Escape From Plan A

A vibrant film culture has existed in Asia for a long time, but only recently has it become so available to the rest of the world. For Asian Americans, Asian cinema offers an opportunity to learn about our ancestral homelands in a way that may have gotten lost in the immigration process. Joining Teen and Oxford are Anthony Kao and Richard Yu, the founders of Cinema Escapist. Theirs is a website de...

From Amy Tan to Michelle Kwan to Constance Wu, there are many Asian American women who have achieved great success and are upheld as leading figures of the community. But sometimes (and especially online), Asian male support is muted or reluctant. Is it resentment at seeing women in power at all? Or does it have anything to do with the feeling that only by closely allying with whiteness can Asian...

From Natalie Tran's "White Male Asian Female" documentary to NYT's article "The Alt-Right's Asian Fetish" to the backlash against Chloe Bennet (born Chloe Wang) for dating Logan Paul, the topic of WMAF has been unavoidable as of late. It's often said that the issues of internalized racism involved in this topic are best addressed by and for Asian women. But what happens when Asian women run into b...

The trailer for the Netflix adaptation of Jenny Han's YA novel, "To All The Boys I've Loved Before," has fans excited, especially because an Asian woman is in a lead rom-com role. But within Asian American spaces, there has been a lot of discussion over how progressive this movie actually is when it's yet another story about an Asian girl obsessing over mainly white boys. Is media rep for POC alwa...

In life, there are certain certainties. The universe is immense. Your kids will disappoint you. And Germany will make it to the knockout round of the World Cup. Wait what?! Korea had something to say about that last one? Teen, Oxford, and Mark relive a glorious game and revel in the even more glorious outbursts of shared celebrations between Korea, Mexico, and the rest of the world in Germany's em...

With Trump's abominable immigration policies creating child prisons and extreme deportations, the question must be asked: what is truly fueling all this? It's not job loss. It's not crime. It's fear of demographic change. Teen, Oxford, and Mark trace the rather easily discoverable trail of this "America as white nation" ideology and give their takes on the American moral obligation to allow immigr...

Jess, Mark, and Teen tackle falling marriage rates and why men and women seem to be seeing past each other. Also, Asian beer supremacy and the frothy spectacle of the frozen Sapporo. Intro/Outro Song: "Luv (sic)" by Nujabes TWITTER: Teen (@mont_jiang) Jess (@cogitatotomato) Mark (@snbatman) REFERENCED RESOURCES: America, Home of the Transaction Marriage by Victor Tan Chen: https://www.theatlantic....

In this special midweek episode, Plan A reflects on what made Anthony Bourdain such a beloved figure, especially among people of color. Asian Americans had a particular respect for the way he was able to appreciate Asian food and culture in a way that was free of condescension or white-saviorism. Teen, Oxford, and guest podcaster Kasie pay their respects by talking about their favorite Bourdain mo...

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has been advocating for the scrapping of the SHSAT, which determines admission to the city's top public schools like Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, and Bronx Science. How much of this is fear and resentment of an Asian takeover? Can the rise of Asian politicians, such as in California, strengthen our community? Teen, Oxford, and Mark discuss this contentious topic, along with...

Sunny J. Reed, an emerging adoption writer, mom, and transracial adoptee joins Mark on the podcast to discuss an important aspect of the Adoption issue, re-homing. Re-homing is a term used to describe the act of returning a child to an adoption agency or between two private parties. In America, hundreds if not thousands of private re-homings occur with no oversight and facilitated by Internet mess...

With BTS accelerating the mainstream-ization of K-pop in America, the ever-popular question among Asian American guys becomes more pertinent: is K-pop good for the beleaguered Asian male image in America? Oxford, Jong, and Q join forces to talk about breaking free of traditionalist American masculine norms and the importance of Asian Americans to be in touch with what's going on in Asian pop cultu...

A couple of weeks ago, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was brought down by the fact that he was a disgusting and abusive scumbag to women, all the while presenting himself as a progressive feminist champion. In the #MeToo era, this kind of hypocrisy is no longer surprising. Along with Trump and Weinstein, Schneiderman is the latest mortal wound to the idea of white benevolence, especia...

It seems that every few months, a new incident occurs where the fiery debate over cultural appropriation is sparked again. What exactly is at the heart of this very emotional issue? Is it a fear of being replaced? Is it a fear of losing ownership of culture? Is it resentment at having feelings ignored? Is there a profit motive involved? Is there a gendered response, especially when beauty is invol...

Brillante Mendoza's TV series "Amo" is the first Filipino-made television show to be picked up by Netflix. Though often compared to other shows about drug wars such as "Narcos" and "The Wire," there is a lot that would be unfamiliar to or lost on most American viewers. Eliza and two guest podcasters, Joey Marana and Aldovar, reach into their Filipino-American backgrounds to fill in the gaps for ou...

Are Asian Americans being cut out from the American embrace of Asian culture? And is this really a problem? Teen and Jess talk about the Asian American female critical abhorrence of 'Isle of Dogs,' in particular the character Tracy Walker. The conversation turns towards the bias against women having public conflicts, the concept of Asian American cultural property, and the rising anxiety caused by...

For Asian Americans, there is often the question of whether there's a sort of Promised Land, where there is less racism and more happiness. Frequently, Canada is suggested as such a place. Filip and Oxford, who were both born and raised in Canada, discuss the good and bad of life in the True North strong and free. Intro/Outro Song: Theme from Hockey Night in Canada Intro Voice Track: Don Cherry on...

Many Asian Americans see college education, particularly elite college education, as their main pathway to success. But is that true? Furthermore, does the process turn Asian American kids against each other to strive for inclusion in a selective white liberal milieu? Jess, Oxford, and Oriana draw upon their experiences at these types of schools to talk about whether we should idealize these insti...

Self-described comedian Esther Ku’s racialized act (that demeans Asians for white audiences) set off a battle on Twitter. The story was picked up by Nextshark and NY Post. Oxford, Teen, and Mark discuss the incident and try to layer some sense over the chaos, including recognizing similar patterns in other minority communities. Intro Song: "Black Cab" by Higher Brothers Intro Voice Track: Esther K...

Jess, Filip and Teen continue their conversation on race and class. Does class ascension require letting go of our ethnic identity? Why does not being seen as Asian, but rather just a person, seem neither fully right, nor fully wrong? Intro/Outro Song: Smoke Weed Everyday Intro Voice Track: The Joy Luck Club Twitter: Teen (@mont_jiang) Jess (@whatsupjess)

Filip, Jess and Teen get together to discuss Jordan Peterson. Love him, hate him, or don't know him, the rising influence of Peterson, who occupies some role between public intellectual and national father figure, is something that cannot be ignored. Is this a positive move away from the nihilism and chaos of both the left and right, or is his conspicuous refusal to talk about race something to wo...

What is triggering the alt-right outbreak? Is it racism, sexism, or both? Oxford, Teen, and Jess use Angela Nagle’s book "Kill All Normies" and Kristen Roupenian’s short story "Cat Person" as launchpads for discussing this social development that has much relevance for Asian Americans as well. Intro/Outro Song: "99 Problems (Instrumental)" by Jay-Z Intro Voice Track: Vice Interview with Jordan Pet...

David Chang is omnipresent: ramen joints, fine dining, fried chicken, magazines, and so forth. Now, he has his own Netflix show, “Ugly Delicious,” that is obsessed with the meaning and value of authenticity. Teen, Filip and Eliza discuss what sets it apart from your typical foodie TV series and why David Chang might be the most original Asian American celebrity out there today. Intro/Outro Song: "...

Eliza and Teen theorize about the 2018 Academy Awards, whether the frontrunners Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Shape of Water, and Dunkirk are the only viable winners, or whether revised voting procedures give Get Out and others an outside chance. Twitter: Eliza (@aestheticdistance1) Teen (@mont_jiang)

Jen Kim joins the podcast to compare the Asian adoptee experience versus growing up as the second-generation of an Asian immigrant family. Jen is the vice president of AKA (Also Known As), an association of international adoptees. Intro/Outro Music: "Clean" by Incubus Intro Voice Track: "The Chinese Woman" from Seinfeld

Asian guys often pride ourselves on standing by Asian women, but is that more out of choice or necessity? And if it’s by choice, do we do enough to make them feel that they’re our first choice? In this second entry of the Asian male sub-series, Oxford, Filip, and Mark explore their past, present, and future to reflect on the state of relationships between Asian men and women, and where it needs to...