This is a personal post about what my family and I have been up to in the 16 weeks (and counting) that we’ve been in quarantine. I pulled my kids out of school on March 11 and we all went into quarantine and haven’t broken it since. With no vaccine, no testing/tracing, and no safety restrictions in place, not to mention that our health insurance is bankrupting Covid-19 survivors, none of us have any intention of coming out anytime soon.
This blog has gotten more and more political in the past few years and I have no plans of stopping anytime soon. I know I haven’t written as much since the pandemic started but the truth is that it’s been hard to concentrate. The news cycle moves so fast that it’s hard to formulate any kind of commentary more than a tweet or a blurb in Instagram stories.
Right now we’re getting hit by four different crises at the same time — Covid-19, an economic depression that will be worse than the 1920s, a nationwide reckoning of systemic racism, and a slide towards full-on fascism under the Trump administration.
It’s going to be the new “I voted for Obama twice” for white people.
I see a lot of white people joining in with the protests and posting “Black Lives Matter” on social media. I think it’s important to understand that Black Lives Matter is an anti-capitalist, abolitionist movement. It’s not some parade for white people to march in and feel good about themselves for doing the bare minimum of activism. And while we’re on the topic, yes, abolish the police means abolish. Literally. Mariame Kaba is right. It’s not just a call to abolish police — it’s about abolishing ALL policing. The use of it. This includes the use of it in the military around the world all the way to policing in schools.
Abolish police.
Abolish prisons.
Abolish ICE.
Abolish the military.
Don’t get it confused with “defund” or “reform.” It’s ABOLISH.
“The demands of the protests and the demands of socialism and communism are very similar. That’s because America didn’t have a Karl Marx or a Jose Maria Sison or a Mao Tse-Tung. We had the Black Power Movement. Instead of white workers rioting in the French Revolution, we had black people and other people of color struggling under the power system. All of this is what informed American socialism. The raised fist which started with the Industrial Workers movement in 1917 is the universal symbol of solidarity.” (Seonbi Sam Yang, Southpaw Podcast)
Minneapolis got their police disbanded because they burned down a precinct, looted a Target and caused a ton of unrest. Not because of some walking brunch. It’s time for people to stop overglorifying peaceful protests. Protests are meant to disrupt. Otherwise they’re not protests. And protests most definitely DO NOT have to be peaceful.
At the same time, there is something that doesn’t sit right about white people posting infographics and articles on how to be an ally — but then simultaneously not practicing social distancing, going out to restaurants, retail stores, going to work at their office when they can easily work from home, and attending BBQs and parties amidst a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting the very people they claim to be allies for.
It is frustrating that so many people are just now awakening to the reality of race in America. As a Filipino, I’m concerned that much of this race reckoning will not translate to any sort of worthwhile class analysis or awakening to the horrors of American capitalism and imperialism abroad.
There is no worthwhile analysis except intersectional class analysis because it’s the only analysis that effectively gets shut down by those in power. There is a whole lot of recognizing white privilege but not so much recognizing its origins in historical material relations. Lots of white liberals are perfectly willing to apologize and agonize about it but bring up actual changes — socialism and communism, and they think you’re nuts. I really don’t understand why. Socialism and communism are the solutions to almost all of our problems.
You cannot be anti-racist and pro-capitalist at the same time. Dismantling white supremacy will mean dismantling the entire US government.
WHAT I’M WATCHING AND LISTENING TO
On the leisure end, I’ve been consuming a lot of Asian cinema from the 70s and 80s. I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts, like Escape from Plan A, Revolutionary Left Radio, Trillbilly’s Worker’s Party, Useful Idiots, and Benjamin Dixon. I’ve been reading a lot of young adult and kids novels since I’ve gone all Captain Fantastic and decided to homeschool my kids, communist-style. Right now I’m considering applying to Baltimore County to homeschool my kids for the 2020-2021 academic year should they decide to reopen without a working vaccine.
WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING
I’ve been going on daily walks through my neighborhood, spending a lot of time with my family and reflecting on society and what it means to be a part of it. I’ve gotten involved in a lot of activist organizations and encourage all of you to get organized too! Right here in Baltimore are People’s Power Assembly, Socialist Unity Party, Malaya Movement Baltimore, and The Bern Unit (which also has a great Radical Reading Group that meets online every Thursday). Contact me if you’d like more information or are interested in joining up with any of the organizations I’ve listed.
There are good revolutions, and sometimes uprisings against an unjust social order are necessary. (Lyta Gold, Revolutions are Good and Should Happen More Often)
We need to keep pushing for change. It’s clear that some people are beginning to see the connections between local policing and American imperialism abroad despite the effort by our mainstream media and government to make them appear separate. It’s important that we get as many people as possible on board. Learn about Marx! Learn about Jose Maria Sison! Learn about Mao!
Like everyone else, I’ve been on Zoom a lot. Since organizing has gone online, I’ve been hosting a lot of educational webinars on topics such as Philippine Society and Revolution, the impact of colonization on modern day Manila, and how to apply the People’s Power Movement in the Philippines to the current uprising against capitalism and the police state here in the US, and Maoism in the Philippines.
The flyer for Malaya Movement Baltimore’s Philippine Society and Revolution webinar series. Artwork by Jappy Agoncillo Studio.
I’ve been a guest on several podcasts: one on the plight of Filipino overseas foreign workers, another on the latest Asian American Young Adult fiction offerings, and one on the current state of Asian American media content on Netflix. I also hosted the fourth Decolonize Your Bookshelves event during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which featured acclaimed LGBT spoken word artist Regie Cabico.
I have been very active on Twitter, which is the most reliable source for news and discourse. Because I’m taking a break from photoshoots and anything fashion and beauty-related, I’ve taken to only posting in my Instagram stories. I’ve been avoiding Facebook as much as possible as it becomes clearer by the day how right-wing and damaging that platform is. I blame Facebook for much of the destruction and lack of democracy happening in the Philippines and many other ASEAN countries.
I’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU
I know many of you already follow me on social media and have become very active on Twitter too. I want you to know that my DMs and emails are always open. If you’re in the Baltimore area, reach out to me if you’re interested in joining any of the organizations I’ve mentioned or if you need book/movie recommendations, literally anything!
Be safe, everyone. Stay home.
Recent Posts
I usually do a write up of the events I’ve organized or hosted and my most-read articles at the end of the year. This was an unusual year (obviously, there is no need to go into it here) so I didn’t bother. Instead I want to highlight a project of mine that I am particularly proud of — it’s my new podcast show, Unverified Accounts, that I cohost with my frequent collaborators, Chris Jesu Lee and Filip Guo. If you're a big movie/TV/book buff, have leftist sympathies, but can't stand 'wokeness' dumbing down our culture, then we're the podcast for you. So far in our 25 episodes, we’ve covered a range of contentious topics.