This is what I wrote recently on an internal office memo: “The entire nation watched the story of James Kim’s valiant struggle – 8 mile trek in rugged wilderness having starved where exp. trekkers couldn’t follow -to find his way toward a town in order save his family. His death caused uniformed sadness. Everyone I talked to in the office was deeply saddened by the news. Reading articles it seems no one noticed/cared that he was an Asian man (korean) or that it mattered. The rescuers burst into tears talking about finding his body. It was the first time to me that an Asian male is seen not out of some sort of stereotype nor was it reported with some kind of Asian angle, as it were, as is often the case. James Kim’s was told as an American hero story, period. It was to me refreshing to see it that way.

I’m also reminded of how Beatrice Hernandez once said the the word macho has a different context in spanish. Like someone who takes care of his family or something like this. The asian male image in the media has never been favorable – nerdy, gangster, or when a hero like Jacky Chan and Bruce lee – non sexual characters. But Kim’s heroism is that of a father and husband. Everybody can identify w/ him -the guilt, desperation, the willingness to sacrifice to save loved ones.”

and a white colleague’s reaction below, which was at first surprising, though I was later told by several other asian americans they got the same angry responds by their white friends when they made the same observation to them. I suppose what’s most surprising is considering how our news organization is about ethnic news and ethnic angles and we are encouraged to come up with it so that when someone working in it seems to see himself as representing mainstream media and is angry when seeing an angle that many asians would come up with when asked but anyway i was in fact complimenting the mainstream media but …read on…

“I guess I’m not surprised that Kim being Asian isn’t on anybody’s mind—except ours. Race remains our primary lens, whether or not it’s apt. That white sheriffs were crying over an Asian guy doesn’t surprise me—it’s a heartbreaking story. Just what do you non-white people think is going through whites’ minds all the time? Constant stereotyping? Evil thoughts? Jesus, give us crackers a break!

The rural folks/city folks thing might be a better lens. Rural folk know how treacherous nature can be. It’s tempting to wonder if Kim thought his hi-tech CNET gadgetry would protect him. If the white Oregonians where thinking anything negative at all about Kim, it was probably, “Poor dumbass city kid,” not some Asian stereotype. Maybe I’m naive, I dunno.

I have a little anger at Kim, for endangering his family. If he’s a hero, it’s more in the Ernest Shackleton vein. That’s the South Pole explorer who led his expedition into the Antarctic pack ice. He and his crew kept sailing on, even as the ice was closing in around them. Sure enough, the boat got stuck in the ice, for weeks, until the ice crushed it completely. Then Shackleton bravely, skillfully and heroically led the entire crew on a months-long journey across the ice, out into the southern oceans on lifeboats and eventually to safety without losing a single man. I wish Kim had made it, and he probably did the right thing—they stayed where they were at first, and waited and waited and waited for someone to come (why the hell did it take so long to find their car?). I understand his desperation—his family was starving, so he gave it one last shot and tried to find help. Just seems like they should have turned the car back much sooner—and why go three miles down a logging road in a snowstorm?

And yes, I’m aware that a black man was co-discoverer of the North Pole along with Peary. Discoverer? Oops… er, maybe the Inuit got there first. Anyway, nothing but warm and fuzzy ethnic thoughts from me.”