This week, Culture Jumpers is sharing an episode from the show Immigrantly. Immigrantly explores identity and the immigrant experience. In their episode, “My Parents, TikTok & I,” host Saadia Khan interviews Thea Pham, an accomplished biotech entrepreneur and first generation Vietnamese immigrant who went viral on TikTok for sharing an emotional TikTok about her challenges as the daughter of Vietnamese parents. In that video, she highlighted some common expectations that fall on children of immigrants, such as academic excellence and financial support. But in Thea's case, they have caused guilt, mental illness, and more. After the interview, Saadia unpacks the conversation with content editor and script writer, Yudi Liu, who is an immigrant daughter herself. 

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Lionel's Introduction to Immigrantly
(00:01:31) - My Parents, TikTok & I - Saadia's Intro
(00:06:42) - Interview with Thea Pham
(00:44:10) - Post-Interview Debrief with Yudi Liu

References/Further Reading:

1. Our guest appearance on Immigrantly!

2. Silva, Gina. (May 3, 2022). UCLA grad goes viral for TikTok video on expectations on first-generation immigrants. FOX 11 Los Angeles

Culture Jumpers looks at Animal Crossing and the BIPOC "cozy gaming" community. From blockbuster games like Call of Duty to hit adaptations like HBO’s The Last of Us, gaming has hit the mainstream in a big way; cozy gaming culture is making it more inclusive. Guests Eurice and Jaléssa talk about the importance of diverse characters and how cozy games offer an oasis of healing in a harsh world.

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Prologue
(00:02:33) - Act I: Eurice
(00:04:55) - Facing discrimination
(00:13:51) - Getting into Animal Crossing
(00:18:20) - Birthday week

(00:22:33) - Act II: Jaléssa
(00:24:11) - Discovering cozy gaming
(00:31:28) - The Mellowverse for Black Folk
(00:37:53) - Curating positive Black narratives 

(00:41:08) - Credits
(00:42:07) - Outtakes

More About Eurice McNeal:

Eurice is represented by the Driven Agency LA

Check out Eurice’s livestream gameplay on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/oyhxbleh_

Music:

Additional music for this episode purchased from Alex Cook (@alexfcook on Instagram):

Alex Cook - “New Leaf” [00:13:51-00:15:14]

Alex Cook - “Cozy Shop” [00:24:50-00:25:49]

References/Further Reading:

Social Unrest During the Pandemic:

Browning, Kellen and Brian X. Chen. (19 December 2021). “In Fight Against Violence, Asian and Black Activists Struggle to Agree.” The New York Times.

Black Gamers and Animal Crossing:

Van Der Velde, Issy. (November 4, 2021). “Animal Crossing Fans Are Overjoyed About New Black Hairstyles.” The Gamer.

Rocque, Starrene Rhett. (February 22, 2021). “Culture Crossings: Black Gamers Make A Homebase In Animal Crossing: New Horizons.” AURN (African Urban Radio Networks).

Lizzo and the Crystal Flute:

Fact check and note: In the episode, Jaléssa discusses the importance of African American musician Lizzo playing a historic flute owned by enslavers and mentions that the flute was saved by enslaved people. She was referring to a crystal flute which was custom-made in 1813 as a gift for President James Madison’s second inauguration. James Madison enslaved dozens of Black people at his personal home, Montpelier, and frequently brought them to work in the White House during his presidency. According to a Library of Congress press release about the Lizzo performance, the flute was saved from the April 1814 fire at the White House during the War of 1812. Paul Jennings, a fifteen-year-old boy enslaved by the Madisons, rescued a famous portrait of George Washington from the same fire. Further reading can be found below.

Hopkins, Callie. (August 28, 2019). “The Enslaved Household of President James Madison.” The White House Historical Association. 

“Lizzo Plays President James Madison's Crystal Flute, Part of the World's Largest Flute Collection.” (September 28, 2022). Library of Congress press release. Features video of Lizzo’s performance.

National Parks Service. “Summer 1814: Dolley Madison saves Washington’s portrait, with some help.” 

Slayton, April. (September 28, 2022). “It’s About (Danged) Time: Lizzo at the Library!” Library of Congress Blogs.

Taylor, Savannah. (September 30, 2022). “Lizzo Playing A 200-Year-Old Flute Has White Conservatives Up In Arms.” Ebony.

Culture Jumpers takes a look at how the internet is different in China and why a simple dessert lands the country’s biggest influencer, Austin “Lipstick King” Li, in hot water. The hosts also look at what happens when American pop culture gets exported to China. How does Fight Club’s anarchist anti-hero hit in an authoritarian country? And could the TV show Friends be any more controversial?

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Prologue
(00:03:17) - A Different Internet in China
(00:04:19) - Austin Li, The Lipstick King
(00:07:39) - The Tank Cake Incident
(00:12:22) - China's New Ending for Fight Club
(00:18:28) - Friends in China
(00:23:22) - Censorship in China and America
(00:27:10) - Credits
(00:27:58) - Outtakes

References/Further Reading:

1. Fisher, Max. (Jun. 3, 2014). 25 years after Tiananmen, most Chinese university students have never heard of it. Vox.com

2. Teh, Cheryl. (Mar. 31, 2021). Meet China's 'Lipstick King,' an outspoken 28-year-old e-commerce streamer who fans adore and brands fear. Business Insider.

3. Tan, Huileng. (Oct. 22, 2021). China's Lipstick King sold an astonishing $1.7 billion in goods in 12 hours — and that was just in a promotion for the country's biggest shopping day. Business Insider.

4. Cheung, Rachel. (Jun. 7, 2022). China’s Top Influencer Is Cancelled Over a Piece of Cake. Vice.

5. Zhou, Viola and Meaghan Tobin. (Oct. 18, 2022). The Return of the Lipstick King. Rest of World.

6. Fight Club - Chinese ending. YouTube. Uploaded Jan. 25, 2022 by ElectricGuitarManPL.

7. Toh, Michelle and Nectar Gan. (Feb. 7, 2022). Fight Club’ ending restored in China after cries of censorship. CNN Business.

8. Brzeski, Patrick. (Jan. 26, 2022). ‘Fight Club’ Author Chuck Palahniuk Says China’s Censored Ending Is Actually Truer to His Vision. The Hollywood Reporter.

9. Wang, Philip. (Feb. 16, 2022). China censors lesbian plotline in ‘Friends.’ CNN Entertainment.

Culture Jumpers interviews professor Lindy Backues and artist Donna Backues about living in Indonesia for 18 years while doing economic and community development work with their NGO. The couple talks about raising two kids, surviving severe illness, and witnessing several historic events. A challenge they didn’t expect? Trying to fit in after moving back to the United States.

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Prologue
(00:03:31) - Act I - Culture Shock
(00:18:01) - Act II - Belongers
(00:38:22) - Act III - Back Home?
(00:55:37) - Credits
(00:56:19) - Outtakes

References and Further Reading:

Asian Economic crisis

1. Carson, Michael and John Clark (November 2013). “Asian  Financial Crisis.” Federal Reserve History. Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Retrieved 7 January 2023.

2. Indonesia Investments. “Asian Financial Crisis in Indonesia.” Accessed 7 January 2023.

3. International Monetary Fund. (1998). “The Asian Crisis: Causes and Cures.” Finance and Development. Volume 35, 2. Retrieved 7 January 2023.

4. Sijabat, Ridwan Max (13 May 2004). "Six years after, May 1998 tragedy still unresolved". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2023.

Earthquake and Tsunami

5. Reuters. (Dec. 18, 2019). “15 years on, a look back at the Boxing Day tsunami.” Retrieved 7 January 2023.

6. Carey, Bjorn (25 August 2005). "Tsunami Waves Channeled Around the Globe in 2004 Disaster". LiveScience. Retrieved 7 January 2023.

7. Flint, Michael and H Goyder (July 2006). "Funding the Tsunami Response" (PDF). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2023.

8. USGS. (29 December 2014). "Magnitude 9.1 Sumatra-Andaman Islands Earthquake FAQ". Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2023. 

9. USGS. (24 December 2014). “Indian Ocean Tsunami Remembered — Scientists reflect on the 2004 Indian Ocean that killed thousands.” Retrieved 7 January 2023.

Indonesians in the U.S.

10. Harfenist, Ethan. (May 24, 2018). “Chinese-Indonesian Refugees Found a New Home, and New Problems, in the US.” Vice. Retrieved 7 January 2023. 

Recommended reading by Lindy Backues

11. Banerjee Abhijit V. and Esther Duflo. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. Public Affairs: 2012 (reprint).

Culture Jumpers host Lionel interviews his Lola Virgie (Lola means grandmother in Tagalog) about her life in the Philippines — before he knew her as the mahjong-playing matriarch of 10 kids who used to babysit him after school. She talks about her brushes with death, her entrepreneurial spirit, and the desire to spend her final years in her homeland.

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Prologue
(00:02:45) - Act I - Before She Was Lola
(00:10:50) - Act II - Caring for Lola
(00:16:56) - Credits
(00:18:06) - Outtakes

References/Further reading:

1. How to Play Filipino Mahjong Coololdgames.com

2. Greenberg, Lawrence M. (1986). Ch. 4 - The Insurrection Phase 1 (1946-1959). The Hukbalahap insurrection: A Case Study of a Successful Anti-Insurgency Operation in the Philippines, 1946–1955 (pp. 42-78). U.S. Army Center of Military History. [PDF]. Accessed 8 Jan. 2023.

3. Dumaraos, Gelyka Ruth R. (Apr. 22, 2018). Upholding heritage through ‘carinderia’ cooking. Business Mirror.

4. Encila, Jade. (Mar. 19, 2021). Where the Locals Eat in Manila - Carinderia Culture and 5 Filipino Dishes You Need to Try. Lokafy.

Songs featured in episode:

“My Song of Love” recorded by Cora Delfino. https://youtu.be/M6bkjT4WQHE. This traditional Illongo folk song, known as “Walay Angay,” has had several lives. It was translated into Tagalog as “Ikaw ang Iibigin ko” before being translated into English. Delfino’s recording was a number 1 hit in the Philippines in the 1950s. Released by Columbia Records.

“Mother Song” recorded by Nora Aunor. From the album The Golden Voice (Classic Collection of Nora Aunor Volume 5). Released by Alpha Records, Reissued on CD, 1999. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLWjgtFmotg.

Culture Jumpers interviews more white people married into Asian families. Eddie explains how his family tried to make his wedding special for his Chinese-American bride, how lion dancers are like Philadelphia Mummers, and why ceiling fans are not Feng Shui. Filmmaker Jon Matthews covers bringing Filipino food to Sesame Street, working with in-laws, and nailing Tagalog pronunciation. Part 2 of 2.

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Prologue
(00:01:55) - Act I - Eddie
(00:16:55) - Act II - Jon Matthews
(00:18:39) - Filipino Kamayan on Sesame Street
(00:28:36) - Credits
(00:29:17) - Outtakes

References/Further reading:

1. History of lion dances and fortune/luck (cái or 财) Chinatownology.com.

2. McGuire, C. (2015). The Rhythm of Combat: Understanding the Role of Music in Performances of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts and Lion Dance. MUSICultures, 42(1). Retrieved 8 Jan. 2023.

3. What is the Mummers Parade? Visit Philly, Official Philly Tourism and Visitor Information.

4. Malouse, Caroline. (Jan. 1, 2010). Throw Me Some Culture! The Three Evolutionary Strains of Carnival in Louisiana. MyNewOrleans.com.

5. Hunt, Kristin. (Dec. 27, 2022). How the Mummers Parade (briefly) landed on national TV in the 1990s. Philly Voice. Note: A brief history of the parade’s brushes with racism and its organizers’ recent attempts to reform the event.

6. Jon Matthews’ Kamayan short for Sesame Street’s “F is for Food” segment can be found on HBO Max: Sesame Street, season 52, episode 31, “Backyard Pizza Parlor.” (Original airdate: June 9, 2022).

 7. A note on Feng Shui: Just about anyone can claim to be a Feng Shui “expert,” and everyday practitioners will follow or ignore guidelines based on what works for them. As a cultural practice passed down through families, many people likely don’t know the reasons behind why they do or don’t follow certain practices beyond that it’s what they learned growing up (like most of us). We found information both supporting and dismissing beliefs about luck and birds’ nests and ceiling-fan danger in our research. We’ll let you decide.

8. Fuller, Thomas (Dec. 3, 2013). A Love Letter to a Smelly Fruit. The New York Times.

Culture Jumpers interviews white people who've married into Asian families. Lionel and Ilana talk about interfaith marriage, dietary culture clashes, and language barriers. Lionel's cousin Tracy discusses raising multiracial children and her husband Kip reflects on his first trip to the Philippines. Occupational therapist Kaylee gains street cred with her Filipino coworkers and patients.

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Prologue
(00:01:25) - Act I - Ilana
(00:03:12) - The Filipino Spaghetti Date (TikTok reenactment)
(00:15:04) - Act II - Kip
(00:25:03) - Act III - Kaylee
(00:36:31) - Credits

References/For further reading:

1. De Guzman, Nicai. (Jun. 22, 2018). The Long and Tumultuous History of the Humble Banana Ketchup. Esquire Philippines.

2. Cachero, Pauline. (May 30, 2021). From AIDS to COVID-19, America’s Medical System Has a Long History of Relying on Filipino Nurses to Fight on the Frontlines. Time.

A sneak peek at episodes from season one of the Culture Jumpers Podcast

Transcript