privileges of a racist institution without being racist themselves. The proposed ways to identify Asian applicants are just stupid. Students don't have to be Asian or of Asian descent to join ethnic organizations. And Key Club isn't just for Asians, fool. I sure wasn't. Talk about a racialized space, foreal. And heads shots are completely unnecessary. WTF.
I hear some liberal arts colleges accept head shots from applicants, and I think a similar program at UCLA would be monumentally successful at helping us weed out the young Maos and Kim Jongs from potential Mandelas, Lincolns and Estefans."
"By keeping the Asian-American student numbers under control and more accurate to their representation in California, we can free up 26 percent of the student body for members of underrepresented groups."Yes, keep us under your control because we are out of hand. We are like the West Nile Virus and SARS. Please report us. If we were really to keep the UC system representative of the California population, then we would have more African American students, wouldn't we? But don't get me started on that topic.
Oh, lordy. I think I'm done with this venting session for now. Gotta go study, obey my parents and play with my bamboo sticks now.
Yeah right, asshole.
x_magsalita
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Back from my temporary leave of absence.
So here's an awkward yet honest confession: I haven't been keeping up with my current events. Usually I'm inspired to write/blog, but those sentiments are unsuitable for the time being. In fact, I've been putting off writing/righting for nothing other than school.
But then again, I shouldn't have to blog about new shit or new news when the newest news are just the same, just recycled and presented as fresh from a 'recent investigation.' It goes to show that the same issues are still as problematic. Perhaps a lot more now than ever. But CNN can go ahead and keep on airing the same stories that are coincidentally aligned with hot topics for this year's elections: the War on Terror, and immigration/border control (among others that are not necessarily more important, but receive less attention).
I woke up one morning to the Early Show (or something of the sort) reporters attempting to comment on the revolutionary art of the folded t-shirt. The reporters joked about the woman not making any sense and not being able to comprehend her language. Now, whose fault is that? Assuming that this video made great for a random-fun segment, it further corners an aspect of Asian culture into a realm of strangely attractive ritual. It disgusts me to see these videos translated into a trendy yet foreign cultural phenomenon. I saw the video long before it aired on national television and I saw it as something I could learn from. But I hated seeing it passed off as an odd fixture from the other side of the world. I don't take these things lightly, if you haven't already noticed.
To the bat cave.
x_magsalita.
But then again, I shouldn't have to blog about new shit or new news when the newest news are just the same, just recycled and presented as fresh from a 'recent investigation.' It goes to show that the same issues are still as problematic. Perhaps a lot more now than ever. But CNN can go ahead and keep on airing the same stories that are coincidentally aligned with hot topics for this year's elections: the War on Terror, and immigration/border control (among others that are not necessarily more important, but receive less attention).
I woke up one morning to the Early Show (or something of the sort) reporters attempting to comment on the revolutionary art of the folded t-shirt. The reporters joked about the woman not making any sense and not being able to comprehend her language. Now, whose fault is that? Assuming that this video made great for a random-fun segment, it further corners an aspect of Asian culture into a realm of strangely attractive ritual. It disgusts me to see these videos translated into a trendy yet foreign cultural phenomenon. I saw the video long before it aired on national television and I saw it as something I could learn from. But I hated seeing it passed off as an odd fixture from the other side of the world. I don't take these things lightly, if you haven't already noticed.
To the bat cave.
x_magsalita.
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