Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“Having been raised using Korean in her family, a Korean American journalist said that she still struggled to speak Korean fluently, and this experience led her to question why Korean entertainment writers and consumers failed to question improbable stories, such as that of ‘Vincenzo,” Lee Kyung-eun — the director of Human Rights Beyond Borders — wrote in her OpEd piece. The journalist she is talking about … is me.
“Having diverse characters leads to endless possibilities for storytelling. And there are infinite ways to tell an adoptee’s story…”
You know those chili oils at Chinese restaurants that come with your meals? I am a huge fan of spicing up my food with those. Though none of the jarred oils are as delicious as the homemade ones, some of them as still pretty darned tasty. I’m talking about you, Momofuku.
“Squid Game” is not this year’s “Parasite,” so much as it is a satire in the vein of “A Modest Proposal.” Just as Jonathan Swift pointed out the abject brutality of telling the poor to satiate their hunger by eating healthy, plump babies, Hwang depicts the cruelty of lording a huge sum of money – literally – over desperate people’s heads, knowing that most will die as they lived: penniless.
“One of my objectives in filmmaking is to bring empathy and understanding to our community,” said “Blue Bayou” writer, director and star, Justin Chon.
It shouldn’t matter what language a group chooses to sing in. And yet, it has become a huge deal in K-pop, with some stans saying BTS are sellouts for singing their last three singles in English. I disagree, just as I defended Monsta X when they released an album sung all in English. But that’s not how some people chose to remember it.
BTS approaches their music as art, because that’s what they want to create – something beautiful and meaningful that withstands the test of time.
I never paid that much attention to McDonald’s previous celebrity collaborations (Travis Scott, J. Balvin). But when the hamburger chain announced that its latest celeb partnership would be with BTS, it made me happy. I know it’s easy to trash talk fast food. And while fast food usually is something we reserve for road trips, I will buy it on occasion for my son as a treat, just as my parents did for me.
Minority journalists should have the same opportunity as white reporters to tackle prestigious assignments. Maybe their take won’t be better than their white colleagues. Maybe they will. But how will we ever know if they’re not given a chance?
Ever make ramen in a rice cooker? It’s something young children can do themselves. And it’s perfect for students living in dorms.