Hi hi, sorry for the long hiatus, but I’ve been gone on a holiday in Ireland. I should have some videos about that coming out soon. But here is a recording where Will and Erick joined me in a conversation about growing up in Visalia as nerdy hoodrats. We talk about what it was like in a multicultural community, racism, economic disparity, being nerds, finding anime, and being hoodrats running around the ghettos of the Central Valley.
If you have your own stories about growing up in Visalia or being a nerdy hoodrat, comment down below!
Link to the second part of this recording (the realllll weeby anime stuff) Weebthusiast EP12 | https://youtu.be/ksyWX87ffGA
Timestamps 0:00:00 – The Oh Wow Nickel Arcade 1:10:48 – Skipping School to Eat at Gumbo and the Buffet at Adventure Park 1:20:41 – Being First-Generation Kids without Adult Supervision 1:31:48 – Rebelling Against my Asian Parents and Finding my Crew and Avoiding Gangs 1:41:44 – How I found Anime and The New Generation of Kids in Visalia 1:51:55 – My DDR Story and the Beef Between Fresno and Visalia Nerds 1:04:23 – I Love Growing up in the Central Valley and Bless Nobles Mom’s Heart
Before I even start, I want to say !!!TRIGGER WARNING!!! We will be talking about racism, hate crimes, recent attacks, sexual assault stuff, and other sensitive but real matters at hand.
Well, anywho, I got a new episode for you. . .but this time, it’s not gonna be a comedy thing. My friends Xtina, Jerome, and Erin will be joining me to talk about the recent hate crimes against Asian Americans Pacific Islanders.
In this episode, we talk about the “What about me?” mentality, racism within the AAPI community, try to figure out why there’s so much tension between other people of color and Asians, BLM vs AAPI, dealing with friends and family members who might not be so . . . nice, and everything else I mentioned or didn’t mention in the beginning.
I was super nervous about this recording because the subject just hits so close to home. I was so worried that I forgot to check my mic and lighting settings. I know it doesn’t excuse the shitty audio quality, but I’m sorry. I tried to fix it and spent almost 10 hours listening to the same 10 seconds repeatedly. Despite the recording being three hours long, I trimmed some stuff (which I will release as small clips).
So I hope y’all will, I guess, enjoy the show. Some stuff I want to mention: AWA was started in the Bay Area, I was wrong. And the importance of empathy and realizing the enemy is not one race but a system within America we have to change. We have to be careful not to weaponize our cause against anyone else; everyone’s experience is valid and their own. Below I linked a bunch of resources for more information. There are also sites where you can report hate crimes and get legal help.
If you have a story you would like to share, leave a comment down below….and you know, do the like and subscribe thing.
Timestamps 00:00 – Intros 01:23 – Xtina and Jerome’s Thoughts on the Rise in AAPI Hate Crimes 05:30 – Who are the Asian Americans? Asian Identity Crisis in America 12:12 – Hate Crimes vs Crimes of Opportunity, Daniel Wu and W. Kamau Bell Interview 17:10 – Anti-Asian Redoric (Kung-Flu), Model Minority Myth Division, and Colorism within AAPI 30:00 – What About Me? BLM vs AAPI: Trying to Understand the Divide 39:00 – AAPI Identity: What does it mean to be Asian Asian American? 46:38 – Growing Up Asian American in Visalia/Central Valley and My Experience with Racism 53:45 – You Can’t Just Blame White People or Black, Brown, Whatever People for Problems 1:00:30 – Maybe AAPI Deserves This Hate, We Brought This Upon Ourselves? 1:04:47 – Education and Exposure to Different Races and Cultures are Important! 1:12:37 – Modifying Our Language for Racists and Sympathizers, The Spectrum of Racisms 1:22:09 – Combating AAPI Conservatism: Without Empathy, People Won’t Change 1:31:00 – Standing with the AAPI Community: Who is the Enemy of the AAPI Movement? 1:38:45 – What if You’re a Bystander Witnessing a Hate Crime? Asian With Attitude 1:44:16 – Erin Telling Us About His Experience at the Stop Asian Hate Rally in Oakland 1:51:42 – Touching on the Discrimination/Racism within the Asian American Community 1:54:26 – Fetishization of Asian Women (Incel Culture) and Emasculation of Asian Males
1:58:21 – The Fetishization of Asian Males (Twink Stereotype) in the LGBQ+ Community 2:06:29 – Asians With Attitude and Stop AAPI Hate Organizing and Rallying People 2:08:00 – Closing Thoughts and Saying Goodbye
In this clip, I talk about how it was hard for me to open up in college due to my high school education insecurities. It was no secret that being a child of Asian immigrants, we don’t value arts and literature as highly as “practical” subjects. *cough* math, science, doctor *cough*
Growing up, I never read for fun. I only read when school forced me to write a paper. I only read what I needed to read that I couldn’t get off SparkNotes and the early days of Wikipedia. So, entering college, I did not have a deep connection with the arts and literature. This wasn’t much of a problem during my GE-fraternity-rave-party days. But when I declared Creative Writing as a major at San Francisco State University, I was at a huge disadvantage. Thus, making me very insecure with my opinions in my classes. I was not as well read as some of my writing peers.
Of course, being the immature person I was, I took this very personally and lashed out in my workshops and literary discourse. Instead of putting myself out there and trying to participate, I instead choose to try and play a stereotype, what those “hipster” kids in my classes probably thought of me. Yes, I know, I was stupid. But hey, we are always learning and growing, right?
Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy this clip about my painful journey into the arts. If you are also felt like college was intimidating let me know down below…or if you also wanna share your love for Seann William Scott or country music line dancing or WHATEVER!!!
*This video is a clip from #SAP EP09 “Going All The Way” by Charles Bukowski poem discussion with Cpt Ahab & Salutationsandgoodvibrations. So the audio is still distorted and Cpt Ahab picture was replaced. And yes, I know the thumbnail isn’t grammatically correct.
*This video is a clip from #SAP EP09 “Going All The Way” by Charles Bukowski poem discussion with Cpt Ahab & Salutationsandgoodvibrations. So the audio is still distorted and Cpt Ahab picture was replaced. And yes, I know the thumbnail isn’t grammatically correct.
It’s no secret that getting older sucks. Having already survived a year or two as thirty-year-olds, we all know that the memes of random aches and pains are true. However, one of the things about growing up is that we have come to learn that the things we learned while growing up turned out to be not true…Whew, that’s a mouth full. What I meant was: as we got older, we realized some of the things we learned turned out to be lies.
In this video, Salutationsandgoodvibrations, Brooke, Juju, and I discuss some of the things we had to unlearn as we got older. Of course, all of this sounds pretty gloomy. But don’t worry, our (or mainly mine) cautionary tales are wrapped in a blanket of warm laughter. Cuz, you know, the 30s are supposed to be the best years of your life…or so they say.
So let’s have some fun and complain, like the old souls we are. For there is no better time than now to channel our inner “ I am too old for this shit” Roger Murtaugh (from the Lethal Weapon movies) and poke fun at our decaying bodies.
ALSO!!!! I have corrected some of the information I said in the video. On the screen will be some CORRECTIONS THAT I HAVE MADE.
If you’ve ever laughed at a Life Alert meme but then felt like it hit too close to home, then feel free to share your story below.
Timestamps
00:00 – Cold Open
00:34 – Introductions To Everyone
01:43 – Ted Cruz Memes And The Movie Titanic
06:00 – When We Realized We Aren’t Young Anymore (MILF AV)
16:45 – High School Friends, And Xanga, And MySpace
28:00 – Being Immature In High School
30:24 – Don’t Creep On Girls On The DanceFloor and Going To A Gay Club
35:02 – Disadvantageous Expectations For Our 30s (And D!cK Pic Rant)
46:10 – Blame It On Society, Sexuality, And The Gay Agenda
51:28 – Is Technology Catching Up To Hate In America Or Is This A New Movement?
55:15 – American Dream? Model Minority? Us vs Them? Unlearning Racist History
1:13:21 – Oh Visalia, We Talk Smack But We Still Love The Central Valley
1:21:12 – Thai Music Looks Like A Slowmotion Lightshow
1:25:19 – Dating In Your 30s And Kids (Recommended Tinder/Bumble Settings)
1:37:04 – Juju Love Story, Blackout Wednesdays In Visalia, And Hangovers In Your 30s
1:44:46 – Closing Remarks And Saying Goodbye
In this clip, I’m talking about how I eventually decided on choosing Creative Writing as my major at San Francisco State University. Being a first-generation Asian American in your family to go to a four-year university and deciding to become a writer is not something any immigrant parents want to hear. But to be fair, I took three and a half years to pick a major after realizing that you can’t major in Partying with a minor in Beer Pong. So there was no chance in hell I was gonna be a doctor. . .or lawyer. . .or whatever stereotypical model minority career my parents wanted.
Imagine escaping Laos and Thailand during the Vietnam War just to see their firstborn pick a prospering career as a writer. But I guess at this point; I’m more of an entertainer…or clown…whichever.
Salutationsandgoodvibrations and I also talk about some of the challenges we had growing up in Visalia. And believe me, there were many. In my case, it was how I viewed education, arts, and literature. I didn’t read too much in my own free time since my parents put more of an emphasis on subjects that would traditionally generate more money.
My parents weren’t the only ones who thought the arts were unnecessary in the Asian college plan. The friends I grew up with also weren’t too keen on the idea of being books smarts. Instead, we goons focused more on street smarts, believing that arts and education weren’t meant for kids from the block. Luckily, we grew out of this hoodrat mentality as we grew older.
Lots of stuff to unpack here. You’ll hear about how we found our passions and the obstacles we jumped **cough** getting out of Visalia right after high school **cough** to pursue our dreams. Don’t worry; these painful anecdotes of self-discovery aren’t too cringy if you sprinkle some dark humor on the trauma.
If you want to share your story about being Asian, or Asian American, or just as someone who felt they let their parents down, feel free to comment below. Let’s share and wallow because misery loves company.
*This video is a clip from #SAP EP09 “Going All The Way” by Charles Bukowski poem discussion with Cpt Ahab & Salutationsandgoodvibrations. So the audio is still distorted and Cpt Ahab picture was replaced. And yes, I know the thumbnail isn’t grammatically correct.
Welcome back. I’m back home in Los Angeles, where I finally have time to put some finishing touches on a video to upload. In this episode, my friends Salutationsandgoodvibrations and Cpt Ahab are with me to talk about the poem “Going All The Way” by Charles Bukowski.
What does it mean to “go all the way”? How do you define success? Why do people be fronting on these social media sites and dating apps? These are the questions we will be discussing in this video. I don’t know if you will find a clear answer during your time with us, but I’m sure you’ll have a few good laughs.
Alongside these philosophical questions of pursuing your passions, I will also be discussing how I decided to major in Creative Writing at San Francisco State University. As well as briefly discussing how growing up in Visalia influenced my views on art and literature, how I disappointed my Asian parents about my career choice, and about how much I love Seann William Scott. Yes, the Stifmeister.
I apologize in advance if this video sounds like a conversation between a bunch of bored college kids. Well, I mean, what else are we gonna do during quarantine. Also, the audio’s pitch is a little high, and Ahab’s picture is covered by your friendly neighborhood Asian: me. This was intentional. So, yeah. Sorry about that, too.
But I hope you guys do enjoy the video. Feel free to comment below if you have something to say about the poem written by this German-American poet or if you just wanna share how you view success.
“Going All The Way” by Charles Bukowski
If you’re going to try, go all the way.
Otherwise, don’t even start.
If you’re going to try, go all the way.
This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs and maybe even your mind.
It could mean not eating for three or four days.
It could mean freezing on a park bench.
It could mean jail.
It could mean derision, mockery, isolation.
Isolation is the gift.
All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it.
And, you’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds.
And it will be better than anything else you can imagine.
If you’re going to try, go all the way.
There is no other feeling like that.
You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire.
DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. All the way
You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
00:29 – Cpt Ahab Starts Us Off By Reading The Bukowski Quote
01:18 – What Does “Going All The Way Means”?
05:00 – Pursuing Your Dreams And The Value Of An Creative Writing Degree
10:10 – You Have To Put In The Work To Get What You Want In Life
17:30 – Attempt Different Things To Define Your Own Version Of Success
20:57 – Disappointing My Asian Parents By Picking An English Major In College
28:38 – Growing Up In Visalia And How We Handled Education
36:25 – How Visalias’ Environment And Immigrant Cultural Influenced My View On Art
40:00 – Me Feeling Insecure About My Lack of Literature Knowledge At SFSU
41:27 – Me Telling My Playwriting Class My Favorite Actor Is Seann William Scott
46:47 – The Authetisicty Of Your Opinions VS What Everyone Else Thought Was Cool
50:18 – What Is Even Real On Social Media And Dating Apps? Just Be Yourself
57:53 – Line Dancing At The Saddle Rack and Saying Goodbye To Cpt Ahab
With a bunch of free time on my hands, I decided to go back and clip some of my older videos. This here video is from EP03 with Kevin, Andrew, and Chris, where we are talking about growing up in Visalia. In this clip, we talk about some cringy things we did in high school and talked about what it was like to play on a losing football team. It’s ok to laugh at us; I know I would.
If you have any stories about high school and football growing pains, feel free to write them down below.
So this was supposed to come out last Friday, and I couldn’t post it because I was working on a farm. No Internet and knuckles deep in three different types of manure…not fun.
On this ep, we got ourselves a foursome. Kevin, Chris, Andrew will be joining me to talk about some of the stupid things we did growing up in Visalia, CA. Spoiler alert, we did them because we were bored, so we drank a lot. We also talk a little about playing high school football. Not that we were good or anything….we sucked, so now we’re just laughing at ourselves, talking about how it was growing up in Visalia.
If you want to laugh at some kids being dumb @$$ or hear of what we think of our hometown today, give us a go…pretty, please. Also, share your “legal” stories too. If you got them.
PS!!!! I just now realized I forgot to add a title to my last video….Yes, I am a dumbass.
On this segment of SorryAsianParents, Kevin Chang will be joining me in my tiny apartment to catch up. He is one of my longtime friends from high school. We played football together and raised a little hell: disappointing our Asian parents one party at a time.
In our conversation, Kevin will tell me what he’s been up to, a bit of Hmong history during the Vietnam War, and about his family. We will gingerly touch on his relationship with his father….and you know how we Asian kids be with our Asian fathers. I want to thank him for sharing his family’s history with me, and now with you. Despite how many of us (first-generation Asian Americans) share the same story as Kevin and I, we are reluctant to talk about these small incidences that have shaped our lives. So let’s try and normalize it!!!
I’m honored he agreed to share his story with me and allowed me to post it on my passion project. If y’all have any stories to tell about Laos, people from Southeast Asian, immigrant stories, or any tales of trying to live up to an Asian father (or mother), feel free to comment below and tell us. I know Kevin would love to hear other people’s experiences.
ps. I’m sorry for some of the framerate dropping here and there. I am in the process of getting new hardware soon so fingers crossed the next videos will run smoother. Bye, bye!!!
#SorryAsianParents 