Dear Giant Robot Magazine,
You once made me excited to read you. You were a great voice for asian am folks, at a time when our choices were Asianavenue, A, or Yolk.
You used to have articles about folks traveling to homelands they didn't know, trying to understand traditions, snarky reviews on asian hot sauces or liquors, interviews with asian american performers, stories about small things we'd only know about and pieces of our bits of history.
Then you started just doing music reviews and interviews with people who created kitschy hipster shit.
For awhile, you kept me going for the occasional interview with a movie celebrity... but all of these folks were asian movie stars- not asian americans.
In many ways, you became the Quinton Taratino shopping guide.
Look, you haven't EVEN had an actual asian person on the cover since Issue 18 - instead, all we get are paintings and shit to collect. Is this really any different than bookstore zen gardens or Trader Joe chow mein?
Now, at the end of the day, you're asking for donations, and I'm trying really damn hard to come up with a reason to help. I mean, right now I've got a lot more incentive to send money to the defunct Bamboo Girl Magazine, since the few issues I have still have so much to give to folks.
Community has a reason to invest in community. But consumers? They owe you nothing- you get left behind like an empty PBR bottle on the lawn after they're done with you.
GR, it was a good run while it lasted, but it's been over for a long time.
Maybe it's time you realized that as well.
You once made me excited to read you. You were a great voice for asian am folks, at a time when our choices were Asianavenue, A, or Yolk.
You used to have articles about folks traveling to homelands they didn't know, trying to understand traditions, snarky reviews on asian hot sauces or liquors, interviews with asian american performers, stories about small things we'd only know about and pieces of our bits of history.
Then you started just doing music reviews and interviews with people who created kitschy hipster shit.
For awhile, you kept me going for the occasional interview with a movie celebrity... but all of these folks were asian movie stars- not asian americans.
In many ways, you became the Quinton Taratino shopping guide.
Look, you haven't EVEN had an actual asian person on the cover since Issue 18 - instead, all we get are paintings and shit to collect. Is this really any different than bookstore zen gardens or Trader Joe chow mein?
Now, at the end of the day, you're asking for donations, and I'm trying really damn hard to come up with a reason to help. I mean, right now I've got a lot more incentive to send money to the defunct Bamboo Girl Magazine, since the few issues I have still have so much to give to folks.
Community has a reason to invest in community. But consumers? They owe you nothing- you get left behind like an empty PBR bottle on the lawn after they're done with you.
GR, it was a good run while it lasted, but it's been over for a long time.
Maybe it's time you realized that as well.