#Asian America Podcast

[moonlightndaydreams]

Limbo - part 1

Pairing: Lee Minho x fem reader x Han Jisung

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9

Synopsis: Lee Minho is the mysterious new accountant at your workplace, and he seems to have his sights set on you. But things aren't so simple when your ex boyfriend Han comes back into the picture. Can you and Minho make it work, or will you get back with Han?

Spoiler: Happy ending, eventual poly minsung.

MDNI / smut

Taglist: open.

A/n: this story may be familiar to some. It’s a rework of one of my older stories where I’ve now changed my fem lead to be reader.

You sat at your desk trying to concentrate on the audio list for this week’s podcasts that you were meant to be giving the go-ahead.

“Brazilian” exclaimed a voice over on the left. Was Hyunjin bringing up waxing again?

“He is definitely from South America.” he continued telling Binnie over on the right.

“You’re wrong, Hyunjin. He is Korean. He has a Korean name.” Binnie replied. Binnie was alway the voice of reason. Always observant and straight to the point.

“I wonder if he speaks Spanish?” Hyunjin raised his eyebrows hopefully. The two young men giggled like school girls. Hyunjin currently had a thing for men from South America.

Thats it, you thought. Who were they talking about? What had you missed?

“Who’s Brazilian?” You looked up from the screen. 

Hyunjin looked at you in a way that indicated that you must be working too hard if you didn’t know.

“The new guy for Accounts? They’ve got a new manager.” Hyunjin cooed.

“Oh, you mean Minho? Lee Minho. He’s Korean.” You offered.

You knew who Hyunjin was talking about. You hadn’t seen him yet but rumour had it that he was very business-like and mysterious, apparently. You saw his name in the group email of new starters, and Meg in HR told you about “the handsome new Korean guy”. 

Hyunjin huffed dramatically “No, Sarah said he is absolutely from Brazil! He just happens to have a Korean name.” he looked indignant “Or maybe he’s from Mexico, I don’t know.” He added losing his confidence. 

You shook your head at Hyunjin.

A sharp knock on their open door interrupted you before you had a chance to respond to Hyunjin’s absurdity.

All three of you looked up and you could swear you heard Hyunjin take in a quick breath from the surprise. 

A man you had never seen before, in his twenties, very handsome, clearly Asian, and extremely serious looking, entered the room with a booklet of papers in his hand. 

Oh my God was this the man they were talking about? 

“Oh hello” you smiled and greeted him. Act professional, you told yourself. You waited for him to speak, and Hyunjin and Binnie sat smirking silently with keen expressions.

“Is this the podcast producing department?” he asked coldly. 

“Ah yes.” You continued to smile through gritted teeth. He strode across the office floor and stuck a hand full of papers at you.

“I believe these papers are yours. Your assistant must have put these in the accounts documentation.” He held out a what looked to be one of your client’s podcast season playlists.

How the hell did they get there? And what assistant? The didn’t have any assistants in your department. The penny dropped and you took a sideways glance at Hyunjin, who was awkwardly pretending to be busying himself in his folder. 

You looked back up at the man, thanked him kindly, and took the papers from his hand. Wordlessly, he headed back to the door, pausing in the doorway. He turned his head back and said coldly “My family is from Korea, by the way.” Then simply left. How much had he actually heard? But you did notice a hint of humour behind his expression even if he spoke with disdain. 

“Whooahh” Hyunjin let out that breath. Had he been holding it this whole time? 

You turned her gaze Hyunjin. He looked up. “What?” he shrugged and tried to sound innocent. 

“Oh my God, Hyunjin, I cant believe you took confidential client documentation that obviously would lead to this office, and planted it in his work! Do you know how unprofessional we look?” You tried so hard to sound stern, but your friend’s antics, and the length he sometimes went with his elaborate plans always amused you. To be honest, it’s one of the things you loved most about him.

He’s got guts, that boy. Guts and a naivety, or was it immaturity? He was the newest of the trio, you, Binnie and Hyunjin. He fit your little team of three just perfectly. You chuckled to yourself and turned your focus back to work.

“Well we got the info we needed.” Hyunjin chimed back, satisfied. 

“But now he must think we are gossips.” Binnie added. 

You and Hyunjin shook your heads smiling. 

———————————

Much to Hyunjin’s dismay, they didn’t see Minho for another two days, when it was time for a staff meeting.

“Okay, everyone. Listen up,” Christopher Bahng didn’t look, nor sound like a CEO, but he was the boss here at SKZ. He was young. The women loved him, so did the men, but he was always professional with his interactions. His suit made him look more “Mafia Gangster” than and “Office Boss”, but he was kind, fair and had one of the best sense of humours in the building. Everyone called him Chris.

“I want to introduce you to Minho Lee, our new Manager Accountant.” A buzz of hellos filled the room. Minho responded with curt nods, but held an expression that was hard to read.

“Shit, he’s cold looking isn’t he? Look how dark his eyes are.” whispered Felix, from IT. Hyunjin nodded in agreement. But you thought he looked more nervous than anything else. What could be interpreted as cold or having a “resting bitch face” as Hyunjin described it later, really didn’t seem that way to you at all. “Maybe he’s shy?” You offered your colleagues, but they seemed to think he looked indignant and snobby.

You watched Minho curiously. He was rather attractive. His sandy brown hair was perfectly styled. His suit looked quite expensive for a accounting manager. Your eyes drifted over his body. He seemed to be strong, but not buff like Binnie was. Hmmm. Yes, you liked what you saw.

“Put your tongue away, y/n.” Binnie smacked you in the arm. You quickly looked up from Minho’s chest to his face, locking eyes with him. Oh fuck. He’d caught you checking him out and he was staring at you. You felt your cheeks flush, and you cleared your throat returning your attention to your CEO pretending you knew what he was talking about.

———————————

It was 8.00pm. Everyone was gone for the night but you remained at your desk. You had to sort these last scheduling debarcles out. What a fucking nightmare. But you were almost done.

“Okay” last one, you said to yourself, and clicked the little x on your screen.

You leaned back in your chair, reached your hands over your head, letting out a squeal as you stretched your muscles.

Sitting back up, you grabbed your phone and popped on Spotify. As the music started up you opened up your podcast uploading software and began to queue the episodes that needed to go out.

Feeling as though you were finally finished for the day, and since no one else was around, you thought you’d let her hair down so to speak, and have a bit of a sing along - hairbrush-in-the-bedroom style. Well, your office space was like a second home and you felt just as comfortable here as you do in your home. 

Exo’s “Love Shot” played loudly through your office. As the chorus began, you slid back your chair dramatically, stood up theatrically, and began to sing and dance the choreography, as sexy as you could.

————————————

But not everybody had gone home. Minho was working back too. His office lights low and in deep concentration. He was tired. He leaned back in his chair and let out a big sigh, closing his eyes. He turned back to his screen to continue with his work, when his concentration was disturbed.

Where the hell was that music coming from? Why the hell was anyone still here?

He got up from his chair and headed out of the office into the hallway. He wasn’t upset or angry, but he was intrigued. He passed the conference rooms stopping outside the source of where the music was coming from. The podcaster’s office.

He stood at the glass window, quietly, and saw you body rolling like rent was due. Minho smirked and laughed quietly. You looked so happy. And fun. His eyes skimmed over your body, drinking in your curves. He found himself standing there longer than he intended. He knew you would be so embarrassed if you saw him, so he stayed quiet to watch. You came across as upfront, but kind, a little sarcastic maybe. But not - this. This was amusing. This was sexy.

Should he walk in, interrupt? He wondered. He’d already walked in on you and the those men gossiping about his origins. You’d tried to play that so cool. He nearly didn’t say anything at all at the time. It really was none of your business where he was from. But he didn’t want to come across as difficult or cold either. He wasn’t that way at all, even though that seemed to be people’s impression of him in the past.

He wondered if you knew that he had been well aware of the little plan of Hyunjin’s when he put their work in his pile of papers? 

——————��———

You were so absorbed in singing and dancing that you didn't notice the person looking through the glass window. The song was almost done when you turned and caught the slightest glimpse of a figure move past.

You stopped dead in your tracks, completely freaking out on the inside. Someone else was in the building, and that that someone could have seen you. Who were you kidding, there’s no way they didn’t seen you.

You quietly moved to the office entrance and poked your head around the door. There, walking up the corridor in the shadows was Minho. Oh my fucking God. You could have died. Of all people why him? How much did he see? Oh fuck!

Embarrassed as all hell, you quickly turned off the music, packed up your things in record timing and stealthily crept out of the building. You wanted to shrivel up and die.

Taglist open.

@channieandhisgoonsquad @noellllslut @itsseohannbin @chansbabyg @kangnina @weareapackofstrays @xxkissesforchanniexx @enjaken @queenmea604 @queen-in-the-shadows @bethanysnow @newhope8 @chuuchuu1224 @vanillacupcakefrosting @3rachasdomesticbanana @fun-fanfics @palindrome969 @wolfennracha @rhonnie23

[iscairot]

it makes me kind of crazy to think that how the minute i started picking up gender/race/feminist/trauma theory books, i gained information in 3 weeks that I’d spent literal years on the internet trying to find out. when people say you Have to read, they don’t just mean articles, they don’t just mean posts, they mean go into your library and pick up a book, because the internet is run by the same corporate conglomerates that benefit from an illiterate and uneducated America.

here’s some books i think are great if you’re just getting into reading nonfiction:

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong - a memoir of sorts about how it feels to grow up Asian American. Especially beneficial for non-Asian people to understand the nuances of orientalism and how it impacts anti-asian racism in particular.

Threadings. by Ismatu Gwendolyn- a Podcast (not a book, but she provides transcripts to read of all her episodes) by Ismatu Gwendolyn, a black woman and activist. I recommend starting with “You’ve Been Traumatized into Hating Reading (and it makes you easier to oppress)”. Incredibly compelling as a writer and a speaker and was my inspiration to get more into reading this year!

Not a Nation of Immigrants by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz - Breaks down where the phrase “America is a nation of immigrants” comes from, and explains why this specific phrase is white colonial revisionist history. Incredibly good and dives into the specific anti-immigrant actions and politics of the United States, a lot of which I’d never even heard of.

if reading scares you or you’re not sure you can do it alone, DM me, I’m thinking of starting a discord book club!

[popculturelib]

The Vivian Stephens Collection

Vivian Stephens entered the world of romance fiction in 1978 as an editor at Dell. She was given charge of the Candlelight line of romances, despite having no experience with romance fiction previously. A Black editor in a predominantly white industry, Stephens sought to incorporate the voices of women of color into the burgeoning romance industry. In 1980, Dell published the first category romance by a Black author with Black protagonists- Entwined Destinies by Rosalind Welles (the pseudonym of journalist Elsie Washington). Stephens also made sure that Dell’s Candlelight lines included romances by Indigenous, Latina, and Asian authors, creating almost single-handedly the category that trade publications called “Ethnic Romance”.

Stephens also played a key part in making romance novels steamier. Her Candlelight Ecstasy series for Dell pushed the boundaries being set by the two biggest romance publishers, Harlequin and Silhouette, by “going behind the bedroom door,” a taboo at the time.

One of the most important roles played by Vivian Stephens during her career in publishing was as the founder of the Romance Writers of America. A Houston-based group of authors looking to get their romance novels published approached Stephens for advice after the Southwest Writers Conference in 1979. She advised them to band together as the Romance Writers of America, convinced Dell to provide some financial backing, and convinced a group of other editors to attend the group’s first conference in the summer of 1981. Today the group has members from around the globe, and annually presents an award in Vivian Stephens’ name to a person from the publishing industry who has contributed significantly to the genre.

In the summer of 2018, the Romance Writers of America donated to the Browne Popular Culture Library a collection of books formerly used by Vivian Stephens during her days at both Dell and Harlequin. The collection includes books on women’s sexuality, editing and writing romance fiction, the publishing industry, as well as academic works on romance writing. A list of the books can be found in our catalog as The Vivian Stephens Collection.

We are thrilled to preserve this collection of books from a person as important to the history of romance fiction as Vivian Stephens. The books will serve as an important resource for scholars of the genre. We are grateful to both the Romance Writers of America and Vivian Stephens for this donation.

The Vivian Stephens acquisition was discussed on Fated Mates, a romance novel podcast with Sarah Maclean and Jen Prokop, in 2020 if you would like to learn more about this collection: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2020/7/6/s0245-vivian-stephens-acquisitions-with-librarian-steve-ammidown.

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

Vivek Ramaswamy, a long-shot contender for the Republican presidential nomination, said in an interview that the United States should reduce its aid to Israel.

In an interview on Rumble, a platform popular with far-right viewers, Ramaswamy said Israel should not get more aid than its Middle Eastern neighbors after 2028, the year that the current U.S. aid package of $38 billion expires.

He said that he would expand the Abraham Accords, the normalization deals between Israel and Arab countries. After Israel is “more integrated” with its neighboring countries, Ramaswamy said, Israel should be able to stand “on its own two feet” financially.

“Come 2028, that additional aid won’t be necessary in order to still have the kind of stability that we’d actually have in the Middle East by having Israel more integrated in with its partners,” he said.

The policy point separates Ramaswamy from his two main rivals vying for the nomination — Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, who are staunch supporters of Israel and its military. But it puts him line with a growing number of voices from across the ideological spectrum who say Israel should no longer get as much from the United States as it has.

Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur and investor, appeared on comedian-turned-podcaster Russell Brand’s video show on Rumble. The comments on aid to Israel were a response to a viewer question.

He argued that Israel should not receive preferential treatment from the United States, even though “our relationship with Israel has advanced American interests” over time. “There’s no North Star commitment to any one country, other than the United States of America,” Ramaswamy said.

Ramaswamy’s popularity is on the rise and he is now close behind DeSantis in national polls. A Fox News survey published Wednesday found 11% of respondents support him, compared to 16% for DeSantis and 53% for Trump.

Ramaswamy mentioned Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Indonesia as countries he would target as Abraham Accords partners; while Saudi Arabia is deep in negotiations with Israel and the United States about a possible Israel treaty, Oman recently criminalized relations of any kind with Israel. Indonesia is also noted for its high levels of antisemitism — FIFA, the world soccer body, this year moved its under-20 World Cup from Indonesia to Argentina after the Southeast Asian nation protested Israel’s inclusion in the event.

U.S. aid to Israel has become more of a campaign issue over the past two presidential contests. In the lead-up to the 2020 election, prominent Democrats such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brought up the idea of conditioning at least some aid over Israel’s policies, particularly those involving the Palestinians.

In May, Rep. Betsy McCollum, a longtime critic of Israel policy, re-introduced a bill that would condition U.S. aid to Israel. Sixteen progressive House representatives co-sponsored the bill, including other prominent Israel critics such as Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal.

More recently, centrists and people on the right have joined in openly considering reducing aid to Israel, though for different reasons. Last month, New York Times columnist Nick Kristof floated ending aid to Israel entirely.

Ramaswamy — who had before his campaign been a leading defender of Donald Trump in his ongoing indictment crises — has also indicated he would pull back funding and military support for other allies, including Ukraine and Taiwan.

He told Jewish Insider in June that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had allowed Jews and other minorities to be mistreated during the country’s war with Russia. Zelensky himself is Jewish.

[forabeatofadrum]

Hello and a happy El WooWoo to everyone, but more importantly, a happy birthday to Simon Snow!!! 🥳🥳🥳 Thank you @blackberrysummerblog​ for the tag.

I have a long post, actually. I am surprised myself, and also, it is not about my thesis (🤯) for a change. But anyway, a few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the Glee podcast And That’s What You Really Missed and about how they discuss Asian racism in the show, and how it resonated with me. Good ole @thnxforknowingme​ reblogged it and it got some traction and I liked reading everyone’s tags. At the end of the post, I mentioned that I started writing a fic/character study to sort of “reclaim” the weird shit that Glee put its Asian characters through. It’s about Mike, Tina, Blaine, Wes and an original character.

Tina and the OC’s story is about being adopted into a white family, Mike’s about moving to America from China as a young child, Blaine’s about being biracial and Wes’s about being the child of immigrants. As my post also said, I haven’t touched that fic since 2018. I did share some snippets of it before, here on my blog. You can find them here and here. But for this post (😉) I am opening this document again to post this:

“You learn to live with it,” Mike always says, “You start to accept casual racism from your friends.” And it’s true, but it still stings every now and then.

Mike and Tina always joke about the ‘Asian’ ‘Other Asian’ thing, but why does Coach Sylvester have to group them together like that?

Why do people always assume Mike and Tina are secretly related? Puck’s jokes about that aren’t funny anymore.

Mike knows Tina doesn’t like it when people say that they’re both Chinese.

Tina isn’t a ‘Geisha’, and people aren’t even willing to listen to her when she tries to explain that she’s Korean, not Japanese- and yes, Geishas are Japanese.

Mike and Tina are pretty sure they can eat with a knife and fork and Rachel can stop putting chopsticks in her hair.

Not gonna lie, this is good. I don’t wanna come off as conceited, but I had a rough time picking out a snippet. There are so many moments in this document (promptly called “Tina”) that are still so relatable. Also, I gave Wes the username GavelMan92. I don’t know if I will ever finish it. I can see from the document that I am writing this as a couple of standalone chapters, not one big fic, so maybe I can post some finished parts, although there is still a chronological order somewhere.

What do you guys think? Even if you aren’t a Gleek (hewwo Snowbazzians!), would you read an uncompleted fic that consists of vignettes? Or would it be better to publish all chapters separately and then add them to one series in AO3? I have written a bullet point fic for my SJAEU with this idea in mind: so that I can add later chapters out of order in a series. Even though I haven’t added anything to the SJAEU series yet (oop), it is an easy possibility and I have also been thinking about posting my Sense8/Glee AU in this way.

Ah, choices, choices.

And now, the weather. It’s calm after the storm. Yes, there was a storm in the Netherlands: @quizasvivamos @blurglesmurfklaine @coffeegleek @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @takitalks @justgleekout @cerriddwenluna @tea-brigade @ivelovedhimthroughworse @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @ionlydrinkhotwater @1908jmd @wowbright @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral​ @chen-chen-chen-again-chen​ @cutestkilla​ @nausikaaa​/@wellbelesbian​ @artsyunderstudy​ @martsonmars​ @facewithoutheart​ @shrekgogurt​ @boyinjeans​ @rockitmans​ @bitbybitwrites​ @whatevertheweather​

[callofdutylorist]

Call of Duty's Problems

It's important to know the problematic factors to media we consume, and then deciding for ourselves if it crosses the line. Just about everything we can consume in media is problematic in one way or another, nothing is perfect and it's gross and puritan to believe things should be.

But that doesn't change the fact that we still have to acknowledge those problems, and be critical thinkers about it.

I love Call of Duty, but I would be crazy not to admit that it has a dark side, even in recent games.

(I'm not debating the ethics of the FPS genre)

Propaganda

ID: photo of common USA military advertisement, called The Calling.

Being a Triple A video game from the United States of America, it isn't too shocking to admit that US Military propaganda has found it's way into the franchise. After all, Call of Duty depicts the United States' military, and they are very particular about how their image is perceived back home.

Like in many militaristic nations, living the United States lots of military propaganda is shoved down your throat.

Universities and high schools often have recruiters hanging about and running programs of their own. Young adults are tailored to get constant advertisements from military branches. The usual...

Media presenting the US military in bad light is often suppressed in the United States' own sneaky ways. This includes Call of Duty.

Repeatedly Call of Duty has been called out for participating in US propaganda, as well as often being used as a tool by the US military for conditioning teenagers. Some major cases of this include but are not limited to

Participating in a major decade long project of creating a gamer to soldier pipeline

Helping fund military advertisements

Depicting certain historical actions of the United States in skewed pro-US perspectives

Many of the older games including lots of anti-Russian, anti-Latin American/Hispanic, and anti-Asian plotlines. This has gotten better overtime, but it is not completely fixed.

Representing common US media stereotypes

Call of Duty is mostly very open about this, especially in recent years, as they have gotten in trouble for it before. However this isn't a problem sole to Call of Duty and can be seen in the majority of popular military based media in the United States, including shows, movies, podcasts, YouTube channels, and video games.

One game infamous for going against this, as well as going against the glorification of war in the media is Spec Ops: The Line if you're interested.

Harmful Historical Inaccuracies

Being simultaneously a historical fiction, sci-fi, and realism fiction it's expectant that Call of Duty would take advantage of history to tell a story. That's not the problem here.

The problem is when it's not there as part of the story, but instead a straight up historical inaccuracy that's supposed to be a fact. Call of Duty has done this multiple times.

Sometimes it's not only a historical inaccuracy but also a very harmful one, such as propagating skewed US history, lying about important fractions of history, or sweeping major events under the rug.

The most infamous and recent of this example is the highway of death presented in Modern Warfare II (2022).

The IRL Highway of Death is in the Middle Eastern country Kuwait, and was a site for major war crimes committed by the United States. The Highway of Death received its name during the Gulf War. The highway, outside of Kuwait City was viscously bombarded by artillery, ships, and especially air craft by the United States.

The US claimed there was a convoy there that they had the right to destroy, but their excessive force destroyed over 2000 vehicles with photos showing the vehicles to primarily be civilian ones. It was an intense massacre that doesn't even scratch the surface of other US crimes in that area.

How does Modern Warfare II portray it? Well it's a subtle singular line spoken by the characters, claiming that the Russians did the Highway of Death.

This is a major dodging of responsibility, and anti-russian/eastern propaganda. For obvious reasons it made many people (especially Slavic players) furious.

It isn't the first or only example of this in Call of Duty games, or FPS games in general, but it's a significant one.

This article from the Polygon does a very good job talking about the Highway of Death Controversy -> [x]

Activision-Blizzard

Oh Activision-Blizzard... What a mess!

If you're unaware, Activision-Blizzard is a large video game mega corporation in the United States. It has ownership of tons and tons of iconic video game series.

And it's had tons and tons and tons of controversies.

Even right now it's major controversy is Microsoft buying it, which would make it into a monopoly of video games as Microsoft owns many series, and electronics (including the xbox console)

In the recent years and past Activision-Blizzard has had many problems with its workplace, video game finance decisions, and more. This includes a lot of employee misconduct, including infamous cases of sexual harassment in the workplace.

(Jesse McCree -> Cole Cassidy)

It's also been caught with lower pay for female employees, gives incredibly difficult deadlines for video game devs to meet, and generally is known to treat its employees like shit.

Call of Duty itself has been guilty for a lot of this activision-blizzard behavior too.

The sole companies themselves have done tremendous work in increasing diversity, and workplace safety in both their casts, developers, and even inside the games themselves.

Call of Duty is currently praised for this as it has made great strides, however this doesn't cover up how terrible Activision-Blizzard is to people. In fact it should be a major worry as Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard can easily regress that progress in name of bigotry, capitalism, and the United States.

What does this mean for Cod fans?

Unfortunately, like most major video game corporations, we are enjoying at our own risks. This is not a "LeTS BoYCotT cOd!" or a call to abandon the franchise.

It's instead a call to bring awareness that this is nowhere near a perfect franchise, and a franchise with many significant problems and a long history.

I'm going to continue playing the game of course

And you can too, except with a little bit more knowledge

[kissingcullens]

How Not to Think Like a Cop, with Naomi Murakawa

“Naomi Murakawa, a professor of African American Studies at Princeton and the author of The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America.

Naomi talks with us about her J-A roots in Oakland, how her dad’s career in the criminal-legal system got her thinking about carceral politics, why police reform has long been a trap, and the history of hate crimes legislation in the US. She shares her observations on Black Lives Matter, the emergence of abolitionist thinking, and the discourse around “anti-Asian violence.”

What can crime statistics tell us about the world? How do we stop ourselves from thinking like cops? Which groups are pushing Asian America in a more punitive direction? And how should “Asian American history 101” inform our analyses of recent violence?”

Time to Say Goodbye Podcast, April 2021

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Wilfred Reilly

Published: Jun 28, 2023

Former president Barack Obama no longer believes that non-white Americans can be successful in the US.

I am being a bit glib, but only a bit. During a podcast interview last week with former Democratic Party apparatchik David Axelrod, Obama criticised Tim Scott, black Republican senator for South Carolina and 2024 presidential candidate. Scott is well-known for his optimism and belief in the American Dream, previously stating that ‘I know America is a land of opportunity, not a land of oppression’. Taking a clear swipe at Scott, Obama said: ‘I think there’s a long history of African American or other minority candidates within the Republican Party who will validate America and say, “Everything’s great, and we can make it”.’

According to Obama, that belief is untrue. Noting several elements of America’s racist past, Obama declared: ‘We can’t just ignore all that and pretend as if everything’s equal and fair. We actually have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.’ Before signing off from the show, he went on to describe black and other ethnic minorities as ‘rightly sceptical’ of positive racial messages like those of Senator Scott.

Beyond the sheer bizarreness of a former national leader describing his own country as a racist hole, Obama is just plain wrong. Evidence shows that it is simply not true that non-white Americans can’t make it in the US.

This claim is quickly disproven by a look at the Census Bureau’s lists of household income by ethnicity. The wealthiest population group in the US is not white Americans, but rather Indian Americans. This group brings in a median household income of $142,000 annually, in comparison to just under $75,000 for Caucasians. The second-richest group is Taiwanese Americans, who pull down $119,000 per year for each household. In fact, most of the top 10 highest-earning groups (and all of those consistently averaging six figures per year) are racial minorities – Indians, the Taiwanese, Filipinos ($101,000), Pakistanis ($102,000), Sri Lankans ($97,000), Iranians ($96,000) and Chinese Americans ($93,000).

In contrast, one of the poorer groups listed is white Appalachian Americans, at $50,000 per home per year. On the other hand, black immigrants tend to do fairly well, with the Guyanese, Ghanaians, Barbadians, Trinidadians and Nigerians all coming in at above the $70,000 per year mark. Jamaicans ($66,000) and other West Indians ($64,000) also come close. Nigerian immigrants are one of the best-educated groups in the US, ahead of both Asian and white Americans.

African Americans do quite a bit worse. However, the median black household income as of 2021 – an Appalachia-like $47,000 – still ranks higher than the median household incomes for the UK, Austria and Italy. In any case, the high earnings of African and Caribbean immigrants demonstrate that African Americans’ low performance cannot be due to racism. Rather, it is largely down to the fact that black households tend to have fewer people in them.

The black single-motherhood / father-absence rate, at least at the time of birth, currently sits at a staggering 77 per cent. Simply put, a family consisting of a single mother and infant will earn less lucre than one that includes a husband, wife and employed teenagers. While this situation is far from ideal, there are still many individual black Americans, whether they come from stable families or not, who are extremely successful by any global or historical standard. Tim Scott was himself born into a poor, single-parent household and yet nonetheless managed to rise to the position of senator.

Obama’s ‘cannot succeed’ claim is strange given the reality of modern America, and given his own background and path through life. Simply put, Obama is not a descendant of American slaves. His mother was an upper-middle-class white woman from Kansas and his father was a prominent Kenyan economist. Obama grew up primarily in well-off enclaves, such as in upscale districts of Hawaii’s Honolulu and Indonesia’s Jakarta. Young Obama was surrounded by other wealthy non-white groups and expats. While this might be a little politically incorrect to say out loud, watching him try to explain the US black experience to Scott, a scion of the Carolina cotton country, borders on the surreal.

Interestingly, attitudes like Obama’s (although he didn’t always talk like this) seem to be getting more common among first- and second-generation minority immigrants to the US. This is despite the fact that most of these people have never had a ‘back of the bus’ experience in their lives. To give one typical example, writer and race activist Saira Rao started a fracas on Twitter last week by saying:

‘White people love to say “not everything is about race”. This from the people who committed genocide of Indigenous people, genocide and enslavement of African people. Those behind the Chinese Exclusion Act, Operation Wetback and the Muslim ban. You made everything about racism.’

The remarkable thing about this claim is that even those events on Rao’s list that did happen (US black genocide and a national ‘Muslim ban’ are simply made up) will not have impacted her in any way. Rao is a second-generation Indian American. Only the Exclusion Act might have been potentially relevant to a legal immigrant from Asia. And even then, the act was passed in 1882 and formally repealed 80 years ago. Attitudes like Rao’s are part of a broader trend of post-1965 migrants making embarrassing attempts to link themselves to historical slavery or Jim Crow.

However silly they may sound, the beliefs held by the likes of Obama and Rao can have serious negative impacts. Imagine being told for almost all your life that you are unlikely to succeed. That every social interaction is rigged against you. That the people who seem like your closest football and lunchroom buddies are likely liars and secret racists. How might this affect you?

Hard data give a clear answer. A 2021 study found that these demoralising takes have a real, measurable impact on people. Simply reading a typical despairing passage about ‘systemic racism’ from woke authors like Ta-Nehisi Coates resulted ‘in a significant, 15-point drop in black respondents’ belief that they have control over their lives’. Worse still, we now teach precisely these ideas in schools, colleges and workplaces across the US, often in mandatory classes or training.

At the heart of this discussion is what Thomas Sowell once called ‘a conflict of visions’. The US faces a choice about what to tell new and aspiring citizens about our society. Are we a flawed but ultimately good country, where people of all colours and persuasions can thrive? Or is the US a genocidal racial-caste state, which should be constantly trying to atone for its historical sins?

Let us sincerely hope that we choose to embrace the first vision over the second.

-

Wilfred Reilly is a spiked columnist and the author of Taboo: 10 Facts You Can’t Talk About, published by Regnery. Follow him on Twitter: @wil_da_beast630

==

Remind me again... in which direction do people migrate, as far as western countries are concerned? To or from? /s

[msclaritea]

"...Key players have completely fumbled their responses. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, the stars of the series as well as two of its executive producers, have yet to publicly comment. Bogado and others posted the podcast clip on Twitter, only for it to be removed due to a copyright complaint ostensibly filed by Choe’s nonprofit.

Maybe in an earlier time, the relative scarcity of works like “Beef” would have silenced most of the critics — or at least caused them to keep their thoughts to themselves. If you’re always forced to be grateful for scraps, you’re especially vulnerable to being scammed.

But that’s not where we are today. These days, the Asian American media landscape is a land of milk and honey, fat with the success of “Crazy Rich Asians” in 2018 and the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” awards sweep this year. Hype is growing for the upcoming HBO adaptation of “The Sympathizer,” Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

So it behooves us all the more to pause and ask if separating this art from its artists is something that would truly benefit the “community” or something that would solely benefit Choe and his enablers, who cast him in a major production despite the highly public controversy over the podcast clip when it first came out almost a decade ago. They could have cast any of the many Asian American actors in that role but instead opted for someone whose entire media persona is based on a misogynist and racist reaction to the model minority myth..."

[outsidereveries]

wonwoo’s possible solo activities

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

request from curiouscat, done on 28.08.2023

here i’m using selfmade flashcards instead of tarot cards, so what we might see from him:

1. activities

very strongly appears “variety shows” as a whole such as talk shows, reality shows and so on (however, even stronger appear cooking type of shows, love ones and satire type of show)

very strongly appears theatre

strongly appears world tour (probably this is related to seventeen)

strongly appears web drama in some way

strongly appears appearance in morning shows, like good morning america or sth like that

strongly appears ost’s

strongly appears kids-related content

weaker energy for releasing songs

weaker energy for being brand ambassador and appearing on fashion events

weaker energy for being in commercials

weaker energy for appearing in musical

weaker energy for appearing in podcast(s)

weaker energy for fan meeting(s)

weaker energy for asian/usa/other continental tour

weaker energy for music and awards’ show(s)

weaker energy for photoshoots

weaker energy for something that he did/own (probably bc his own created goods will come in the beginning of 2024)

weaker energy for being active in social medias

2. sns

i see that wonwoo use many social medias for personal use, these popped out:

discord

weibo (probably out of curiosity)

instagram

telegram (i’d add kakao because of this)

facebook

tiktok

weverse

x

rumble or similar site that is less censored than youtube (youtube didn’t show)

reddit

twitch

trying/using less threads

i assume wonwoo probably use instagram, tiktok and weverse (not sure about x) for both communication with carats and personal use while the rest of them only for personal use

3. keywords we might see (overall)

very strongly for more activities in south korea

very strongly for acting (could be literally as an activity as well as fanservice, variety shows and other entertainment things)

very strongly for questions (accept it however you want and feel, i saw it for variety/own shows and rumors more)

strong for scandal(s)

strong for indoor activities

strong for beat making

strong for choreography (he might practice more these days?)

strong for freedom (management-wise)

strong for styling outfits

strong for philanthropy actions and activities

strong for doing lives

strong for being DJ

strong for performance(s)

strong for anything intellect-related

weaker for plastic surgery/ies

weaker for bullying

weaker for many activities in once

weaker for outdoor activities

weaker for quiz

weaker for receiving backlash

weaker for sasaeng/s

weaker for plagiarism

weaker for supernatural things

weaker for him criticising

weaker for him being criticised

weaker for rumors

weaker for being recognised

weaker for satire/comedy things

weaker for island, forest

weaker for gossip

weaker for news

weaker for some sort of streaming apps

weaker for mainstream-related content

i actually updated my flashcards bc there was so little so hope you enjoy this post, lol

[jenifersohowe]

AMERICANS FAMILY DESIGNERS & MAKERS & PROFESSIONALS SPORT PLAYERS WITH A...

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[moonlightndaydreams]

Deep End - Part 1

available on Ao3 here

Part 1: 1.7k words

Characters: OFC Aura, Minho, Han

Summary: AU/ Minho is the new accountant at Aura's work, and he's got his sights set on her. But what happens when her ex Han comes back into the picture.

Workplace romance with a blast from the past for Aura.

Warnings for part 1: Course language, embarrassment. This is really just setting up the story. More warnings to come in the next parts.

-------------------------------------------

Aura sat at her desk trying to concentrate on the audio list for this week’s podcasts that she was meant to be giving the go-ahead.

“Brazilian” exclaimed a voice over on the left. Was Hyunjin bringing up waxing again?

“He is definitely from South America.” he continued telling Binnie over on the right.

“You’re wrong, Hyunjin. He is Korean. He has a Korean name.” Binnie replied. Binnie was alway the voice of reason. Always observant and straight to the point.

“I wonder if he speaks Spanish?” Hyunjin raised his eyebrows hopefully. The two young men giggled like school girls. Hyunjin currently had a thing for men from South America.

Thats it, thought Aura. Who were they talking about? What had she missed?

“Who’s Brazilian?” Aura looked up from the screen. 

Hyunjin looked at Aura in a way that indicated that she must be working too hard if she didn’t know.

“The new guy for Accounts? They’ve got a new manager.” Hyunjin cooed.

“Oh, you mean Minho? Lee Minho. Or Minho Lee if you are in Australia. He’s Korean.” Aura offered.

“We know how Korean names work. Me and Jinnie are Korean if you haven’t forgotten.” Binnie reminded her. 

Aura rolled her eyes. She knew who Hyunjin was talking about. She hadn’t seen him yet but rumour had it that he was very business-like and mysterious, apparently. She saw his name in the group email of new starters and Meg in HR told her about “the handsome new Korean guy”. 

Hyunjin exasperated and huffed dramatically “No, Sarah said he is absolutely from Brazil! He just happens to have a Korean name.” he looked indignant “Or maybe he’s from Mexico, I don’t know.” He added losing his confidence. 

Aura shook her head at Hyunjin.

A sharp knock on their open door interrupted them before Aura had a chance to respond to Hyunjin’s absurdity.

All three looked up and Aura could swear she heard Hyunjin take in a quick breath from the surprise. 

A man Aura had never seen before, in his twenties, very handsome, clearly Asian, and serious looking, entered the room with a booklet of papers in his hand. 

Oh my God was this the man they were talking about? 

“Oh hello” Aura smiled and greeted the man. Act professional , she told herself. She waited for him to speak, to find out what he wanted. Hyunjin and Binnie sat smirking silently with keen expressions.

“Is this the podcast producing department?” he asked coldly. 

“Ah yes.” Aura continued to smile through gritted teeth. He strode across the office floor and stuck a hand full of papers at her.

“I believe these papers are yours. Your assistant must have put these in the accounts documentation.” He held out a what looked to be one of Aura’s clients podcast season playlists.

How the hell did they get there? Aura wondered. And what assistant? The didn’t have any assistants in her department. The penny dropped and Aura took a sideways glance at Hyunjin, who was awkwardly pretending to be busying himself in his folder. 

Aura looked back up at the man, thanked him kindly, and took the papers from his hand. Wordlessly, he headed back to the door, pausing in the doorway. He turned his head back and said coldly “My family is from Korea, by the way.” Then simply left. How much had he actually heard? But Aura noticed a hint of humour behind his expression even if he spoke with disdain. 

“Whooahh” Binnie let out that breathe, had he’d been holding it this whole time? 

Aura turned her gaze Hyunjin. He looked up. “What?” he shrugged and tried to sound innocent. 

“Oh my God, Hyunjin, I cant believe you took confidential client documentation that obviously would lead to this office, and planted it in his work! Do you know how unprofessional we look?” Aura tried so hard to sound stern, but her friend’s antics and the length he sometimes went with his elaborate plans always amused Aura and, to be honest, it’s one of the things she loved most about him. He’s got guts, that boy. Guts and a naivety, or was it immaturity? He was the newest of the trio, her, Binnie and Hyunjin. He fit their little team of three just perfectly. Aura chuckled to herself and turned her focus back to work.

“Well we got the info we needed.” Hyunjin chimed back, satisfied. 

“But now he must think we are gossips.” Binnie added. 

Aura and Hyunjin shook their heads smiling. 

———————————

Much to Hyunjin’s dismay, they didn’t see Minho for another two days, when it was time for a staff meeting.

“Okay, everyone. Listen up,” Christopher Bahng didn’t look, nor sound like a CEO, but he was the boss here at SKZ. He was young. The women loved him, so did the men, but he was always professional with his interactions. His suit made him look more “Mafia Gangster” than and “Office Boss”, but he was kind, fair and had one of the best sense of humours in the building. Everyone called him Chris.

“I want to introduce you to Minho Lee, our new Manager Accountant.” A buzz of hellos filled the room. Minho responded with curt nods, but held an expression that was hard to read.

“Shit, he’s cold looking isn’t he? Look how dark his eyes are.” whispered Felix, from IT. Hyunjin nodded in agreement. But Aura thought he looked more nervous than anything else. What could be interpreted as cold or having a “resting bitch face” as Hyunjin described it later, really didn’t seem that way to her at all. “Maybe he’s shy?” she offered her colleagues, but they seemed to think he looked indignant and snobby.

She watched Minho curiously. He was rather attractive. His sandy brown hair was perfectly styled. His suit looked quite expensive for a accounting manager. Her eyes drifted over his body. He seemed to be strong, but not buff like Binnie was. Hmmm. Yes, Aura liked what she saw.

“Put your tongue away, Aura.” Binnie smacked her in the arm. Aura quickly looked up from Minho’s chest to his face, locking eyes with him. Oh fuck. He’d caught her checking him out and he was staring at her. She felt her cheeks flush, and she cleared her throat returning her attention to their CEO pretending she knew what he was talking about.

———————————

It was 8.00pm. Everyone was gone for the night but Aura remained at her desk. She had to sort these last scheduling debacles out. What a fucking nightmare. But she was almost done.

“Okay” last one, she said to herself, and clicked the little x on her screen.

She leaned back in her chair, reached her hands over her head and let out a loud a squeal as she stretched her muscles.

Sitting back up, she grabbed her phone and popped on Spotify. As the music started up she opened up her podcast uploading software and began to queue the episodes she that needed to go out.

Feeling as though she was finally finished for the day, and since no one else was around, she thought she’d let her hair down so to speak and have a bit of a sing along - hairbrush-in-the-bedroom style. Well her office space was like a second home and she felt just as comfortable here as she does in her home. 

Exo’s “Love Shot” played loudly through her office. As the chorus began, Aura slid back her chair dramatically, and stood up theatrically and began to sing and dance the choreography, as sexy as she could.

————————————

————————————

But not everybody had gone home. Minho was working back too. His office lights low and in deep concentration. He was tired. He leaned back in his chair and let out a big sigh, closing his eyes. He turned back to his screen to continue with his work, when his concentration was disturbed.

Where the hell was that music coming from? Why the hell was anyone still here?

He got up from his chair and headed out of the office into the hallway. He wasn’t upset or angry, but he was intrigued. He passed the conference rooms stopping outside the source of where the music was coming from. The podcaster’s office. He stood at the glass window, quietly, and saw Aura body rolling like rent was due. Minho smirked and laughed quietly. She looked so happy. And fun. His eyes skimmed over her body, drinking in her curves. He found himself standing there longer than he intended. He knew she would be so embarrassed if she saw him, so he stayed quiet to watch. Aura came across as upfront, but kind, a little sarcastic, but not - this. This was amusing. This was sexy.

Should he walk in, interrupt? He wondered. He’d already walked in on her and the those men gossiping about his origins. She’d tried to play that so cool. He nearly didn’t say anything at all at the time. It really was none of their business where he was from. But he didn’t want to come across as difficult or cold. He wasn’t that way at all, even though that seemed to be people’s impression of him in the past.

He wondered if she knew that he had been well aware of the little plan of Hyunjin’s when he put their work in his pile of work? 

——————————

Aura was so absorbed in singing and dancing that she didn't notice the person looking through the glass window at her. The song was almost done when she turned and caught the slightest glimpse of a figure move past.

She stopped dead in her tracks, completely freaking out on the inside. Someone else was in the building, and that that someone could have seen her. Who was she kidding, there’s no way they didn’t seen her.

She quietly moved to the office entrance and poked her head around the door. There walking up the corridor in the shadows was Minho. Oh my fucking God. Aura could have died. Of all people why him? How much did he see? Oh fuck!

Embarrassed as all hell, Aura quickly turned off the music, packed up her things in record timing and stealthily crept out of the building. She wanted to shrivel up and die.

Read Part 2 here

@lyramundana

@2chopsticks2eyes

@channieandhisgoonsquad

[cyarskaren52]

The fact that the ⚪️neighbor hasn't even been arrested, is beyond disgusting, and sadly expected.

If AJ Owens had been the shooter, she'd have been in jail since the day it happened. 😑

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Calls for woman's arrest grow after the fatal shooting of her neighbor in Florida

The children of the victim, identified as Ajike “AJ” Owens, were playing in Ocala when, attorney Ben Crump said, the woman “began yelling at them to get off her land and calling them racial slurs.”

00:28 /01:38TAP TO UNMUTE

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June 5, 2023, 3:20 PM EDT / Updated June 5, 2023, 4:50 PM EDT

By Antonio Planas

Calls are growing for the arrest of a woman accused of shooting her neighbor Friday in Florida in an incident a nationally renowned civil rights attorney described as an “unjustified killing.”

The children of the victim, identified as Ajike “AJ” Owens, were playing in a field near an apartment complex in Ocala when, attorney Ben Crump said, an unidentified white woman, 58, “began yelling at them to get off her land and calling them racial slurs.”

According to Crump’s statement, after the woman yelled slurs at Owens’ children, they accidentally left an iPad behind, which the woman took.

When one of Owens’ children went to retrieve it, she threw it, hitting the boy and cracking the screen. Owens walked across the street to speak to her neighbor after she learned what happened, Crump said.

At a news conference Monday, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods did not confirm or reject Crump’s account, telling reporters he was not “going to stand here and tell you what they’re putting out there is inaccurate. It’s just I don’t know yet.”

Here’s what the sheriff said he does know:

There had been a long-standing “neighborhood feud” between the shooter and Owens about her children. “I've got reports that one side or the other — either the mother, Ms. Owens, or the shooter — has called,” Woods said. “Complaining about the children — children being children.”

The children may have been hit by a pair of skates. “Was something thrown at them? Yes, but not directly at them of what we’re being told now,” Woods said. “It just unfortunately may have hit them.” He added: “The children are a big part of answering a lot our questions.”

When Owens came to the shooter's door, there was a heated exchange. Owens was shot through the door.

At least two of Owens’ four children may have witnessed the shooting, which occurred about 9 p.m.

Woods promised Owens’ family his office will provide all resources available to seek justice in the case.

“I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” he said, adding investigators are trying to determine whether Florida’s “stand your ground” law applies in the shooting.

In general, Floridians can defend themselves with deadly force if they believe they are in imminent danger or death — and not only when they are inside their homes. A person being threatened is not required to try to flee.

“That law has specific instructions for us in law enforcement, and any time that we think or perceive or believe that ... might come into play, we cannot make an arrest,” Woods said. “The law specifically says that, and what we have to rule out is whether the deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest.”

Sheriff: 'Neighborhood feud' ends in Fla. mother's fatal shooting

At a news conference Monday afternoon at New St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Ocala, Owens' mother, Pamela Dias, said her daughter was acting as a protective mother when she went to her neighbor's home looking for answers about why she treated her children like she did.

"The mother, the protector of her children, she wanted to know why this happened. A closed, locked door. The door never opened. My daughter, my grandchildren's mother, was shot and killed with her 9-year-old son standing next to her. She had no weapon. She posed no imminent threat to anyone," Dias said.

The Marion County NAACP president, Bishop J. David Stockton III, said the shooting is just the latest case of Black people living their lives only to be met by unreasonable violence.

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"The truth is we've gotten to a point where Black folks are almost living in a day where we are afraid to go outside," he said. "Our children and adults deserve to live in a world where they do not live in fear of their neighbors."

Attorney Anthony D. Thomas, who represents the Owens family, said the community is closely watching how the sheriff's office handles the investigation.

"We need an arrest," Thomas said. "Make no mistake about it. We do support our sheriff. But at the same time, we want him to do the job that he promised that he would do, and we want swift justice."

Antonio Planas

Antonio Planas is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. 

[rockislandadultreads]

Nonfiction Thursday: Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Biographies 

Both/And by Huma Abedin

The daughter of Indian and Pakistani intellectuals and advocates, Abedin grew up in the United States and Saudi Arabia and traveled widely. Both/And grapples with family, legacy, identity, faith, marriage, motherhood—and work—with wisdom, sophistication, grace, and clarity.

Abedin launched full steam into a college internship in the office of the First Lady in 1996, never imagining that her work at the White House would blossom into a career in public service, nor that her career would become an all-consuming way of life. She thrived in rooms with diplomats and sovereigns, entrepreneurs and artists, philanthropists and activists, and witnessed many crucial moments in 21st-century American history—Camp David for urgent efforts at Middle East peace in the waning months of the Clinton administration, Ground Zero in the days after the September 11 attacks, the inauguration of the first African American president of the United States, and the convention floor when America nominated its first female presidential candidate.

Abedin’s relationship with Hillary Clinton has seen both women through extraordinary personal and professional highs, as well as unimaginable lows. Here, for the first time, is a deeply personal account of Clinton as mentor, confidante, and role model. Abedin cuts through caricature, rumor, and misinformation to reveal a crystal-clear portrait of Clinton as a brilliant and caring leader, a steadfast friend, generous, funny, hardworking, and dedicated.

Eat a Peach by David Chang

In 2004, David Chang opened a noodle restaurant named Momofuku in Manhattan's East Village, not expecting the business to survive its first year. In 2018, he was the owner and chef of his own restaurant empire, with 15 locations from New York to Australia, the star of his own hit Netflix show and podcast, was named one of the most influential people of the 21st century and had a following of over 1.2 million. In this inspiring, honest and heartfelt memoir, Chang shares the extraordinary story of his culinary coming-of-age.

Growing up in Virginia, the son of Korean immigrant parents, Chang struggled with feelings of abandonment, isolation and loneliness throughout his childhood. After failing to find a job after graduating, he convinced his father to loan him money to open a restaurant. Momofuku's unpretentious air and great-tasting simple staples - ramen bowls and pork buns - earned it rave reviews, culinary awards and before long, Chang had a cult following.

Chang's love of food and cooking remained a constant in his life, despite the adversities he had to overcome. Over the course of his career, the chef struggled with suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety. He shied away from praise and begged not to be given awards. In Eat a Peach, Chang opens up about his feelings of paranoia, self-confidence and pulls back the curtain on his struggles, failures and learned lessons.

Stay True by Hua Hsu

In the eyes of eighteen-year-old Hua Hsu, the problem with Ken--with his passion for Dave Matthews, Abercrombie & Fitch, and his fraternity--is that he is exactly like everyone else. Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the United States for generations, is mainstream; for Hua, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, who makes 'zines and haunts Bay Area record shops, Ken represents all that he defines himself in opposition to. The only thing Hua and Ken have in common is that, however they engage with it, American culture doesn't seem to have a place for either of them.

But despite his first impressions, Hua and Ken become friends, a friendship built on late-night conversations over cigarettes, long drives along the California coast, and the textbook successes and humiliations of everyday college life. And then violently, senselessly, Ken is gone, killed in a carjacking, not even three years after the day they first meet.

Determined to hold on to all that was left of one of his closest friends--his memories--Hua turned to writing. Stay True is the book he's been working on ever since. A coming-of-age story that details both the ordinary and extraordinary, Stay True is a bracing memoir about growing up, and about moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging.

The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines

"The only way to break free was to rewrite my story. Because something would happen every time my pen stopped: it was like my soul was coming back to my body. Like the deepest parts of me that got knocked around and drowned out by all the crap I let the world convince me about who I was came back to the surface. And what was left was only what was real and true. I was, finally, standing in the fullness of my story. I felt hopeful. I felt full. Our story may crack us open, but it also pieces us back together.

We all have a story to tell. This happens to be mine--every chapter a window into who I am, the journey I'm on, and the season I'm in right now. Because this is my story, maybe you won't always relate, or maybe it will feel like you're looking in a mirror. Whatever we have in common and whatever differences lie between us, I only hope my story can help shine a light on the beauty of yours. That my own soul work will stir something of your own. And that by the time you get to the end of my story, you're also holding the beautiful beginnings of your own.

A story only you can tell. And I hope that you will."

- Joanna Gaines

[uboat53]

Meet Jonathan Keeperman.

Jonathan runs a company called Passage Press which publishes right-wing historical nonfiction such as that from German anti-democracy radical Ernst Jünger and modern neo-monarchist Curtis Yarvin. He was also, until fairly recently a lecturer in English at the University of California, Irvine, his faculty page is still available. He's spoken at conferences alongisde Sens. J.D. Vance, Josh Hawley, and Mike Lee and Tucker Carlson once blurbed a book that he published.

But alongside all of this respectable conservatism, Jonathan Keeperman has been leading a double life. You see, Jonathan is also the man behind the prominent online personal known as Lom3z. If you're not familiar with the account, it regularly refers to gay people as "faggots", Asian people as "mongoloids", and suggests that journalists should be lynched. It also regularly references white nationalist memes, spreads conspiracy theories that Barack Obama is gay, and engages in a conspiracy theory known as "retard strength".

Why is Jonathan doing this? Why live a double life? Well, Jonathan himself very helpfully laid out exactly why he's doing this on a podcast called Unsupervised Learning.

The strategy is simple. The anonymous online bigoted posts create a self-reinforcing world of extreme ideas beyond the ability of the mainstream to name and shame them. These posts use bigoted language deliberately in order to both shock and also to break down boundaries against using that sort of language and the ideas they represent.

The in-person persona works in concert with this anonymous online posting. In-person, Keeperman works to present as much as possible the exact same ideas in a more respectable way. By doing this, he makes the online persona seem not like a rabit bigot, but like a standard conservative who simply uses different language.

And it's worked too. Under his anonymous "Lom3z" monicker, Keeperman has been invited to publish his bigoted ideas in mainstream conservative publications such as First Things, The Federalist, American Greatness, and American Mind. After being unmasked by the Guardian as Lom3z, Keeperman was able to count on other far-right conservatives such as Steve Bannon and Christopher Rufo to stand by him because of the reputation he's achieved as a highbrow right-wing publisher.

All of that is the plan. He operates simultaneously as a high-brow publisher and an online shitposter, using each persona to amplify the message of the other one. But what is the goal?

Keeperman isn't exactly clear on what his ideal vision of America would look like, but he was clear about one specific thing: he thinks that women have gained too much power in universities and cultural institutions. Given the type of ideas he publishes in-person and the kind of bigotry he posts from behind the veil of anonymity, I'll let you speculate on what other things he may be trying to achieve.

[pashterlengkap]

Kamala Harris is a strong candidate, but we still need to help her stand tall

Kamala Harris’s life as vice president took a 180-degree turn in 24 hours: She went from stumping for President Joe Biden in Provincetown, an LGBTQ+ culture hub and haven, on Saturday, July 20 to becoming a potential presidential nominee on Sunday, July 21,  when the news broke of Biden leaving the race.  The crowd at the Biden Victory Fund event at the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum last Saturday showed their enthusiasm about a possible November win for the Biden-Harris ticket. As the keynote speaker, Harris was wildly welcomed to P-town with placards that read “VP-Town!” The entire Biden team at the event was on message — however, most attendees hoped Biden would exit the race. Related The Democrats are quickly unifying behind Kamala Harris as their presidential choice Democrats are quickly shaking off the paralysis of Biden’s failing campaign and getting excited about his VP’s chances. So when the news hit that Harris was now a potential presidential nominee for the head of the ticket, enthusiasm swelled. Both the Black and Asian American Caucuses immediately endorsed her. Within 30 minutes of her announcement, One Silicon Valley,  a software engineering consulting firm, raised more than $1 million for her candidacy. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today Hours later, a national Zoom call from the D.C.-based Black women’s organization #WinWithBlackWomen — a national intergenerational and intersectional sisterhood of black diasporic women who leverage talent, influence, and networks to support Black women — had over 40,000 sistahs in attendance. In three hours, these women raised over $1 million to support Harris, which TV personality Star Jones, the campaign chair, spearheaded.  It’s not easy being one of the first Black women running for president When I heard the news of Harris running for president, I immediately thought about how my deceased Brooklyn Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm would be proud of this moment. Chisholm was the first African American woman to campaign for the presidential nomination in 1972 on the Democratic ticket. A woman of temerity and integrity, her slogan was “Unbought and Unbossed.”  Confronted with racist and sexist opposition, Chisholm lost the nomination. In 2024, similar concerns arise for Harris, too.  When news broke that Kamala was in the race for the White House, Black Twitter was abuzz with exuberance and trepidation.” Much of Black Twitter is on board with Kamala as a candidate, but unsure if America feels the same way, the Black media outlet The Root reported.  “Okay, so now it’s Kamala. Every white person who wanted him to drop out needs to figure out how to defend a Black woman in person and online for the first time in their lives. That’s the job now. I’d like to see it, but I never have,” comedian and podcaster Akilah Hughes wrote on Twitter.  Okay so now it’s Kamala. I think—AGAIN—every white person who wanted him to drop out needs to figure out how to defend a Black woman in person and online for the first time in their lives. That’s the job now. I’d like to see it, but I never have. https://t.co/CMukwoDb2X— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) July 21, 2024 Prominent Democratic donor John Morgan of Florida emphatically stated he would not fundraise for Harris. “She would not be my first choice,” Morgan said in The Hill. “The donors holding the 90 million can release those funds in the morning. It’s all yours. You can keep my million. And good luck,” he continued. Striking the right balance with white Americans is difficult — for both Republican and Democrat politicians — in this polarized era, especially for a woman of color in power who identifies as black. The “angry black woman” trope hovers over all sisters of African descent. Harris is attacked for her laugh. She runs the risk of being perceived as too loud, too forceful, not knowing her… http://dlvr.it/TB2XRB