but you know, i think all i wish for us as artists and as a community is that we had more thought going on about everything all the time. uh…while that may seem kind of irrational, that’s what it is. it’s too easy to see every statement or event or whatever in the mainstream context – or in the default anti-mainstream “revolutionary” context, that sometimes we forget to look at the REAL context, that is as interaction between two people, or writer and reader, speaker and listener, performer and audience, etc…

but also, i’m very ready to just not deal with people that frustrate me. i’m not gonna engage in public squabbles over shit that matters because without concentrated strategy, public beef about important issues never gets anywhere toward resolving the issue. it’s just theater.

i guess on the level, a person’s truth is a person’s truth. what i wonder about a lot is accountability & responsibility – if that’s something that’s built in or can be created for what we call “asian america.”

some folks may not think of themselves as a community member while others place them folks in the “community.” let’s take fresh kid ice for example. i grew up loving 2 live crew not only for their sex rhymes (which for a youngin was hella fun to hear) but becuz of the long dick chinaman – one the late 80s ambassaders for our community, uh yeah…

nowadays, i try to be on some patience tip (not really good tho’) especially for my fellow asian am sisters & brothers. i know i’ve changed, learned, & been pushed to grow over the yrs, & i’ve seen others do the same. i try to have faith that others will hopefully learn too, one step at a time. shit, i’m not ready to give up on folks even when they all about some wack shit.

Limiting a person’s right to say something seems like an infringement of rights in the bad way. I think the problem is how people pick up on things and make them bigger than what they are. I don’t think it’s Amy Tan’s fault that her book gets trumpeted around the way it does as much as the folks who are lazy and want an easy-to-digest look at asian culture (or want to culturally legitimize themselves?). It’d be nice if people realized how their work might be molded to fit someone else’s agenda.

What do you think of that “if you don’t like it, don’t listen to it” mentality? I guess that only works up to a point.

I don’t know where to draw the lines.

i guess i just say that to throw the question out there – is Asian American music about the music or about the artists? do we support music by people who happen to identify as Asian Americans? or do we support music that agrees with certain politics regardless of the identity of the artist?

i don’t have answers either. but i think part of the way to go is to acknowledge the diversity within our community. however you define that.

If this wasn’t true, how come there are NO ASIANS on the Red So-oh wait.

You know, in all seriousness, what I find interesting is what people/the general public gravitate towards. I think it would just be wack in Joy Luck club was out there but no one read it. Unfortunately it’s looked upon, and taught, in a lot of classrooms as the definitive Asian American fiction. Really shows you how far behind people are re: Asian Americans and representation.

On the other hand, why shouldn’t I be able to take a stand sometimes and point out the ethical problems with a particular piece or a particular artist? I don’t think critique is the same as hating. In the end, I have a view as to what I’d like our world to look like and the only way I can make that happen is to make conscious choices in my life.

That’s sounds so fucking preachy. But whatever. It’s my comment and I can cry if I want to. =P