0:00 Asians, is there anything left to fight for? Explain, Joe. >> I remember when we were growing up, it felt like, "Hey, there's no representation in media. Like, you know, maybe we should like go and and create content and and try to make a mark, right?" And then the our our I guess Asian Americans before us, they were like more like, "Oh, we need to ████ march because they're not putting um Asian American studies in the colleges. They're refusing." Or whatever, right? So, there's like different things that they needed to fight for, but like a lot of the stuff that I see today of people whining, um I don't really think it's worthy of fighting. So, for example, like the Wasian ████ like I'm like, that's >> Wasian is white Asian? >> There was a Wasian meetup and then
0:50 >> But what's the I guess controversy or the the highlight of that thing of the whole Wasian? >> So, the Wasian controversy is they felt that like uh because they didn't include other mixed Asians in the name, like it was very racist and and it was white like it was supporting white supremacy because it was white. Like, it was putting white at the forefront of it. And then like to me, >> As white asite would be better. >> to me it was like this. It was like they have uh redhead meetups. They have tall meetups. >> Yeah. >> It's like a thing now, right? >> like like Robert meetups. >> Yeah, everyone with the name Robert, right? >> Yeah, yeah. >> And then I thought, "Oh, awesome. Like, this is a cool like being Wasian is like I always thought that people were isolated cuz you don't have a community
1:41 of them. But like this is a good forward thing, right? There's a huge bunch of them. Hey, I might have Wasian kids one day and now there's going to be mentors, a community, a whole name, identity. Like, that's cool, right? But then hell of people didn't like that ████ and they're like, "This is ████ racism." There's just controversy. But I'm like back I'm just I'm just like, man, like I don't I can't relate to their fight and what they need to change because when we were growing up, I felt like the fight was like, "There's no representation." And then it was probably like a maybe like a Jewish guy in Hollywood writing a script, and then he goes, "Oh, this will be a funny thing." And put like a Chinese guy like I don't really know any Chinese guys, but I was at this restaurant and the waiter was funny. So let me like use that as inspiration. And then they'll put that up, they'll hire Asian actor, and it's like that doesn't
2:32 really represent us. So maybe we could make our own ████ >> But his name is Noodle. >> I know, right? >> [laughter] >> Noodle Wang, and that totally represents us actually. >> Yeah, actually well, that's actually >> Or like let's say we're getting pulled over because we're not we don't have Asian police officers in our community that understand the difference between a kid in math club and a gangster. So like they're just pulling over everybody, right? So if it's like you got a all Asian community, all the cops are like all white or whatever, they're not going to know like how to deal with the culture. But then if it's Asians like they could they're bilingual, they could speak they could speak to the elders, whatever, right? So like I'm like those are the kind of things we were fighting for, right? And then right now like I'm like, do we have anything to really fight about and like get equality and justice or like
3:22 I don't know. That's that's that's my main question. Is like >> There's a couple things I guess that comes to my mind just talking about it. One of them is I thought Phil Phil Wang from Wong Fu had a pretty good post about it. His was, you know, like when it comes to budgeting in Hollywood everyone's fighting for the budget from the studios, right? Like you're you're competing with either major franchises, you're competing with star power. You can have a Tom Cruise show up. They don't even have a script ready, and they'll magically have 10 scripts come and appear. Like it's already, you know, come comes built in. And then he was talking about, I think, um the Michael B. Jordan, and then who's the Who's the director he always works with? >> Uh Ryan Coogler. >> Ryan Coogler. Like he was talking about uh what he really likes about those two is starting
4:13 from Is it Fruitvale Station? From there, every single level up, they stuck together, and they're able to bring more black people into their community, into their world, and they never had to dilute their content, and eventually go like Like who's the guy I mean, I don't even know if he did this, but who's the Who's that big Asian director that did the dance movie? >> The dance Jon M. Chu. Jon M. Chu. >> So like people will have their breakout Asian-American like step in like of Asian-American history and whatever, and then the first level up, it's they're already in the Hollywood system, they bring no one up with them. So I feel like that would be the fight would be like >> I mean, he did Crazy Rich Asians. >> Yeah, yeah, but still it's like um maybe that's a bad example, but like uh there's a lot of people like that where they don't just keep coming up and they're kind of building the funnel. Where like someone like Kevin Hart,
5:03 starting from uh Wild 'N Out or even before that, his whole team, those four five guys, they all open for him. So there's like this thing of like these communities, they come up, whether it's George Lopez or whoever, they come up, and then they bring their whole squad, but Asians are the only ones that once they come up, they think to get to the next level they have to abandon the roots. And they just get they get swallowed into the system. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> Jack Nicholson famously used to make directors hire his friends. >> Yeah, yeah, like that. >> So kind of like the Adam Sandler game. Like he rolls with the same Or like even um Tarantino. Like he uses the same actors and like >> So for Phil, he was saying like, "Where is that in our community?" And I'm like, I can see that because without >> Same cake, brother. >> Yeah, cuz without us sticking together you're going to just end up being the random Asian guy on Walking Dead. You're
5:54 like, we have a lot of one-offs, but we don't have a movement. So, that's one thing I can get behind. And then the other thing is which is kind of like ironic it's we're crushing it so hard in the Ivy Leagues that we have like inequality in admissions. >> You're getting banned from Harvard. >> Yeah, like how can we make it where okay >> More Asians can join. >> Yeah, if this guy has a 4.0, let him get in versus a non-Asian with a 3.5 gets in before him. Those would be I guess the things that people are could fight for now. >> That ain't never going to happen, my boy. I wish it would. >> I think there's also still like those other fights too, right? Like when you when you see things like the stop Asian hate type stuff, you know, like what ends up also what also ends up happening is like a uh
6:44 kind of almost like a test of like what our current generations like values really are. The way that we see our elders, the way that we continue the how they have been in their communities like keeping your head forward, respect and you know what I mean? Like there's a certain understanding of like what we need to become. I don't think we've like found it. >> think that fight is what it seems like is violence against Asians doesn't echo as loud as violence against black people. You know what I mean? >> Yeah. Oh, yeah. >> It's like if there's any if there's inequality, a city's going to burn on one side and the other one it's like crickets. And then where's the rally? Where's the solidarity? There's none of that. So, I could see that could probably be like another fight. >> It's like that white kid who got stabbed in London or whatever in in the UK. And
7:34 he was begging for help and the cops like arrested him. That ████ pissed me off, man. >> Crazy, man. >> Like if he's bleeding and ████ you you be you should be rendering aid right away. >> It does kind of come off as like Asian lives aren't as worthy. >> That's what it feels like. >> like >> It's not like Asian lives don't matter. It's just like people consider us other. Like they don't care. >> Yeah, like if I was >> as much. >> Yeah, like if I was an alien and I ████ came down. >> Yeah, cuz we kind of look >> "Oh, they don't care about Asians. No cities are burning, you know?" That that that's that's what I'd be like. >> Yeah. >> It'd be good, but it's a good alien. >> Except for the like the K-pops. >> Yeah. >> But that's cuz they're beautiful. >> Yeah, the way that people care about like K-pop artists is next level. >> That that's crazy level right there. >> I do think there is a It's It's not so much of a rights thing,
8:25 but um I think we're looked upon as foreigners. And cuz there's a lot of new immigrant Asians or like they're they Being low-key means like you don't you don't actually fit in or you're not a part of the program. So, um you know how like a lot of Asians like they could be here for generations, but they keep their head down and they don't really want to like attract attention. They're not loud cowboys, whatever, right? So, then like they could be a part of the country contributing for many many generations, but they're still looked upon as a foreigner. So, I think that's kind of something that's like, "Well, maybe culturally like they just stay low-key so they don't stand out, but also you get forgotten." Cuz that's kind of the American game is everyone's loud here and everyone like speaks their mind and like they get attention, but it's like the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right? So, if the community was like, "Ah, ████ I know we
9:17 don't want to complain, but I think if we were more visible, then you get more resources. >> Yeah. >> You get more funding, you get more whatever you need for your community. Um But that's another thing, too. We never asked for anything. So, we don't take any tax money. It's just like build your own. >> And also we're so like segregated by our like specific nation. You know, like it's it's easy to like Asians Asian this Asian this >> Yeah, we get grouped up but we're not. >> We're not grouped at all. There's you got your Chinese, you got your Korean, you got your Japanese, you got your Vietnamese like >> But we got Polynesians, too. And we have to fit Indians and Eastern Europeans >> But all of those are like a lot of those are like diasporas out here in America. They're not necessarily mixed communities that like co-habitat in terms of like constantly sharing in culture >> No, no.
10:07 >> and collaborating with fusion restaurants and stuff. Like no, it's just like >> the we you exist. >> I'm in the same neighborhood. >> You know? >> up into one. >> Yeah. >> But the funny thing is outside of America, we are the biggest population. >> Yeah. >> But in America, we're like less than 5%. >> Yeah. >> But you get you're squeezing billions of people. So we got India, China, Japan. We got all of East Asia, Southeast Asia. But they throw Polynesia in in our group, too. >> And I and I say that though because it's like it's so much harder to collect like I see what things like Gold House or whatever, you know, I don't in general for Asians. But it's like it's so much harder to build momentum and like have Asians do something like build a BET in America because it's like a race between well then who's really going to control is it the Koreans? Is it the Chinese? Like we won't be able to come together
10:58 as like a Asians entertainment blah blah or Asian conglomerate in America truly because once it actually gets to a certain place, I think we're way too like specifically different Asians. >> Plus you guys are obsessed with making corny names like Asian sensation and >> [laughter] >> It's >> gay. >> It's so gay. >> Does it have Do you think it's it needs to be pushed forward for a few more generations? You know like with black people, right? They don't care oh this guy's from Sudan or Nigeria or whatever. >> They do. >> Africans don't like African Americans. >> Not Africans. Not Africans. I'm talking about African Americans cuz they are still originally from Sudan or Nigeria. But then >> Oh, cuz they don't know where they're from. >> But yeah, but they've been here for so long that it's like >> I think yes, in short, yes. Like I think more time will help, but I think it's more so because like we're still in generation one of social media. So like what everything that is a fight is has been a fight for the first
11:49 ████ five years of its life ever. >> And do you think you're winning? >> I think we will. >> I think >> Like everything is built Asian. Everything The technology that people are watching ████ on is Asian. Like the win is going to be a different version. It might not be the loud vocal one. It'll be the quiet complete like like the ████ dragon has awoken one. >> Is it a ninja win? Okay, cuz you guys are are ninjas. You guys are like ninjas. Can you make noodle out of ramen? >> I actually think we're overly represented based on population. So if you think about like, okay, we got less than 4%, right? But then we are represented in sports a lot. Like we're just Ohtani's a big name. Like like even in Hollywood now, um there's a lot. And I was thinking about it cuz I was like, well, for a very short period of time there was no industry Asians until like the last
12:40 decade, right? And then so if you look at how many we population-wise we are in America, we're actually making a big impact and visible for how small it is. >> I don't think you had a Jordan till now though, cuz Ohtani's truly a Jordan. Like Lin was a a temporary like a firework going off. >> And I don't think Asian-Americans see Ohtani as like I I don't as homegrown. Yeah, he's he's scouted. He's not a homegrown. So I think people would see Jeremy Lin Jeremy Lin as more as home homegrown than like Yao Ming, you know? >> Yeah, and I think we all see Tiger Woods as black. Nobody really thinks that he's still half Asian. >> We don't claim him. Like remember when that skit they would like the the race delegation? >> He got drafted by the black delegation, which was big. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. But going back to what you said, I think is the ████ clear bam why it's not
13:32 like United and all that is because we never work like it's just we're just grown we just thrown into one group because we kind of like have to. >> Yeah, because we all have chingy eyes. >> Yeah, but like if you think about >> That's literally the only reason why we're actually thrown in one group. >> Who really does run Hollywood for Asians and and is just Chinese and Koreans. That's it. Like there's nobody else. Like all those Asian voices is just Chinese culture. That's all it is. I don't think there's really anybody else speaking up because population-wise they dominate. >> It also sucks that when you guys won an Oscar like like Parasite, you guys by the way cuz of the eyes. Um nobody cared about the Oscars anymore. You know what I mean? >> By the time we're winning it's already too late. Yeah. >> Like after Titanic by the way, I don't think anyone even remembers who the hell won anything.
14:22 Right? Isn't that sad? >> So now it's like >> 12 Years a Slave won. I remember that too. But yeah, exactly. It's a consolation prize cuz the viewership just goes down and down and down. Oof. It's funny too cuz you realize like is there anything left to fight for? But you guys are supposed to be so good at fighting. >> [laughter] >> I think there's a ton left to fight for but whatever. >> But it sounds it all sounds so like >> It sounds so stupid. >> It's not like I'm fighting for rights to own property. >> what it is? >> You know what I mean? Like >> It's an American thing. It's an American thing to think that we have something to fight for. When again, you zoom out, you talk about planetary earth thing and it's like dude, does it matter? Nothing matters. >> But that's everything if you zoom out. >> Yeah. Everything seems so much >> racial in America. Religion seems like silly if you zoom out in a way. >> Imagine imagine going to like anywhere in Asia and just be like hey dude, like
15:13 we Asians have something to fight for. Everybody's Asian in their country already. They're like what? >> [laughter] >> Well, the more homogenized it is it the more it's like that. >> Then it becomes more about class.
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