Despite being a racial minority, I’m not really a fan of racial quotas; coming out first in a job interview is fantastic, but landing a gig based on the shape of my eye is really discouraging. I mean, can’t the best person just get the job done? Let hard work be the goal instead of all these superficialities?

HOWEVER, this very thing tears me up, too. I know there is something so very important about having someone represent “you” in a field that you never once dreamed of entering, let alone believing anyone would give you a chance.

INFLUENCE ON YOUTH

When I was young, I would watch programs subconsciously looking for kids who looked like me. Even the Reading Rainbow theme sequence had an effect: there were TWO(!) Asian girls! They became astronauts! This mean I really can go anywhere! I can do anything!

I didn’t know what was happening at the time, but as I got older, I religiously absorbed Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club and tuned in to watch Sook-Yin Lee on MuchMusic, Margaret Cho on All-American Girl, and even followed journalist Connie Chung - only the 2nd female to co-anchor a major news program. In a way, all of this gave me a silent “OK” to pursue university studies in media, which was really necessary in a culture where medical professions were, and still are, raised on a glowing pedestal.

So, what I’m saying is… with all this Linsanity going around, maybe in a good 10 years or so, there just might be more Asians in the NBA, too.

On behalf of all Asian-American/Canadians: Thanks, Jeremy Lin, for being the trailblazer.

Yellow men CAN jump!

inothernews:

I’m an avowed Boston Celtics fan, but damn if I don’t start watching the Knicks for their star of the moment, point guard Jeremy Lin.