Alexandra Wallace - Flashpoint - Race in USA
Get it straight, we are not countering hate with more hate. That will only fuel racism even more. When this controversy is all over, why don't you guys just hug someone of a different ethnicity and say, "We can all hate each other & we can let the our amygdala or medial prefrontal cortex do tricks on us, but let's try our best to love each other from now on."
Here are some of my favorite responses to Alexandra Wallace, the UCLA poli sci student who, during the stress of exam week, uploaded an anti-Asian rant. If you haven't seen her Youtube video, here's the re-posting which had received over 5 million hits in about 2 weeks.
In the following Youtube responses, consider how these youth are rehearsing for systemic resistance via media activism. I'm pretty sure we will consider this a turning point in Asian identity in the US, a rousing defense of place and belonging, and a profound rejection of everyday white supremacy.
Jesse Hewit pointed out the messy sexism and femme-ism that is part of the attack on Alexandra Wallace. Philip Huang says, "Racism + misogyny = the perfect storm, right?" Note how many of the respondents call her a bitch and a slut, over and over again.
Here is a video that Sam Aranke told me about, in which the actual families (or should I say "hoards!") participate, but the mix of 'real' parents and 'people playing family' is brilliant. Their language parody could be a direct quote of a La Pocha Nostra video from 10 or 15 years ago. The current youth/media generation gets political satire, camp, media analysis and video production the way I learned to do multiplication tables. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPWy4iuxjQ4&feature=related
The song guy. I can't fully explain it but I have cried, not once but twice, watching this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zulEMWj3sVA
Asian guy just goes off: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbvDMYdEx8s&feature=fvsr
Parody by Asian girl in 'white blond drag' with both a Mexican and a holocaust joke, righteous!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkuwYX2hpZs&feature=related
Philip Huang asks, where are all the Asian performance artists? Ummm they're in school at UCLA and across the US making post-Margaret Cho videos! Here is one of the future comic geniuses of America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOGpGoEMu2s&feature=related
And here is another: somewhat funny, full of rage and sexist crap mixed up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKpf9YT4x8o&feature=related
And I love this white guy's cheap drag.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F04YC-g6s4&feature=related
Isn't it amazing how many people - despite being raised in the most reactionary and racist/nationalist contexts - actually get what racism is, how stupid and anachronistic it is, and are willing to demonstrate their resistance to it, and their solidarity with non-white people. I wish I could find the video of the white girl who imitates Alexandra in a very smart parody/deconstruction, but there are now hundreds of response vids and I can't locate it.
Too many respondents (and Philip Huang) comment on Alexandra's boobs. This video takes it the furthest. He would get an A- from me for this well-sampled detournement. He doesn't get the A because he doesn't comment on his own comment on the boobs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqqvlXasBfk&feature=fvst
And on and on and on....