Blogger Phil Yu is on the November cover of KoreAm magazine, a monthly Korean American publication. Phil Yu is arguably one of the most popular and widely regarded Asian American bloggers in the country. His site features Asian American-related news stories, arts, pop culture, advocacy, and of course, his sarcastic and oftentimes scathing commentary. The blog started “as most blogs do – as a personal site to vent about issues,” Yu told KoreAm. Now, almost ten years later, the blog, “Angry Asian Man” (www.angryasianman.com) draws tens of thousands of readers each day. Behind the blog is one unassuming 32 year-old Korean, Phil Yu, whose journal of personal musings is now one of Asian America’s most bookmarked blogs. “He’s a cultural critic who knows he’s part of a generation that doesn’t just welcome swift, relevant commentary — it depends on it,” reads the KoreAm article. “Phil has created what is now the most influential (some would say, essential) website in Asian America.” A selected portion from the interview:
KoreAm: Did you get exposed to Asian or Asian American film in your classes?
PHIL YU: That’s actually the most important part of this story. I was one of just a few Asian Americans in the film program. It was an isolating feeling, and there wasn’t a lot in the classes that spoke to my experience. But the year before I got to Northwestern, the students had gone on a hunger strike to protest the lack of Asian American studies. It lasted 23 days, until finally, the administration gave in. The program started in 1999, and I was one of the first students to enroll in an Asian American studies class. [If it hadn’t been for that program], Angry Asian Man would not exist.
