Escape From Plan A

It's throwdown time as Team Classic (Mark and Oxford) faces off against Team Modern (Filip and Jong) in a ferocious no-mercy deathmatch about which era of gaming was best. Do you think Final Fantasy VII and Half-Life were the pinnacle of gaming or are you in the Destiny and GTA V camp? Pick your side and listen to your champions duke it out.

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

TWITTER:

Mark (@snbatman)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Filip (@filipgwriting)

Jong (@calicoarse)

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

In this episode, Jess is joined by Jong and Mark as Mark shares stories from his recent trip to South Korea. Though it isn't his first trip back since his adoption, new details are discovered, life-long assumptions are verified, and the three Korean Americans connect over their shared heritage.

Please support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/planamag

Intro/Outro Music: [Free Beat] x Sci Fi x New Age x Type Beat Galaxy Trip Instrumental Produced By E.T.

TWITTER:

Jess(@cogitatotomato)

Jong(@calicoarse)

Mark(@snbatman)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

G.O.A.'L (Global Overseas Adoptees' Link): https://www.goal.or.kr/

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

Here it is, our first bonus episode for our beloved patrons! In this episode, Oxford is joined by Diana and Millie as they discuss the Constance Wu controversy involving her anger at her own show, Fresh Off The Boat, getting renewed. Are we seeing the hypocrisy of the #RepresentationMatters crowd?

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

Intro Music: [Free Beat] x Sci Fi x New Age x Type Beat Galaxy Trip Instrumental Produced By E.T.

TWITTER:

Diana (@discoveryduck)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Millie (@onemillicentcho)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Overview of Constance Wu and FOTB renewal incident: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/constance-wu-fresh-off-boat-renewal-angry

Inkoo Kang's article on Constance Wu's character on FOTB: https://slate.com/culture/2018/11/constance-wu-fresh-off-the-boat-crazy-rich-asians.html

Diana's review of "Viet Gone": https://planamag.com/in-vietgone-the-viet-is-gone-9b4ecc0e5ad5

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

The time has come: Plan A Magazine has started a Patreon at $5/month. We are beginning an experiment. The idea is to use Patreon to create an Asian American writers fund. It's one thing to encourage and platform writers; it's another thing to pay them. Oxford, Jess, Mark, Teen, and Plan A's newest editor, Diana talk about the Patreon, as well as white people ranking Southeast Asian cuisine, and a U.S. State Dept. official calling China the first "non-Caucasian" competitor.

LINK TO PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/planamag

Intro Voice Track: Nicole Ponseca

Outro Voice Track: Minimum Wage

TWITTER:

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Jess (@cogitatotomato)

Mark (@snbatman)

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Diana (@discoveryduck)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

I Took On the American Cheeseburger, and It Defeated Me (by Frankie Huang)

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-took-on-the-american-cheeseburger-and-it-defeated-me

Culture and race can’t be ignored in US-China rivalry – American official Kiron Skinner is right (by Chi Wang)

https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3009382/culture-and-race-cant-be-ignored-us-china-rivalry-american

Nothing Unites Southeast Asians Faster Than Seeing a White Man Insult Their Food (by Arzia Tivany Wargadiredja)

https://www.vice.com/en_asia/article/xwnw8j/southeast-asia-cousine-ranking-twitter-offensive

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

All of human history has been leading up to Avengers: Endgame, a civilizational pinnacle that we are so fortunate to witness. Oxford, Mark, returning guest Millie (a friend and filmmaker who's appeared in episodes 41, 49, and 52) and first-time guest Mtume (also a friend and filmmaker) get together to talk about the last Avengers movie and the stan culture that not only follows Marvel, but also Game of Thrones and Star Wars.

*WARNING: THIS EPISODE HAS SPOILERS (AVENGERS, GAME OF THRONES)

Intro Music: "The Real Hero" by Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame Soundtrack)

Outro Music: "Avengers Main theme" by Alan Silvestri (played by Patrik Pietschmann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAm0aWvzFI8)

Intro Voice Track: Audience reactions to Avengers: Endgame

TWITTER:

Mtume (@sircoregant)

Millie (@onemillicentcho)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Mark (@snbatman)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Let 'Game of Thrones' Be White: https://planamag.com/let-game-of-thrones-be-white-3b44ca16fc0

Grand Hotel Abyss by Stuart Jeffries: https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Hotel-Abyss-Frankfurt-School/dp/1784785687

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

The rights of trans people (and the LGBTQ community in general) often gets talked about, but it's rarer to hear directly from the people themselves. It's even rarer to hear from Asian Americans in these communities, especially the trans community. In this episode, Oxford is joined by Nia and Sen—both of whom identify as trans women—and Sammi, who identifies as queer. Together, they talk about their personal stories, straight male incel issues, and dating issues among trans people.

Intro/Outro Music: "Love Makes The World" by Sateen

Intro Voice Track: Being an Asian transgender (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR6C7kiU8Sg)

TWITTER:

Nia (@nxn_nrc)

Sen (@maikooochi)

Sammi (@sammi_lee_1997)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

On episode 73, the Escape From Plan A crew of Teen, Diana, Oxford, and Mark talked about their high school memories and how formative those experiences were in shaping racial identities. Now, the same gang is back to talk about college. Discussions are had about being confronted with class consciousness, racial incidents, and general disillusionment with the college experience. This Side of Paradise? More like This Side of Parasites.

Intro/Outro Music: "I Love College" by Asher Roth

Intro Voice Track: Scene from "The Gang Reignites The Rivalry" from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3XC6ftpaXo)

TWITTER:

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Diana (@discoveryduck)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Mark (@snbatman)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

The Premium Mediocre Life of Maya Millennial by Venkatesh Rao: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/08/17/the-premium-mediocre-life-of-maya-millennial/

Mast Bros. chocolate fraud: http://dallasfood.org/2015/12/mast-brothers-what-lies-behind-the-beards-part-1-tastetexture/

Liberal Arts movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Arts_(film)

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

Crossover episode! Jay (from ep. 67 on Asian American leftist politics) and Teen join our friends (and token white dudes) Kristofer Nivens and Ryan Salisbury of the anti-imperialist, anti-fuckery, anti-capitalist podcast Neighbor Science (http://www.neighborsciencepodcast.com/) to discuss memelord and presidential candidate for real Andrew Yang. We talk about universal basic income, automation-driven job loss, and whether Yang is addressing a real world problem, or trying to find a 'third way' in an era of extreme political polarization.

Intro Music: "Baraka" by Philip Glass

Intro Voice Track: Andrew Yang on the Ben Shapiro Show

Outro Voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qf2EX0d9AY

TWITTER:

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Jay (@lithiummano)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Finding of increased anti-Asian hate crimes in response to Trump's Sinophobic rhetoric: https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/news/anti-asian-hate-crimes-los-angeles-surge-after-trump-deems-china-enemy

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

Plan A has followed the tumultuous path of the latest NPR Invisibilia episode that explores the science of racial biases and prejudices in attraction, especially from an Asian woman's point of view. From the onset, certain Asian Americans tried to suppress the episode. Thankfully, the episode has come out and is one of the most honest and thought-provoking discussions of a topic that's become increasingly difficult to ignore (and not just for Asian Americans). Jess, Diana, Teen, Oxford, and Ray (returning guest from the Brooklyn Hammer Homicides episode) discuss the episode in depth.

Note: Jess and Oxford were among the many consulted to help out with the Invisibilia episode and they are proud of have been a part of it.

Intro/Outro Music: "The Encounter ft. Kems" by Rancido

Intro Voice Track: NPR Invisibilia's "A Very Offensive Rom-Com"

TWITTER:

Jess (@cogitatotomato)

Diana (@discoveryduck)

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Ray (@raydeng)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

NPR Invisibilia's episode on racial attraction: https://www.npr.org//2019/04/04/709948132/a-very-offensive-rom-com

Mark Tseng-Putterman's tweet trying to stop NPR Invisibilia from making this episode: i.imgur.com/lhOkrMP.jpg

"I Broke Up With Her Because She's White" by Christopher Rivas: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/style/modern-love-race-i-broke-up-with-her-because-shes-white.html

"I’m An Asian Woman Engaged To A White Man And, Honestly, I’m Struggling With That" by Tria Chang: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/unlearning-asian-fetish_n_5c547bb1e4b09293b203b7ed

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS:

Jess and Diana discuss how the media often covers stories of violence against Asian women in lurid and exoticizing fashion, as if to titillate old Western curiosities about Asian female submissiveness and sexuality.

Intro/Outro Music: "Clouds" by Claude Debussy

Intro Voice Track: ABC News covering the murder of Ying Ying Zhang (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bif_mse0_0&t=36s)

TWITTER

Jess: @cogitatotomato

Diana: @discoveryduck

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Exploitative reporting on Yang Song's suicide: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/11/nyregion/sex-workers-massage-parlor.html

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2018/an-interview-with-dan-barry-the-writer-of-the-nyts-the-case-of-jane-doe-ponytail/

Respectful reporting on Yang Song by The Appeal: https://theappeal.org/new-evidence-in-the-death-of-a-queens-massage-worker/

Exploitative reporting on Asian sex workers in Flushing:

https://nypost.com/2019/02/02/inside-queens-hidden-sex-district/

Exploitative reporting on Robert Kraft scandal: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/23/us/robert-kraft-trafficking-florida.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/us/massage-parlors-human-trafficking.html

Erasure of Asian women in reporting of Berkeley rapist:

https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/roy-charles-waller-norcal-rapist-charges-trial-13671891.php

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-norcal-rapist-case-20180921-story.html

Asian news outlets did not erase Asian women in Berkeley rapist reporting:

NorCal Man Accused of R‌a‌pi‌n‌g 10 Asian Women Over 20 Years ...https://nextshark.com/roy-charles-waller-uc-berkeley/

Erasure of Asian identity in reporting of Flushing kidnapping: https://flushingpost.com/couple-sentenced-to-up-to-25-years-in-prison-for-running-flushing-based-sex-trafficking-operation

Downplaying of white sexual imperialism in reporting of George Tyndall USC Scandal: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-george-tyndall-profile-usc-sexual-assault-allegations-20181219-story.html

Exploitative photos, dehumanizing descriptions, and centering the perpetrator's experience in reporting of a man who murdered his Asian wife: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3873742/German-man-admits-killing-Filipino-wife-slicing-body-eight-pieces-sex-holiday-Thailand.html

Comparison of photos between .com and .eu version of the same story about sexual exploitation of Asian women. The US version has a lurid body shot, seemingly of a sex worker. The EU version has multiple, non-exploitative photos: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/11/sex-industry-military-bases-213311

https://www.politico.eu/article/my-body-was-not-mine-but-the-u-s-militarys/

One of the many abduction/missing person cases involving Asian women that never get widely publicized: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_ewyyYpeN8&feature=youtu.be

One of the many cases of white men murdering their Asian wives. The victim's ethnicity gets downplayed or the case doesn’t get US media attention: https://japantoday.com/category/crime/American-man-arrested-over-murder-of-wife-at-Tokyo-Family-Court

Sexpat journalists in Asia news coverage: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/05/18/sexpat-journalists-are-ruining-asia-coverage/

Okinawa military base rape/murder (many similar cases happened in the 1980s and 90s): https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42192571

Scholarly article on White Sexual Imperialism:

https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1243&context=crsj

Journey To The West Podcast's episode on Sexual Exploitation of Asian Women: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xexHIxtEhy4

SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS