Kitsch, Country, and KFC
CMAT @ The Peppermint Club [3/21/2022]
AAPI Action: My Little Tibet
I met Dechen when I was 13 years old. She’s one of my sister’s best friends, and I’ve always seen her as another older sister. Despite seeing her as family, I never knew where Dechen came from or about her childhood. It wasn’t until years later when Dechen told me she was Tibetan. I never…
AAPI Action: East Asian Fetishization
There’s the hypersexual and cunning type who probably knows some form of martial arts – the “Dragon Lady” trope. Then, on the flip side, there is the submissive and innocent type, who needs a more powerful (often white) man to tell her what to do – the “Lotus Blossom” or “China Doll” trope.
Home Country Spotlight: Mexico
My mother never liked talking about her childhood. I grew up thinking she was from Los Reyes, Michoacan, Mexico; when I started writing this piece, I learned this was a lie. My mother is actually from Los Pallilos, Michoacan, in other words, el rancho. She describes this place as simple, a simple town with simple…
AAPI Action: Myanmar Coup & Protests
As we enter Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, it is imperative that we turn our eyes to Myanmar and what they have been facing for months now. As we take this month to celebrate and educate ourselves about the histories and narratives of AAPI communities, we must act in solidarity with Myanmar…
AAPI Action: St. Louis World Fair of 1904
My childhood dog’s name was Midnight. I adored her and would show her off to everyone in sight, but that soon changed when someone told me, “You should hide your dog from your dad, or he’ll eat it.” I did not understand what they meant by that until the comments continued. “Oh, you’re Filipino. You…
AAPI Action: Orientalism
When Disney’s Aladdin premiered in 1992, its opening theme, “Arabian Nights”, sang softly of a “far away place” that is “barbaric – but hey it’s home.” In these lines, the American audience is removed from the comforts of their movie theaters or suburban homes and immersed into a foreign, rugged land characterized by savagery. For…
Home Country Spotlight: Taiwan
I love being Taiwanese. But I am exhausted by it. I want my existence to be known, not debated.