Feeling Linspired
Lately, Jeremy Lin’s meteoric rise to stardom has emerged as one of the hottest topics. Even David Letterman and the Saturday Night Live Cast have acknowledged the Linsanity that has overtaken so many people, including those who don’t normally follow NBA basketball. Adding to the list of interesting Jeremy Lin puns is “Superior Lintellect,” a video on YouTube with nearly 450,000 views that gives play-by-play commentary on Lin’s skillfully calculated moves. In an affected Asian accent (which could be perceived as off-putting), the creator illustrates how Lin adroitly devises the most exact and astute moves to challenge veteran players that are older and taller than him. Using Paint, he scribbles fake mathematical formulas to mirror Lin’s thought process. While this may seem racist, this clip intends to playfully satirize the stereotype that Asians excel in math. Lin’s success debunks the notion that we need to choose between sports and academics–they can inform and support one another. It’s a tribute to Lin for playing “smart” basketball.
Indeed, Lin has emerged as one of the top point guards after leading the Knicks in a seven-game winning streak. On February 4, after sitting on the bench the entire season, Lin was given a chance to lead and scored 25 points to secure a victory over the New Jersey Nets. In his first five starts, he racked up more points than any other player during their first starts since the NBA-ABA merger.
To many people, he embodies great athleticism, an excellent work ethic, intellect, and even the American Dream. An incredibly humble and low-key individual, he opened up about how he was sleeping on his brother’s couch just two weeks ago. Although he played very well at Harvard, he was not initially picked up by any NBA teams. He was also cut by two clubs before getting signed by the Knicks. Despite these setbacks, he continuously pursued his goal of playing professional basketball.
He is changing stereotypes, as his success refutes the idea that NBA and many contact sports in general are out of reach for Asians and Asian Americans. He explained, “There are stereotypes, obviously. There are a lot of them. The more we can do to break those down every day, the better we become. Hopefully, in the near future, we’ll see a lot more Asians and Asian-Americans in basketball and the NBA.” Such a positive attitude, perseverance, and social awareness render Lin as a transnational role model.
The Private Becomes Shockingly Public
In this eight-minute video, Tommy Jordan, an angry father, berates and punishes his daughter for writing a disrespectful letter about her parents on Facebook. This video has gotten 28,451,993 views since February 8. It brings up a lot of concerns, such as social media hindering communication between parents and children. As Facebook is a largely free platform for people to post their quips, opinions, and frustrations, it gives both adults and children the choice to publicize their private concerns and life. His anger and frustration culminates in shooting multiple bullets into her laptop. Jordan seems to utilize the logic of retributive justice, as he claims that he will post this video on her Facebook wall so that she can have a taste of her own medicine. Jordan’s administration of “tough love” has not only divided viewers nationwide but invited visits from the police and child protection agencies. However, the fact still remains that many people do praise his intent to discipline his child, especially in support of moderate and respectful use of social networking. It opens up a whole can of worms, asking us to consider how Facebook is influencing not only those of kids but parents’ ideas about how to communicate with their children. This entire situation arises from bringing such intensely personal family matters into the public sphere. The question still stands: does Facebook encourage us to be excessively open about our personal lives?
Stars Create and Promote Their Own Videos
Carlos Pena, Jr. of Nickelodeon’s “Big Time Rush” uploaded a goofy, fun music video with his high profile friends, including Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and Ashley Tisdale, rocking out to Carly Rae Jepsen’s song, “Call Me Maybe.” This song hit Canadian Hit 100 on February 11, 2012, and will most likely garner mainstream success in the U.S. After premiering on February 18, 2012, Pena’s video has already accumulated nearly 4 million hits. Gomez had previously tweeted about this song as a tribute to her boyfriend, Bieber. Pena utilized his impressive social network and the extensive audience of YouTube to support his friend’s lead single. YouTube offers such an interconnected environment in which we can properly use our social network to publicize issues, music, and news that we care about. It’s awesome to see teen celebrities banding together in support of their friend. Speaking of stars showcasing their work on YouTube, actor James Franco also debuted an advertisement for 7 For All Mankind, a denim company. The advertisement, titled Episode 1, features model Lily Donaldson as the life of the party. We are not sure if this is going to be part of a webisode series, but we’ll definitely stay tuned.
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