Escape From Plan A

This year has seen a sudden surge of American interest in China-related news, from Huawei to Xinjiang to Hong Kong. Teen, Diana, Ray, and first-time guest Rich talk about why the American psyche is so fixated on these stories, especially when many of the alleged wrongdoings involves issues that are actually in dire need of addressing in America itself. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Teen (@mont_jiang) Diana (@discoveryduck) Ray (@raydeng) REFERENCED RESOURCES: Korea? It's Always Really Been About China!: https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/09/22/korea-its-always-really-been-about-china/ The U.S. Is Purging Chinese Cancer Researchers From Top Institutions: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-06-13/the-u-s-is-purging-chinese-americans-from-top-cancer-research 9 Arizona State Students From China Detained At LA Airport, Denied Admission To U.S.: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/30/arizona-state-students-from-china-detained-denied-admission-to-us/2171189001/ SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Diana and Teen discuss the state of dysfunction in American masculinity, and its particular relationship with Asian men. How do Asian men respond to American norms of masculinity, compared with Asian women in response to norms of femininity? Are Asian men more or less dysfunctional compared to American men at large? Big questions that have no easy answers, but that doesn't mean they cannot be talked about together by Asian men and women. *This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers! For the full episode, please become a patron at: 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)

Have you ever gone to some artsy event in America and realized that the vast majority of Asians there were women? Given how much of the creative output from Asia is dominated by Asian men, it surely can't be said that Asian men are somehow genetically uninterested in the arts. So is there something about American culture that creates these gender imbalances among Asian Americans? Is it a supply or demand problem? Returning guest Ray (writer) and new guest Jon Truei (filmmaker) join Oxford Kondo to discuss their experiences of being straight yellow men in America, trying to express themselves creatively. *This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers! For the full episode, please become a patron at: www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Oxford (@JesuInToast) Ray (@raydeng) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

In the third iteration of the Plan A tech series, Filip talks to guests RK and Jimmy about the surge in activism and labour activism in the tech sector in the past few years. They tackle the question of where Asian Americans fit in amongst the tech-lash, and why we should care, beyond just the fact that we’re highly represented in this world-affecting industry. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Filip (@filipgwriting) Jimmy Wu (@jimmyjwu) REFERENCED RESOURCES: Optimize What? by Jimmy Wu at Commune Magazine https://communemag.com/optimize-what/ Lessons from the Long Sixties for Organizing in Tech by R.K. Upadhya at Science for the People https://magazine.scienceforthepeople.org/vol22-1/lessons-from-the-long-sixties-for-organizing-in-tech-today/ The Subversive Roots of Asian Scientists and Engineers https://hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2016/12/subversive-roots-asian-scientists-and-engineers White Techies are not our Friends by Filip Guo https://planamag.com/white-techies-are-not-our-friends-e8cf1d51b3a3 Collective Actions In Tech https://collectiveactions.tech ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FROM GUESTS RK AND JIMMY: Forget Your Middleclass Dreams in Jacobin Magazine https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/03/middle-class-white-collar-unions-kickstarter Tech Workers are Workers, Too (links to Chinese Tech workers organizing) https://jacobinmag.com/2019/05/tech-workers-chinese-solidarity-microsoft-github Coders of the world, unite: can Silicon Valley workers curb the power of Big Tech? https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/31/coders-of-the-world-unite-can-silicon-valley-workers-curb-the-power-of-big-tech SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Jess and Teen (after we all watched the wrong Veronica movie on Netflix up in the Catskills) record a late-night podcast while enjoying the effects of some special gummies. We'd write more in this description, but honestly, we don't remember a ton of what we talked about! It was something about adult life? *This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers. To subscribe, please go to: www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Teen (@mont_jiang) Jess (@cogitatotomato) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

There's a lot to be commended about the movie Hustlers, but as a source of information about the realities of the lives of sex workers, especially Asian sex workers, it has its blind spots and relies on old Hollywood tropes. Red Canary Song is a grassroots collective of Asian and migrant sex workers and allies, starting with the Chinese community of massage parlor workers in New York City. Its co-founder, Kate Zen, along with members Jia and Lillian, join Diana and Oxford to discuss important issues facing sex workers and their own experiences in the industry. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag Red Canary Song's website: http://www.redcanarysong.org/ TWITTER: Kate: @katezenlove Diana: @discoveryduck Oxford: @JesuInToast INSTAGRAM: Red Canary Song: @redcanarysong Jia: @dominajia Lillian: @theparhelia REFERENCED RESOURCES: Kate's piece about 'Hustlers' on NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/constance-wu-s-real-life-hustlers-inspiration-problem-model-minority-ncna1062741 Red Canary SCREAMS event on Nov. 2: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/red-canary-screams-tickets-73691847299 Instagram for Kinkout Events on Nov. 2: @kinkoutevents SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Mark and Oxford put on their soccer pundit hats to diagnose just what the hell is wrong with the US men's soccer team, as well as Tottenham Hotspur (their very recent demolition of Red Star Belgrade notwithstanding). Some ideas thrown around include national arrogance (USMNT) and the perils of overachieving in the Champions League last season (Tottenham). *This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers. To subscribe, please go to: www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Oxford (@JesuInToast) Mark (@snbatman) REFERENCED RESOURCES: US Soccer Is Neglecting Latino Talent—And It Shows: https://www.thenation.com/article/us-soccer-latino-neglect/ SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

It's been about 2 years since Oxford published his article, "What If Asian American Men Fall To The Alt-Right?" He, Jess, and Teen get together to talk about what has changed in these two years with respect to what the new forbidden topics in Asian America are, and why we're so tired of the usual Stinky Lunch and Yellow Fever thinkpieces. Also, they talk about Reddit's obsession with Hong Kong and why that site's reaction is really about American self-esteem. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Jess (@cogitatotomato) Oxford (@JesuInToast) Teen (@mont_jiang) REFERENCED RESOURCES: What If Asian American Fall To The Alt-Right? https://planamag.com/what-if-asian-american-men-fall-to-the-alt-right-3b392495786 Jenn Fang's negative reaction to Oxford's article about alt-right: https://imgur.com/a/qeaEwRk SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Plan A's own Diana is a prolific comedian these days, but it took her a while to get into the field, even though she's a natural. Oxford interviews Diana to get a bit of her life story and they discuss why young outspoken children turn quiet and uncertain, the racial challenges of young Asian American comics, and more. *This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers. To subscribe, please go to: www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Diana (@discoveryduck) Oxford (@JesuInToast) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)

Popular terms like "intersectionality" and other idealistic words are thrown around in political circles, but they're often covers for more specific personal grievances. Jess and Diana talk about how these grievances should be able to stand on their own and how the lack of honesty makes things worse. This applies in particular to the familiar gender fights within Asian America. Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/planamag TWITTER: Diana (@discoveryduck) Jess (@cogitatotomato) SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Opening Theme: "Fuck Out My Face" by Ayekay (open.spotify.com/artist/16zQKaDN5XgHAhfOJHTigJ)