SoulSnax

Seven Years Ago...

2008-09-11T00:38:00.003-04:00

I remember what a beautiful day it would have been seven years ago...

Your clothes are pressed, every hair in place
You brushed your teeth and shaved your face
You sprayed cologne so you smell great.
It's a beautiful day to celebrate
The last day of your life.

Rest in Peace

Every time I travel to the Philippines...

2008-08-29T23:33:00.001-04:00

You know what game I like to play while traveling on the plane? It's a game I call "Spot the Perverts" in which the goal is to figure out which guys are coming just to get some suckie-suckie! It' kinda like Bingo, and you win if you complete a row of pervs!

FOLD

2008-08-12T18:12:00.005-04:00

Because "the past shakes hands with the future through the present."

The elderly you see today
Were children this morning.
They were born yesterday
And sang and danced and played
With their brothers and sisters and friends
Whose own parents were kids
Just a few hours before that.

We'll bury our parents this afternoon.
And our children will be born tonight,
So they can bury us in the morning.
And their children
Will grow up
And catch up
With the rest of the elderly.

Snapshots of the Elephant Dreamer

2008-08-07T18:41:00.004-04:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife...atop my elephant, as we meander through the rainforest. The elephant's legs are my legs, sensing every bush, vine, and stone beneath us as we make our way over fallen logs and shallow streams. I recall camping trips of years past, when we'd take our horses into the mountains, pretending to be the Marlboro Man. But this time, I realize that there is no better sport utility vehicle than an elephant. Yeah, horses are quick and nimble, but an elephant's trunk is the perfect apparatus for clearing obstructions up ahead.

A cacophony of crickets, birds and tree frogs resonates within the theater of the forest. But as we approach a clearing, the curtain of vines gradually gives way to the sound of ocean waves in the distance. We step upon the soft powder of a broad flat beach. The sun lingers at just the right angle to illuminate shallow waves glimmering like diamonds floating delicately above the sand.

I can see my friends, who are already setting up camp at the far end of the beach. An intense eagerness erupts within me, as I anticipate another one of our majestic evening cookouts. Music, played on hand-carved instruments, floats upon drinks flowing merrily between friends gathered around the fire.

black gold of the son

2008-08-07T02:54:00.001-04:00

flowwwed toward our country
a rich dark brown and black
came from foreign shores
to fuel the engine of our economy
delivering loads
of prosperity and wealth
though not quite a sin
we struggled for redemption
from impending doom
because the fuel
of our economic engine
incurred a karmic debt
of mythic proportions
The year was 1861
when Cotton was King
And blood was first spilled
for the sake of slavery

Drip

2008-08-07T02:29:00.002-04:00

It's a holographic multiverse
Where every thing is densely packed
And every strand is tightly wound.
And every stroke of creativity
Is but a movement in an exercise
Of spiritual acts, each of which
Produce a bead of sweat.
And when those beads are allowed to DROP,
They flow into the river of Truth
That nourishes the veins of the Divine.

From the Archives: 10 years ago on SoulSnax

2008-08-05T20:35:00.002-04:00

Afraid of falling...
Terrified of not knowing
If I'll plummet
or soar.
reluctant to relinquish
unwilling to give,
uncomfortable taking
and living
what's mine
to give.
Just like you.
Afraid to comprehend,
or unwilling
too lazy to explore?
it's easier to ignore.

The reason I don't know what's been going on is because...

2008-07-28T19:42:00.002-04:00

The reason I don't know/remember what's been going on is because... ...it's because when you're dreaming, there's just no incentive for you to remember what exactly is taking place. You just hang out there in the dream environment, making no effort to remember anything, no effort at all to consider anything to be significant, and no effort to change the course of events. You just float around.

If your self-esteem is lacking...

2008-05-15T01:10:00.002-04:00

all you need to do is go here, and imitate your favorite celebs.

Lowest Forms of Life

2008-03-27T10:06:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to post this for years, so here goes:

I'd have to say that the lowest form of life on the planet isn't a single-celled organism, it's the paparazzi.

The second lowest form of life would probably be the consumers of their work: celebrity magazine writers and editors.

The third lowest form of life is definitely anyone who enjoys watching celebrity gossip television or celebrity gossip magazines/blogs.

Don't believe me? Look at people who care about celebrity culture:

My MacBook is not an Apple. It is a LEMON

2007-12-12T22:51:00.000-05:00

On what basis does Apple determine which repairs they will cover on Macs that are within the 1 year warranty? A month ago, Apple covered the replacement of my MacBook's "topcase" because some cracks had developed on the edge of the gray plastic panel surrounding the keyboard. They said that this was a common problem among the MacBooks. Yesterday, the gray plastic panel surrounding the LCD screen began to crack in the same manner. This part is made from the same kind of plastic, so I figured that they could fix it. Well, today, at the new W14th street store, no luck. The kid at the Genius bar very politely explained that SINCE THIS PART IS NOT CURRENTLY UNDER RECALL, IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. Furthermore, the kid said that he'd never seen this problem on other MacBooks. Interestingly, he also said that if they see enough people coming in with the same problem, maybe they'd change their mind. That's a load of bull$#!+, don't you think? SO, my question is... Does a part have to be under recall in order for it to be repaired under warranty? Does it have to be a predetermined issue before they will acknowledge that this is a workmanship problem? I'd like to think that the nice kid made a mistake, or that there was some sort of miscommunication. But this experience left me pretty p!$$ed off at the way they handled my situation. PS: The last time I had gone to the Genius Bar, the guy tried to sell me that preferred customer thing. He smiled like a used car salesman and explained that with the preferred customer status, my computer would be fixed ahead of everyone else's. When I declined, he said that he'd do everything he could to handle my repair quickly anyways, but the next time, I might not be so lucky. I had to wipe all the slime off my computer when he was done with it. What do you think is going on here?

Random Shit about Me

2007-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by fellow Rice Daddy, Daddy In A Strange Land (DISL) a couple of weeks ago, but haven't gotten around to posting till now. I'm just following the rules, so here goes... I don't know too many bloggers, so I'm sending this to Feliza, Two Warriors, Carissa, Jennifer, Gil, Janette, Marty, Melissa Rules: Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

I was born four days before DISL. You do the math.
The day after DISL announced he was writing his novel, my friend Sean asked me, "So how's your novel coming along?" I was like, "What novel? Just cuz I quit my job doesn't mean I'm writing a novel. You must have me confused with my RiceDaddy brother out in Bakersfield."
When I came to this country, I had no money and I couldn't speak a word of English. I was such a baby.
My grandfather first came to this country as a student in the 1920s. He went to school in Chicago.
When I was a kid, I seriously thought that the Philippines was in JFK International Airport. I thought my relatives lived at the airport, because that's where we picked them up whenever they visited from the Philippines.
I am probably one of the few Asian guys who can play the 5-string banjo.
I have to put a lot of effort into acting "normal" because I'm a really sick fuck. Technically, textbook insane. If you know me, you already knew that, or maybe not...
When my wife & I were planning our wedding, we decided to have it in the Philippines cuz we thought it would be fun to bring our white friends to a third-world country and have them kidnapped. Their parents were not amused:

21 - Another Film Worth Pirating

2007-11-17T04:03:00.000-05:00

If you wanna know why you should pirate this film, Angry Asian Man says it best. So click here to see why, and then pirate the hell out of this movie when it comes out. Hollywood producers should never profit from whitening a story.

Emirates Air Agent Nouman Ali WAS an Infidel

2007-10-27T00:53:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Looks like our hard-nosed efforts paid off. Emirates returned our money the other day. It shouldn't have taken this long, but at least we got our money back. Remember, boys and girls: never let anyone treat you the way Emirates Airlines did. If they do, just give them hell like we did, and don't let up until you get what's yours. ---------- Refunds USA Oct 18, 2007 10:18 AM

Dear SoulSnax, We have received your refund request. As per Expedia's itinerary and your credit card statements, we come to know that only one ticket 176 7063673674 (your ticket) was valid. The other ticket number 176 7063673493 appears to be invalid and we are unable to retrieve this ticket from our accounting system. Due to this, you were asked to purchase a separate ticket for Mrs. SoulSnax ( ticket # 176 2102131351). We suggest that you take this matter with Expedia, as these tickets were issued and purchased from them.

Sincerely,

Nouman Ali Sr. Accounts Assistant Fares and Refunds Emirates USA 212-758-3944x274

----------

Dear Mr. Ali: No offense, but had you thoroughly reviewed the documents that we sent by mail, you would see that a refund is due immediately. Therefore, I am sending the very same documents as a .pdf attachment. Please review it thoroughly this time. It is quite clear, in the evidence we diligently presented, that our credit card statements show Emirates, not Expedia, charged us twice for my wife's ticket. Logically, it would make sense that Emirates should refund us for the ticket that we paid for TWICE. Kindly review this matter again and I'm sure you will agree with us that it would be Emirates' responsibility to credit us for the ticket. Please understand that the longer this matter remains unresolved, the more stressful this is for us emotionally and financially. If we are forced to spend more time pursuing this matter, we will have to send you an invoice for that time. So please reverse the $1629.70 charged to our Chase MasterCard within three business days. Should you find this matter unagreeable, I'm afraid we'll be forced to take additional measures to dispute this charge. And we really would prefer not to. Kind regards, -SoulSnax

----------

Dear SoulSnax,

We had thoroughly checked all the documents that were provided to us. Expedia is our processing agent and they are authorised to charge and refund the tickets on behalf of Emirates. The ticket number on the itenary and on your credit card statement for Mrs. SoulSnax (176 7063673493) is invalid. Hence we ask you to contact Expedia and have them process a FULL refund for Mrs. SoulSnax's ticket.

Unfortunately we cannot refund a "travel agent" issued ticket. This must be resolved by Expedia and can contact us, if further information is required.

Sincerely,

Nouman Ali

Fares and Refunds

Emirates - USA ---------- Mr. Ali: Since Emirates has authorized Expedia to charge tickets on its behalf, it is the job of Emirates to resolve the matter of what ticket numbers are valid . Emirates' inability to resolve its own business processes is not our concern nor the concern of any valued customer. Since you have not considered the relevant facts of this matter, I have outlined them as follows:

Whether or not a particular ticket number is valid is not relevant to our refund request. Such minutiae are a fabrication of your byzantine work processes, not ours.
What is relevant to this matter is that we were charged TWICE for the fare of ONE passenger: Mrs. SoulSnax. First charge: on 7/26, as indicated on page 1 and page 4 of the .pdf attachment. Second charge: on 8/11, as indicated on page 7 of the .pdf attachment.
We are not asking you to refund the initial charges posted on 7/26. We are asking you to refund the $1629 payment that we were coerced into making on 8/11, as indicated on page 7 of the .pdf attachment.
If you look closely at the receipt on page 7 of the .pdf attachment, you will see that the payment took place on 8/11/07 at JFK International Airport, at 10:45am, just 35 minutes before our scheduled 11:20am departure. It is clear that we were coerced into making that payment. In the United States, we call that EXTORTION, an offense punishable by law.

Please refund the 8/11/2007 charge of $1629.70 no later than tomorrow, 10/26/2007, or we will have no choice but to invoice you for the time spent processing this refund request. So far, I have spent more than 90 minutes on this matter, time that could have been spent on more productive matters. At the rate of US$95 per hour, the invoice currently stands at $142.50. A reasonable person would see that the facts are as clear as they can possibly be. I trust that you are a reasonable person. Peace, SoulSnax ----------

Mr SoulSnax,

At least you can contact them and get complete ticket details for Passenger Mrs. SoulSnax. We are unable to assist you unless and until we get the correct ticket number.

Sincerely,

Nouman Ali ---------- Mr. Ali: I do not wish to participate in this kind of charade with you, since you are unable to consider the relevant facts. Please put me in contact with your supervisor immediately. Expedia did not coerce us into paying a second time for my wife's ticket. It was Emirates' agents who coerced us by threatening to refuse my wife's passage on the flight. I have already provided you with all the relevant information necessary to process this refund. If you wish for me to do your job by contacting Expedia, please let me know where to send the invoice for the time I have spent on this matter. -SoulSnax ----------

Dear John,

We need to have a look at the original ticket for Mrs. SoulSnax that was purchased thru Expedia. Unfortunately the number provided by you seems to be incorrect. We are requesting you to contact EXPEDIA , provide them with your itinerary number and obtain the ticket number for Mrs. SoulSnax. We are unable to refund the ticket purchased directly thru Emirates , as it has already been utilised. We are considering to resolve this issue and possibly authorise a FULL refund on the ticket purchase from Expedia.

Sincerely,

Nouman Ali ---------- Mr. Ali: It is your job to contact Expedia, since you authorized them to make charges on your behalf. If I contact Expedia, I will have to send you an invoice for the time spent on this matter. To whom should I send the invoice for $142.50? -SoulSnax

----------

Dear SoulSnax,

Expedia wont provide us with the complete details due to security purposes. Hence we ask you to call them and acquire the ticket information.

Nouman Ali. ---------- I just contacted Expedia, and they gave me the same ticket number that I have given to you over and over and over again:

Ticket number for Mrs, SoulSnax : 1767063675493
Itinerary number: 120609992939

You already have all the information you need to process the refund. I know this because I am quite familiar with how credit card systems work. Please end this charade now. If you are unwilling to fulfill this refund request, then put me in contact with your supervisor or anyone else who can accomplish what you cannot. I am well aware that this is not the first time that Emirates has had this kind of problem with its customers. Extortion is a crime. If Emirates is unable to abide by United States laws, it should stop doing business in this country. Please ring me at +1 212.555.1111 once the refund has been processed. You have until 12:00 noon tomorrow to process this refund before we take legal action through our attorneys. -SoulSnax ----------

Dear SoulSnax,

We need your complete credit card number that was used when purchasing tickets from Expedia. We will be conducting an extensive search. Secondly, we dont think we should be blamed for an inconvenience that was caused by Expedia. We will take all matters to Expedia and make sure your refund gets processed in an expedited way.

Sincerely,

Nouman Ali ---------- Mr. Ali: The 12:00 deadline has passed, and I have not received any notification that our refund has been processed. You should put me in contact with your supervisor immediately. I will not tolerate any more of your fabricated excuses or delay tactics. You already know that we were unlawfully charged by Emirates, and you already have all the information you need to process the refund that is due immediately. By failing to process our refund request in a timely manner, you have been complicit in an act of extortion, which is a form of theft. You, Nouman Ali, are guilty of sariqah, السرقة. For this, we have hired an attorney who has assured us that justice will be served. Luckily for you, this offense was committed within the United States, so Hudud punishments will not be meted out. This inconvenience was caused by Emirates' failure to conduct business effectively with its partners. Whether or not you wish to conduct an investigation with Expedia is up to you and your cohorts, but it should not interfere with the immediate refund of the unlawful charge to our account. For security purposes, I do not disclose credit card information via email. If you need such sensitive information to conduct your "investigation," you can ring me at +1 212.555.1111.

----------

What protesters are NOT saying about Teri Hatcher's line in Desperate Housewives

2007-10-03T11:39:00.000-04:00

There is indeed a huge uproar among Filipinos regarding a line delivered by Teri Hatcher's character, Susan, on the September 30 episode of Desperate Housewives: "Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Coz I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines." Posts on several blogs have expressed sentiments along the lines of, "It's just a character on a show full of bitches. Get over it. Don't be so sensitive, Everyone gets denigrated on that show."

True, those lines were delivered by a rather shallow character on a show full of whiny "bitches." True, everyone on the show gets denigrated. But the problem lies not in Filipinos' lack of humor, nor in a lack of perspective. The problem lies in the fact that her line of dialogue was delivered on a show and in a multi-billion dollar global industry in which positive portrayals of diversity are virtually nonexistent.

When such diversity is nonexistent, and when the only mention of Filipinos occurs in such a negative manner, it negatively shapes the perception that people have of Filipinos. This is especially true among those whose perceptions of others are shaped by the media. And in this day and age, that's primarily how people's perceptions of others are shaped - by the media. Like it or not, that is an undeniable fact.

While Italian mobsters and Irish alcoholics may appear on television from time to time, we won't see much protest from the Irish or Italians, simply because Irish and Italian actors are regularly cast in enough positive portrayals, and in many non-ethnically specific roles. They also have the benefit of their sheer numbers in this country. Not so with Filipino or Asian actors.

When we see more positive portrayals of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans on television and in cinema, lines like the one delivered by Teri Hatcher's character will seem trivial. A line like that would be inconsequential because people will have seen enough positive portrayals of Filipinos to know that Philippine medical graduates are indeed competent. But because today's television and cinema lack such positive portrayals of Filipinos, those viewers with limited contact with Filipinos or Filipino physicians are likely to draw some inaccurate conclusions about Filipinos physicians and the medical schools from which they graduated.

Unless these points are made clear, the environment in which such programming is produced is unlikely to improve.

Cigarettes are wonderful

2007-07-25T01:01:00.001-04:00

I love smoking. I wish it wasn't bad for you. When I was a smoker, smoking gave me a reason to pause, go outside and reflect, mingle with fellow smokers, etc. I think I was more addicted to the outdoor zen, social aspect of smoking than the actual nicotine.

It's not that I dislike the aroma of tobacco. I still love secondhand smoke Now that I no longer smoke, I actually relish the sweet haze of the tobaccosphere that lingers outside office buildings. It's the highlight of my day. In fact, I think it would make a wonderful air freshener scent. I'm
not talking about that stale ashtray smell. Rather, the delicate aroma of a cool, spring day lightly peppered with cigarette smoke. One variation would be to add to a hint of cedar and seaspray, to evoke memories of that walk-in
humidor on your grandfather's yacht. mmmmmmm...

Asian in America

2007-05-19T04:46:00.000-04:00

I love to tell people that when I came to this country from the Philippines, I had no money and I couldn't speak a word of "Engrish." Makes people think that I've come a long way. "Wow," they say, "I would never have guessed!" It cracks them up when I tell them I was only seven months old when I got here. :)

When I was five, we settled in a predominantly white suburb in New Jersey. It was mainly (ashkenazi) Jewish, Irish, German, Italian, with a growing number of Filipino residents. It was the '80s. When people asked where the Philippines was, I told them it was located somewhere within the airport because that's where my relatives always came from when they came to visit!

Being Asian in America is not something we really thought about when we were growing up. If anything, being Filipino-American in our neck of the woods meant being hip, cool, and popular in school. We always had the coolest toys. Our parents were all professionals, legal immigrants, and well-off. We were the "kids to watch" way back then.

It wasn't until I ventured out of state, to a private college in New England, that I felt I had to prove my Americanness, prove my legal status and demonstrate my command of the English language. But even then, that insecurity was short-lived. We barely even thought about race except as a source of good-natured, drunken jabs at one another. I delivered pizza for a while, and on some deliveries, I'd put on my best fake accent and pretend I was bringing Chinese food. It would confuse some people, but mainly it cracked people up!

It wasn't until I was really into the singles scene in New York City that I became aware of certain racial inequities. A lot of times I'd get "You're kinda hot, for an Asian guy." A lot of women (even Asian women) would tell me that they just weren't into Asian guys. I was in denial for a looooooong time about it, but when I really thought about it I realized that it was really the fault of popular media, what with "Long Duk Dong" from Sixteen Candles and other tasteless stereotypes. I really became aware of this "crisis" when I talked to a lot of Asian males in the industry. These are talented people who will never be successful because they work in an industry that still discriminates. And the more I think about how the media portrays us, it kinda borders on genocide. If you think about it, the media really is guilty of a deliberate and systematic destruction of Asian men, all in the name of profit. I try not to think about it, but the more I do, the more angry I get. So furious, it scares me sometimes. I seriously wonder if that's the kind of anger Sung Hui Cho felt. We'll never be sure, but I really do wonder. Scary, isn't it?

Anyway, now that I am happily married with a beautiful baby daughter, the awareness of my ethnicity has taken a whole new dimension. While I know that my daughter is living in a better world now, she will still have her struggles. They'll just be a little bit different. It will be up to us to equip her with the skills she needs to overcome them. At least she's not an Asian boy, so we know she'll have it a little easier! :)

09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 58 D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

2007-05-17T00:54:00.000-04:00

The MPAA blows. What exactly are they trying to protect with their enforcement of DRM? DVDs? Their primary vehicle for disseminating their genocidal propaganda? TO ALL THE DVD PIRATES IN ASIA AND ELSEWHERE... Not only do I condone what you do, I actively encourage it. I ACTIVELY ENCOURAGE VIDEO PIRACY in the hope that it eats into producers' revenue, because those pseudoliberal racists don't deserve a dime for the GENOCIDAL, diversity negligent, media they produce. I encourage video piracy. I will vehemently oppose Hollywood's DRM efforts until the producers of diversity negligent media reverse their genocidal casting policies by positively and genuinely reflecting the diverse world I live in. Until then, I will obtain my media from alternative sources. FUCK YOU, HOLLYWOOD!

Solution to the Impending Energy Crisis

2007-02-26T20:28:00.000-05:00

After my wife gave birth last month, she was itching to get back to her original figure, so she took to the exercise bike. While she was out of the gym nursing the baby, I found an old Honda alternator, hooked it up to the flywheel of the exercise bike, and hooked the alternator into a power inverter. I then plugged the television into the power inverter. Now, if she wants to watch television, she has to maintain a constant speed of at least 30mph on the bike. Otherwise, the television will shut off.

Now, I figure that if/when our daughter takes an interest in using MySpace or playing video games, I think I will hook the computer up to the contraption. No child of ours will ever be a couch potato!

Anyway, I'm working out a deal with the Chinese to install these contraptions in their prisons. They're hoping to put their political prisoners to work while also trying to manage the energy requirements of a rapidly growing economic superpower. I tried approaching Dubya with my system first, but he wasn't interested for some reason...

GOOD RIDDANCE: MTV World

2007-02-18T10:57:00.001-05:00

Rumor has it that MTV World will be closing up shop. While some Asian activists may be petitioning to keep MTV-Chi, MTV-K, and MTV-Desi up and running, I say GOOD RIDDANCE.

It's not that I do not support Asian-American culture. I am a fervent supporter, consumer and producer of such content. But MTV World is just a cultural ghetto to which Asian-Americans have been relegated so as not to contaminate what Viacom perceives to be marketable mainstream culture. But imagine what would have happened with U2 in the 1980s if Bono and pals were relegated only to MTV-Eire. Would they have ever broken into the American mainstream?

Which begs the question: if MTV-Chi, MTV-K, and MTV-Desi were to shut down, would their content and programming then migrate to the mainstream MTV? I wouldn't bet on it, but it would be nice, wouldn't it?

So our daughter was born the other day...

2007-01-14T04:48:00.001-05:00

...and already, people are imposing European standards of beauty upon her! Goddamn them all to bloody hell.

Eight days ago, my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. We thought she was perfect... until we had an Internet video conference with my in-laws in the Philippines. That's when we learned that she looks too Filipino to be perfect.

All they did was scrutinize the poor kid through the webcam, criticizing the lack of a fold in her eyelids, poking fun at her flat, flared nose and expressing disgust at her not-so-pale complexion. They even asked us to turn our kid from side to side just to see how high the bridge on her nose was! It was pathetic, almost comical.

And it's not just the in-laws who are this pathetic. Filipinos are sick, sick people. Pretty much any Filipino you'll ever meet is blindly ignorant of their self-denigrating approach to beauty. Growing up, my mother instructed me to pinch my nose regularly so that it would grow "narrow" and "tall," not wide and flat. For a race of brown, flat-nosed, slant-eyed people, it's astounding to see how we Filipinos can be so vigilant about upholding the Nazis' eugenic standards of Aryan purity.

It just breaks my heart to think that Filipinos, of all people, would see our daughter as less beautiful by virtue of her Filipino features. It would be nice if we could raise her in a world where her Filipino features (narrow eyes, brown skin, flat nose) would not get in the way of her confidence and self-esteem. But it's ironic that despite the progress made in maintaining civil rights and racial equality, it is often our own internalization of Western standards of beauty that allows our special racial characteristics to get in the way of our own confidence and self-esteem.

Sure, I've complained about this self-denigrating racism among Filipinos before. I've written volumes on the subject, addressed it in my poetry readings, even shot a satirical film about it. But I'm a father now, and it bothers me even more now than ever before. Seems that striving for whiteness is such a huge part of what it means to be a Filipino (and Filipino-American too), so much so that when I confront them about it, they look at me like I'm some mad lunatic. Like I should want nothing more than to be a white, round-eyed Caucasian. Just pick up any Philippine entertainment magazine and you'll see what I mean. No one in those magazines looks even remotely Filipino. It's all lily-white maidens and their round-eyed lovers with toothy grins, and ads for Eskinol skin whitening products.

I know that we're not the only ones who beat ourselves up by virtue of our special racial characteristics. I'm well aware of the light-skin preference amongst many African-Americans. And it disgusts me that people in Africa and Latin America have even suffered mercury poisoning from the skin whitening creams they slather on their bodies in their quest for whiteness. What disgusts me even more is how ophthalmologists worldwide continue to make a killing from the Asians who think that blepharoplasty is their ticket to beauty and social acceptance. It's a new brand of slavery, and it has very grave consequences! Why do we do this to ourselves? What can we do about it?

We all know that our minds have been infected by global pop culture and the mass media. We also know that producers of such media continue to produce content which lacks positive, accurate portrayals of people of color because WE CONTINUE TO CONSUME such media! How do we mitigate the demand for such inherently racist media? How do we inoculate our children from the lure of such pop culture?

I think I have the solution, but first I'd like to hear some of your thoughts. Do you come from a family of self-denigrating white supremacists? If so, how in the world do you deal with them? How do you deal with these issues when it comes to your children?

The SoulSnax Challenge

2006-12-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

Instead of wasting our hard-earned cash on the mainstream media that perpetuate negative cultural stereotypes, let's be a part of the solution...

That's where the SoulSnax Challenge comes in. The SoulSnax Challenge aims to mitigate the demand for inherently racist media by inoculating our children from the lure of such pop culture. Donations made to this challenge will go toward funding school projects that are consistent with the SoulSnax vision. Click here to learn more about the projects currently being funded by the SoulSnax Challenge.

OH MY GOD. I WAS AN UNWITTING ACCOMPLICE TO A PLOT TO DENIGRATE MY OWN PEOPLE!!!!!!

2006-08-11T02:25:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, my wife's brother approached us with an opportunity to participate in a potentially lucrative business venture. It involved raising the funds necessary to obtain raw materials for a trendy nutritional supplement. The supplement would be imported from Japan, and manufactured in the Philippines using local labor. This sounded like a good opportunity for us to not only make some money, but also to assist my brother-in-law in his budding business venture. Furthermore, we'd be helping to contribute to the GDP of the Philippines, something that this developing country is badly in need of. I was willing to contribute a little more than they had asked if I could just review a prospectus. But when I learned that no such material existed, I decided to just stick with the requested contribution. It wasn't much money anyway, and it was family. Anything to help out. After a few months, the materials were obtained, and the first batch of product produced. The product was glutathione, a nutritional supplement which is growing in popularity amongst the health conscious set, as well as the Philippine "celebrity crowd." Glutathione supposedly contains antioxidant properties and also contributes to "whiter, healthier-looking skin." That last part about the product's skin-whitening properties is what bothered me the most. But to make the problem worse, that very skin-whitening aspect was to be among the product's main selling points. Upon review of the marketing materials and the label write-up, I asked that my brother-in-law remove the part about the skin-whitening. I argued that promoting such racist practices as skin-whitening was self-denigrating to the Filipino people. He argued that since it is something that people want, we might as well profit from it. I responded by saying that it contributed to this Filipinos' lack of cultural self-esteem, and that it perpetuated a standard of beauty that by its very nature does not include the common Filipino. I told him that if he wanted to be a sell-out, and market this product as a skin-whitening agent, then that was his choice. But in no way was I going to contribute to such a morally reprehensible practice. He could leave that selling point in if he wanted to, but if he did, I would have no choice but to ask for my money back. He said I could have my money back, but in two months. I told him, "NO WAY!" I decided to pull my money out, plus the interest it would have earned me had I kept the money in my savings account. Now I know why a prospectus was not available when we asked for one. We had already lectured my brother-in-law about the cultural and moral implications of pursuing whiteness like that. We should have known that he was hiding information about glutathione out of fear that we would not invest. The fact that it is a nutritional supplement popular among Philippine celebrities should have been an indication that glutathione was some sort of skin whitening agent. We were misled from the start. We all know how racist Philippine pop culture is these days. I don't care if this business venture would have made me a shitload of money. I refuse to contribute to the ignorance of the Filipino people. I refuse to give in to racist popular culture and the self-denigrating behaviour it instills in our people. I refuse to contribute to the lack of pride that has led to this country's perpetual status as a third-world nation. Our people need more pride in themselves, not less. I know better than to be a part of that, though I sometimes wish I could be just as ignorant as everyone else. It would be nice to also make some cash. But then, I'd just be a part of the problem, wouldn't I? My wife and I decided to take that money back, and donate it to Gawad Kalinga in memory of my father-in-law, who passed away recently.

Another Homogenously White Sitcom from the Creators of "Friends"

2006-07-18T17:40:00.000-04:00

According to this blogpost by Lisa de Moraes, "Friends" creator David Crane had some pretty lame excuses for his new show's all-white ensemble. Needless to say, there was a lot of disappointment from critics. As I've suggested before, I think people should just stop complaining and put their money where their mouths are. If you don't like what's on television, don't watch it. Give it a "thumbs down" on your TiVo remote. If you want diversity on television, create it yourself, or give your financial support to those who *do* create diversity. You really can't blame the folks who create those homogenously white shows. These folks are predominantly white, so what do you expect them to create? People generally create what they know. Furthermore, including non-white characters puts producers at risk of unintentionally portraying them in a way that might offend non-whites. So, to play it safe, they just write what they know. There's also the perceived impact of diversity upon TV ratings/box office receipts and subsequently lower revenue. Now, it would be nice if David Crane were up front and honest about these fears. In any case, my recommendation to everyone is to vote with your dollars. If you don't approve of homogenous casting in the media, don't spend your money on it. Spend your hard earned bucks on diversity and keep it away from the homogenous Hollywood studios. Follow the example of the Chinese: Not only do they create some fantastic cinema of their own, they keep money away from the culturally ignorant producers of Hollywood by flooding the market with pirated DVDs of Hollywood films!!!

What About Brian?

2006-04-22T19:40:00.000-04:00

Lost has been lauded for its diverse cast, but now their creators have come up with a new show, set in Los Angeles that looks like an hour-long manifestation of an Old Navy commercial. Except the cast is entirely made up of white people. It's as if the creators of Lost were told by the network that they need a new show that was more "traditional".