08x14 - Asian Americans and racial discrimination

[bunniefuu]

Hi there!

Welcome to the show, still

Taking place in this blank void,

Which I've nicknamed

"Henry kissinger" because

It's white, deeply unpleasant,

And at this point,

I'm just mad it's still around.

It's been another busy week.

Benjamin netanyahu looks like

He may have lost power,

Anthony fauci's emails were

Released, and the white house

Partnered with anheuser-busch

To offer free beer to

Incentivize vaccines.

And "rewarding you with beer"

Really cements joe biden's

Status as "america's uncle who

Probably shouldn't be left in

Charge."

But as the vaccination rollout

Continues in the united states,

And life slowly returns to

Normal, it's worth remembering

Many other countries are still

Very much in the grips

Of this pandemic.

Take the united kingdom, which

Is currently planning to fully

Reopen later this month, even as

Experts warn a potential third

Wave of covid may be under way.

Demand is also growing there for

A public inquiry into

Boris johnson's mismanagement

Of the pandemic, following

Testimony in a committee hearing

Last week from former

Top advisor and "smug moby,"

Dominic cummings.

He revealed a chilling moment

From last march, when top

Government officials realized

Just how badly the pandemic

Planning had been botched.

At this point, the second

Most powerful official in the

Country... Helen macnamara is

The deputy cabinet secretary...

She walked into the office.

She says, "I've just been

Talking to the official mark

Sweeney, who is in charge of

Coordinating with

The department for health.

He said, quote, "I've been told

For years that there is

A whole plan for this.

There is no plan.

We're in huge trouble."

Helen macnamara said,

"I've come through here to the

Prime minister's office to tell

You all, quote, 'i think we are

Absolutely f*cked.'"

Wow.

"There is no plan.

We're in huge trouble.

I think we're absolutely

f*cked."

You do not expect to hear an

Assessment that grim unless

It's from the team behind

The fyre festival,

Or warner brothers discovery.

Hi there, new business daddy!

Just checking in to say I love

The corporate logo you dropped

This week!

It looks like the opening title

Of "the simpsons" if the font

Were not found.

"The stuff that

Dreams are made of" is a quote

From "the maltese falcon," about

How the thing that seemed like a

Priceless treasure was actually

No

Worthless garbage that brought

Chaos and despair to everyone

Around it.

Anyway, good luck with the

Merger, I'm sure everything's

Gonna go great!

But the truth is, as bad as the

Details of cummings' testimony

Were, the u.k.'S covid response

Pales next to that of

Brazil's.

President jair bolsonaro has

Been a spectacular failure,

With the country recording

Over 1.9 million new cases

In the past month alone.

And brazilians are

Understandably fed up,

Staging protests across

The country this week.

Demonstrators want his

Government to account for

The negligence in purchasing

Vaccines after trying to lead

Brazil towards herd immunity.

No

Brazilian people

Always got vaccinated.

It could have been the first

Country with the whole

Population vaccinated.

Instead we see such

Irresponsibility.

That woman makes a

Great point, despite wearing

What I assume biologists use to

Disguise themselves while

Watching crocodiles f*ck.

The brazilian government is in

The midst of an inquiry into its

Own negligence, and it has

Uncovered some bombshells...

Including that last august,

Pfizer repeatedly offered

Brazil's health ministry



It was developing, but the

Company "got no answer."

No

And come on, brazil.

You can't ghost pfizer.

They're a company that was

Offering you a potentially

Lifesaving vaccine.

Not a fruitarian

Entrepreneur-slash-poet you met

On okcupid.

In that case, absolutely hit

"Ignore."

And that shouldn't even be

Surprising given how publicly

Dismissive bolsonaro's been of

The vaccines.

No

That woman's crocodile hat

Wasn't just showcasing her

Ability to serve looks that

No

Are exuberant without being

Obnoxious.

She was making an explicit

Reference to a shitty joke

Bolsonaro told, about how

Companies wouldn't take

Responsibility for vaccine

Side effects.

If you turn into a crocodile,

It's your problem.

If you turn into superman,

If a woman grows a beard or a

Man starts speaking in a high

Voice, they want nothing to do

With it.

Okay, that's all

Complete bullshit, but if I may

Just address his insinuation

That "if the vaccine turns you

Into a crocodile, that's your

Problem."

Honey, no.

If you turn into a crocodile,

It's your solution.

No

Crocodiles are incredible

Swimmers, they can see at night,

And instead of sweating they do

Something called "mouth gaping"

That looks a little like this.

And think how much embarrassment

That would save you

On a hot day!

No pit stains on you, buddy.

Just mouth open, d*ck out,

Swimming through life

Without a care.

Because... Thank f*cking god...

You're a crocodile.

And when you combine this new

Inquiries with brazil's death

Rates, it is not surprising that



Impeachment.

Not only is he backing down,

Just this week, he approved this

Week.

The country with the world's

Second largest covid-19

Death toll will host

The copa america, welcoming

South american teams for a

Four-week football tournament.

Yeah!

Brazil is suddenly hosting a

Massive soccer tournament on

Just 13 days' notice.

It was originally supposed

To be in argentina, but it was

Canceled due to covid rates.

And yet despite that, bolsonaro

...whose country's rates are

Significantly higher... Is now

Choosing to host a tournament

One senator has dubbed

"The championship of death,"

And which has inspired memes

Like this to make the rounds

In brazil.

And I will say, that is a pretty

Cheerful little coffin.

It looks like clippy the

Paperclip popping up to ask you,

"It looks like you're about to

Hold a soccer tournament while

Your country's death toll is

Sky high.

Would you like to not f*cking

Do that?"

And look, what's happening in

Brazil should be a warning

For everyone because if vaccine

Misinformation continues to

Spread, and variants continue

To emerge, the whole world could

Remain in trouble for a very

Long time.

In fact, despite how

Comparatively well things seem

To be going right now in the

U.s., If we don't actively help

Get this virus under control

Globally, then to quote a former

Top u.k. Official:

I think we are absolutely

f*cked.

Exactly.

And now, this.

And now...

People on tv lose their sh*t

Over the phrase hot vax summer.

The hot vax summer, that is

What they are calling it.

I can't make this up.

Last summer was hot girl

Summer.

They do substituted that word.

All vaxxed, no place to go?

The hot vax summer.

Hot vax summer.

Hot vax summer.

Hot vax summer in the study.

No!

To play on the hot girl

Summer.

Three words.

Hot vax summer.

So consumers are ready to

Spend...

Okay.

Hot vax summer.

I am telling you.

Okay.

I don't know.

Okay, jan.

What do you say?

I will borrow that, charles,

I love that philosophy.

It is going to be a hot vax

Summer.

All right.

Moving on.

Our main story tonight concerns

Asian-americans.

A group that currently makes up

Around 7% of the u.s.

Population, and is actually

The fastest growing racial

Group, and yet despite that,

Asian-americans can sometimes be

Oddly overlooked.

A recent survey asked

Respondents to simply name a

Well-known asian-american, and

The results were not good.



Know one.

The next most popular answers

Were jackie chan, who's from

Hong kong, and bruce lee, who

d*ed in 1973.

Oh, come on.

No disrespect to jackie chan and

Bruce lee, but that's

Embarrassing even before you

Consider the poll was conducted

While kamala harris... Who is

Asian-american... Was

Vice president.

How do you f*ck up a question

That easy?

It'd be like asking americans to

Name a "well-known joe," and

Getting back "what's joe,"

"John krasinski," and

"Joe millionaire."

It is pretty clear many in this

Country don't seem to know much

About the histories or

Experiences of asian-americans.

And to the extent that

Experience has been discussed

In recent years, it's often been

In a tragic context, such as

Killings or mass sh**t,

Or racism around the coronavirus

Triggering verbal and physical

att*cks in the street, as well

As the kind of idiocy that

Forced local news to produce

Pieces like, "no, you can't get

Coronavirus by eating chinese

Food."

Because of course you f*cking

Can't.

You're about as likely to get

Coronavirus from eating

Chinese food as you are to get

Chicken pox from eating kfc.

That's not going to happen, and

It's alarming anyone thought it

Might.

And all of this has highlighted

The need for us to have a

Long-overdue, better-informed

Conversation about the way this

Country regards asian-americans.

And before we start, I fully

Recognize, the history of

White people on tv generalizing

Confidently about this subject

Isn't great... Sometimes making

Statements that are offensive

Even when they think they're

Being complimentary, like this

Idea that's come up constantly:

They've worked their way past

Column as and column bs,

Past no starch please,

To become our nation's

Model minority.

Listen to the numbers.

Median family income, higher for

Asians than for whites.

Once again, super achieving

Asian-american students are

Becoming a phenomenon.

They are overachievers driven

To excel by tradition.

The academic achievement of

Asian-american students are so

Notable that in some colleges,

Students warn each other that

If they end up in a class with a

Lot of oriental faces, get out.

The grading curve, they say,

Will go out of sight.

Wow.

That is jarring to hear,

Especially when delivered with

Such a weird combination of

Amused self-satisfaction and

Totally inappropriate sourcing.

"I was eavesdropping on some

Teens last week, and I heard one

Of them say "never share a cab

With a black person."

Just thought I'd pass that

Along, this has been, for some

Reason, the news."

But that idea... That

"Asian-americans are a model

Minority"... Has been as

Persistent as it is problematic.

So tonight, we thought we'd try

And unpack both parts of this

Sentence.

And let's start with the first

Asian-americans.

We're actually going to spend

Most of our time on this term,

Because it's having to do a lot

Of work.

It encompasses a vast group who

Can trace their heritage back

To more than 20 countries

Covering a huge amount of

The world's land mass,

From mongolia to indonesia

To pakistan to japan.

And even some who fall under the

Term "asian-american"... Or the

Broader "aapi," which includes

Pacific islanders... Feel it

May not fit them, or that the

Broadness of the category means

Their experiences get erased.

People associate asian with

East asian.

Filipinos aren't so much

Dismissed, they're just

Overlooked just because they're

Not as popular within, at least

The american culture.

Sometimes I will identity as

Asian, but then other indian

People don't identify as asian.

"Why are you considered

Asian, you're in the pacific

Islander, wouldn't you be

Considered more hawaiian?"

And I'm like, not really?

Yeah, the term

"Asian-american" applies to a

Ridiculously large and diverse

Group of people.

And there is clearly not going

To be enough time to discuss

Everyone who supposedly fits

Under that umbrella in this

Piece, even though I do intend

To talk very fast.

So apologies in advance to

All 127 maldivian-americans.

I promise I'll make it up to my

One maldivian-american fan in

The future.

I'm serious, kareem... Stay with

Me, trust me on this,

You will be seen.

But the fact the term

"Asian-american" is so

Incredibly broad isn't an

Accident... It was kind of

The point from the start.

Because it was first coined in

The late 1960s by asian-american

Student activists in california,

Who went on strike alongside

Black, hispanic, and

Native american students

To demand an ethnic studies

Curriculum.

In those days, the term

"Asian-american" didn't exist.

We were all orientals.

In 1968, that was the first time

That I heard the term

Asian-americans.

Asian-americans encompasses

Everybody.

I thought, wow, that's

Something.

People are finally starting to

Realize that we wear our race on

Our face.

It's true.

Under a system of white

Supremacy, we do tend to

Wear our race on our face.

My face, for example, is

Currently wearing down market

Vintage colonial casual.

I'd change into something a

Little less imperial if I could,

But I can't, so instead I wear

These glasses.

For those activists, the term

"Asian-american" was an attempt

To unite a massively diffuse

Community in solidarity, thus

Increasing their power, and,

Crucially, forcing their

Universities to devote resources

To making sure the histories of

All their communities were

Actually taught.

It was a political term, a

Radical redefinition at the

Time.

But it's since become a common

Shorthand that can,

Unfortunately, end up being used

In a way that is far too

Reductive and superficial,

To the point where an old

Government psa felt the need to

Make a pretty obvious statement.

People always ask me how I

Like america.

My great-grandfather was born

Here.

Like most americans, we've been

American for a long time.

Some of us follow asian

Tradition.

My family is apple pie american.

Mini bikes, football,

Rock guitar.

All asian-americans are no more

Alike than any other kind of

American.

We don't all look alike, do we?

Well, do we?

The f*ck?

Government money paid for that?

Even this kid has a smirk that

Says "f*cking white people."

Although, I'll admit, the writer

Of that psa defining

"Apple pie american" as

"Mini bikes, football,

Rock guitar" is magnificent.

It should be the oath of

Citizenship.

You put your hand over your

Heart, say "mini bikes,

Football, rock guitar,"

And then you never ride

A regular-sized bike again.

Why?

Because you're an "american"

Now.

And obviously, recognizing the

Diversity of asian-americans is

About much more than simply

Recognizing those three children

Have three different faces.

Because one of the main dangers

Of treating asian-americans

As a single entity is that it

Obscures the reality of what's

Happening for the different

Subgroups inside it.

For example, about 10% of

Asian-americans live in poverty,

Which is actually lower than the

Overall u.s. Poverty rate.

But when you disaggregate the

Data... When you break it down

By subgroup... You start to see

A much more complicated

Situation, with mongolian and

Burmese-americans having a

Poverty rate of 25%, more than

Twice the national average.

And when it comes to education,

While around 75% of

Indian-americans have a

Bachelor's degree... Well above

The national average... For

Bhutanese-americans, that figure

Is just 15%, which is well

Below it.

The point is, disaggregating the

Data can reveal big disparities

You couldn't see previously.

Looking at averages for

Asian-americans as a whole is

Like looking at the average

Income of the hemsworth

Brothers.

It's very misleading when we all

Know some hems are worth a lot

More than other hems are worth.

And look, using the term

"Asian-americans" to represent

A political coalition made

Sense, and still does,

To some extent.

But a coalition is not a

Monolith.

And to start to understand some

Of the present-day differences

Here, it really helps to

Understand the differences in

When, and how, people came to

This country.

And you can break down those

Experiences into a few broad

Categories, starting with those

Who arrived earlier, in the



Of the 20th.

Asian immigration in that time

Was essentially a cycle of

Economic exploitation followed

By a violent and restrictive

Backlash.

This began with chinese

Immigrants, who were recruited

To work on the railroads in the



They faced virulent racism from

The beginning, both from their

Bosses, who saw their lives as

Disposable, and from whites,

Many of whom saw them as unfair

Competition for jobs.

At the time, a senator from

California described chinese

Immigrants as "a*t*matic engines

Of flesh and blood"... Making

Them sound like railroad-laying

Terminators... And demanded that

The federal government

"Secure the american anglo-saxon

Civilization without

Contamination or adulteration."

And in 1882, with the chinese

Exclusion act, he got his wish.

The chinese exclusion law is

One of the first really

Comprehensively restrictive

Laws.

And it's also the first and only

Time in the entire history of

The united states that a group

Is singled out by name, chinese

By name as being undesirable.

So this is truly a remarkable

Moment.

Yep, the poster says

"Hip hurrah" to the chinese

Exclusion act, and if you look

At the whole thing, it says in

The middle, "hip hurrah, the

White man is on top."

Which is a bit redundant.

If you've said "hip hurrah"

Twice, you don't need to say

"The white man is on top."

It's like saying

"Blue lives matter" or "welcome

To carrie bradshaw's bedroom."

"The white man on top" part is

Very much implied.

And america committed to that

Exclusion policy.

Here's something you might not

There were actually six

Chinese men who survived the

Sinking of the titanic, but upon

Reaching u.s. Shores,

Were not permitted to enter

The united states to recover.

Instead, they were forced onto

Another boat and sent away the

Very next day.

Which isn't just r*cist,

It's insensitive.

Did it really have to be another

Boat?

They had just been on the best

Boat and it f*cking sucked.

Could you not put them on

A zeppelin or something?

At the very least, let's mix up

The doomed turn of the century

Transportation methods here.

And the experience of chinese

Immigrants unfortunately set

The template for the different

Groups that followed.

Because waves of japanese,

Korean, south asian, and

Filipino immigrants later came

Over as agricultural workers,

With those in charge often

Pitting the groups against

Each other with unequal wages

And treatment.

Each group that came faced

The common experience of racial

Hostility, v*olence, and laws

Denying them the possibility of

Becoming citizens or owning

Land.

Here is a poster targeting

Chinese people, here's a sign

Targeting japanese people, and

Here is one targeting filipinos.

It's just like the statue of

"Give me your

Tired, your poor, your huddled

Masses...

But not over there.

Not there either.

Definitely not in maine.

You know what, you guys just

Figure it out.

Don't worry, the signs will make

It really obvious."

And no matter how long

Asian-americans or their

Families had been in this

Country, they were, as now,

Treated as perpetual foreigners

Whose loyalties were in

Question, with the most famous

Example of this being

The world w*r ii

Internment camps, where



Who'd been rounded up en masse

Were imprisoned.

And to add insult to injury,

When they were finally allowed

To leave, the u.s. Government

Had the gall to try and give it

A positive spin.

If you don't have money

Enough to get to your new

Location, the government through

W.r.a. Will make a grant of

Enough money to get you there

And a little extra until

The paychecks start coming in.

This money does not have to be

Repaid.

It's a helping hand from

Uncle sam.

It's a big moment when you start

To pack for your trip outside.

It's an even bigger moment

When you walk through the gates,

For the last time.

And present your pass to the

Guard for the last time.

And take a look at the barbed

Wire fence for the last time.

"And as you look at

That barbed wire, you can think

"f*ck you, america" for the last

Time.

Go ahead.

We're cool with it.

You can even say it out loud if

You want to.

We'll pretend we didn't hear

You, and then we'll be even.

In fact, let's shake on that.

You can say "f*ck you, america"

One time, and then we'll be

Cool."

But around the middle of the

Last century, attitudes began to

Shift as the u.s. - Locked

In a cold w*r... Came to see

Exclusion laws and racial quotas

As bad for its global image.

So laws like the chinese

Exclusion act went away,

To eventually be replaced by

The 1965 immigration act.

And this is the next broad

Category of asian-american

Those who came

Post-1965 as a result of that

Act.

Because in contrast to the

Previous migrants, who were

Generally relegated to low-wage

Manual labor, a key thing this

Law did was prioritize educated

And highly skilled workers like

Doctors and engineers.

And it also tried to address

Specific labor needs, like when

A nursing shortage resulted in

Overseas ads like these.

Labor recruiters and travel

Agencies started targeting

Filipino nurses with ads that

Promised them bright futures in

America.

One particular ad featured a

Basket that was decorated with

The philippine flag.

It's addressing the filipino

Nurse saying, "dear nurse, if

You're not happy where you are

Right now, contact us."

And, "we can't promise you

Happiness, but we can help you

Chase it all over the place."

I've gotta say, that's

A refreshingly honest slogan.

"You might not catch happiness

...but you can chase it!"

And it seemed to work, as nurses

Are one of this countries' top

Imports from the philippines...

Followed closely by, of course,

Jollibee.

The world's greatest fast food

Mascot.

Because believe me, unlike

American labor recruiters in

The '60s, jollibee can promise

You happiness, and deliver it to

You, in videos like this.

Yes, please.

I don't know what I love more,

Jollibee tastefully shaking that

Stinger like it's a bottle of

His signature ketchup or

The coy flutter of those

Naughty humanoid eyes.

Jollibee can get it!

So very broadly, asian-americans

Before 1965 were largely

Exploited for their labor and

Legally discriminated against,

While after 1965, there were

Many more who came as skilled

Workers and who faced fewer

"Formal" legal barriers.

And then there's a final group

Here, that had less to do with

America's labor needs, and more

To do with its geopolitical

Those who arrived

As refugees.

Because between 1975 and 2010,

We took in over a million

Refugees from vietnam, laos,

And cambodia.

Which wasn't so much "generous"

As it was a direct result of

People seeking refuge from wars

That america waged in the

Region.

Basically, we bombed the sh*t

Out of their countries to thwart

The spread of communism...

Sometimes in secret wars to

Fulfill henry kissinger's napalm

Kink... And then, once we took

Those refugees in, we didn't

Really do much to set them up

For success.

When it comes to refugees, we

Hold a lot of trauma, ptsd,

Mental illness from the w*r and

The genocide.

We have in the u.s., With

Respect to our refugee policy,

This doctrine of work first or

Work immediately.

Doesn't matter if you just came

From a w*r zone and haven't

Healed from the mental and

Physical traumas of w*r,

We want you to get a low wage

Job immediately.

And that is really the

Full spectrum of the american

Experience, isn't it?

To go from the u.s. Not giving

A sh*t about your life abroad,

To not giving a sh*t about your

Life here.

Good luck!

By the way, if you think you

Hear bombs again, try not to

Freak out... It's either a

Holiday half the country kind of

Hates or some couple telling

Their friends what gender their

Baby is.

Welcome to america!

The point is, different groups

Of asian-americans have had

Vastly divergent migration

Experiences.

And when you understand them

More, the variation that you see

...in everything from income to

Education to health outcomes...

Begins to make sense.

And yet, groups that have, in

Some ways, so little in common,

Often have been unified,

Unfortunately, through the

Common experience of bigotry, as

Was the case in the early 1980s,

When america's fear of an

Economically ascendant japan led

To a r*cist fervor at home.

Pretty soon, the finger of

Blame ended up on japan.

All of this hatred, you could

Feel it, it was palpable.

Detroiters were invited for



Their anger on japanese cars.

Wow, that's stupid.

I honestly can't think of a

Single good reason to b*at up

A car, except maybe if

Lightning mcqueen owes you

Money.

And to be honest, if you really

Want to hurt him, you don't b*at

Him with a sledgehammer.

You light mater on fire,

And you make him watch.

That's what you do.

Everybody knows that.

Where's my f*cking money,

Mcqueen?

But tragically, and

Unsurprisingly, that type of

Resentment and blame turned to

v*olence, and eventually

Culminated in the m*rder of

Vincent chin, a chinese-american

Man who was beaten to death by

Two white men who blamed him for

What japan was doing to

The u.s. Auto industry.

Chin's K*llers were arrested and

Convicted, but the judge

Sentenced them to exactly no

Prison time, instead giving each

Of them three years' probation

And less than $4,000 in fines.

And he insisted at the time he'd

Made the right decision.

Judge charles kaufman says

Justice was done.

He would not talk to cbs news,

But he did tell a detroit

Newspaper that the two

Defendants were longtime,

Hardworking members of the

Community, adding, "these men

Are not going to go out and harm

Somebody else.

I just didn't think that putting

Them in prison would do any good

For them or for society."

Oh, it gets worse!

That judge also said, "these

Weren't the kind of men you send

To jail."

And it's hard to tell what

Criteria that judge used to

Decide what kind of men these

Two murderers were.

Was it the color of the skin

On their faces?

The color of the skin

On their hands?

Or just judicial instinct... A

Gut feeling that these two men

Were, in fact, white?

That's the thing about the

Criminal justice system:

At the end of the day, it's more

Race art than race science.

But the enduring legacy of

The vincent chin case was that

It managed to bring

Asian-americans of all

Ethnicities together

To call for justice.

And out of that sprang

A new chapter of asian-american

Activism and political identity.

And that's just the most famous

Example of a rich history of

Asian-american activism.

Which has often worked across

Racial lines, from the student

Strike we mentioned earlier, to

Filipino labor leaders working

With cesar chavez to organize

A grape boycott,

To yuri kochiyama's friendship

With malcolm x and her advocacy

For marginalized people of all

Backgrounds.

And yet a prevailing narrative

Most people hear regarding

Asian-americans is one of

Conflict between them and other

Communities of color... Like

During the 1992 l.a. Uprising.

And look, it's not that those

Tensions aren't very real.

But it's not the whole picture.

And it's also a narrative that

Fits into a much larger pattern,

In which white america has

Actively pitted asian-americans

Against other communities.

And that brings us to the second

Half of this sentence, and the

"Model minority" myth.

The idea of the model minority

Emerged over half a century ago,

In part because some

Asian-americans were

Strategically typecasting

Themselves in a bid to enhance

Their demands for

Racial equality.

And they did so by promoting

Their communities as upstanding

And hardworking.

And as immigration law began

Selecting for skilled and

Educated asian immigrants,

The credentials of those new

Arrivals seemed to conform to

The stereotype, which then took

On a life of its own, especially

In the civil-rights era,

As whites, unnerved by black

Americans' radical challenges to

The system, held up japanese and

Chinese-americans and their

Success as evidence that they

Claimed disproved systemic

Racism.

Very basically, america

Prioritized wealthy, more

Educated asian immigrants,

Then turned to black people...

Who'd been subjugated

For centuries... And said, "see?

They're educated and successful,

Why aren't you?"

And using asian-american success

To downplay american racism is

A trend that very much continues

To this day.

If america was such a

Hate-filled, discriminatory,

r*cist society filled with

Animus against asian-americans,

How do you explain the

Remarkable success of

Asian-americans in our country?

Their mindset is to just work

Really hard.

It's not to protest things and

Not to shut things down.

It's just to work really hard.

Asians, the whole reason

Why they kick ass is because

They don't spend any time on

Petty bullshit.

Asians are concerned about

Hate crimes, but they're

Very upwardly mobile,

Very success-oriented,

Very business-oriented.

They're model citizens

In many cases in my view.

Probably the most admirable

Ethnic group we have.

Wow, congratulations,

Asian-americans!

d*ck morris thinks you're the

Most admirable ethnic group we

Have.

That's so sweet of him to say.

If you want to write d*ck a

Thank you note, just address the

Envelope to "shove this right up

d*ck morris's ass, new york, ny,

Whatever zip code d*ck morris's

assh*le is in."

A central premise of

The model minority myth is that

The key to overcoming american

Racism is simply strong values

And hard work... With the

Implication being that groups

That haven't succeeded simply

Haven't tried hard enough.

And putting aside how offensive

That is, the truth is, whether

Or not you're "successful,"

Living a life defined by a

r*cist fantasy just isn't

Good for you.

Striving to maintain the idea

Of a "model minority" has really

Severed my self-esteem.

It really makes me feel that I'm

Nothing more than someone who

Could get good grades, someone

Who was supposed to be perfect,

And be mum about everything.

Right.

Trying to be perfect your whole

Life is going to be too much to

Bear.

That's why I made a promise when

I started this show that I'd

Always get one fact in every

Story completely wrong.

Is that responsible?

Absolutely not.

But it is what keeps me looking

Young.

And the model minority myth is

Especially galling for some

Members of groups... Like those

Whose families came as refugees

...whose lived experience

Doesn't remotely match the

Stereotype.

The truth is, that kind of

Pressure can do real damage.

su1c1de is the leading cause of

Death for asian-americans

Between the ages of 15 and 24.

And yet, apparently, only 8% of

Asian-americans sought help for

Their mental health, which is

Less than half the rate of the

General population.

And that is not just a result of

Cultural stigmas around

Mental health.

It's also what happens when

You're consistently told to

Quietly and happily accept

Discrimination because your

Version is the "nice racism."

But there is no nice racism.

There is no silver lining to it,

And there is no working your way

Out of it.

You're still perpetually treated

As a foreigner, still asked

Where you're "really from," and

Asian-americans always seem to

Be one geopolitical crisis away

From becoming the targets of

v*olence yet again, whether it's

Those internment camps for

Japanese-americans, or the spate

Of att*cks on south asians after



v*olence during the pandemic.

So the model minority myth is

Both a tool of white supremacy

And a trap.

And as with so many things in

This story, with a community

This diverse, there are going to

Be different perspectives on how

To handle it.

Andrew yang has annoyed some

By leaning into it, with

Self-deprecating jokes and his

f*cking math hat.

And he also angered many when

He responded to the Tr*mp

Administration's "china virus"

Rhetoric by writing an op-ed in

Which he claimed, "we asian

Americans need to embrace and

Show our american-ness in ways

We never have before" by, among

Other things, "wearing red,

White, and blue."

That argument prompted a

Backlash, with eddie huang

Tweeting, "f*ck out of here with

This america drag... You bumbling

Pineapple bun," and I do get

That.

Because it's pretty insulting

To suggest two centuries of

Racism could be defeated by

Serving uncle sam realness.

So all of that is, very

Simplistically, too broadly

And probably too quickly, an

Abridged version of how we all

Got to where we are right now.

So where do we go from here?

Well, what is clear is, we have

To find a way to have smarter,

More nuanced conversations

About the reality of

The asian-american experience.

And we cannot do that without

Access to high-quality,

Disaggregated data that can help

Better fit public policy to the

Actual needs of individual

Communities.

But that is not all.

Because asian-americans have

Been warning for decades about

All of this.

Just watch a man tell a

Reporter, five years before I

Was even born, what I've been

Trying to tell you, during yet

Another one of those old "model

Minority" profiles.

But I suggested that compared

To the black and chicano, the

Japanese-american has it made.

He can get a job, a place to

Live.

It's a situation where I

Think the question is not

Material, making it in terms of

Economics, but a question

Basically of human dignity.

You know what I mean in terms of

Human dignity?

Like, for example, we've been

Set in a certain category and

Many people argue,

"Man, you got a good stereotype!

You got a stereotype that gets

You apartments where you don't

Have to pay a cleaning deposit

Because you're so g*dd*mn

Clean!"

That's our stereotype, but it's

An infringement, it's a

Violation of our human dignity,

'Cause they don't view us as

Individuals, as human beings.

We fit into a certain category,

We fit into a certain box.

That's how they view us.

He's right.

It's a category, it's a box,

But the thing is, you don't

Learn anything from it unless

You bother to look inside.

Because obviously, no group,

Community, or indeed,

Individual, is just one thing.

And when you reduce

The asian-american experience to

That of a "model minority,"

You're omitting a history that

Includes exploitation and

Exclusion, but also includes

Activism, some infighting,

Challenges with issues like

Immigration, education, and

Access to social services that

Continue to this day,

And an array of interests and

Achievements that go far beyond

These two guys, to be as vast

And diverse as america itself.

And by the way, can you see who

Is in there?

I told you, kareem!

I told you I got your back!

I see you, kareem!

And I know this story has barely

Skimmed the surface of this

Subject, but I hope it's at

Least introduced some of you to

A bit of the history involved

Here, as well as what I think

We can all agree is the world's

Most fuckable bee.

That's our show.

Thank you so much for watching.

We'll see you next week,

Good night!