Independence Day 2020

Happy Independence Day 2020. Or, if you can’t be “happy,” just reflect and observe.

We have a pandemic, and our country sucks at getting out of it. We squandered a lockdown to get things under control and prep up testing, tracing, and any other means of mitigation. The only thing that is predictable is fear and unpredictability, and they are what they are.

I’m just hoping that New York and New Jersey can try harder to keep things okay and not like it is in the rest of the country. But, I heard that Connecticut is doing very well with the Covid numbers. So, maybe it isn’t all crap in the tri-state area? I don’t know. Who knows?

At the individual level: keep your masks on, stay six feet away, and wash your hands. I really don’t trust that we keep hoping and praying that individual responsibility will save us, because individual behavior has not persuaded me on that front.

On the local and state levels: keep testing and contact tracing. Well, this presumes that a spread of Covid hasn’t made contact tracing impossible and that there are enough capacity and supplies for testing.

I wish that the federal government can provide real leadership, but… these are such trying times on so many, many issues.

Happy birthday, America. Thanks to Facebook’s On this Day/Memories feature, I get to review my past status / comments on past July 4s. I can’t quite tell what my arc is – maybe more cynical and reflective, than freely patriotic? What is patriotism? Can we grow and reason where we are and choose to proceed where we want to go?

According to Facebook: on July 4, 2017, I said, “…take a moment to reflect on the meaning of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’ and don’t forget that the Constitution does say we’re ‘to form a more perfect union.’ I was listening to Brian Lehrer’s show on WNYC the other day and he made an interesting point about America’s birthday: like any birthday, acknowledge it, warts and all, and hope (and work) for better. “

So, can we reflect and learn? Do we acknowledge the warts and all, even if we can’t and should not accept them?

On July 4, 2018, I noted on Facebook this quote from James Baldwin: “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

Take the criticism and use it for what it’s worth. Constructive criticism? Can this country take it?

I’ve recycled this status / comment on Facebook for two years, and maybe I’ll do it again: “As I get older, I’m more struck by the end the Declaration of Independence: ‘And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.’ The Founding Fathers were about to do something dangerous, and they knew it. But, they went ahead together, in hopes of something good and better, and as social contract theory – working together in agreement – meant something to them.”

Do we understand what social contract theory means? Do we want to work together, do we have agreement, or are libertarians right – that individualism prevails, so who cares? Is that how we sacrifice democracy and rule of law?

I’m rambling. And, I apologize to libertarians for being so glib. But, I’ve been frustrated with individualism because it seems so neglectful of others.

You’re welcome to do a search on the blog and look at our prior posts on Independence Day. (I may be recycling my ideas or concerns at this point?).

Anyway, I don’t have Disney Plus, so it’s not like I’m joining in on the fun of streaming a Hamilton watch of the original cast. As much as I’d want to see Lin-Manuel Miranda as the original A. Hamilton, triscribe – well, FC, P, and I – did see it when Javier Munoz played the role. (we saw it when he had alternated with Miranda; he later took over the role).

Munoz was arguably the sexier A. Hamilton (NY Times’ chief theater critic Ben Brantley said so way back in 2015!). 😉 But, as Miranda acknowledged recently, they did have to keep the filmed/streaming Hamilton PG-13 for audiences!

However, seriously, you don’t have to look to a Broadway musical – as good as “Hamilton the Musical” is – to learn American history. Is that musical all about how Hamilton and the rest of the Founding Fathers were heroes? Not quite. Is it great about showing their weaknesses and failures? Eh. Maybe it’s not strong on portraying women, and the great sin of slavery and race relations weren’t the real aims of “Hamilton” (a musical isn’t the way to really show the sins of slavery and racism, is it? I mean, it could be, but not really?).

But, “Hamilton” is a great musical.

It can’t hurt to pair a watching of “Hamilton” and “1776” on July 4. That way, you get a whole bunch of Founding Fathers at once (and pretend that the Founding Mothers had some part), and maybe realize that a musical could be a way to see how such humans could be so vibrant and so human.

Do remember: the Founding Fathers really were only human. I wonder what they would think about where this country is going and how we let factions get in our way, and how we could be our own destroyers.

I wonder. Can differences of opinion create creativity and pull us together? Can we be better?

On July 3, 2020, I listened to the NPR Morning Edition annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. The words of Thomas Jefferson – no easy man to figure out – express outrage against the British and the decision to build a new identity. But, Jefferson’s words were also a tool – not to explain but also foment rage to get things going against a bigger power – those darn Brits, that horrible king who was so oppressive to the governors and people in America! – and yet, did Jefferson realize how many people in the future would draw inspiration from American ideals? He, a slave owner, may not have intended for freedom to be extended to all, but his words empowered others.

If Thomas Jefferson was a hypocrite – you know, “Do as I say, not as I do, regarding freedom” – what about other American leaders? Kind of like how Woodrow Wilson was complicated, even if he wasn’t that complicated. I thought that this article by Joshua Keating over at Slate, June 30, 2020, “The Accidental Anti-Imperialist,” was a fascinating read. As Keating noted, this is what’s odd (and not odd) about Wilson: for a man who was racist even for his own times, he inspired global cooperation, advanced an American foreign policy that was activist and into intervention (maybe for good and not-good reasons), and inspired anti-imperialist and anti-colonial movements.

Like Jefferson and the slavery issue, Wilson might never have intended anyone to take up against imperialism, but it happened anyway, because he used empowering words (his 14 points included self-determination!). It’s ironic, and history is full of these complicated ironies.

I’m not sure where I personally am on the issue of pulling down statuary and memorials or names of institutions of racist, imperialist figures, when so much of history is full of the likes of Jefferson and Wilson. Do we then have to figure out who are the forgotten”better” heroes of history and celebrate them? Maybe we should!

But, what if they turn out to suck too for anything awful that they did? (and face it, they probably were terrible parents/spouses/neighbors/etc. or even sexist/homophobic/bigots of some kind/etc.).

The bottom line is that we’re all hypocrites. I like to think that we should not “celebrate” figures; we should learn and realize nuance (somehow). There are moral questions and it shouldn’t be that easy to say we’ll just ignore the bad things a person did or forget the good that a person did. (This observation applies to understanding history: we can’t ignore the good or the bad and the ugly that a country like ours did).

Some things to think about anyway. The American experiment continues, 244 years later. Let’s keep trying to do and be better. Happy Independence Day, indeed.

On the Last Day of APA Heritage Month 2020

Here at triscribe.com, APA Heritage Month is really every day. As usual, life distracted me, but honestly, I never imagined that 2020 would bring in a global pandemic, an economic depression, and racial injustice all at once in less than six months.

Racial injustice is, unfortunately, a perpetual problem and fear of others keeps going on. Asian Americans get wrongful blame during the pandemic – as if they’re (still) the source of disease since the 19th century and (still) have to be told to “go home.” (when home is supposed to be America, thanks). Police brutality is especially infuriating to me because I feel as if there’s a willfulness in continuing unnecessary police violence toward African-Americans – in conflict with training, policy, law, and morality, so far as could be apparent to me.

The same problems continue to happen; it’s “normal.” (see here from NPR regarding former President Barack Obama’s thoughts on the maddening normalcy of racism). I wonder, as usual, about where’s the cultural shift for greater morality, rationality, consideration, compassion, and empathy? I look for basic decency and I wonder I’ve lowered my expectations too much.

Anyway, on the waning hours of APA Heritage Month, some stuff to consider:

With the pandemic ongoing, see here for “AAPI Frontline” from NBC Asian America for the voices of AAPIs on the front lines to deal with the coronavirus that has caused so much pain.

PBS presented the documentary series “Asian Americans,” which can still be accessible for streamed viewing (and even easier if you have PBS Passport, so support your local PBS). I still have to watch properly the 4th hour part, but overall appreciated the stories told with an activist frame. The writer in me would have liked a little more editing and closure to the narratives, but I fully realize that documentaries are never easy.

With Daniel Dae Kim and Tamlyn Tomita as alternating narrators, it was fascinating to watch the stories of Filipino farm workers fighting for unionization, or how Tereza Lee was one of the first DREAMers, and to be reminded of the consequences of 9/11 on South Asians.

The World War II segment of the documentary series was really moving to me, to see the complicated stories of the Japanese American families and what it means to be American, when the American country has subjected you to discrimination and tests loyalty in a very one-sided and unfair way.

The story of Susan Ahn Cuddy was also illuminating. She was the first Asian-American woman in the US Navy during World War II, training men to shoot. I had realized that I heard about her story over at NPR’s Story Corp segment awhile back, but I had no idea that she was the sister of actor Philip Ahn. Really fascinating stuff.

Check out the NY Times’ interview with Daniel Dae Kim (who recovered from Covid-19), from earlier in May 2020, about the “Asian-Americans” documentary and how timely it is.

I also thought that this Smithsonian Magazine overview of “Asian-Americans” – “Watch 150 Years of Asian American History Unfold in This New Documentary” by Nora McGreevy – was interesting, as it included links to other articles about coverage of the documentary series.

Also, check out NPR’s Alisa Chang’s interview of Renee Tajima-Pena, the series producer (from May 28, 2020). Tajima-Pena brings up the iportant question of how do we move forward together, and her hope that the documentary series helps us see what has happened to figure out the future. (h/t Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)’s Facebook page post, May 30, 2020).

Even though a lot of in-person APA Heritage Month events were cancelled, a lot did go online. For instance, yesterday, some of us triscribers and friends viewed some of Flushing Town Hall‘s “Crazy Talented Asians & Friends: Live Comedy & Animation Shorts” via Facebook Live. Always great to see what a rich range of short animations from talented Asians and Asian Americans.

On a non-APA Heritage Month note, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken have become the first two American astronauts to have made it back to space from American soil, for the first time in nearly a decade, via SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, as they launched on May 30, 2020, from Florida and docked with the International Space Station on May 31, 2020 (links to NPR reports).

SpaceX-NASA effort could lead the way to cheaper and sustainable spaceflight. I’m still not sure how I feel about private entities doing this (money is good and bad). But, it’s exciting to realize that Americans are back in space without hitching a ride with the Russians, as discussed in “SpaceX’s Crewed Launch Restores America’s Status Among an Elite Group of Spacefaring Nations” by Jeffrey Kluger, Time Magazine, May 30, 2020, which worthy reading.

Always great to find some hope in a crazy world.

Distraction and Stuff in the Pandemic Age

Well, triscribe is still here and the triscribers are doing what we can. We are living in trying times, where the phrases “in excess of precaution,” “lockdown,” “shelter-in,””quarantine,” “isolation,” and so on – become part of our language because of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and the pandemic age. We have lost people; having our lives disrupted is preferable to further loss of life. Fear and unpredictability prevail, yet we have to have hope?

I put a question mark because I really find it hard to have hope, but can’t stop hoping. Fear the worst, hope for the best, and what else can one do, when there is only so much one can control?

I resent COVID-19 for ruining Lunar New Year, for being an awful bitch, and all that. Our public health is the priority, but we have an economy in free fall (so, I wonder if we realize: without health, do we have an economy? It’s really not an either/or question, folks). Do we have societal solidarity? What about xenophobia and racism, and who do we leave behind? We’re so focused on coronavirus all the time, but our world really still sucks in all kinds of ways (climate change is still real). YC and I end up posting all these articles on Facebook. There is so much to read and to figure out. There are no simple answers to questions.

After awhile, I have to do some self-care, and I do my breathing exercises and I think that I’m in the middle of another round of spiritual searching in the middle of a public health crisis. I look for ways to distract, because the ongoing news hits the anxiety to levels I could not previously envision. History is made when there is no precedence. The news can be – is – overwhelming.

So, I end up watching “Joy of Painting” with Bob Ross’s happy little trees; cooking shows, even though I don’t cook; and animal videos or images (cute kitties and puppies are wonderful). I’d watch cooking videos on Food52, marathon episodes of “America’s Test Kitchen,” and whatever illuminating thing that could keep my anxiety at bay. There are the even many videos of Chef John of Food Wishes on YouTube. I’d giggle over more marathons of “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

Back in January of this year, a friend of mine (L) shared this link on Facebook to the video of how to make no-bake cheesecake with a chocolate-covered strawberry, and I then saved it to share on triscribe and procrastinated. This seemed a good a time as any to finally share it, as it is very nice to watch because it looks very doable and yummy:

I have also appreciated that FC posted on Facebook photos of his progeny’s school lunch, as part of the remote learning program; they really do not make school lunches the way they used to when I went to public school. My ongoing Facebook addiction can’t be any good, but so that goes. I binged on podcasts, but I’m not going to pretend that I’m caught up on Star Trek or Doctor Who. (I’m still behind).

I am not feeling the desire to write fiction. The first idea I had in ages was inspired by the Spanish influenza, and I was somehow intrigued but then the mindlessness of technically working from home has been sucking me into blech.

On a happier note: John Krasinski (the ex-Jim of “The Office”) started “Some Good News” and the 2nd episode, the original cast of “Hamilton” returned. Some 16 minutes total; around 8 minutes in, Krasinski just happened to have his Mary Poppins connection, when his wife Emily Blunt appeared and then her Mary Poppins co-star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and his crew came on screen. The original Hamilton cast still looked and sounded so good! I embed the video below:

So, I’ll end on that happier note. Keep hoping for better. We need better and we have to be better.