Time To Say Goodbye

Hello!This episode is about the politics of the Asian diaspora. We explain why we named our podcast Time to Say Goodbye and update one another on quarantine pickling (to Maangchi or not to Maangchi?). We then tackle the more serious topic of Asian American politics: How might we move beyond “seat at the table,” professional-class concerns and embrace an “internationalist” perspective that looks to Asia?Andy tells us about his new book, published just last week, which leads to a brief discussion of scholarly trends and why Asian history—that of China and India, in this case—deserves to be studied not only through the lens of tradition and culture but also political economy.In the second half, we speak with Wilfred Chan, a freelance reporter, contributing writer at The Nation, and activist based in New York. Oh, and Andy’s former student! Check out Wilfred’s writing on the 2019 Hong Kong protests and the Lausan 流傘 collective, New York City’s “essential” food couriers, and the WHO’s costly discrimination against Taiwan.1:20 - We answer the burning question of why we’re called Time to Say Goodbye. (Spoiler: Jay loves old-people karaoke; Tammy felt outvoted; Andy just didn’t want to be fired.) Plus disquisitions on authentic YouTube cooking. 9:43 - The last thing the world needs is another podcast, so why us? We assess the state of Asian America and explain why we’re in favor of swerving left. 16:46 - Everyone nerds out in honor of Andy’s new book, Tea War: A History of Capitalism in China and India. Also: the academy’s renewed interest in capitalism, the eighteenth-century French Physiocrats, Jay and Andy’s debate-team credentials and how Agamben (an Italian philosopher) got dunked on.33:40 - Wilfred tells us about his journey from Seattle to New York to writing for CNN in Hong Kong, and how he got politicized.53:00- We ask Wilfred about the “false choice” familiar to many within the Asian diaspora—between criticizing anti-Asian racism and blindly defending the governments and corporations in Asia (China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.).ABOUT USTime to Say Goodbye is a podcast—with your hosts, Jay Caspian Kang, Tammy Kim, and Andy Liu. We launched this thing because, like you, we’ve been sheltering in place and wanted an outlet for our thoughts on the coronavirus, Asia, geopolitics, and Asian Americans.A short introduction to your hosts:Jay Caspian Kang is a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the forthcoming book The Loneliest Americans.E. Tammy Kim is a magazine reporter, a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, and a retired lawyer. She co-edited the book Punk Ethnography.Andrew Liu is a historian of modern China. He wrote a book called Tea War, about the history of capitalism in Asia. He remains a huge Supersonics fan.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to Time To Say Goodbye! Today, we have a bonus episode for you about Korean coronavirus test-and-trace—with Max Kim, a journalist living in Seoul who recently wrote a lengthy article for the New Yorker as well as an informative and timely piece a few months back for the MIT Technology Review. We are still experimenting with the format of these emails, so today we thought we’d highlight some of the points we discussed with Max. 1:13 - How the Korean response to Covid-19 was a direct result of a failed response to the MERS epidemic in 2015. 10:39 - How the first days of Covid-19 felt and how quickly the Korean CDC sprung into action with a broad testing program. 16:01 - How Korea “rehearsed” for Covid-19 and how it got a little lucky. 20:40 - What are the actual strategies we can learn from Korea? And what are the particulars of the Korean test-and-trace program? 26:00 - Are there concerns about privacy in Korea? How are they processed? 34:30 - Could Korea have accomplished what it did without universal health care? 38:00 - The million-dollar question: Can we do test-and-trace in America? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

EPISODE 2: African Guangzhou and Coronavoting in KoreaHello!Time to Say Goodbye is a podcast—with your hosts, Jay Caspian Kang, Tammy Kim, and Andy Liu. We launched this thing because, like you, we’ve been sheltering in place and wanted an outlet for our thoughts on the coronavirus, Asia, geopolitics, and Asian Americans.A short introduction to your hosts:Jay Caspian Kang is a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the upcoming book The Loneliest Americans.E. Tammy Kim is a magazine reporter, a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, and a retired lawyer. She co-edited the book Punk Ethnography.Andrew Liu is a historian of modern China. He wrote a book called Tea War, about the history of capitalism in Asia. He remains a huge Supersonics fan. Today’s show is about markets and mandates.The large African immigrant community in Guangzhou, in southern China, has faced persecution on Covid-19 grounds. We discuss this in the context of China-Africa relations and global racism. Soapboxing about: trade routes, multiculturalism, and ancient explanatory power.We return, regrettably, to the topic of Asian American discrimination, America-first navel-gazing, and what it means to declare: “Chinatown is not in China.”Then we welcome our first guest, Victoria Kim, Seoul correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. Victoria tells us about last week’s midterm parliamentary elections in South Korea, the first national vote of the pandemic era. What can we learn from Korea’s election protocols? Why did voters turn out in such large numbers? How has Korea’s successful response to the virus affected its reputation abroad? And how might the ruling liberal Democrats parlay their landslide victory? Show notes:3:05 – Why are Chinese people lashing out against Guangzhou’s African immigrant community? What are the international implications and, without resorting to pop anthropology, can we draw parallels to the xenophobia in the U.S.? The latest, plus background here and here.26:30 – Does a second-generation Chinese American doctor deserve to get “hate-crimed” less than a new immigrant laborer from Hong Kong? Discrimination takes from an Asian American éminence grise and a Joy Luck Club alumna.40:01 – The brilliant Victoria Kim of the Los Angeles Times, on electoral politics and life in a functioning democracy. Sigh. Her coverage of record turnout, the woolly future of human contact, and all things South Korea. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

Hello! Time to Say Goodbye is a podcast—with your hosts, Jay Caspian Kang, Tammy Kim, and Andy Liu. We launched this thing because, like you, we’ve been sheltering in place and wanted an outlet for our thoughts on the coronavirus, Asia, geopolitics, and Asian Americans. A short introduction to your hosts:Jay Caspian Kang is a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the upcoming book The Loneliest Americans. E. Tammy Kim is a magazine reporter, a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, and a retired lawyer. She co-edited the book Punk Ethnography.Andrew Liu is a historian of modern China. He wrote a book called Tea War, about the history of capitalism in Asia. He remains a huge Supersonics fan. Today’s show is about travel and opulence. We trace the Pangolin market and its wealthy consumers. We then tell you about the city of Wuhan and how its place in the economy all but ensured a global spread of Covid-19. Included in the discussion: supply chains, business travel, car-parts manufacturing, and tourism. We move on to masks and South Korea. Tammy tells us about her recent article in the New York Times, on the government’s efforts to prevent price-gouging and distribute masks through local pharmacies. We talk about why Westerners weren’t initially keen to adopt the mask, then rapidly changed their mind over the past few weeks, at least in the United States. Last, we explore Andrew Yang’s infamous op-ed in the Washington Post—and the backlash. Show notes: 2:41 – Korean quarantine for international travelers. A description of what it’s like here. 6:15 – How coronavirus spread, the politics of the “wet market,” and pangolins. Andy’s article about China and mundane forms of global transmission, plus a follow-up opinion piece here.45:00 – Why did Americans resist wearing masks? Tammy’s article, with lessons from South Korea, and her interview with a lead Korean doctor here. 1:12 – Obligatory conversation about Andrew Yang’s op-ed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe