Asians In The Library

Something unfortunate happend this past week. UCLA student Alexandra Wallace posted a video about her distaste of people answering their cell phones in the library. Especially during finals week. Alexandra posted it on her youtube vlog last Friday. By Sunday, it was unposted. Good or bad, it was recorded and reposted to the disgust of the API community. The reasons for the disgust was Alexandra's racist remarks about Asians that live in her apartment complex, "the horde of Asians" talking on their cell in the UCLA library, and lack of sympathy for the recent events surrounding the Japan tsunami. Since this past Monday, the post has taken on a life of its own and is now truly a meme.

My initial response was that of shock. After a minute or so later, it turned to disgust. Five days later, it's now turned into entertainment. Among my Asian co-workers this week, it's not uncommon to hear "Ohhhhhhhh Ching Chong..." in the middle of random conversations. It's that big. One thing that saddens me is that at no point was I ever surprised that this behavior could and does exist here in the good ol' US of A. In order to enjoy the "hordes of Asians", there's no better place than SoCal and specifically Los Angeles.

The responses from the only place Asians seem to have a voice in the US is YouTube. Literally, thousands of response videos have been posted. I've posted a few of my favorites below. I'll be adding to it for my own reference. Unfortunately, there are many supporters of Alexandra's rant.

On another note, I passed the YouTube video of just the "Ohhhh Ching Chong Ling Long Ting Tong Ohhhhh" loop to my co-worker in China. That guy didn't think it was racist, but thought it was super funny.

Women Don't Fall From the Sky - 暫譯:從天而降

I recently found out about Women Don't Fall From the Sky (暫譯:從天而降). Dubbed as "the first independant Chinese TV drama produced locally...626, San Gabriel Valley". That's right around the block from my hood, The Heights. Technically, the majority of The Heights is in the 626, but there are the ppl in the 562 and 909. And its also part of the San Gabriel Vally (SGV). But I am guessing its based on parts of the Monterey Park, Arcadia, Alhambra, San Gabriel, and Temple City area.

The trailer looks pretty well made. However, I am still not entirely sure of what the story is about. Seems like two male protagonists battle it out within the life of a mother and daughter. One is a player but can't keep lady's around. The other is not able to get beyond the first meal. It also looks to be a combination of English and Mandarin Chinese (English subtitles).

From the trailer, I do not recognize any of the people. I hope them the best of luck on establishing Chinese dramas outside of Asia. I wonder how it'll compare to the dramas of other large Chinese communities like Malaysia.

I wonder how I will even watch this and how they will make money. Will it be shown on any of the 10 or so OTA Chinese TV stations? Youtube? Hulu? DramaFever? How will I be able to watch this.

Even with all my questions, I like that there's people out there in my hood thinking of doing this stuff. It's got to start somewhere. If I can help support them through my viewership, sign me up.