The views and opinions expressed on this site and blog posts (excluding comments on blog posts left by others) are entirely my own and do not represent those of any employer or organization with whom I am currently or previously have been associated.
Academic Version: Applying my personal experiences and academic research as a professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies to provide a more complete understanding of political, economic, and cultural issues and current events related to American race relations, and Asia/Asian America in particular.
Plain English: Trying to put my Ph.D. to good use.
A press release by New American Dimensions and InterTrend Communications, in preparation for the “Imprint: Urban Youth Unabridged” conference that was held on July 26, 2006 at the Japanese American National Museum, reports that according to their survey, young Asian Americans are likely to see themselves as trendsetters in several areas of American culture:
Asian American young people are likely to see Read More →
You may have heard that U.S. automakers (Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford) have been experiencing hard times recently. Another example of their struggles is that for the first time in American history, Americans are buying more import cars than domestic ones (retail sales only, as opposed to fleet sales):
New statistics compiled by R.L. Polk and Co. . . . show Read More →
I’ve written before about how Asian Americans are increasingly entering politics and government as a profession and about how many non-Asian politicians are spending more time and money courting different Asian American ethnic groups. Here’s the latest example of Asian Americans in the political arena: former porn star Melody Damayo (aka “Mimi Miyagi”) is running for the Governor of Read More →
The methamphetamine phenomenon, and especially its exploding rates of use and addiction among many Americans — has attracted plenty of news over the past few years. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Asian Americans are not immune from this trend either. New American Media reports on the rise of meth use among Asians in the San Francisco Read More →
As tensions continue to rise against North Korea and its threats to use nuclear weapons against its perceived aggressors, it’s understandable that different Asian Americans will have different opinions about the issue. Perhaps most interested in these events are Korean Americans, many of whom have conflicted views on what to do:
In dealing with North Korea in the aftermath of unannounced Read More →
As the House and the Senate wrangle over how to come up with a compromise immigration bill — or if it’s even possible to do so — New America Media has an article that looks at how the competing bills may affect aspects of immigration that are important or more applicable to Asian Americans:
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) reports Read More →
Recently, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware commented on a C-SPAN cable television show that “you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.” Many Indian Americans found this comment to be rather offensive, while Biden explained that he actually meant it as a compliment to the Indian American community:
Earlier this month, North Korea once again got the world’s attention by test-firing several long distance missiles into the Sea of Japan. Naturally, this act resulted in near-unanimous condemnation. I don’t want to review the history of North Korea’s threatening behavior in recent years, nor try to analyze Kim Il Jong’s state of mind.
Apparently, times are good to Viet Nam these days. Their economy is the second-fastest growing in Asia behind China and as the NY Times reports, both the U.S. and China are competing with each other to become Viet Nam’s principal trading partner, with possibilities for other types of closer collaboration:
Vietnam’s leaders have made plain they want the United States on Read More →
A new study by the Asian American Action Fund political action committee describes the emerging political power of Asian Americans, both as political representatives and as a political constituency group:
In 1996, there were about 300 Asian American elected officials nationwide. By 2005, it was 555 including two U.S. Senators, five U.S. Representatives, 64 State Senators, 97 State Representatives, three state governors, Read More →
Have you noticed that Japan is increasingly becoming known not just for high-tech electronics and reliable cars, but also for “cute” popular culture, such as Hello Kitty, Pokemon, and Nintendo characters, to name just a few? Many people have taken notice of this “cuteness” trend and wonder what it means for Japanese society:
The prevalent obsession with things cute has the Read More →
The third installment of the Fast and the Furious series of movies is out (Tokyo Drift), sporting a few changes from its first two predecesors. The most obvious is that it is set in Japan and features a large Asian and Asian American cast. Part of the reason may be due to its new director, Taiwanese American Justin Lin, Read More →
