Home2019January 2019 - Asian Articulations

Imagine one day that you show up to work and you expect everything to be normal. Why wouldn’t you? You work hard, you’re honest, you give nobody a reason to club you to death with a hammer. The problem is, someone out there doesn’t like you. They don’t like you for the color of your skin. They don’t like you because they perceive you a threat to your own community. Why? Because the media painted...

Have you ever come across a meme that is so hilarious you get those deep belly laughs, you’re crying tears of laughter and sharing the heck out of it? Yeah, I feel you. And in the prime age of Twitter and Instagram, it’s hard not to stumble upon these comedy gems every once in a while. But let’s not forget about Facebook. There lies the home of a group that brings me so much joy: subtle...

… for your book or product, with exercises to try out. Everybody knows at least 5 cult classics without even thinking. These are 5 of mine off the top of my head: Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, 50 Shades, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Secret History. How did they become cults? How do you attract passionate devotees? Followers who adore your product which is then referred to as a cult classic? If you have created...

“That white girl cannot possibly be your daughter, so I am just going to talk to the man behind you, who actually looks like her father!” …No, the cashier at the department store did not actually say that, but she could as well have done just that. More on that later. Growing up, I used to stay away from racism—and by that, I mean actively avoiding racist-themed books, movies, and other forms of narrated life....

You’re 3 years old. You attend your cousin’s extravagant wedding. You’re blown away with how beautiful everything is. Someday you’re going to have a wedding just like that. Possibly even marry a rich person and be an American. You don’t know if you want to be Hmong anymore. You’re 8 years old. You wear your cultural Hmong clothes to the Hmong New Year. This time you didn’t want to dress up, but you’re forced to...

I have an average penis. It’s not big, it’s not small. It’s like a Honda Civic: common, very functional with good mileage. Of all the interesting parts of my body, my penis should not be anything of interest to anyone I don’t fuck, because well, it’s what you’ll find in most men. But throughout my life, as an Asian man, I’ve been defined by it. I’m better at fucking than I am at math, but...