About a month ago, the online Asian American community was desperately hawking the Black Eyed Peas, actively advocating for their song “Bebot” which was rapped entirely in Tagalog and stirring all kinds of Asian American pride. (I wanted to include the YouTube clip here, but unfortunately it's no longer up.) The Apl Song also features the narrative of Filipino Americans
And sure, heightened visibility for Asian/Asian American cultures is great, and I certainly love the Apl Song music video featuring 1920's era Filipino American dance halls. But there's a really good reason why the Black Eyed Peas don't deserve our support: London Bridge.
Any group whose lead singer has released a track telling men that they will “love me long time” should be chastised by the Asian American community, not praised. (Don't subject yourself to the whole song; it's awful. The lyric in question is within the first verse of the song — keep watching only if you want to see Fergie sexually molest one of those guys with the fuzzy hats who have to stand outside of Buckingham palace.)
We, Asian Americans, need to stop throwing our support at any celebrity who shows us attention. Are we really that desperate for pop culture love? That's like celebrating that awful, racist Helio commercial because it features “Guess Who's Coming to Dinner” with an Asian twist.
