Hear our first podcast here.
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This was my first podcast over the phone. The volume goes up and down, and there’s no music, but overall I was satisfied with the quality. Participating in this podcast were William from BetterAsianMan, James from Alpha-Asian, Flipsoul and THX from the Fighting 44s, and me from big WOWO AND the Fighting 44s. The topic was Crabs in a Bucket, which I previously announced here. We discussed when and if it was okay to criticize other Asian people. It was an awesome podcast, and I was happy to have the opportunity to talk with so many smart people. I think we made lots of progress. You guys all taught me something.
The podcast discussion came from the forum discussion here. During the podcast, we expanded it by addressing specifics of Asian Americans who had endured the so-called Hatorade from the AA community: Esther Ku, Ishle Park, Beau Sia, and BetterAsianMan William himself. In some cases, we decided that the criticism was valid; in others, we thought it wasn’t. We talked about the Asian Excellence Awards and how they prop up questionable candidates. In the end, my view was that it’s okay to question Asian Americans, but that it has to rely on logic and examination rather than personal hatred or emotions. I liked Larry’s discussion around 39 minutes when he talks about radical politics. I agree with his quote: “It’s a battle for the soul of Asian America.“ As he mentions, it’s a fight for “which vision will prevail.”
For those die-hard podcasts subscribers, immediately after this podcast, we did a BetterAsianMan podcast to concentrate on the specifics of what William does. Two podcasts in a row, and the second podcast was straight up insane! I think everyone is going to like it. I will post a link to William’s site once that goes up.
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Hey Byron, great teleconference, but we sound like chipmunks, dude.
That was a great podcast. I wish William would stop saying everyone just doesn’t like what he does. And as far as a solution for him, I think it’s a lost cause. If there was a solution or answer for such a question, then I’m sure someone would’ve come up with it a long time ago. He has a tightrope to walk. But then again, who am I to judge him.
I kind of stand by Larry’s comments about “It’s a battle for the soul of Asian America” because I think there’s a lot to be said about radical activism. In this day and age, there’s no room for it outside of the internet. That’s just my personal opinion. But if there’s a strong enough coalition online to foster that kind of militant-ism, then I think it would do wonders to change the landscape of Asian America.
-TMM
TMM,
Thanks for the kind words. And yes, I love Larry’s comments too! That’s exactly the way I see it too–we’re fighting for their souls; it’s a fight to move the zeitgeist in our direction.
James,
I agree. I always wonder who the guy with the high pitched voice is…and I always find out that it’s me!
minoritymilitant,
You are right. I’m listening to the podcast now and I am embarassed to admit that I was saying that “everyone doesn’t like what I do” out of frustration. Really, it’s wrong of me to say that because there are many people who support me and the tightrope that I am trying to walk. Even you, minoritymilitant, have given your support to me for certain aspects (although not all aspects) of what I’m doing, and it was not my intention to ignore that. I do very much appreciate the time and effort you’ve spent in talking with me on the podcast and also on your comment board.
As for it being a lost cause, I’m smiling now as I’m typing this because a part of me does believe that it is. However, I’m still going to keep trying for a little while longer. I’m not ready to give up yet!
-William
Awesome podcast, man!
Thanks, Zach!
There’s another one coming up. I’ll probably post my commentary/link sometime later today or early tomorrow.
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“However, I’m still going to keep trying for a little while longer. I’m not ready to give up yet!”
William,
That’s good to hear. I don’t think that you should take all the criticism that you’ve gotten as a message to stop doing Better Asian Man. I think there are some AA guys that could benefit from the program.
In general, I’ve found that I can often learn more from criticism than from praise–as painful as the former is. There’s a saying that it’s your “enemies” who show you what your weaknesses are and what you need to improve on.
Regarding BAM, it could help to define what your “strategic vision” (to use a corporate catchphrase) is for the program. If you clarify this vision and what your values are, that can take you a long way.
Not to go off on too far of a tangent, but when you think about it, BAM and PUA classes are just a subset of Life Coaching and the Self-improvement industry like what Tony Robbins et al. do.
I thought what Byron wrote in his review of BAM was intriguing:
Read “The Game” by Neil Strauss, and you’ll see how surprised the actor Tom Cruise gets when meeting Strauss. He says something along the lines of “Imagine what PUAs could achieve if they put their energy into doing something more constructive.”
What would it be like to develop a Better Asian Man into a more generalized life-coaching program that includes–but is not limited to–sexuality? Or for that matter, could one develop a similar program for AA women–a Better Asian Woman?
And finally, I read your comments about your life’s experiences on your blog:
http://www.betterasianman.com/blog/?p=276
Beyond your website, have you ever considered writing a book about your experiences or a screenplay or making a kind of documentary about them?
Your personal transformation touches upon larger issues of Asian American sexuality and identity that would probably resonate with many people.
Byron,
I never heard it phrased this way, but your point that “it’s a fight to move the zeitgeist in our direction” is spot on. That’s the broader vision which should animate Asian American activism–beyond particular political projects, events, media campaigns, or even podcasts.
In short, it’s about creating an AA movement–politically, socially, culturally–that transforms everything from institutions to even personal identity.
Larry,
Thank you for your feedback. I do like the idea of generalizing my original vision for the website into something broader, and that is certainly something I’ll be thinking about as we move forward. After getting all of the feedback that I have been receiving from the fighting 44′s, as well as from my ongoing discussions with Byron, I am working on changing a few things on the existing website within the confines of my current mission, which is to provide a means for Asian American men to get better with women. I would like to move forward and expand betterasianman.com, but I’d first like to focus on getting this part right. The volume of _positive_ feedback that I’ve received through the website from Asian American guys who share a similar history of obstacles in romance as I have encountered serves to prove to me that my current focus must be solidified before it is expanded.
I look forward to hearing more of your ideas in the coming weeks as I continue to work with Byron to grow and mature the contents of betterasianman.com. I very much like the idea of writing a book or developing a screenplay based on the events of this past year in my life, and I appreciate your support of such an idea.
Regarding the clarification of my goals and values that you referenced is the “ABOUT” section on my website lacking sufficient detail?
-William
Larry,
I think in addition to William and I discussing PUA, you and I should be discussing how to create this AA movement! I’m looking forward to it. We’ll have another Thymos meeting really soon; I’ll let you know when that is. I also have another project which I’ll e-mail you about.
I like the idea of William writing a book too. Once it’s solidified, that could be powerful! Books are cool because they’re long, structured lines of thought which any PUA/activist/anyone else could find transformative. William, I’d be the first on line to get that book!
“Regarding the clarification of my goals and values that you referenced is the “ABOUT” section on my website lacking sufficient detail?”
William,
That “About” section is okay. I was more talking about clarifying BAM’s vision for yourself and where you want to take BAM.
By the way, something that I forgot to mention–Tony Robbins actually does talk about attracting women. It’s not the main part of his program, but it’s definitely part of it. (yes, I’ve read some of his stuff…)
Life coaching for the Asian American male would be good, because a lot of people (not just Asian American men) lack the real world experiences to be whole self-actualized people. But if we want a life coaching service, then Will can’t do it by himself. Other people need to step up and lend their expertise.
Will is focused on a very specific need (attracting women) and addressing the need with specific action (coaching others out in the field). Being an ACTivist means taking action that results in a measureable achievement.
Going back to the originality question, I’m probably going to be writing an essay this week on “What constitutes a new system.” I’ve got some (what I think are) cool analogies.
When I’m done with that, though, I’d like to revisit the question of life coaching. I think it’s good, and I think it could reach a lot of people. In previous podcasts, I talked a lot about literature and the arts, but life coaching could help people right NOW. So I’m in agreement.
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