Favorite Tweets: 2018
The very nature of Twitter is that tweets roll by and then disappear — or, rather, get hidden by a mountain of more recent tweets. These are some of the tweets that I would like to remember.
Category: Musings
BTS: Why Can’t You Speak English Better?
I am feeling salty today. So grab a cup of hot tea (and maybe a slice of delicious cake to make this all go down better). There’s no shame in not speaking English perfectly as a foreign language. But it is obnoxious to use a person’s words specifically for the intent of shaming them.
Say My Name: Who’s Your Fave K-Drama “Jae-Ha”?
My name isn’t uncommon in Korea. But, as you can imagine, I never had to worry about a classmate sharing my first name after we immigrated to Chicago. On the other hand, whenever my friends and I went to the mall to buy keychains or anything that had a name pre-printed on it, I never found my name listed anywhere along with the Julies and Kevins. Imagine my delight when I started watching Korean Dramas and saw characters who share my name!
“Pinocchio” (피노키오)
I was going to review “Pinocchio” simply as I would any other K-Drama. But I started to write this at the same time that Soon-Yi Previn broke her silence about her relationship with Woody Allen (her husband) and Mia Farrow (her adoptive mother, and Allen’s former long-time girlfriend) — and that affected my take on this Korean drama. Is it wrong for family members who aren’t biologically-related to have a romantic relationship? If you condemn Allen and Previn, can you condone the two lead characters in this series?
Mansplaining
“Mansplaining is, at its core, a very specific thing. It’s what occurs when a man talks condescendingly to someone (especially a woman) about something he has incomplete knowledge of, with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about it than the person he’s talking to does.” — Merriam-Webster
Can you ever be too old for K-Pop?
A month ago, KPop For Thought contacted me, asking if I would like to answer a question for her online newsletter about K-Pop. And this is the question she sent me: “I always see you bonding with your son through K-pop on Twitter, and it’s such an amazing thing. In times where some people say that being over 18 is too old to like pop music, could you talk a bit about your experience as a K-pop fan and mother?”
Mother’s Day 2018
So, I didn’t get a kimchi fridge for Mother’s Day. But, my kiddo knows me so well. I love to organize and contain. He bought me new canisters for my baking supplies.
Mirai Nagasu: Did You Know You’re an Immigrant?
Do you think it’s appropriate to refer to a person who was born in the United States as an “immigrant”? Yeah, me neither.
BTS: Boys to Men
I cringed at the way Vogue infantilized BTS by referring to the musicians repeatedly as as “boys.” The youngest member is 20. The eldest is 25. They are old enough to vote and serve in the military. Then, too, there is already the disgusting stereotype of Asian men as not really being men, but servile, effeminate boys.
Favorite Tweets: 2016 to 2017
The very nature of Twitter is that tweets roll by and then disappear — or, rather, get hidden by a mountain of more recent tweets. These are some of the tweets that I would like to remember.
Why You Gotta Sue It?
That time I tweeted about being offered an interview … contingent upon them suing me if I wrote anything “negative” … and thousands of K-Pop fans said I was wrong to turn down that “great opportunity.” 🙄
Chink Bitch
Many years ago, the road manager for a very famous band called me a chink bitch and waited for me to go away. I’m still here.
Would you interview my client? And, by the way, we might sue you!
Someone asked if I wanted to interview their client. They helpfully mentioned that they would most likely sue me, though, if I wrote anything negative.
For the love of baseball
I spent a good chunk of my youth at Wrigley Field. One of my brother’s first jobs as a teenager was as an Andy Frain usher at Wrigley Field. Back then, you could always get into see a Cubs game. But as relatively new immigrants, we didn’t have a lot of disposal income for things like ballgames. Or babysitters. So during the summers, while my sister worked at the library and my brother as an usher, one of them would have to take me along with them. More often than not, I would tag along with my brother to Wrigley Field, because getting to watch a ballgame was more fun than watching my sister shelve books.
Dude Bros vs. Asian Men
I do believe that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. But it’s clear that for many people, who say these offensive things, they refuse to see beauty in men who they view as inferior. More than a decade ago, I wrote a piece about Asian-American actors. And the response from women was overwhelmingly positive. But several men felt compelled to e-mail the newspaper to inform us that Asian men are ugly and that no one in their right mind would find them sexy.
The Lesson of Logan Paul
White men have been preternaturally obsessed with trying to emasculate Asian men since forever. I want my Asian-American son to know: It is their issue to deal with. Not yours.
Kyle vs. Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry — you are costing me a small fortune. But as long as you continue to be a good role model for my kid, I’m OK with that.
Son of Jae
Sometimes I get the best surprises. On Twitter, an artist named Hobi took the time to make these adorable drawings of my son and send them to me. (I am displaying them here with her permission.)
Rap Monster Article & “Friends” Giveaway
This is for the A.R.M.Y! I wanted to do something fun and special for you… and this is my (small) way of thanking you: I am giving away some copies of my newspaper article and a copy of my book about the TV show, “Friends.”