Escape From Plan A

Two of Plan A’s Việt Kiều (Vietnamese diaspora) hang out with Leftist YouTube star Luna, and chat about Vietnam’s remarkable response to the Coronavirus pandemic in and outside of its borders. How are people in Vietnam and the US responding to the death toll of zero? What can the US and other countries learn from Vietnam? And what can we actually expect them to learn, given the constant suspicion the West has of socialist, Global South countries like Vietnam? Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Luna (@LunaOi_VN) Q (@allyouneedis_q) Filip Guo (@filipgwriting) Luna’s YouTube Channel, Luna Oi: https://www.youtube.com/lunaoi Recommended/referenced episodes from her channel: Is Vietnam socialist? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMubOw5H-yo Vietnam Puts Human Lives Before the Economy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mLxDWl0i_c SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com Special Opening Theme: Ghen Cô Vy| NIOEH x K.HƯNG x MIN x ERIK | WASHING HAND SONG | CORONA SONG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtulL3oArQw

Seibo Shen joins Teen on this crossover episode with the Happy Asian Males (http://www.happyasianmales.com/) podcast. Seibo is the founder and CEO of the cannabis company Hanu Labs (https://hanulabs.com/) and has deep experience with psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms). Teen tells Seibo about his first and only experience with the psychedelic, whether it was a worthwhile, and whether or not people should be encouraged to try it. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/planamag SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Nearly 40 years after Vincent Chin was bludgeoned to death in a brutal hate crime, violence against Asians in America is on the rise again. Writer Paula Yoo talks to Diana about the details of Chin's murder, and the legal battles and civil rights activism that ensued. What was Vincent Chin's legacy? Has anything really changed? Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Paula Yoo (@paulayoo) Diana (@discoveryduck) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

In the last month, there has been a slate of new Asian American media offerings from Tigertail, The Half of It, and Never Have I Ever. Filip and Chris are joined by Eliza and new guest Arnav to talk some real shit about these movies and shows. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Eliza (@aesthdistance1) Filip (@filipgwriting) Chris (@JesuInToast) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

The escalating cold war with China did not start with the coronavirus pandemic, and it will likely continue long afterwards. Independent journalist Ajit Singh talks to Teen about the geopolitical context of this simmering conflict between the United States and China, and how serious a matter it really is. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Ajit Singh (@ajitxsingh) Teen (@mont_jiang) REFERENCED RESOURCES: Ajit Singh's Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/ajitxsingh) China’s rise threatens U.S. imperialism, not American people (https://mronline.org/2018/04/09/chinas-rise-threatens-u-s-imperialism-not-american-people/) How a Trump media dump mainstreamed Chinese lab coronavirus conspiracy theory (https://thegrayzone.com/author/ajit-singh/) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Jess and Teen assess just how bad things have gotten in America, not just for Asian Americans but on the whole. The American ideal of optimism and progress seems to have been destroyed once and for all. But this seemed to have been a dream that only the top tenth of Americans could achieve at any one point in time. What does it mean to be in that top tenth? How do they control where we go from here? Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Jess (@cogitatotomato) Teen (@mont_jiang) REFERENCED RESOURCES: Trump Orders Meat Plants to Stay Open in Move Unions Slam (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-28/trump-says-he-s-issuing-order-for-tyson-s-unique-liability) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

And we thought the Global Financial Crisis was bad. Chris, C.S., and Christina (a Plan A co-founder making a long-awaited return after some time away!) discuss the generational ramifications that COVID-19 will have on Millennials and Gen Z in terms of our values and dreams. Is the Millennial ideal of "do what you love" truly dead? Will Gen Z be the first generation to know nothing but American decline? What new demands will be placed on identifying as "Asian American"? Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: C.S. (@c_taniguchi) Chris (@JesuInToast) REFERENCED RESOURCES: Is This the End of Influencing as We Knew It?:https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/04/influencers-coronavirus-arielle-charnas-escape-new-york Mira Jacob's NYT Coronavirus Comic Twitter Reaction: https://twitter.com/mirajacob/status/1248772510365011969?s=20 John Cho's article in LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-04-22/asian-american-discrimination-john-cho-coronavirus SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Mark, Filip, and Chris get together to talk about all the shameless gaming they've been doing during the lockdown and focus in particular on Sleeping Dogs, the excellent open world driving game about a 2nd-generation Asian American undercover cop who goes to Hong Kong to infiltrate the Triads. In addition to discussing the game, they talk about how they related to the Asian American male protagonist and his story. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Mark (@snbatman) Filip (@filipgwriting) Chris (@JesuInToast) REFERENCED RESOURCES: What Sleeping Dogs Gets So Right About Being An Asian American by Kevin Wong: https://kotaku.com/what-sleeping-dogs-gets-so-right-about-being-an-asian-a-1644011008 Revisiting Sleeping Dogs or Why The Movie Won't Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN1TPqVdpPo SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Diana and Teen talk about living in an age of pessimism. We are told constantly to look on the bright side, even as we are inundated with horribly depressing news. The total failure of our government, the rise of fascist anti-Chinese racism, the collapse of the progressive movement, all topped off by an economic depression. But look at these people sing on their balconies! And how these cops rode in formation to celebrate a child's birthday! Where do we go when optimism is a cracked veneer of bullshit, and pessimism is objectively justifiable? Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Diana (@discoveryduck) Teen (@mont_jiang) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Liza is back! And with Filip and Chris, the three of them discuss four important Asian American YA books that span three decades: Marie G. Lee's "Finding My Voice" and "If It Hadn't Been For Yoon Jun," Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese," and Randy Ribay's "Patron Saints of Nothing." Issues discussed include how to read older works in the context of their time and whether POC writers are automatically qualified to write characters of their own race. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Eliza (@aesthdistance1) Filip (@filipgwriting) Chris (@JesuInToast) REFERENCED RESOURCES: Best Asian Americans Book of 2019 | Aesthetic Distance: https://aestheticdistance.com/blog/top-books-2019 SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)