Sports | The Plaid Bag Connection

George Takei as Sulu. Artwork by Deborah Enrile Lao.

Manny Pacquiao caused quite a stir this week when he said he was against gay marriage and homosexuality in general. BigWowo found the headline on the LA Weekly article unfair, since Pacquiao did not actually say that he wanted gays put to death; he was merely quoting from the Bible. That said, the clarification does not excuse Pacquiao from his stance.

In tangentially related news this week, Hyphen Magazine is featuring actor, comedian, LGBT activist, and all-around awesome person George Takei on the cover of its 25th issue. Deborah Enrile Lao has made some great posters featuring Asian American male role models, including Takei and Jeremy Lin. (Pacquiao is not included.)

Source: Colorlines.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard that Asian America, China, and Taiwan have gone completely Lin-sane for Jeremy Lin. Not only are Asian Americans claiming him as a hero, but China and Taiwan are also trying to latch on to his success. I don’t particularly care for basketball, but since I’m researching diasporic membership and globalized nationalism, I find this struggle to “claim” Lin to be quite fascinating.

Is he Chinese or Taiwanese?

China and Taiwan see Lin as a diasporic subject. Chineseness or Taiwaneseness is something you are born with, in contrast to Americanness which can be acquired. Even if he only has US citizenship, he is still part of the Chinese/Taiwanese nation, and so they have a right to claim him as one of their own. The New York Times’ adorable story about Lin’s grandmother in Taiwan touches on these competing claims: Continue Reading →

The Plaid Bag Connection

Category Archives: Sports

Okay to be Takei? Not for Manny Pacquiao

Jeremy Lin: diplomatic pawn and diasporic subject

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