“Linsanity” and the Asian American Experience

For the past year, I’ve been following the career of Jeremy Lin for two reasons: he was originally signed by the Golden State Warriors (my hometown basketball team) and because he is an Asian American. As has become well known in the past two weeks, there have been very few Asian American professional basketball players. Consequently, I’ve watched with increasing interest (and yes, glee) his sudden ascent to NBA stardom with the New York Knicks.

But I am becoming more interested in his impact on increasing the visibility of Asian Americans as a whole in this country. He has now graced the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine. Other magazine covers may soon follow. But the point is that he has singlehandedly reminded mainstream America that there are Asian Americans in this country.

For while we Asian Americans have become fond of complaining about being stereotyped as the “model minority”, the reality is that we have actually been the invisible minority – reduced to intermittent blips in the national consciousness, as comic relief (the “Harold and Kumar” movies), cautionary tales of alienation (Cho and the Virginia Tech mass murders), or cultural stereotypes (overbearing “Tiger moms”).

Well, Jeremy Lin’s story seems to have found a special resonance with mainstream America. He is “the little engine that could” and “the ant that moved the rubber tree plant” (though he is 6’ 3”). He is the embodiment of the favorite American fable that anyone can make it if they try hard enough. He is one of us.

However, we’re learning that fame and attention can come at a cost. Witness the ESPN headline regarding “Chink in the Armor” after a recent Knicks loss in which Lin committed numerous turnovers. Other racial slurs have made it into the media, and more will no doubt follow. He is a “feel good” story for some, but for others he is resurrecting repressed feelings of race hatred and intolerance.

Most importantly, though, Jeremy Lin is bringing long overdue attention to the forgotten minority. Perhaps the CNN producers of the “Latino in America” and “Black in America” series will now consider an “Asian American in America” series. While his story has become a global phenomenon, the Asian American experience is in fact full of equally fascinating and culturally distinctive stories. Let’s hope “Linsanity” is the impetus for Asian Americans to finally find a worthy place in the American consciousness.

- Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director