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.
I just wanted to let you know that now that the semester is over and I am on winter break and will be traveling through the holidays, I will be on a reduced posting schedule until after the new year. I hope to post a new article every few days for the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, Read More →
The New York Times has an article that describes an increasing common phenomenon in developing Asian countries, in this case India: in the era of globalization and infrastructural improvements, more and more rural villagers are moving to cities and other urban destinations to find a better life for them and their families:
Compared with China, whose rural population is also Read More →
One of my favorite reads, AutoWeek Magazine, has an article that asks whether import sports tuner compact cars are going out of style among automotive enthusiasts. You might recognize these as Honda Accords and Civics, Acura Integras, Mazda RX-7s, Subaru WRXs, etc. that have been modified (many rather garishly) for greater performance, aesthetic appeal, and/or attention-grabbing features.
First, Americans outsourced manufacturing and factory jobs overseas to countries like Mexico and China. Then in recent years, Americans have increasingly outsourced white-collar professional jobs like customer service, computer programming, and engineering to China, Indian, the Philippines, etc. Now here’s the latest trend: the New York Times reports that affluent Americans who are also video game enthusiasts but who Read More →
The New York Times has an article that mentions the personal blog of a woman in China who goes by the name “Mu Mu” and who describes herself as a “dance girl and [communist] party member.” However, the article focuses more generally on how her blog represents a new wave of personal blogs that are pushing the limits of freedom Read More →
As another example of Asian culture continuing to influence American society, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that many U.S. newspapers will include Japanese manga-style comic strips in their comics sections very soon, all in an effort to attract a younger readership circulation:
“Doonesbury” and “Peanuts,” make way for “manga.” Come January, the Sunday funnies of several major North American newspapers will have doe-eyed Read More →
I received the following notice from the North American South Asian Bar Association regarding recent legislation pertaining to the administration’s “war on terrorism” and how it affects many Asian Americans:
NASABA Denounces Graham-Levin Amendment with Letter to U.S. Congress: Emerging Legal Organization Attacks Bill That Targets Many South Asian American Detainees
WASHINGTON, DC — The North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) Read More →
East-West Magazine has an article in its latest issue that describes the increasing popularity and prominence of inter-ethnic/pan-Asian couples in recent years. In fact, they relied on a very authoritative source to describe their findings:
C.N. Le, chairman of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says he too has noticed a rise in inter-Asian dating. Read More →
As Reuters reports, the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition has released its annual report on the representation of Asian Americans in primetime television shows on the four major networks. This year, the organization concludes that progress has been mixed with failures:
Progress has been “very mixed” for Asian Americans, said Karen Karasaki, chair of the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition. “There Read More →
The major news media, such as CBS News, are all reporting about the Transportation Security Agency’s new airline security screening rules, which now allow knives (up to four inches long) and scissors and tools (up to seven inches long) to be carried onto airline flights. However, several groups are opposed to these changes:
Flight attendants and some lawmakers say the changes Read More →
The Chicago Tribune has an article about a topic that doesn’t seem to get the amount of attention that it deserves: how the pressure to succeed and overachieve among Asian Americans (particularly young Asian American girls and women) can be overwhelming and may even result in suicide:
Those downsides can include extreme fear of failure, unpleasantly competitive natures, withdrawal from society, Read More →
The Wall Street Journal has an article that describes an interesting trend: White students leaving high schools because of the increasingly prominent presence of other students of color. In the past, this usually involved an influx of low-income, educationally disadvantaged Black students. However, in this case, White students are apparently leaving high schools with excellent reputations because they Read More →
