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Linsanity continued: how Jeremy Lin is changing the way we see Asian American men

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Linsanity continued: how Jeremy Lin is changing the way we see Asian American men

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Content Linsanity Continued: How Jeremy Lin is Changing the Way We See Asian American Men Website: http://thejeremylinproject.wordpress.com/ University of Southern California Judy L. Wang 1 CONTENT About..............................................................................................................................................................3 The Men Jason Chu, The Rapper.................................................................................................................................4 Ren Hsieh, For the Next Generation..........................................................................................................6 The Fung Brothers, Generation Connection.............................................................................................7 Race and the Media.......................................................................................................................................9 References....................................................................................................................................................10 2 ABOUT Y ou might wonder why Jeremy Lin is still worth talking about. His glory days on the New Y ork Knicks have been traded away to the Houston Rockets and his two weeks of fame are up. “Linsanity” is dead to many and its legacy deader still. But the legacy of Lin’s story is still in progress and it would be recklessly dismissive to say that his two weeks on court meant only that. The glamour and the front page stories may have faded in the eyes of the general population, but for many Asian Americans his story is as significant as watching Barack Obama become the first African American president. Anyone can have their reservations on how Obama is doing as the leader of our nation and anyone can have reservations about how well Lin will do in his career at Houston, but no one can deny history being made. There’s much about Lin that is yet to be told, but one thing is fact: He made it. And for many, that’s the drop in the ocean that will create ripples for generations. My focus here is to point out one of those ripple affects: Lin changing the way Asian American men view themselves and their masculinity. The word masculinity brings a range of images to mind: superheros from recent blockbuster films such as Ironman, Superman or Batman. Maybe images of the muscular and rippled “The Rock” (Dwayne Johnson) might come to mind. Y ou might even rewind back to old westerns and think of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood or James Dean, all classic representations of American masculinity. But if you add the words Asian American in front of masculinity, the images are notably fewer and at times absent. Our minds desperately reach out for the iconic Bruce Lee and perhaps even Y ao Ming, but there’s a disconnect for a generation of young Asian American men when they look around and try to find a truthful reflection of themselves in 21st century popular culture. Then there was Jeremy Lin. The 24- year-old Ivy leaguer from Palo Alto, California who embodies practically every Asian stereotype there is out there turns the NBA upside down with what fans have affectionately dubbed, “Linsanity. ” This very Asian guy with not so Asian ambitions singlehandedly brought life back to Madison Square Garden and even had people like Spike Lee and Magic Johnson cheering him on. For the first time since Bruce Lee it was cool, very cool to be Asian. And how can it not be cool? And how can it not be incredibly masculine? Now, Asian masculinity has expanded itself outside the box of martial arts and forceful taps on graphic calculators to one of the most beloved American sports, in one of the most beloved American cities and in one of the most beloved American sports arenas. Every time he appeared on court he had an undeniable swagger: his lingering hand in the air after hitting a three, screaming and pounding his chest after an “and one, ” sticking out his blue-dyed tongue after a great play and, of course, hanging onto the ball for the last five seconds to hit the game winning three pointer. 3 Now, “Linsanity” has ushered him into quieter days at the Rockets in Houston and some may cheekily say his 15 minutes of fame are up. Y es, “Linsanity” is over, but Jeremy Lin is not. What Lin did physically on court is just a brush stroke on a very, very global canvas. His masculinity physically is what may be valued the most socially, but the most masculine thing Lin did was to show the world that if you fight for your dreams, nothing will be impossible. And that’s a universal masculinity that transcends all racial barriers. THE MEN Jason Chu, The Rapper On the outside Jason Chu looks like your average, and even typical, Asian American. He grew up on the east coast in a fairly multiethnic community where Asians were the minority. He went onto the Ivy League, graduating from Y ale in 2008 with a degree in philosophy. Following that, Chu, a Christian, served in college ministry for two years then went on to work in China for another two years before moving to Los Angeles. Chu is especially articulate and he carries himself with a cool, quiet confidence. He has a naturally friendly countenance that invites conversation and openness. He forms his words very thoughtfully as he unconsciously taps the table with his index and middle fingers, creating a soft rhythmic drumbeat. It’s hard to tell that behind those black rimmed glasses is a man with a very unconventional occupation in Asian standards: He’s a rapper. Chu has been rapping since he was 14. He and his friends used to write raps together and share mp3s and C/Ds of their favorite artists. He traces his interest back to one of the original Asian faces in rap music: Jin. “He was the first guy that I saw that I really identified with because he was doing the kind of music that I love, ” Chu said. “He listened to the same kind of artists that I loved and he was doing something that I loved in a way that I wanted to do it. It took until I was 14 or 15 and I saw him on TV for me to really find that. ” From Jin to Lin Besides Jin, there weren’t many Asian Americans in pop culture that Chu could really latch onto. We all agree that Bruce Lee is universally cool, but there are years of history that separate Lee from this current generation of Asian Americans. Then there was Jeremy Lin, the 6’3 Asian American guy from Palo Alto, California who turned the dismal Knicks 2012 season around in two weeks. But don’t call Chu a “bandwagoner, ” because he was following Lin way before Linsanity hit New Y ork and the world. Chu’s friends used to play ball with the Harvard graduate and he even saw the future basketball star play a few games against Y ale. Chu fittingly describes the rise of Lin through rap lyrics. 4 “This rapper from Philadelphia, Meek Mill, he’s got this line in the first song, the intro song on his last mixed tape: ‘Came into the game killin’ n—–, J.Lin, ’ and that’s just amazing, ” said Chu. “Literally since Bruce Lee you haven’t had an Asian American that all of America agrees is cool enough that they want to be like him. ” And just like Jin being on BET, visibility is everything to a community that’s been almost invisible in basketball, save the towering Y ao Ming. Y et, Lin’s story hits home in a far more tangible way: He was born in the States, grew up here, and against all odds rose to stardom to become the poster boy of the American dream despite being overlooked again and again in his early career. He’s incredibly relatable and that’s what makes his story special to Asian Americans like Chu. “I feel very similar to him, ” said Chu. “I’m a Christian Chinese American guy from the Ivy League who is doing this non- traditional thing. And to see him doing it and making it like that to such an intense degree, that was astonishing to me. I was really, really excited to see that someone like him was getting to go where he’s going. ” Visibility, Masculinity, Possibility When the subject shifts towards masculinity, Chu’s comments become distinctly pointed. “We aren’t taught anything, ” said Chu. “We aren’t taught how to be masculine and so if anything a lot of fingers are pointed at media that emasculate Asian men, but I would say we do a fine job of that ourselves. ” The rapper briefly reminisces about his own childhood and as the conversation progresses it becomes apparent that there’s a disconnect between what masculinity in popular culture looks like, and what masculinity looked like for Chu growing up. When we think of the traditions associated with passing masculinity down from father to son we picture classic images such as teaching a son how to shave, play catch or talk to a girl he likes for the first time. Those rites of passage were notably missing for Chu and not because he had a terrible childhood, but because it wasn’t a show and tell narrative for him. “…Just generally Asian males are not told to have a lot of confidence, especially Chinese, ” said Chu. “I feel as though other ethnic communities have their own struggles, but definitely Chinese males are not taught to be men. Not men in the sense that America understands it and often not men in the sense that anyone understands it. We’re expected to just pick it up… ” One image of masculinity that Chu did latch onto was again, Jin. That masculinity was displayed through what Chu describes as the rapper’s “swag and confidence, ” one that we can similarly see in Lin’s performance on the court. Y et, outside of that Chu points to a very important part of Lin’s story that directs us towards a masculinity that crosses cultural boundaries: never giving up on your dream. 5 “I think it’s the same as Barack Obama, ” said Chu. “In theory we’re told that anyone can do anything. But in reality we never saw it. ” In reality Barack Obama did become the first African American president and in reality Jeremy Lin made it to the NBA and became a symbol of possibility for Asian Americans. Chu summarizes this point beautifully: “It’s a really terrible thing to love something and not have it love you back, ” said Chu. “But Jeremy was the first one that showed us that we can love something and it will show us love back. It was very hard for him but at least he was able to get through it… Just like Jin getting signed to [the rap label] Ruff Ryders. Maybe rap isn’t just something I like, maybe it’s something I can do… I think it makes kids think this is not just something that I like doing, this is something that I can do. That step of taking things into your own hands, that’s very masculine I think. ” For The Next Generation, Ren Hsieh Ren Hsieh grew up in Houston, Texas during the ‘80s and his Chinese-Taiwanese parents actually encouraged him to play sports. His father was a local amateur racquetball champion and Hsieh was the first East Asian to make it to a varsity sports team in his high school. Sports provided Hsieh with unique opportunities and gave him a chance to develop skills he might not have learned off the court. He started to realize that the Asian American community was closing itself off to a very valuable athletic culture. He eventually started a non-profit organization called the Dynasty Project that focuses on reaching out to underprivileged Asian communities through athletics. Some of their programs include a one day camp that brings real life professional athletes in touch with young aspiring athletes. They are taught various skills on the court as well as how to balance their athletic aspirations with their academic and personal pursuits. Another program raises money to either reduce or provide free tickets to sports games so that kids are able to see their favorite athletes play live. However, Dynasty Project isn’t necessarily on the hunt for the next superstar. Hsieh simply wants Asian youth to know that athletics are out there and it’s an option. “We’re not necessarily just trying to find the next Jeremy Lin, but we are trying to create a culture of athletics for Asian Americans, ” said Hsieh. “ And, if we can help the next Jeremy Lin not slip through the cracks, then I know we have also accomplished our goal. ” Here’s what else Hsieh had to say about sports and the value of “Linsanity” for the next generation. On what Jeremy Lin meant to his organization: “Linsanity did mean a lot to us. We started in 2010, before Linsanity and it was difficult to get people to really listen, particularly the older generation 6 of Asian Americans. After Linsanity, everyone was listening. And, kids were becoming more inspired to participate in sports. The perspective/attitude has changed for the time being, but it depends now on more athletes stepping into the fore. It depends on Jeremy creating a healthy career for himself. He does not have to be a star, but he is the benchmark to which the Asian American community judges it’s own viability in sports right now. His success is goes a long way into maintaining this newfound perspective/attitude from the older APIA set regarding sports. ” On what it was like watching Lin play: “It was like watching my little brother play. It was like watching figure skating. Or gymnastics. It just seemed like at any moment the bottom was going to fall out. It was as much a surprise to me as anyone else. I couldn’t believe it, and when it just kept going, it was incredible. It was a phenomenon and I’m not in the mindset that it was overblown. It was incredible for what it was. It was like an out of body experience. ” On his idols growing up: “I grew up idolizing the masculinity of Bruce Lee. I didn’t grow up with many Asian friends. Playing basketball, most of my friends were African American, and something we could all agree on was the masculinity of Bruce Lee. So, for me, Lin’s presence didn’t really affect my own sense of masculinity. I was 34 when it was happening, it’s not really a concern for me anymore. But, I think it goes a long way in establishing a sense of inclusion for young APIA athletes, that they too have a stake in this highly masculine world of professional sports. Generation Connection, The Fung Brothers If you live in the 626 area code of San Gabriel Valley, California, chances are you’ve heard of The Fung Brothers. David and Andrew Fung’s viral Y ouTube music video “626” in 2010 put Monterey Park and the Asian American community on the social map by rapping about the staples of Asian life, from drinking milk tea boba to eating dim sum, to teasing about bad service and how a “B” health rating actually stands for “better tasting. ” They’ve become the poster boys for cool Asians by embracing the cliché parts of their culture. While the Fung brothers are not natives of Monterey Park (they’re originally from Seattle), they’ve been able to encapsulate the everyday foodie life of Asians into something meaningful on a larger pop culture scale. Notably at the opening of their “626” video, they dedicate their efforts to Jeremy Lin who they credit as empowering them to go after their dreams. And the Fung brothers have made several videos about Lin and “Linsanity. ” n many ways David and Andrew Fung represent a very important part of Lin’s success: The 7 empowerment of a generation. Lin may not have been the first Asian American to play in the NBA, but he’s the first Asian athlete that many can point to and say, “Hey, that could be me. ” Here’s what the Fung brother’s had to say about “Linsanity” and how much it meant to them to see him keep on “linning. ” On Lin making it in the NBA: “It means a lot. I mean, it does to me. When was the last time an Asian guy was rumored to have any sort of even casual friendly relationship with Kim Kardashian whatsoever?” On the masculinity of Lin on the court: “More than his swag on the court (which I don’t think is TOO different than any other player in the NBA – maybe a LITTLE more expressive) is that fact that he’s doing [it] on that level. The NBA is a super elite league that people train for their entire lives and this nerdy Chinese kid is ripping it up and that’s so crazy. We’re not talking about k-pop, which is manufactured and subjective, we’re talking about a league that is a results-based meritocracy (for the most part). ” On following Lin in his early career: “We followed him since the beginning of his senior year at Harvard. I remember watching him play Seattle University at Key Arena in college. We were in a large group of Asians cheering for him and people would ask us, ‘Hey, are you guys from Harvard?’” 8 RACE & THE MEDIA One of the uglier sides of Jeremy Lin’s story existed in a realm off the court: The media. One of the reasons Lin’s story has had such an impact is that it happened in the era of the Internet, of the social media dominance of Facebook, Twitter and Y ouTube. Modern technology turned “Linsanity” into an organism with a life of its own, spreading virally all over the world. Y et, with the great tools of social media comes a greater critical eye from readers. “Linsanity” unintentionally exposed popular media’s fumbling attempts to report on Asian Americans. Headlines such as ESPN’s infamous “Chink in the Armor, ” leaves a disconcerting after taste just one year later as most of us are still scratching our heads wondering how that could have slipped past any editor’s watchful eye. As Grantland editor Jay Caspian Kang puts it, what Lin’s journey has shown us is that one Asian American athlete’s amazing accomplishments on the basketball court doesn’t erase the racism that we as Asians seldom want to talk about. In Kang’s article, “ A Question of Identity, ” he states eloquently what there is to take away from “Chink in the Armor, ” “This much is clear: We still haven’t figured out how to talk about Asian Americans…In an earlier column I said that it has become a standard practice among high achieving Asian Americans to dodge any questions about race. This impulse comes, I believe out of guilt and a pervasive, irrational fear that if we talk too much about prejudice and act too indignant over insensitive comments, the powers that be will reverse the course of history and send us back to building railroads. As such, if Jeremy Lin went about his business, got his stats, and helped his teammates, his accomplishments would be celebrated, but they might not resonate as powerfully with his Asian American fans. Instead, we have a 23-year-old kid who dunks, keeps the ball for himself in pressure situations, preens, chest bumps, and gets caught up in Kim Kardashian rumors. ” And while who Lin is has us finally making a fuss about the pink elephant in the room, there’s still a lot of ground to be covered. A 2012 survey of diversity in sports journalism revealed numbers were dismally against people of color, with Asians making up little to no presence in sports reporting. Ironically, it turns out that ESPN is a large reason why there is any diversity at all in the newsroom as most sports reporters of color are employed there. The numbers are rising slowly, but in the end Lin’s existence on the court has revealed an ugly nonexistence of the truly diverse sports journalism newsroom. 9 References Capsian Kang, Jay. “ A Question of Identity. ” Grantland. Grantland, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7601157/the-headline-tweet-unfair-significance-jere - my-lin>. Caspian Kang, Jay. “freedarko.com: The Lives of Others. ” freedarko.com. freedarko.com, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://freedarko.blogspot.com/2010/01/lives-of-others.html>. Capsian Kang, Jay. “Person of Interest: Jeremy Lin. ” Grantland. Grantland, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. <http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7570431/jeremy-lin>. Lapchick, Richard. “Despite progress, diversity hiring in sports media still poor. ” SportsBusiness Daily. Sports Business Journal, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/ Journal/Issues/2013/02/25/Opinion/Richard-Lapchick.aspx>. Wang, Oliver. “Jeremy Lin puts the ball in Asian Americans’ court. ” Los Angeles Times. Los An- geles Times, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/21/entertain- ment/la-et-jeremy-lin-20120221>. Wang , Oliver. “San Gabriel Valley Goes Viral: the Fung Bros Rep the 626. ” KCET. KCET, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/los-angeles/san-gabriel-valley- goes-viral-the-fung-bros-rep-the-626.html>. 10

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Abstract How Jeremy Lin is Changing the Way We See Asian American Men

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Asset Metadata

Creator Wang, Judy L. (author)

Core Title Linsanity continued: how Jeremy Lin is changing the way we see Asian American men

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Journalism (Online Journalism)

Publication Date 12/05/2013

Defense Date 12/04/2013

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Asian Americans,Jeremy Lin,Linsanity,OAI-PMH Harvest

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Advisor Lih, Andrew (committee chair)

Creator Email judyliyunwang@gmail.com,judylwan@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-356247

Unique identifier UC11297202

Identifier etd-WangJudyL-2208.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-356247 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-WangJudyL-2208-1.pdf

Dmrecord 356247

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Wang, Judy L.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA