Escape From Plan A

The New York Times was on a roll this past week with two eyeroll-inducing articles about how Drake invented sing-rapping and how Asian movies like Parasite are all about Confucianism. Mtume, Millie, and Oxford get together to talk about why so many people got mad at these pieces and we answer the all-important question: at what point in your life did you realize that the New York Times was full of shit?

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag

TWITTER:

Mtume (@sircoregant)

Millie (@onemillicentcho)

Oxford (@JesuInToast)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Rappers Are Singers Now. Thank Drake.: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/24/arts/music/drake-rap-influence.html

Why Does Rage Define ‘Parasite’ and Other Popular East Asian Movies?: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/t-magazine/asia-movies-parasite.html

Joshua Luna's tweet thread on mixed-race white-Asian privilege: https://twitter.com/Joshua_Luna/status/1200461675289292802?s=20

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

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Are people, Asian or otherwise, afraid of Yellow Love? Why does it seem that every other minority group is happy to celebrate same-race relationships except yellow Asians? Diana, Ray, Jong, and Oxford talk about celebrating and politicizing Yellow Love and share some of their own personal stories on the matter.

*This episode was originally released as a bonus for our Patreon subscribers, but it has been unlocked for public release!

TWITTER:

Diana (@discoveryduck)

Ray (@raydeng)

Jong (@calicoarse)

Oxford (@JesuInToast)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Yellow Love, Politics, and Poetry by Christina Qiu: www.thecrimson.com/column/new-roma…-relationships/

For Years, I Was Vehemently Against Dating Asian Guys—Even Though I'm Chinese by Madelyn Chung: www.flare.com/sex-and-relationsh…g-desexualization/

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Jess tells Oxford all about what it was like growing up in an enclave (the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California, to be precise). What are the advantages? Disadvantages? And are Asian American enclaves a preview of what 3rd generation Asian American life will be like?

*This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers! For the full episode, please become a patron at: www.patreon.com/planamag

TWITTER:

Jess (@cogitatotomato)

Oxford (@JesuInToast)

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

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This year has seen a sudden surge of American interest in China-related news, from Huawei to Xinjiang to Hong Kong. Teen, Diana, Ray, and first-time guest Rich talk about why the American psyche is so fixated on these stories, especially when many of the alleged wrongdoings involves issues that are actually in dire need of addressing in America itself.

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag

TWITTER:

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Diana (@discoveryduck)

Ray (@raydeng)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Korea? It's Always Really Been About China!: https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/09/22/korea-its-always-really-been-about-china/

The U.S. Is Purging Chinese Cancer Researchers From Top Institutions: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-06-13/the-u-s-is-purging-chinese-americans-from-top-cancer-research

9 Arizona State Students From China Detained At LA Airport, Denied Admission To U.S.: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/30/arizona-state-students-from-china-detained-denied-admission-to-us/2171189001/

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

EFPA Opening Theme:

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Diana and Teen discuss the state of dysfunction in American masculinity, and its particular relationship with Asian men. How do Asian men respond to American norms of masculinity, compared with Asian women in response to norms of femininity? Are Asian men more or less dysfunctional compared to American men at large? Big questions that have no easy answers, but that doesn't mean they cannot be talked about together by Asian men and women.

*This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers! For the full episode, please become a patron at: www.patreon.com/planamag

TWITTER:

Diana (@discoveryduck)

Teen (@mont_jiang)

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

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Have you ever gone to some artsy event in America and realized that the vast majority of Asians there were women? Given how much of the creative output from Asia is dominated by Asian men, it surely can't be said that Asian men are somehow genetically uninterested in the arts. So is there something about American culture that creates these gender imbalances among Asian Americans? Is it a supply or demand problem? Returning guest Ray (writer) and new guest Jon Truei (filmmaker) join Oxford Kondo to discuss their experiences of being straight yellow men in America, trying to express themselves creatively.

*This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers! For the full episode, please become a patron at: www.patreon.com/planamag

TWITTER:

Oxford (@JesuInToast)

Ray (@raydeng)

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

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In the third iteration of the Plan A tech series, Filip talks to guests RK and Jimmy about the surge in activism and labour activism in the tech sector in the past few years. They tackle the question of where Asian Americans fit in amongst the tech-lash, and why we should care, beyond just the fact that we’re highly represented in this world-affecting industry.

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag

TWITTER:

Filip (@filipgwriting)

Jimmy Wu (@jimmyjwu)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Optimize What? by Jimmy Wu at Commune Magazine

https://communemag.com/optimize-what/

Lessons from the Long Sixties for Organizing in Tech by R.K. Upadhya at Science for the People

https://magazine.scienceforthepeople.org/vol22-1/lessons-from-the-long-sixties-for-organizing-in-tech-today/

The Subversive Roots of Asian Scientists and Engineers

https://hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2016/12/subversive-roots-asian-scientists-and-engineers

White Techies are not our Friends by Filip Guo

https://planamag.com/white-techies-are-not-our-friends-e8cf1d51b3a3

Collective Actions In Tech

https://collectiveactions.tech

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FROM GUESTS RK AND JIMMY:

Forget Your Middleclass Dreams in Jacobin Magazine

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/03/middle-class-white-collar-unions-kickstarter

Tech Workers are Workers, Too (links to Chinese Tech workers organizing)

https://jacobinmag.com/2019/05/tech-workers-chinese-solidarity-microsoft-github

Coders of the world, unite: can Silicon Valley workers curb the power of Big Tech?

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/31/coders-of-the-world-unite-can-silicon-valley-workers-curb-the-power-of-big-tech

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

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Jess and Teen (after we all watched the wrong Veronica movie on Netflix up in the Catskills) record a late-night podcast while enjoying the effects of some special gummies. We'd write more in this description, but honestly, we don't remember a ton of what we talked about! It was something about adult life?

*This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers. To subscribe, please go to: www.patreon.com/planamag

TWITTER:

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Jess (@cogitatotomato)

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

EFPA Opening Theme:

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There's a lot to be commended about the movie Hustlers, but as a source of information about the realities of the lives of sex workers, especially Asian sex workers, it has its blind spots and relies on old Hollywood tropes. Red Canary Song is a grassroots collective of Asian and migrant sex workers and allies, starting with the Chinese community of massage parlor workers in New York City. Its co-founder, Kate Zen, along with members Jia and Lillian, join Diana and Oxford to discuss important issues facing sex workers and their own experiences in the industry.

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag

Red Canary Song's website: http://www.redcanarysong.org/

TWITTER:

Kate: @katezenlove

Diana: @discoveryduck

Oxford: @JesuInToast

INSTAGRAM:

Red Canary Song: @redcanarysong

Jia: @dominajia

Lillian: @theparhelia

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Kate's piece about 'Hustlers' on NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/constance-wu-s-real-life-hustlers-inspiration-problem-model-minority-ncna1062741

Red Canary SCREAMS event on Nov. 2: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/red-canary-screams-tickets-73691847299

Instagram for Kinkout Events on Nov. 2: @kinkoutevents

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

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Mark and Oxford put on their soccer pundit hats to diagnose just what the hell is wrong with the US men's soccer team, as well as Tottenham Hotspur (their very recent demolition of Red Star Belgrade notwithstanding). Some ideas thrown around include national arrogance (USMNT) and the perils of overachieving in the Champions League last season (Tottenham).

*This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers. To subscribe, please go to: www.patreon.com/planamag

TWITTER:

Oxford (@JesuInToast)

Mark (@snbatman)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

US Soccer Is Neglecting Latino Talent—And It Shows: https://www.thenation.com/article/us-soccer-latino-neglect/

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)