People of Color Night

Thanks to a post by Erica at Urban Refuge, I was alerted to Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society’s People of Color Night at their Los Angeles location, 4300 Melrose Avenue, near LACC. Their upcoming meeting is this Friday, February 12 at 7:00 PM.

Hopefully I’ll be able to attend this Friday night. The schedule looks as though it involves a mix of meditation and discussion, all of which I look forward to. If you happen to live in the Los Angeles area, I’d love to see you there!

Angry Asian America

I want this shirt.

Courtesy of the Angry Asian Man, who has also provided a video explanation of this shirt.

You can buy it today at Black Lava’s shiny new site.

Urban Refuge

Thanks to a comment at Dharma Folk, I learned about a new online network: urban refuge - Buddhist People of Color and Allies. As they describe themselves, “a virtual sangha for Buddhist practitioners of color & others interested in promoting cultural & racial diversity in American Buddhism.” I’m delighted to have found them online.

Somaly Mam

One of my goals is to highlight the profiles of Asian Buddhists, especially those whose religious identity may not be as prominent as their other accomplishments. One incredible personality is Somaly Mam. Tharum Bun has a very kind post about her on his blog Musings from Cambodia, which I’ve included below.

She’s not a prominent politician but an anti-slavery activist and survivor fighting for sex trafficked victims.

Opportunities, Incentives and Privilege

On the last Asian Meter update, Adam asked about the dynamics that underlie the small number of bylines that The Big Three set aside to Asian writers.

So, why do you think that is? Is it just blatant racism, or are there other factors? How many Asian writers have submitted material/applied for positions at The Big Three? How do they source their writers and material?

I responded separately that I believe this pattern to be a case of institutional racism, rather than “blatant” racism (such as an informal policy or a consciously implemented prejudice). This question is explored in more detail on an old post at Dharma Folk.

Ebert: Last Airbender is "Wrong"

A friend forwarded me an opinion by critic Roger Ebert, which brought me some good comfort this morning. He responds to a question about the “whitewashing” of the upcoming film The Last Airbender.

Q. Regarding the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan vehicle “The Last Airbender,” what do you think about the whitewashing of the production so that all of the original Asian cultural landmarks, architecture, philosophy, and costume design are being retained while they cast white kids to play the main characters?
Arlene C. Harris

A. Wrong. The original series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” was highly regarded and popular for three seasons on Nickelodeon. Its fans take it for granted that its heroes are Asian. Why would Paramount and Shyamalan go out of their way to offend these fans? There are many young Asian actors capable of playing the parts.

I posted about this controversy several months ago, and I particularly appreciate Gene Yang’s perspective.

But intentionally or not, they are adding another chapter to Hollywood’s long, sordid history of Yellowface. By giving white actors roles that are so obviously Asian - and by stating from the get-go their preference for Caucasians - they tell Asian-Americans that who we are and how we look make us inherently inadequate for American audiences, even in a movie that celebrates our culture.

Check out this video too. Ugh.

Happy New Year!

Asian Meter 2009

How much things change in a year! A year ago this blog did not even exist. I was still wrapped up in the excitement of unleashing my inner Angry Asian Buddhist onto the blogosphere. Who knew the party would go on so long?

On the other hand, there are many things that barely change at all. For example, look at how few bylines continue to be set aside for Asians in the The Big Three publications. (And by Big, I’m talking about distribution.) Below I present the aggregate results for 2009.