Wired Is the Way to G
- Dear Editor: This letter is in regard to “Antenna Proposal Raise Some Ire” (July 12). It is disturbing that the business-at-any-cost philosophy in the cell phone antenna debate is pitting phone users against those concerned about the health of our communities. But more disturbing still is the willing acceptance of possibly harmful technology even by the victims of our fast-paced technological changes, those who believe that they cannot survive without gadgets such as cell phones.
- How did we ever survive the 20th century? Not only are these “must-have” gadgets harming our citizens’ health and our environment, but they are also making us more and more self-absorbed and isolated. Cell phones mixed with driving cause accidents, resulting injury and death. In addition, they are causing a wave of rudeness in public places. We are becoming more and more like automatons, devoid of the minimum of human courtesy and respect. The proof of this is the sickening threats of bodily harm at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting on the subject of cell phone antennas.
Denise D’Anne
San Francisco
Let’s Get Past Emil’s Spermless Fertilization
- Dear Editor: It seems wrong that Emil Guillermo talks about Asian women’s negative attitudes towards Asian men in his column (“Spermless Fertilization,” July 12). You draw the connections. He writes that Asian American guys “score one … for Kiss of the Dragon, where karate guy Jet Li is paired with Bridget Fonda, who plays a hooker. He doesn’t have to pay.”
- Don’t score one for me. I went to see the movie, and there was no romantic relationship between Jet Li and Bridget Fonda, though as usual in these kinds of movies, it was oh-so-subtly hinted at. But even if there were, and even if Jet Li got to kiss some white prostitute, how would that be one point for me?
- I’m not a karate guy, and if a white prostitute was into me, it wouldn’t be mutual attraction.
- Yet, Emil says “Jet Li and Bridget Fonda on the big screen is a nice ego boost for the Asian-guy image in general.” And he goes on: “Why do Asian women seem so willing, so ready to ignore Asian guys? Asian guys don’t even get to the dump stage.”
- So how would Jet Li’s potential-but-didn’t-happen fling with a white hooker assuage wounds over a perceived Asian-woman rejection of us? Wouldn’t we, too, be guilty of “jumping ship?”
- I also didn’t agree with the comment that “Somewhere there’s an Asian woman out there (a non-porn star) who is our counterpart to Wilt Chamberlain.” The fact is, somewhere out there, there’s an Asian man who is our counterpart to Wilt Chamberlain. But why bring sexist stereotypes of Asian women as sexual creatures and racist stereotypes of African American men into the fray?
- Emil continues “It’s that Asian guy/Asian woman repulsion surfacing again.” We are taught as Asian Americans not to desire each other. It’s not a woman thing. The poet Ronald Tanaka wrote about hating his wife’s ugly face.
- More importantly, while the “repulsion” thing may exist among some Asian American women and men, why is it that the Asian American women and men who are fighting to change stereotypes, to open doors for Asian American performers and entertainers who can present more accurate representations of us, are never spotlighted?
- Why doesn’t AsianWeek feature columns on Asian American members of the Actor’s Equity who protest racist stereotyping; or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who are vocal about negative typecasting of Asian American men and women and people of color in the entertainment industry; or the number of community activists who, instead of praising an Asian-guy/white hooker pair in an ineptly made action flick, fight to change the stereotypes that drive a wedge between Asian American women and men?
- I see Asian couples in shopping malls; downtown, uptown; in J-Towns, markets, churches; at sports events, protest rallies and concerts. I doubt that these men had any trouble meeting their girlfriends and wives, because they weren’t talking spermless fertilization.
Kenneth Masaki Tanemura
via e-mail
Under One ‘Racist’ Nation
- Dear Editor: Please give the recent airing of Late Night with Conan O’Brien, in which a comedian indulged in hate slurring of Chinese, your widest coverage to expose the American disease called racism.
- I suppose the Chinese are supposed to be passive and take it? Would the Jews take it if they are called kikes? Would the blacks take it if they are called niggers? How about if the whites are called white trash?
- I fail to see this name-calling as anything but destructive. I view it as an immature, infantile obsession with race that is as American as apple pie.
Henry Mar
Oakland, Calif.
Stop Using the ‘Q’ Word
- Editor’s Note: In the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community organizations AsianWeek works with, “queer” has been accepted terminology for some time. We stand behind our use of the term as a word which is inclusive, not hateful.
- Dear Editor: I deeply resent your use of the ugly, hurtful hate word “queer,” in reference to my kind of American citizen, as you did on July 19 (“Queer Youth Activists Make Some Noise”). This insult is being pushed by a small number of the gay kook fringe in the Castro ghetto and is resented by mainstream gay people. I strongly chewed out my nephew from the East Coast for using the word Chink. Are you going to use the word “nigger” to refer to African-Americans too? Why not be consistent in your use of ugly epithets?
Armand Boulay
Berkeley, Calif.
Please Support Me
- Editor’s Note: The following letter was sent out via mass e-mail.
- Dear Editor: My name is Eric Kan. I’m an Asian American actor in Los Angeles. I am currently playing a recurring character named Leo on the hit daytime series Days Of Our Lives.
- I will continue on the show through the summer for its island subplot. This is a big break for me and I would like to get the word out to as many Asian Americans as possible. The show airs on NBC.
- If you would like to see more Asians being represented on such a widely viewed show, please e-mail Days of Our Lives at: joycejudith@aol.com.
- Or you can write to:
Days of Our Lives Publicity
3000 W. Alameda Ave
Burbank, CA 91523
- I am mentioned in soapdigest.com, as well. I would appreciate any help and support.
Eric Kan
via e-mail
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