mass media

Happy 'Fear Mongering' New Year - The States of Combustion

Submitted by Edwin on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 21:37

In this new year of 2010 I hope everyone can continue to be optimistic as this ever struggling economy still has a heart beat, although we have been told our economies have recovered our wages are still just as terrible ( I think not ). There is still no excuse for not making the best of what we have and we should continue to strive for new heights.

In the past, this website had primarily worked on with publishing Asian related content, intelligent opinions, informative articles and any positive Asian media.

This year there will be a slight adjustment to the style of posting, usually we would publish news without actual commentary but as of today we will be adding in our 2 cents worth to everything post. Ideally would like to throw topics in the air and have people take it upon themselves to think about issues.

We'll try to remain objective about each issue.

The first fear mongering article I've come across since the beginning of this new year sums up all the forecasts of "experts" panic stricken and fear mongering media who can only see this world burning in hell.

"Super Imperialism": The Economic Strategy of Imperial America

Submitted by Edwin on Fri, 07/03/2009 - 22:04

Mostly Water - First written in 1972, it was updated in a 2003 edition that's every bit as relevant now - thus this review focusing on Hudson's new preface, introduction, and detailed account of the book's theme.

He revisited it in his 2008-09 Project Censored award- winning article titled: "Economic Meltdown - The 'Dollar Glut' is What Finances America's Global Military Build-up" in which he explains the following - the "inter-related dynamics" of:

-- "surplus (US) dollars pouring into the rest of the world for yet further financial speculation and corporate takeovers;"

-- global central banks "recyl(ing) these dollar inflows (into) US Treasury bonds to finance the federal US budget deficit; and most important (but most suppressed in the US media),"

-- "the military character of the US payments deficit and the domestic federal budget deficit."

Asian-American Identity Problems

Submitted by Edwin on Thu, 03/26/2009 - 22:06

for Dr. Ryang
Asian Civilization I 1996

Introduction/Overview

While Asian-Americans have a very rich culture, often they suffer from problems of identity crises, as do many in this country. Should one maintain a sense of family history? Or is it better to try to blend in and assimilate with the rest of America? This is a problems many minorities, in general, face, but Asian-Americans seem to have a particular presence in this problem.

There are countless reasons as to why this could be. This paper will explore specific problems among Asian-Americans trying to find an identity as well as possible reasons and solutions for this problem. The information from this paper comes from books containing oral histories, statistical books, and personal interviews, as well as a smattering of hypothesizing and author's contemplation on the subject.

History of Asian Dissension

Are You Ready to Be the Mainstream Media?

Submitted by visitors on Sat, 03/07/2009 - 14:29

Article: Want a preview of how Mainstream Media will look in the coming years? Go stand in front of the mirror. The next Mainstream Media is you.

"By you, I mean anyone who thinks, has the desire to be expressive, and has the ability to publish. Today, that can apply to just about everyone on the face of the planet.

A lot has been written over the past year about the decline of the Fourth Estate: the Press, the Mainstream Media. And things are certainly in a state of rapid change. Newspapers are putting their brightest writers on the streets as readership and advertising revenues collapse. With the exception of organs such as NPR, radio Journalism has been dead for years. Even television — the dominant news media of the last few decades — is thinning their newsrooms as they struggle to maintain profitability.

Where does this end, and where will we look for reliable news and information as traditional media spins down and begins to wobble?

Seeing Yourself in Film, Media

Submitted by Edwin on Thu, 02/19/2009 - 00:48

Alvin wroteon January 28, 2008 at 1:03am

I wish I were articulate enough to capture/express this thought, but I want to address something that AA interviews with actors in multiple threads have alluded to, about growing up, the images they saw on screen, and how it affected them and saw themselves.

Now I don't know about any of the rest of you, but the first time I saw 'Better Luck Tomorrow', and 'Harold and Kumar' (which was greenlit due directly to the success of BLT by the way), something inside of me clicked, or stirred up inside me. Something about seeing faces that look similar to yours on screen, or that you can identify with more, is powerful. It makes you feel like part of the community, and those characters also influence the way you see yourself.

Certainly there are lots of people and icons you can identify with who aren't Asian. But I think there is a difference between seeing and identify and wanting to be an icon or role model like Michael Jordan, James Bond, Brad Pitt, etc, and seeing another Asian icon on screen. At least for me this is the case, and I suspect it's the same for lots of other people.

Asian representation in educational media

Submitted by visitors on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 17:26

Media plays a big part in cross cultural and language education. Teachers use media to complement teaching as it provides students with the necessary resources they require in ther studies using interactive text, visuals and audio aids that effectively improves the learning process. Most would also agree that when it comes to learning culture or new languages, students should have more interaction with native speakers and the people from that particular culture to get the real experience.

Stereotype of Asian Male Oppression

Submitted by Edwin on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 23:37

I recently read nightshade's comment about how US/UK is more sexist than his/her experiences in Asia, and I think it's a good issue to talk about.

So this is my question, since it seems like a pretty global audience here:
- Are Asian men more sexist and chauvinistic compared to Middle Eastern, Latin, Anglo/American, Jewish orthodox, or Christian fundamentalist men?

In my opinion, yes Asian countries, just like all countries in the world, have gender problems and issues that go back a long time in many cultures. However, Western mass media constantly stereotypes, and thus influences millions, on the idea that Asian men are somehow way more sexist or chauvinist or oppressive than the average male.

This gives some White males what I call 'White Knight' syndrome, and also gives some self-hating, brainwashed Asian girls a convenient excuse to hide their White worship. Hell, almost all of Uncle Tom Amy Tan's books, like 'Joy Luck Club', pander to White audiences by reinforcing this sexist oppressive stereotype, and paint White men as the saviors. 'Miss Saigon' is another example. It's like feminism gone totally byserk because it's mixed in with White worship and Asian men bashing, which feminists of other typically cultures don't do (specifically blame their culture of men instead of see it as a global gender issue across many cultures). For example, when's the last major movie you saw by a Middle Eastern feminist that totally bashes M.E. men, and where all the women marry White guys?

Common Lame Excuses by Self Haters and Proper Responses

Submitted by Edwin on Mon, 01/26/2009 - 23:31

Thread
http://facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2214375888&topic=5742&start=30&hash=7e5bbcdc23c3936689dd6c3ef5612444

Chinese American Connections: President-elect Barack Obama's "Chinese Connection" in Chicago

Submitted by Edwin on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 10:33

Professor Russell C. Leong, director of UCLA's U.S./China Media Brief, asked one of Chicago's leading Asian American educators, Dr. Yvonne Lau of De Paul University, to comment about Obama's work in Chicago to integrate the Chinese language and less commonly taught tongues into the Chicago and Illinois school curriculums. Obama's work in this area is little-known. Dr. Lau provides an "insider's view" of Obama's "Chinese connection."

Dr. Lau writes about Obama's activism in Chicago's multiracial and multicultural communities, and about his support of, in Lau's words, "more American students to learn about Asia, Asian Americans, and the study of Asian languages."

Beijing on Barack: China's Elite Students and Professors Look at Obama and Future U.S

Submitted by Edwin on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 09:37

History was made in November when Sen. Barack H. Obama was elected to become the 44th president of the United States. Now, with the Jan. 20 inauguration ahead, change is coming not just to the White House but to relationships the U.S. has with other nations around the world, including China.

As a result, the following question was posed by Professor Russell C. Leong, director of UCLA's U.S./China Media Program, which produced the U.S./China Media Brief, to students of English and international relations at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing: "What do Chinese youth think about the next U.S. president and Sino-U.S. relations?"