Rad Chinese Podcast

In Episode #6, Alex, Rebecca, and Rad Chinese folks identify narratives that we should build today to counter political repression, especially in light of how Chinese responded in the 1950s to Cold War repression in Episode #4. What is the importance of building bridges, speaking to white supremacy, and speaking to people’s interests? Tune-in to hear how Alex, Rebecca, and Rad Chinese folks identify important narratives that enable ongoing resistance in dark political times.

In Episode #5, Alex, Rebecca, and Rad Chinese folks reflect on how Chinese in America can better respond to pressures to conform, especially in a repressive political environment like the 1950s as discussed in Episode #4. What is the role of material wealth, political pragmatism, and model minority myth in promoting nationalist/colonizing projects? Tune-in to hear how Alex, Rebecca, and Rad Chinese folks imagine possibilities for how Chinese can be in solidarity with other oppressed people of color.

In Episode #4, Alex Au and Rebecca Wei discuss the model minority myth’s historical origins for Chinese in America in the 1950s. In response to political repression, Chinese in America responded with gung-ho patriotism and even complicity in repressing fellow Chinese on the Left. Was it fear of deportation that led them down this path or was it something about being an immigrant, Chinese, or aspiring to wealth based on white supremacy? Tune-in to hear the one major takeaway Alex and Rebecca got from studying this little-known history of the model minority myth.

Correction (1:15): “Overseas Chinese” was not a term invented by Chinese in America in the 1950s. Rather, Chinese people then emphasized their status as Overseas Chinese as a way to increase their value as a bridge during the Cold War between the US and China. The term seems to have been in use for a while because we have a long history of diaspora and in Chinese, there are many different words used to describe the different states of being Overseas Chinese.

In Episode #3, Alex, Kim, and Rad Chinese folks brainstorm ways to guide friends and family to see and discard their role in perpetuating model minority myth, in the context of its early history discussed in Episode #1. How do you re-define success in the context of white supremacy, immigrant parents, and anti-blackness? Tune-in to hear how Alex, Kim, and Rad Chinese folks identify the emotional blockers that keep Chinese people attached to model minority myth and how to potentially remove them.

In Episode #2, Alex, Kim, and Rad Chinese folks reflect on the nature of model minority myth in the context of their family history and experience, in response to its early history discussed in Episode #1. When your family immigrated to the US gives the model minority myth a different flavor, but does that make it less anti-black or classist? Tune-in to hear how Alex, Kim, and Rad Chinese folks feel about the model minority myth in their own lives and community today.

In Episode #1, Alex Au and Kim The discuss the model minority myth’s historical origins for Chinese in America in the 1940s. The Myth asserts anti-blackness and classism through erasure, even back then before it was given a name. Understanding the history and especially Chinese people’s complicity in the making of the Myth gives us a foundation for how to think about and discard the Myth today. Tune-in to hear the one major takeaway Alex and Kim got from studying this little-known history of the model minority myth.