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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Linsanity

As everyone alive in Taiwan knows, Harvard grad and Asian-American of Taiwanese descent Jeremy Lin of the Knicks has become a monster, setting a new record in his first four games. He's been adopted by Taiwanese as a "Taiwanese." CNN argues that Lin has a shot at immortality. Former resident of our fair island Andrew Leonard comments on social media and Lin:
The mainstream media now seems to be adapting its coverage of events on the basis of whether something blows up in social media as much as it does from the perceived newsworthiness of the event itself. It’s startling, but also natural: When you see a fire start to blaze, you run to cover to it. And so Linsanity breeds more Linsanity.
You want highlights? Here’s a distilled package of nine minutes of Lin’s exploits from his 28-point explosion on Monday night. You want a tribute video with an original rap soundtrack on top of some T.I. beats?  Someone is recommending it to you on Facebook or Twitter right now. You want analysis, pro or con? Plug “Jeremy Lin” into Google News and say goodbye to the rest of your day.
Yup! My Facebook feed is overrun with Linsanity. The struggle over Lin is already beginning, he represents a whole box of political footballs. First there is the Taiwan-China thing -- yet Lin is American and his Mandarin is rudimentary (here's one discussion from the pro-Taiwan side). In what sense can he be considered Taiwanese, let alone Chinese? It just shows how "blood" continues to define who is Chinese for so many out here. Then there is the Asian-Americans in sports thing. Lin is also some kind of evangelical Christian, so we have the Tim Tebow thing going too. If Lin's hot hand continues, he might well become a phenomenon greater than Yankee pitcher Wang Chien-ming in Taiwan....

Yet as my man Andrew Kerslake (blog) pointed out on Facebook:
In Taiwan there is a lot of local pride in the success of Jeremy Lin and the realization of his hoop dreams. I can not help but consider that had Lin actually grown up in Taiwan, he may never have realized his dream or even dared to dream it. Under the current educational system he would likely have been discouraged by his teachers and peers. He would likely have been buried in the type of meaningless placement tests and endless cramming that extinguish intellectual curiosity and the passion for learning. He would likely have had 2 hours of PE a week and told that athletics are a waste of time. Taiwan has no reason to be glad handing over Lin. Only in America.
Well said, Drew.
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17 comments:

  1. Excellent piece, Michael! You cover it well.

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  2. Living in north Dallas among the Asian American community here, I'm in one of the crucibles of Linsanity, as it were, and I admit it's a heady draught.

    For Taiwanese Americans here, especially younger students, the Taiwan connection for Lin is a special gift. Chinese immigration activity to this area is high, but nearly everyone incoming is from China these days, and voices speaking up for Taiwan are vocal but an increasing minority.

    With the appearance of Lin, students from Taiwanese families already feeling marginalized now finally have someone from their own in-group who can represent them, and they're claiming him at every opportunity.

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  3. Nice, well-rounded coverage of JLin. I'm sure JLin would be an even bigger story in Taiwan currently if that Makiyo scandal hadn't emerged. However, I'm living in USA so I'm sure my perception of Taiwan news is distorted... which would you say is the bigger story in Taiwan now, JLin or Makiyo?

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  4. Miyoko, probably. I'll know next week when I talk to my students, though.

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  5. Hotly debat among DPP leaders and followers, simmering and stomach-twitching inside, cannot be hold back anymore. 'Why have we lost?'

    Formal president Chen Shuibian offered his sharp comment yesterday. All hell broke loose. Would you please post your thought on that question and join us to hunt the werewolf?

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  6. I'm not sure if I follow the logic in that quote at the end of your article. Taiwan should feel shamed because its citizens don't have the chance to become overpaid, overhyped sports celebrities?

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  7. Hurry to register for an LinSanity trademark in Taiwan - sell it to Nike later for a small fortune.

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  8. Times Three, the logic of the quote is that Taiwan should feel ashamed because students have no space to pursue their own dreams. In lin's case that was basketball.

    Michael

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  9. In Taiwan he would have had the choice between academics through cramming and testing into a "good school"... or sports, where he could enroll in a sports college.

    In Taiwan there is no real support for prep or collegiate sports.

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  10. Orioles signed Chen Wei-ying in the offseason, and he will probably go into the starting rotation. And he's really from Taiwan.

    - Ampontan, who can't send a note through normal means

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  11. From Jeff Yang: "It all makes you think that Lin’s immigrant Taiwanese parents did a terrific job. Given how deep his relationship is with them – Lin constantly praises his mother and father as his biggest supporters, greatest role models and closest confidants – you can tell that the man Lin is today reflects the boy they raised: A boy who was encouraged rather than coerced to excel, for whom both athletic and academic achievement were placed in balance with simply enjoying life and pursuing higher causes."
    (link)

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  12. Drew makes an excellent point.

    BTW, a lot is being made of Lin being a Harvard grad. Wasn't Lin turned away from Stanford on the basis of his 3.1 GPA? He admits being able to play helped him get into Harvard.

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  13. I am good friends with a Harvard admissions recruiter. He says that, although grades are important, what makes an ideal Harvard candidate is a combination of academic achievement, community involvement (volunteerism says you will be a good alum who writes checks), and more importantly, a special spark of creative dynamism that shows the candidate is one of those unique people who makes things happen without direction from above.

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  14. I liked that the advice he offered Taiwanese and Chinese fans as quoted in the NYT (sorry, too lazy to find the article) was basically the opposite of how Taiwanese kids are raised now. Yet he also is humble and tenacious- this is corny but you could say he brings out the best in both US and Taiwanese culture.

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