AAPIs: Proud, precarious and carrying ID just in case
Issue #246 looks into new findings on money and safety among AAPIs, Japan telling the Trump administration to stop using its pop culture without permission and mixed reactions to a new Netflix show.
TAAF’s latest national report on how AAPIs are doing financially shows the averages only tell part of the story. New data found sharp differences between ethnic groups when it came to saving money, housing, safety and getting access to help.
Elsewhere, Japan has had enough of the Trump administration using Pokémon and other Japanese pop culture without permission. Asian American viewers are divided over an upcoming animated show on whether its characters break stereotypes or recycle them.
We also meet Vietnamese American swimmer Watson Nguyen after a career-best race earned him his first U.S. national title. BTS’ V has shared that he’s being treated for hearing loss, while Quoc and Amanda Nguyen are getting ready to become New Orleans’ first Asian American Mardi Gras king and queen.
Featured
Half of AAPIs struggled to save money over the past year
Half of AAPIs surveyed by The Asian American Foundation said they had trouble saving money or building financial security over the past year. More than half said fear of bias from police or immigration officials had led them to carry ID or avoid certain places.
The data proves helpful as national averages tend to obscure how differently individual AAPI communities are faring. Priscilla Kwak of TAAF Cities tells The Rebel Yellow that those differences matter when governments decide which communities need resources and where that money goes.
What else we’re tracking
Japan has had enough of Trump using its anime and video games in official posts
Japan has repeatedly asked the Trump administration to stop using Japanese intellectual property without permission after Pokémon, “Yu-Gi-Oh!,” “Naruto” and Nintendo games appeared in official U.S. political messaging. Japanese officials warn that such use can damage the works involved. Representatives from the companies have said they did not approve the government’s use of their material.
Netflix’s “DANG!” trailer criticized for Asian American tropes
Netflix’s trailer for the Asian American animated comedy “DANG!” is getting a rough reception online. Viewers have criticized everything from the writing and animation to the show’s depiction of Ruthie, a “high-achieving older sister,” and her less put-together siblings Andrew and Eunice. Commenters across platforms have debated whether the protagonists reflect familiar Asian American experiences or recycle stereotypes audiences have seen before.
A Vietnamese couple will ride into New Orleans Carnival history as its first Asian American royalty
Quoc Nguyen and Amanda Nguyen will become the first Asian American couple to reign together as king and queen of a New Orleans Carnival parade. The Vietnamese American couple will lead the Krewe of Oshun in January 2027, nearly 50 years after Vietnamese refugees began establishing communities in New Orleans.
Meet Watson Nguyen, the Vietnamese American swimmer who beat a U.S. record holder
Vietnamese American swimmer Watson Nguyen won his first senior U.S. national title after clocking 26.65 seconds in the 50-meter breaststroke, beating American record holder Michael Andrew. The 20-year-old Penn swimmer first attended the national championships as an 11-year-old spectator and says he had dreamed of competing on that stage ever since.
A BTS member is being treated for hearing loss
BTS member V told fans in a livestream last week that his hearing in one ear has worsened for about two and a half years and that he is now receiving treatment. “If the hearing in my left ear is at 100, it’s only about 30 in my right,” he shared, adding that he takes medication and makes regular hospital visits.
Why read Issue #246?
Sometimes we see things that aren’t there, and miss things that are. Perspective has a lot to do with it, but so does who gets to decide what we see in the first place.
There are things in this issue that have been sitting in plain sight, buried in averages, familiar images or stories we might normally scroll past. Once they’re pointed out, though, they’re harder to unsee. Maybe the question then is whether we want to keep looking.
Support independent Asian diaspora journalism. Become a paid subscriber to read the full stories and help sustain The Rebel Yellow.
The Rebel Yellow is supported in part by funding from The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). Funders do not influence story selection, reporting, or editorial decisions. All editorial content is independently produced by The Rebel Yellow team.