Crazy Asian mother: Stereotype from the kid’s perspective

by Jamie Rhein on

Aaron’s post this morning with his musings about positive stereotypes reminded me of one of my absolute FAVORITE YouTube videos, “Crazy Asian Mother.” It is a hoot.

Two high school age boys role play what happens when the mother looks over her son’s report card. Listen for the list of classes and the humorous jab at the parenting skills of white American parents. Very funny and illustrates other aspects of stereotyping.

When I first saw this video a year or so ago, I was transported back to my 8th grade English and social studies classroom in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Those students were funny, charming, and the work they turned in on a daily basis was astounding. Grading their papers was a joy. Honestly. They were the kids of high powered very bright parents, and they were under pressure to succeed, although their parents greatly valued the flexibility and creativity found in the American education system. It was the best of both worlds. These two guys would have fit right into my classroom.

Whenever my daughter feels that she’s pressured to succeed because I have ONE MORE TIME AND NOT FOR THE LAST TIME given her the litany of why she must do well in school in that annoying voice that only adults have, I think those Asian mothers who taught me a thing or two when I lived in Taiwan. As I explain to my daughter, I must have been a crazy Asian mother in a past life. Some things do rub off on a person when one travels.

By the way, I actually think there’s a crazy Asian mother in every parent. Even men. That’s why this video has almost 5,000,000 hits.

Russell Brand’s account of not being allowed in the U.S.

by Jamie Rhein on

Admittedly, Russell Brand, the British comedian and actor, probably best known in the U.S. for his role as Aldous Snow, a rock star in the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, can go a bit over the top with his humor.

Because he will be hosting the MTV Video Music Awards tonight, he is on U.S. entertainment radar again. However, it’s an earlier appearance on David Letterman in May that caught my attention.

This account of why he missed his first scheduled appearance on David Letterman pokes a bit of fun at U.S. immigration without being anti-American. According to him, Brand wasn’t allowed back in the U.S. after a trip to Britain to promote the movie because of his past record. Although he doesn’t specifically state his past problems, they have to do with drug issues for which he has had treatment.

Basically, Brand’s hilarious style of story-telling captures an interesting cast of players and circumstances at U.S. immigration. I do think he’s embellishing, but it’s funny. For example, he describes a Gambian man wearing an American flag tie under going questioning and hones in on the stereotypes of people who look suspicious.

Brand never does say how he cleared his record to be allowed back into the U.S. after being sent back to Great Britain.

When Brand was in the U.S. filming Forgetting Sarah Marshall, he probably had a work visa which would be different from the type of visa he would have to make talk show appearances. That’s my assumption.

It just seems odd he would have been granted a visa for one circumstance and denied entry for another. However, Brand is not that well known–yet, so perhaps the immigration officers didn’t believe him. That’s also what Brand conjectured. Since he is a comedian, who can be sure of the truth and what makes for good entertainment?

There is a funny part at the end of the interview when he talks about what it was like to be in Hawaii during the filming of Sarah Marshall. Being in paradise too long is like “being hit over the head with a rainbow.”

Swan Lake, Chinese acrobatics style!

by Jamie Rhein on

If you thought the Chinese acrobatics feats during the Olympics were something to behold, check out this video of the The Guangdong Acrobatics Troupe of China. This is an edited version of the performance of the ballet Swan Lake that was taken on a world tour a couple of years ago. As someone who can’t even touch her toes, I find this truly stunning and amazing.

There are sections where the video is a bit dark, but stay with it. Sections of the performance are edited together. The variety of dancers and acrobatics is like a kaleidoscope. Here is an article about the performance from China Daily in 2005.

Brook Silva-Braga on long-term travel and his newest film

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Ever thought about taking a video camera with you on your next trip? Over at Brave New Traveler, Gadling alum and documentary filmmaker Brook Silva-Braga talks about the challenges of shooting video while on the road, why long-term travel isn’t so scary after all, and what his next video project is about. The interview is well worth a read.

Brook has done more to preach the benefits of long-term travel than just about anyone I know, and he sums up his argument for it thusly: “To me the most powerful evidence in support of long-term travel is this: I’ve never met someone who gave it a try and didn’t like it. It’s only people who don’t go who can list all the problems with it.”

For those wondering what Brook has been up to recently, you won’t be disappointed. Brook is following up his award-winning documentary A Map for Saturday with a new film called One Day in Africa, which is an attempt to “show a more nuanced version of Africa than the devastatingly dire or falsely hopeful stories we see so often.”

Brook plans on releasing that film in early 2009– we’ll keep you posted.

Read the whole thing at BNT here.

David Byrne of the Talking Heads gives cycling in NYC a boost with his bicycle racks

by Jamie Rhein on

PopEater gave me a heads up about David Byrne of the Talking Heads designing bike racks in Manhattan in order to promote bike riding. The bike racks are finished and in place. Each reflect its location. For example, head to Wall Street and you’ll find one shaped like a dollar sign. Here is a link to his Web page that shows the racks and where they are located.

The video is a clip from this past July. The rack on Wall Street is one of them shown. Plus, you’ll get a feel for Byrne and the experience of bike riding in Manhattan. If you do bike ride, watch out for vehicles.

A taxi driver opened his car door without looking first which caused someone near and dear to me to fly over the door and break his collar bone.