Escape From Plan A

C.S. Taniguchi, Diana, Mark, and Teen talk about the incredible influence that Japanese culture has had in America over a long period of time. From architecture, food and literature, to how we declutter our lives. Why does Japan hold such cultural sway over Americans? And is this a good or bad sign?

Intro Music: Isle of Dogs OST

Intro Voice Track: Matthew Weiner discussing the Mad Men character Bertram Cooper

Outro Music: Ghost in the Shell OST (the real one)

TWITTER:

C.S. Taniguchi: @c_taniguchi

Diana: @discoveryduck

Mark: @snbatman

Teen: @mont_jiang

SUBMISSIONS AND COMMENTS:

Self-awareness and self-reflection are crucial elements to any good discussion. While Asian guys have legit gripes, that doesn't mean they always express them in the right way or that they're always blameless. Oxford, Filip, Jong, and Mark run an audit of straight Asian male behavior and attitudes to get an assessment of what needs improvement.

Intro/Outro Music: "It G Ma" by Keith Ape

Intro Voice Track: Ned Flanders from the Simpsons Episode "The Trouble With Trillions"

TWITTER:

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Filip (@filipgwriting)

Jong (@calicoarse)

Mark (@snbatman)

Contact us at: [email protected]

With the skyrocketing popularity of the Subtle Asian Traits Facebook groups and its many offshoots like Subtle Asian Dating and Subtle Curry Traits, the persistent and unresolved gender issues among Asian Americans (and other Asians in Western countries) have inevitably come to the forefront. Oxford, Filip, Sammi, and Jay take a look at the discussions that have been popping up and ask whether these spaces can avoid the problems that have plagued other Asian online spaces in the past.

Intro Voice Track: “The Asian-Australians behind ‘Subtle Asian Traits’” by Bohdee (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ6U8-wFeA0)

Outro Music: “Queen of Queens” by Miss Ko

TWITTER:

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Filip (@filipgwriting)

Jay (@lithiummano)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

How 'Subtle Asian Traits' Became A Global Hit: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/world/australia/subtle-asian-traits-facebook-group.html

'Subtle Asian Traits' And 'Subtle Asian Dating' Are Raising Good Questions: https://planamag.com/subtle-asian-traits-and-subtle-asian-dating-are-raising-good-questions-a1501bb82544

Inside EastMeetEast, the Controversial Dating App for Asians That Raises Thorny Questions About Identity: https://www.gq.com/story/eastmeeteast-asians-only-dating-app

An Rong Photographs Asian Couples In Love: https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/d3bjmv/an-rong-photographs-asian-couples-in-love

Priyanka Chopra A 'Scam Artist'? - The Cut's Racist Rant Is Pathetic:https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2018/12/05/the-new-york-magazine-s-rant-against-priyanka-chopra-is-a-new-racist-low_a_23609257/

With the verdict in the Harvard admissions lawsuit on the horizon, Escape From Plan A goes beyond the legalistic arguments involved to ask some big picture questions. Should Harvard seek racial diversity in its classes? If so, should it be more open about that instead of blaming Asian Americans for lackluster personalities? And why do Asian Americans repeatedly internalize and accept responsibility for racism we encounter? Join Teen, Oxford, and guest Kasie (from the Anthony Bourdain memorial podcast) as they delve into these difficult questions.

Intro Song: Ten Thousand Men of Harvard

Outro Song: "The Christmas Song" by Ella Fitzgerald

Intro Voice Track: Harvard bar scene from "Good Will Hunting"

TWITTER:

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Kasie (@kasefiles)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Students For Fair Admissions complaint: https://studentsforfairadmissions.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/SFFA-v.-Harvard-Complaint.pdf

Harvard lawsuit documents supporting Harvard: https://admissionscase.harvard.edu/supporting-documents

"Anti-Asian Bias, Not Affirmative Action, Is on Trial in the Harvard Case" by Jeannie Suk Gersen: https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/anti-asian-bias-not-affirmative-action-is-on-trial-in-the-harvard-case

"Admitting Bias" by Aaron Mak: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/harvard-admissions-lawsuit-trial-asian-american-discrimination-reports.html

"I support affirmative action. But Harvard really is hurting Asian Americans." by Michael Li: https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/10/18/17995270/asian-americans-affirmative-action-harvard-admissions-lawsuit

"Louisiana School Made Headlines for Sending Black Kids to Elite Colleges. Here’s the Reality.": https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/us/tm-landry-college-prep-black-students.html

"The Danger of Asian American Conformity" by Teen Sheng: https://planamag.com/the-danger-of-asian-american-conformity-116576c716f2

"Harvard and Edward Blum: Two Defenders of White Plutocracy": https://planamag.com/harvard-edward-blum-defenders-of-white-plutocracy-e7dae5e44d85

Teen, Jess, Jong, Oxford, and Mark ponder what every Asian American considers at some point: West Coast, or East Coast? They try to get beyond just who has better fast casual burgers, or London plane vs. palm trees, and into the social nuances of each coast. Things aren't always what they seem.

Intro music: "California Love" by Tupac ft. Dr. Dre

Intro voice track: The Fung Bros. on East Coast vs. West Coast Asians (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3woXoa-KQWA)

Outro music: Going Back to Cali (Biggie Smalls)

TWITTER:

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Jess (@cogitatotomato)

Jong (@calicoarse)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Mark (@snbatman)

Though less famous than siblings such as "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke," Studio Ghibli’s "Whisper of the Heart" is nevertheless a masterpiece that explores the intense anxieties young people face when first trying to turn their artistic dreams into actual practice. In this special midweek episode, Oxford and Diana (a comedian/writer) lavish praise on this beautiful film and talk about how much the movie can mean to anybody who has dreams but is afraid to try because of fears of failure.

Intro/Outro Music: "Whisper of the Heart Medley" by Yuji Nomi

Intro Voice Track: Scene from "Whisper of the Heart"

TWITTER:

Diana (@discoveryduck)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Mike Hale's Studio Ghibli rankings: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/movies/ranking-studio-ghibli-movies.html

Film School Rejects' Studio Ghibli rankings: https://filmschoolrejects.com/the-movies-of-studio-ghibli-ranked-from-worst-to-best-b480bffd7fb7/

The idea of "Game" when it comes to dating, romance and plain ol'hooking up is a loaded term, especially in the modern climate of online dating apps and the more recent #MeToo movement. Teen, Jong and Mark discuss many aspects of it by first considering Wesley Yang's 2007 article "Game Theory," and then giving their reactions to the recent statements made by actor Kendrick Sampson at a just held Teen Vogue Summit.

Intro Song: "Sunset" by The Midnight

Intro Voice Track: Wesley Yang reads from "Paper Tigers" (https://youtu.be/7VFhgrYegAI?t=183)

Outro Song: "Narcissist ft. The 1975" by No Rome

TWITTER:

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Jong (@calicoarse)

Mark (@snbatman)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

"The Game: Penetrating the Society of Pickup Artist" by Neil Strauss: (https://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738)

Wesley Yang's "Game Theory" Article in n+1 Magazine: https://fozmeadows.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/back-issue-7-game-theory-wesley-yang.pdf

Kendrick Sampson at the Teen Vogue Summit: https://twitter.com/WeinbergLindsay/status/1068954560016728065?s=19

https://twitter.com/kendrick38/status/1069642075581353985?s=19

The term “emotional labor” may get thrown around too easily these days, but if you conceptualize Asians’ social role as providers of racial guilt-relief in the West, then what are all the things we do (or more importantly, don’t do) in service of playing that role? From having to assume leadership roles in families because of parents’ language barriers to having to shut up about constant racialized experiences, all these things take a toll if not spoken about. Oxford, Jess, Jong, and Diana open up about their experiences in order to remedy that silence.

Intro/Outro Song: "Prism" by Seventeen Years Old and Berlin Wall

Intro Voice Track: Bobby Lee on Asian Parents (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFb_vH9hY)

TWITTER:

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

Jess (@cogitatotomato)

Jong (@calicoarse)

Diana (@discoveryduck)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

The Concept Creep of 'Emotional Labor': https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/11/arlie-hochschild-housework-isnt-emotional-labor/576637/

Women Aren't Nags — We're Just Fed Up: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a12063822/emotional-labor-gender-equality/

Are there benefits to having grown up in a protective Asian enclave? Or is it better to face racial difficulties from a young age to learn how to fight them? Is it better to be a 2nd-gen or 1.5-gen Asian American? With many of the Plan A team members having travelled recently to Asia or Asian-populated parts of America — Teen to China, Jong to Korea, and Oxford to Los Angeles — these 3, along with Jess, discuss the “battle of the generations” among young Asians. Also, they talk about how Thanksgiving might be improved.

Intro/Outro Song: "Whispers Wonder (Ruw's Underground Mashup)" by Shingo Nakamura ft. KaNa vs. A.M.R. ft. Ai Takekawa

Intro Voice Track: San Gabriel Valley - Chinese Ethnoburbs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JanYx8JiJvc&t=175s)

*Correction: Oxford credited Ben Franklin with a quote he should've attributed to John Adams.

TWITTER:

Jess (@cogitatotomato)

Teen (@mont_jiang)

Jong (@calicoarse)

Oxford (@oxford_kondo)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Karin Temerius's NYT article about racist uncles at Thanksgiving: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/18/opinion/thanksgiving-family-argue-chat-bot.html

Richard Schiffman's NYT article about difficult convos at Thanksgiving: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/20/well/family/thanksgiving-partisan-politics-conversations-families.html

Amy McCarthy's Eater article about racist relatives at Thanksgiving: https://www.eater.com/2018/11/20/18099157/thanksgiving-family-politics-argument

A formative article early in Plan A's history, written by contributor George Qiao, sought to topple the colonialist and racist conceptions of Asian American mental health, and get to the true roots of how mental health touches the Asian American community. Mark welcomes two new guests, Jay (a healthcare professional) and Kerrie (a healthcare graduate student ), and returning guest Diana, to explore this topic.

Intro/Outro Song: "Come As You Are" by Yuna (Original by Nirvana)

TWITTER:

Mark(@snbatman)

Diana (@discoveryduck)

Jay (@LithiumMano)

Kerrie (@getkerriedaway)

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Why Are Asian American Kids Killing Themselves? George Qiao: https://planamag.com/why-are-asian-american-kids-killing-themselves-477a3f6ea3f2

A very brief history on "cultural bound syndromes":

http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/techniques/shenjingshuairuo

Critical perspectives of “Cultural Competency”: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0030294

Racial Identity Development - Summary on all the different models:

https://studentdevelopmenttheory.wordpress.com/racial-identity-development/

Unnatural Causes - A movie regarding health outcomes related to racism: https://www.pbs.org/unnaturalcauses/explore_learn.htm

The public reception of putative epigenetic mechanisms in the transgenerational effects of trauma: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6051458/

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES:

1-877-990-8585, 24hr Asian LifeNet Hotline, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Fujianese available.

https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres

http://www.befrienders.org/ (has global resources and hotlines)

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/LifelineChat.aspx

http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you [UK]

https://www.lifeline.org.au/Get-Help/ [AU]

http://www.crisistextline.org

https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Related-Conditions/Risk-of-Suicide

https://www.thetrevorproject.org

http://youthspace.ca

https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/