Category Archives: Asian Americans

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) blog, Asian Americans, blog, diversity, journalism, news, politics, race

Emil Guillermo: More on the Dao Drag, and United’s Fail; Emil Amok’s Takeout Podcast with the news conference; and a contrary anti-Dao view

Hey, flagellants! Have a good Friday? Did you take your tetanus shot before you got your nails done? (Hey,WWJD?)

In the meantime, before we all resurrect shortly, more on that Dao drag.

People are beginning to take the contrary stand on the David Dao drag story.Essentially, it’s that the airlines have some right to subjugate you based on whether you wish to ride in a flying tube at 34,000 feet going at a faster rate than you could driving a Toyota Prius. You want to fly, you buy the communal agreement. Buckle up and fly. And obey the nice flight attendants. Or else.

The contract is the “great equalizer,” I’m told. We’re all up there whether in first class or coach. You give up rights to fly. That’s the not-so-nice “Mile High Club” where you get effed, but not in the nice way.

Sounds plausibly hardass, and it no doubt will be United’s position to point to the fine print of the “contract” attached to the ticket.

But even at 34,000 feet, you don’t throw common courtesy and respect and dignity out the window.

It’s rarified air up in the clouds. But you don’t lose your humanity. Not for the price of flight.

For more: Go to the blog at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

And click on the link to get the podcast, Emil Amok’s Takeout.

Hear the attorney for Dr.Dao, Tom Demetrio speak at the news conference. Also hear Crystal Pepper, Dao’s daughter.

Or get it right here on the link below.

And if you doubt what you first saw, here’s a collection of the original videos from the Daily Mail:

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) blog, Asian Americans, blog, diversity, Filipino, journalism, LISTEN to Emil's PODCASTS, news, politics, race

Emil Guillermo: United CEO Munoz saw the light, but not soon enough. Apology comes too late.

After that shriek from an Asian American airline passenger heard round the world, methinks United needs to bleed a little more.

When it perpetrated a violent act that caused an innocent passenger to shed blood, United crossed a very serious line.

It declared war on the American consumer.

I was riled that it was an Asian American. But in this de-racinated corporate world, we’re divided into just two camps:
the business and the consumer. And the consumers have united against United. It’s behavior shows a callous disregard
for the people who have kept them in business.

If you didn’t see the apology, here is the statement of United CEO Oscar Munoz:

“The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened.Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way. I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right.”

Munoz plays the right notes. It just lacks a little soul.

Consider his memo prior to the apology when Munoz praised his employees and seemed to blame the victim, calling the passenger “disruptive and belligerent.”

If you see my post at http://www.amok.com, you know I thought that was a little odd.

In fact, when I heard it, in conjunction with news reports about the passenger, Dr.David Dao, I figured this was the set up for a lawsuit.

It may still be. But I think Dr. Dao can extract a little more for the pain and suffering he experienced at the hands of United, and witnessed by millions throughout the world.

Free advice to United: Keep the apologies coming. The shrieks of Dr. Dao have shattered public trust in your brand. It will take a lot more than a statement to restore.

Check back for new Emil Amok’s Takeout on this story here:

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) blog, Asian Americans, blog, diversity, LISTEN to Emil's PODCASTS, news, politics, race

Emil Guillermo: New Amok podcast, “Emil Amok’s Takeout,” on the kidnapping claims of the forgotten people of the Japanese Internment during WWII, Japanese from Latin America

You can call it “The Other Roundup.”
Art Shibayama will tell you exactly what it meant to him and why all Americans need to be ashamed.

Shibayama was just a 12-year-old boy in Lima,Peru. A Peruvian citizen.
His whole family was taken by the U.S. government and incarcerated in America.

If you don’t know about the Japanese Latin American part of the World War II internment story, you’re not alone.

When Executive Order 9066 cleared the way for the round-up of Japanese and Japanese Americans in the U.S. at the start of World War II, a different kind  of roundup was taking place in Latin America, especially Peru.

The U.S. government was taking Latin American citizens of Japanese descent, what the victims call kidnappings. Those taken were of all ages, and often, whole families were rounded-up. They were placed on U.S. ships and took a long boat ride to America.  They lived in camps like one set up in Crystal City, Texas.

Art Shibayama says they were kidnapped to provide the U.S. a supply of pawns to trade for U.S. GIs held by the Japanese.

His story on my podcast, “Emil Amok’s Takeout.”

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