Big Straw News: 04/15/2021
Happy Carnival weekend!
Hello again, and happy Carnival weekend! We hope you are able to take a break from everything this weekend and get a chance to relax.
It’s been a long time since we published our last newsletter, so we’ve published a good number of articles since then. Take a look below, in case you missed them:
Anti-Asian racism
Last month, after the mass shootings in Atlanta occurred, several of our contributors shared different perspectives on the shootings and the general rise in anti-Asian violence. Read the article here.
We’ve also collected a list of related articles, all by Asian authors, which we found to be thought-provoking.
Atlanta spa shooting suspect's 'bad day' defense, and America's sexualized racism problem (NBC News)
“I can't remember ever having experienced racism separate from sexism”, writes sociologist and author Nancy Wang Yuen. Her piece discusses the racism and sexism experienced of Asian women in the US throughout history, and how the reality of their intersection cannot be separated from the mass shootings in Georgia.Anti-Asian Violence in America Is Rooted in US Empire (The Nation)
In this piece, the authors examine how US foreign policy directly perpetuates anti-Asian violence worldwide, and how justifying such policies requires dehumanizing Asian bodies. The roots of Anti-Asian violence, they argue, cannot be dissociated from the effects of US militarism that continue to this day.The Real Lives of America’s Chinese Masseuses (Sixth Tone)
Zhou Shuxuan shares with us her knowledge from organizing to support massage parlor workers, many who enter the profession to support themselves and their families, and because it is a job that pays relatively well and requires relatively little English skills. But they are stigmatized by police who look down on them as human “trafficking victims, and harass and stigmatize them for doing their jobs.The Paradox at the Heart of the Atlanta Spa Shootings and the Rise in Anti-Asian Hate (Shondaland)
Joey S. Kim, a visiting professor at the University of Toledo, writes about the paradox between the increasing popularity of Asian-American media, and the violence that makes it clear Asians are “perpetual foreigners.” It is, she writes, “a constant oscillation between the Asian celebrity and the dehumanized or unnamed Asian victim.”Keeping Love Close (NYT)
In this photo essay, writer Celeste Ng and Asian and Asian-American photographers show what expressions of love look like for them, in their families and in their homes.Swelling Anti-Asian Violence: Who Is Being Attacked Where (NYT)
This survey by the New York Times catalogues instances of anti-Asian physical and verbal attacks across the US.
News
An organization advocating for free speech on campus, FIRE, published an article about the controversy surrounding a statement made by the CMU Graduate Student Assembly. The March 8 statement mentioned that events in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and India could “add to the stress our peers are feeling during this time.” In response, a group of students painted the Fence and created a petition calling for the GSA to retract the language.
The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to take place in 100 days, but continue to face a myriad of potential issues in the middle of a pandemic that is likely to continue, given Japan’s slow start in vaccination. Over 80% of Japanese want the Olympics, which have already been delayed by a year, to be canceled or postponed, and a Japanese official conceded today that cancellation was a possibility.
Meanwhile, India is experiencing a new surge in COVID-19 cases, with over 200,000 new cases reported on Thursday and likely more left unreported. The surge has led India to reduce vaccine exports, which will affect other countries that had ordered doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India.
Last Friday, Vice published an interview with Matt Loughrey about his work restoring photos taken of victims of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. His work was harshly criticized for going beyond colorization to editing several victims’ expressions, to make them appear as if they were smiling. The article was retracted by the following Monday, after Cambodia’s government threatened to take legal action.
Japan has announced that it plans to release millions of tons of treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant as part of its decommissioning process, following the 2011 disaster. The release would happen slowly over 30 years, and would adhere to international standards for treatment of radioactive wastewater, but Japanese fishermen and China, South Korea, and Taiwan oppose the plan due to the potential effects on agriculture and seafood.
Events
Yesterday (April 14) was the Tamil New Year, also known as Puthandu, as well as the Bengali New Year, also known as Pahela Baishakh!
Today (April 15) at 7:30pm, the Activities Board is hosting Hasan Minhaj for a virtual conversation as part of Spring Carnival (FB event). Register on the Spring Carnival registration system at tinyurl.com/ABHasan.
Entertainment
Michelle Zauner (of indie band Japanese Breakfast) is embarking on a digital book tour next week for her debut memoir, Crying in H Mart, about her experience growing up as a Korean in Eugene, Oregon. The book will be released next Tuesday, April 20; RSVP for the book tour here. The lead single from Japanese Breakfast’s new album, Posing in Bondage, is now out as well.
Poet and translator Don Mee Choi has received a Guggenheim Fellowship for DMZ Colony, her book that weaves together poems, prose, and photography to explore war and colonization in the aftermath of the Korean War.
After winning Best Director at the Golden Globes for Nomadland last month, Chloé Zhao came under fire in China in a swift turnaround. The nationalist backlash was in response to recently-unearthed comments she made several years ago that painted China in a negative light. The furor has cast doubt on the success of the upcoming Chinese release of Nomadland, as well as the Marvel movie “The Eternals” that Zhao is directing.
Playlist
This week, we have two playlists to share in one, due to the long time since the last newsletter was published. The first half is a very vaguely Carnival-themed playlist, while the theme for the second half is “spring showers.” We hope you enjoy it!