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Saturday, March 6, 2010

My Taiwanese-American Anthem

I am Taiwanese. And no, that doesn’t mean I’m from Thailand. I am Taiwanese. I don’t buy things made in China because I don’t want inferior quality products that support China’s push to become a world superpower. I am Taiwanese. When my census form comes in the mail, I will not be checking the box that says “Chinese,” but rather checking “Other Asian” and writing in “Taiwanese.” I am Taiwanese. I don’t know how to speak Mandarin or Cantonese, only Taiwanese. I am Taiwanese. A friend at MIT once told me that Taiwanese women are the most beautiful of all Asian women. I tend to agree.

I am Taiwanese. I am not Chinese. If you don’t understand the difference, go see Formosa Betrayed when it opens in your city. A powerful film that will challenge everything you think you know about the China/Taiwan conflict. See this movie and you’ll understand how this blog post you’re reading would put me in great danger if I lived there.

But gratefully, I am also American. I was born in New York, which means I can run for President someday. I am American. I am pursuing my dream in the global creative center for film and television. I am American. We gave the world baseball, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Facebook. I am American. I don’t like Sarah Palin, but I respect her right to exist. I am American. I live in a country where everyone has the right to an education, no matter what economic situation they’re born into. I am American.

I am Taiwanese-American. And I’m proud as hell.

3 comments:

  1. Great post, as usual. I'm glad you realize that you can run for Pres someday because you were born in the US. But hey, Obama got elected so that rule is just a "suggestion". ;-)

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  2. Love this post. I am Taiwanese-American too. :)

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  3. Wow. Very powerful and moving words. I feel the same way about being Japanese American. They always put Asians into the same box but we are all different. Different languages, cultures and sensibilities.....

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