dmarc's Xanga

Unhappy Thoughts About the Closing Ceremony

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:34:13 GMT

After what's been hailed as the most extravagant Opening Ceremony in Olympic history, Zhang Yimou does it again... Just not as well.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the thousands of volunteers and the symbolism of handing off the torch to the Brits- yeah, it really felt like a corny reversal of the 1997 Hong Kong Handover.

I even teared up at that scene where the Chinese volunteers waved goodbye to the reluctantly-leaving foreign athletes, which was followed by an appropriately somber extinguishing of the Olympic flame... then the passionate re-ignition via sheer manpower!

What I was annoyed at was what immediately preceded and then followed the meaningful handover segment- the disappointing performance of Leona Lewis, which was only rescued (somewhat) by Jimmy Page's skilled riffs. The good folks at Fourth Place Medal did a good job poking fun at all of that. And while certainly jubilant, the "Olympic Carnival" was a strange mess of dancers, acrobats, pyrotechnics, and stars the Western world is totally unfamiliar with.

What is up with NBC?! I have been generally impressed with NBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympics, but they totally botched the music portion of the Closing Ceremonies. Not only was the camerawork shaky, switching from acrobats to dancers to Jackie Chan, but they didn't even bother to acknowledge the Chinese superstars singing on stage... and the one they did identify, Wei Wei, is hardly "the biggest pop star in China".

At least they could've acknowledged Korean superstar Rain (whose singing in Chinese below, with Kelly Chen), whose long running feud with Stephen Colbert is the stuff of comic genius. Shame on you Bob Costas!

I'm pointing all of this out because I CLEARLY remember NBC analysts identifying Greek pop stars when they performed at the Athens Closing Ceremony- even though they weren't singing in English either! They even took time to ID the Greek American winner of Pop Idol in Greece... yet totally ignored Chinese American superstar Wang Lee-Hom!

But what really disappointed me was not seeing the REAL king of the pop music charts in China.

According to his reps, Jay Chou was invited to perform, but chose not to because "it didn't suit him" and because his company was afraid that he wouldn't "perform well".

In retrospect, perhaps President Chou and Co. made the right decision- if cameramen would focus on Jackie Chan and Wei Wei, while totally panning past Andy Lau and AMERICAN Alexander Wang Lee-Hom, it would've been a waste of time for Jay... especially because he's always talking about crossing over "one day" to the American music market. Then again, given NBC-Universal's lack of interest in even talking about Asian stars, I doubt it'll make that much of a difference.

All of this really proves something I heard a month ago from a Chinese professor at ASU,

"America has globalized the world, but it itself is not globalized."

In other news, people seemed to have made a huge fuss about Australian basketball player Lauren Jackson going in for some love from the most famous Chinese athlete on the planet.

Dude, look at Yao's face!

Sun Yue, the First Asian Los Angeles Laker

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:09:53 GMT

I first heard of this guy long ago, courtesy of Xanga's ever-resourceful DJ CaptainZowie, who spotted this young prospect with his old team, the Beijing Aoshen Olympians.

Even with the big news, I was surprised that I didn't find all that much on the blogosphere on Sun Yue, the 6'9 (sometimes) starting point guard for China's national team who was signed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers on August 8th, 2008.

In retrospect, I guess he was a definite side-note compared to the other events of the day...

Sun Yue's signing intrigues me, because he's on his way to accomplishing the dream of Chinese boys all over Southern California- becoming the first Asian to play for the L.A. Lakers.

And here he is, lacing up a pair of Zoom Kobe 3s... his future teammate's old shoe from 2007.

After watching him play the spark plug for an otherwise sleep-walking Team China during the Olympics, I find myself pretty impressed by the guy's playing style. He's a decent dribbler, with flashes of speed and good hops, as well as a soft touch when he pulls up for a jumper... His accuracy? Well, that's another story... But c'mon, he's a 6'9 point guard! Throughout the Olympics, Sun Yue has displayed a Pass First mentality, which should work just fine with a Lakeshow squad that's (supposedly) full of scorers. He definitely needs to pack some muscle (like he needed against those husky Lithuanians), but I can't see why he can't succed in the NBA.

Still, Sun Yue's acquisition still makes me feel a little sad. First, someone decided to tag him with the ridiculous title of "the Chinese Magic Johnson," hardly a fair or accurate description. Secondly, he has to follow the disappointing debut of former Milwaukee-Buck-turned-New-Jersey-Net Yi Jianlian, who is a next generation, post-Yao type of Chinese baller, like Sun Yue- except he alternately plays adequately or very poorly on a game-by-game basis. Lastly, the eyes of a city (nay, an entire state!) full of Asian Americans will live vicariously through him, cheering for his success or bitterly cursing his weaknesses (getting muscled around by big NBA players) as a reflection of their own.

So I guess the lack of enthusiasm is warranted... Plus, it's not like the Lakers need more "finesse" players- see 2008 NBA Finals. Who knows, maybe by the end of Fall training camp this kid'll be a wash, or end up riding the bench all season- at least he's set a precedent and got signed.

Or maybe Sun Yue has a few aces up his sleeve...?

Like his girlfriend, Chinese supermodel Gu Chen.

Check out Sun Yue's moves on the court in the two videos below!

Real Talk

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:53:44 GMT

Some intellectually nutritious readings I've stumbled upon this week-

Angry Youth
The new generation's neo-con nationalists
By Evan Osnos
The New Yorker
Note: One of the most thorough and thought-provoking articles I ever read on the thoughts and feelings of colelge students in China.
Excerpts:
Young patriots are so polarizing in China that some people, by changing the intonation in Chinese, pronounce “angry youth” as “s*** youth.”

“How can our national self-respect be so fragile and shallow?” Han Han, one of China’s most popular young writers, wrote on his blog, in an essay about nationalism. “Somebody says you’re a mob, so you curse him, even want to beat him, and then you say, We’re not a mob. This is as if someone said you were a fool, so you held up a big sign in front of his girlfriend’s brother’s dog, saying ‘I Am Not a Fool.’ The message will get to him, but he’ll still think you’re a fool.”

This renewed pride has also affected the way Tang and his peers view the economy. They took to a theory that the world profits from China but blocks its attempts to invest abroad. Tang’s friend Zeng smiled disdainfully as he ticked off examples of Chinese companies that have tried to invest in America.

“Huawei’s bid to buy 3Com was rejected,” he said. “C.N.O.O.C.’s bid to buy into Unocal and Lenovo’s purchase of part of I.B.M. caused political repercussions. If it’s not a market argument, it’s a political argument. We think the world is a free market—”

Before he could finish, Tang jumped in. “This is what you—America—taught us,” he said. “We opened our market, but when we try to buy your companies we hit political obstacles. It’s not fair.”

Their view, which is popular in China across ideological lines, has validity: American politicians have invoked national-security concerns, with varying degrees of credibility, to oppose Chinese direct investment. But Tang’s view, infused with a sense of victimhood, also obscures some evidence to the contrary: China has succeeded in other deals abroad (its sovereign-wealth fund has stakes in the Blackstone Group and in Morgan Stanley), and though China has taken steps to open its markets to foreigners, it remains equally inclined to reject an American attempt to buy an asset as sensitive as a Chinese oil company.

China's hero, its DiMaggio, falls before race even begins
By Luke Cyphers
ESPN The Magazine

Note: I took the above picture this summer in a Nike Store in Chengdu. He was frozen in a pose of perfect kinetic energy- Nike's take on socialist realism. In this article, Luke Cyphers puts to words the complexity of Liu Xiang in the eyes of the Chinese people.

Excerpt:
Yes, Yao Ming is celebrated here. But in China, "Liu is like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods," says his international manager, Mark Wetmore of Global Athletics. "Somebody who is recognized and admired by people who aren't even sports fans." His face and physique adorn monstrous billboards across the country, and the state TV stations have been running hour-long documentaries about him throughout the Olympics.

And because of his connection with a generation of youth that is changing China's perception in the world, he might be something even more iconic -- its Joe DiMaggio.

"He has had great achievements," Feng said. "But it has been difficult for him, too. Even though he does not go out often, wherever he goes, he sees his own picture in the streets. There is great pressure. He withstands psychological pressure no other athlete can withstand."

The day afterwards, Nike China put out an ad that reads as follows:

Love competition.

Love risking your pride.

Love winning it back.

Love giving it everything you've got.

Love the glory. Love the pain.

Love sport even when it breaks your heart.

Commentary: Is McCain another George W. Bush?
By Jack Cafferty
CNN

Note: A hilarious article by CNN's Jack Cafferty about how much we DON'T need a McCain presidency.

Excerpts:
Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation.

His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.

Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California.

He was asked "if evil exists." His response was to repeat for the umpteenth time that Osama bin Laden is a bad man and he will pursue him to "the gates of hell." That was it.

He was asked to define rich. After trying to dodge the question -- his wife is worth a reported $100 million -- he finally said he thought an income of $5 million was rich.

One after another, McCain's answers were shallow, simplistic, and trite. He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has -- virtually none.

Extra Note: And here's the kicker...

I am sick and tired of the president of the United States embarrassing me. The world we live in is too complex to entrust it to someone else whose idea of intellectual curiosity and grasp of foreign policy issues is to tell us he can look into Vladamir Putin's eyes and see into his soul.

George Bush's record as a student, military man, businessman and leader of the free world is one of constant failure. And the part that troubles me most is he seems content with himself.

He will leave office with the country $10 trillion in debt, fighting two wars, our international reputation in shambles, our government cloaked in secrecy and suspicion that his entire presidency has been a litany of broken laws and promises, our citizens' faith in our own country ripped to shreds. Yet Bush goes bumbling along, grinning and spewing moronic one-liners, as though nobody understands what a colossal failure he has been.

I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him.

The Olympics are almost over, but the Real Games have yet to begun!

Why I Cheer for China... In Addition to America

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:26:43 GMT

Ahh, the Olympics... Where competition and nationalism are paired together in a deliciously combustible combination. Once every four years, people actually watch gymnastics and look to swimmers (case in point: the seemingly untouchable Michael Phelps) as national heroes. Age-old athletic competitions that do not have the draw of football or basketball are restored to their proper place in the eyes of sports fans everywhere.

Yet these breathtaking athletic competitions are secondary to the big story, the essence of which is what gives international competition its real flavor. What truly makes the Olympics so exciting is the prospect of seeing the best athletes in the world compete for pride- national pride.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried once said, "Nationalism is like cheap alcohol. First it makes you drunk, then it makes you blind, then it kills you." If that is really the case, then the Olympics is an orgy of blind, feverish drunkenness.

The athletes below sure look drunk to me- drunk with PRIDE!

It's easy to come down hard on people who cheer for their country- especially if their country isn't your country. Pride does come before the Fall... But what if the Fall came before that?

I remember back in elementary school I started winning a lot of writing competitions. The subject? Why I Am Proud to Be An American. I think, even as a kid, I realized that I was fortunate to be born here. In spite of all of America's problems, most of which I was totally unaware of at the time, I had a fundamental understanding of the pride, the joy, the privilege of being American.

I did not choose to be American, I was born American. Likewise, as I've gotten older, I've realized the same goes for my ethnicity. I did not choose to be Chinese, I was born Chinese.

For the last one hundred years, it's been tough being Chinese. For over a thousand years, China had been the most wealthy and powerful nation on earth- yet at the dawn of the 20th Century, China was impoverished and bled dry of land and resources by Europe and Japan. A Century of Humiliation, made worse by a Communist regime that continued to run the country into the ground into the 1970s. Even in America, there was a Chinese Exclusion Act that was in effect until 1965- the only section of the U.S. immigration code that ever excluded a specific ethnic group from entering the country!

For the Chinese, to say that it was a fall from prominence would be an understatement- there was really not much to be proud of.

Now, amidst the scandals and controversies, the Beijing Olympics have definitively declared one thing- China has risen up. While there is still much to be done, the economic and athletic progress for the Chinese takes on a far greater meaning than just sports. Perhaps the lyrics of the Chinese national anthem, "March of the Volunteers", can best describe what China is feeling right now?

Arise, all people who refuse to be slaves!
Let our flesh and blood become our new Great Wall!
As the Chinese people face their greatest peril,
Everyone forcefully issues their last cries.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Our million hearts beat as one,
Brave the enemy's fire,
March on!
Brave the enemy's fire,
March on!
March on! March on! On!

I don't cheer for China because of its government, or because of its economic prowess, or even because of their athletes. I cheer for China because the Chinese people have stood up, have risen from the humiliation of time's past, and are heading for a bright future.

That's something worth celebrating, and that's why I cheer for China... in addition to America.

Thoughts of the Day

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:01:04 GMT

I feel strangely at peace when I see two gray-haired old friends talk as they walk down the street or sit in a coffee shop. I like to imagine what they're talking about- golf? grandkids? killing fascists in the War?

Like many guys in their 20s, I don't really care to live to a ripe old age- but if I do, shooting the breeze with other fellow jeriatrics would be good times indeed.

---

When babies cry (and when I say cry, I mean the wailing and screaming kind), I'm reminded of slasher films. If you're an adult and you sound like a distraught toddler, squealing as loud as stuck pig, chances are you're in the midst of a horrible, horrible death.

---

How I know we're heading for a recession - I was riding the bus through Huntington Beach, and at every stop, there were groups of blonde, tanned, OC girls boarding public transportation with their designer bags and sunglasses. $5 dollar a gallon gas coming soon to a station near you.

---

Speaking of gas, I think high prices at the pump are actually a blessing in disguise- it forces businesses to pursue new, innovative ways of utilizing alternative energy sources, which would undoubtedly create new jobs for both blue and white collar workers.

After all, American ingenuity in science and technology is how we got to be el primero en el mundo in the first place.

---

It's easy to make excuses for yourself if you don't have legitimate answers. For instance, whenever people asked me why I wasn't dating (especially in high school), I would respond, "I don't have any money!" or "I want to keep my money!"

For one, I was full of it, and people "in the know" knew it right away. On top of that, my answer is sort of self-defeating; if I was that concerned about money, I don't deserve to be in a relationship in the first place.

Now when people ask me this question, I simply reply,

"I'm a college student in LA- why would I want to be in a relationship?"

---

And lastly,

Boston sucks.

Flashing Lights... Lights... Lights...

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:26:01 GMT

You've probably already heard the song itself many times, but have you seen the three different music videos made about Flashing Lights?

Hypebeast says, "The song combines soft melody with hard electronic kicks and snares as Kanye cryptically raps about the pitfalls of materialism and the trappings of fame."

Each piece is very distinct- as if you are watching videos for three completely different songs.

Check out all three versions of Flashing Lights below. What do you think each one means? Do you have a favorite?

The Cool

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:12:49 GMT

Every spring, USC has this all-day music festival called Springfest. Starting at noon, a wide range of signed and unsigned talent perform at McCarthy Quad on two different stages, with trendy vendors and other amusements for the thousands of Trojans (and non-USC students) that come for the festivities.

Similar to UCSD's Sun God festival, during the day, it's always an easy-going, chill type of atmosphere. But at night, a few hours before the headliners go on the main stage...

As the crowd of thousands waited anxiously for The Cool himself, Lupe Fiasco, there were a cappella groups, fire-dancing troupes, and some very eye-catching -- uh -- Momentum Surfboards up for giveaway!

After what felt like hours passed by, Mr. F-an'-F (1st and 15th) stepped onto stage...

Throughout his hour and a half performance, Lupe bounced across the stage, engaged in improvised call-and-response with the audience, and even climbed on top of the speakers!

If you're wondering, the picture on the right is indeed of Lupe jumping down from the speaker- I have no idea how the shot came out, but as you can see, it makes him look like he's floating mid-air over the hands and cameraphones of the hyped-up audience below!

After watching Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and The Game (who all performed at USC in previous years), I'd definitely rank Lupe Fiasco as one of the best performers out in hip-hop today- with an exception to Kanye West, because his shows are simply in a league of their own.

Aside from his speedy delivery and suave style, Lupe is very much like Mos in that their lyrics directly challenge the status quo in hip-hop, in politics, and culture at large. To me, the mark of a great artist is one who is able to communicate his thoughts and feelings authentically and connect with his audience over these concepts.

Speaking of connecting with the audience- Lupe ended the show by throwing his jacket and Nikes to the crowd! Aside from the mob's frantic pushing and tugging for said items, it was an amazing way to end the show.

Sadly, these pictures only tell part of the story of what a cool concert this was- here's a video I took of Lupe and vocalist Sarah Green performing one of my favorite songs off his new album The Cool, "Paris, Tokyo"!

Ugh, YouTube mangled the video... For a lot more polished performance of the song, check out the OFFICIAL music video, with Lupe looking quite dapper as he travels around the world.

Kobe vs. Aston Martin

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:38:13 GMT

Nothing like a viral video to take your mind off the economy, the election, and Tibet... Real talk next week.

*Update* Black Mamba drops a hint... "Hollywood, baby."

Slaves of a Different Master

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:26:25 GMT

Last Friday, Scott and I attended the concluding sermon of Grace Community Church's Shepherd Conference. John MacArthur preached a sermon that began with John 15:14-15, which reads,

"You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."

Some translations replace the word "slave" for the words "servant" or "bondservant". MacArthur goes on to explain that, for most passages throughout the New Testament that deal with servant and bondservant (a "non-word"), the original Greek word used is "doulos".

What is interesting about "doulos" is that it is literally the Greek word for slave. As a child, I remember going to church youth retreats where the guest speaker would go to great lengths to explain what it means to be a bondservant. I vaguely remember one speaker intoning that a bondservant was "a slave who chose to stay with his master, even after being set free."

Throughout the sermon, MacArthur really hammers home what being "douloi" (slaves, plural) means. As Christians, we are not just Christ's followers, we are His slaves. It makes sense, given that the Greek word for lord in the passage is "kurios", which MacArthur explained as "a ruler that is high and above his subjects". While a ruler may be able to order his servants around, he may not have complete ownership over their lives. As "douloi", our lives are owned by Christ- it is no longer our own.

MacArthur comments that it is hard to imagine God defining our relationship with Him in "less impossible" terms. If you are looking for a counter cultural definition of what a Christian ought to be, just look at how many times the New Testament uses "douloi" (127) in reference to followers of Christ.

As interesting as all of this may be, discussing exegesis and hermeneutics is not the purpose of this entry. If anything, Pastor MacArthur can explain in detail the implications of all this exceedingly better than I can. However, I wanted to discuss the comments Pastor MacArthur made about slavery, in response to a question posed to him by an African American pastor.

During one of his seminars on the subject, the pastor talked about how his congregation (and indeed black congregations across the country) has many misgivings about the issue of slavery. After all, the history of the Black Church in America has largely been that of being set free from their opressors- not switching their man-made shackles for religious ones.

As MacArthur recalled this incident, he expressed sympathy for the pastor's situation, but responded by calling the pastor's attention to the conditions of slavery at that time. In Christ's time, slavery was rampant across the civilized world. Like black slaves in America, slaves were considered chattel, tools of the masters trade. As such, slaves were used, broken, and killed at the whims of their masters. No one wanted to be a slave, and those who were wanted to be free- the idea was offensive to both Gentile and Jew... Yet God chose this peculiar human institution as the most appropriate vehicle to describe His relationship to the ones He saved.

Historically, everything is absolutely correct- immaculate scholarship, as befitting the intellectual stature of a spiritual giant. But then MacArthur makes one of those statements he makes every once in a while that makes me mentally say, "Aww man, that's MESSED UP!" John MacArthur draws a parallel between Christ's time and contemporary America, saying that "while the stigma of slavery in this country is a hundred years removed", those listening to Christ had an even greater reason to be incensed by His radical request for them to be His slaves.

Perhaps to most people he was just trying to make a point; however, I felt it was slightly inappropriate and inaccurate for him to draw that parallel. In sociology, they say that there are private conversations exclusive to a culture and there are public conversations open for all discussion- MacArthur practically made a public statement addressing a private conversation that he (being white) was not privy to.

In a few months, I hope to conduct an investigation into the Chinese American church- how it began, why it (in its cultural peculiarity) exists, and how its existence affects us. Inevitably, the subject of dichotomy between why mainstream white churches are inadequate (or perhaps, more charitably, not suitably informed) when dealing with cultural sensitivity. To be honest, I hear white preachers make comments like this all the time, and more often than not the issue is dismissed because we trust their spiritual judgment. Regardless of intention, however, I think cases like this warrant some interesting discussions.

With all due respect to one of the preeminent Bible scholars of our time, I believe John MacArthur's blunt statements on slavery missed the point. The issue has all to do with the personal history of black Americans, who are still affected by the terrible racial stigmas that has scarred America, than it has to do with the slavery that existed in Biblical Judea. MacArthur said that Jesus did not come to abolish slavery as an institution and neither did His disciples- true. However, until MacArthur concluded the sermon by drawing key distinctions of being a slave to God and being a slave to man, I felt like a great deal was missing in his examination of slavery on the human condition.

Some may argue that paying such great attention to cultural sensitivity waters down the Word does the Gospel injustice; I would politely disagree. Instead, I think it increases our understanding of God's Glory- though He is our master, He treats us (His slaves bought by Christ's blood) as no human slave master would. The mastership Christ displays compels us to draw distinctions between slavery by God versus slavery by man.

He feeds us, looks after us, and gifts us with blessings beyond our comprehension. While the slave masters of the Old South may have had a few, favored "house slaves", they were often used to create dissension among their peers. But, drawing that key distinction (and eliciting a loud internal cheer from me), MacArthur points to Luke 17:7-10, where Jesus says,

"Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'? "But will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and {properly} clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink'? "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done {only} that which we ought to have done.' "

While slave masters from time immemorial have made men slaves for their own benefit, God calls us to slavery for our good... culminating with Christ's death on the cross for our sake. I don't know about you, but when I think about how a master treats his slaves, "laying his life down for them" is not one of the things that come up.

According to our human history, can that even be considered slavery... at least from what we've seen of it? Slavery that sets us free- what a concept! As MacArthur said, "If that's slavery, I can live with that."

Not Ready for Change

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 01:18:21 GMT

Today, Angry Asian Man talked about a CNN report about Asian American voters. The report shows "various people with Asian accents unanimously speaking out one name—'(Hillary) Clinton'—when asked for whome they planned to vote. It went on to identify two major causes for Asian Americans' support of Clinton, according to viewers: that they were 'fearful of a black presdiential candidate and/or fearful of change.'"

While I have to admit that there are some people who qualify CNN's report, I can only hope that they are in the minority. However, I question why CNN conveniently forgot that California State Senator Leland Yee, California State Assemblyman Ted Lieu, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, the San Francisco Gate Chronicle, Little India magazine, Asianweek magazine, and a multitude of Asian American activists, community leaders, and celebrities have endorsed Barack Obama.

As an Asian American supporter of Obama, I am disappointed and incensed by this obviously biased report. It is almost as if the American mainstream is doing its best to mischaracterize Latino and Asian voters as being prejudiced and one-dimensional... perhaps to alleviate the stress they get for voting their own prejudices? Like Angry Asian Man pointed out, "So not only are we racist, we're ignorant?"

Which brings me to the title of this entry- are we ready for change? More specifically, are we ready for a black president of this United States of America?

The arguments are numerous and oft-repeated- America has a history of racism, black/white conflict, etc. Although we have made significant strides since the Civil Rights Movement, we still live in a country where the color of your skin affects how you live, and many Americans may still feel uncomfortable with being represented by a black president. In short, Barack Obama is too young, too fresh, too soon.

It is one thing to believe that Barack Obama will not win because of his race; it is another to not vote for Obama because of his race, or because you think he will lose. That makes YOU racist.

Think about it this way- it's like this year's Super Bowl. Nobody in their right mind believed that Eli Manning, with the way he played during the regular season, was ready to win a Super Bowl. Even fewer people seriously thought that the Giants had a chance to beat the on-the-way-to-be-crowned, history-bound New England Patriots. But as anyone in New York will tell you, that didn't stop them from believing.

It's too easy to settle into cynicism and defeat. We should never discount the power of hope, the possibility that the favorites, the veterans, the habitual winners will get smacked in the face and lose. And the rest is history.

In junior high school, I first learned about the concept of a "self-fulfilling prophecy". Basically, if you believe something is or isn't going to happen, then it will or won't. If we believe that Barack Obama has no chance to be president because he is black, he will have no chance.

Thankfully, there are still plenty of people who do believe in change, many of them being Asian American. The Bible tells us the importance of hope. And to quote the words of Obama himself, "We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics… they will only grow louder and more dissonant... We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

"But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."

I don't know about you, but the Obamas sure look presidential to me!