Korean Father Son

Our Korean American Sons

It is September, and there is a special group of parents across America who confront a certain sadness. These men and women see their first borns leave them for college. The children disappear around the corner of a campus walk or into the recesses of a dormitory, leaving their parents to silently experience the sad-happiness-pride-anxiety that…

tai park mother 2

What Mothers Know

I have two teenage daughters who swear to me they will never have children.  They say that they, like all children, are a drain on the life of their mother.  Why would they want to put themselves through that, they challenge us to answer.  I have nothing to say to this.  We men may be…

andy kim

Korean Americans Who Embrace Risk

Over a hundred years after the first wave of Koreans landed in America, a look at Korean Americans who embrace risk. It’s been almost 15 years since I attended a lawyers’ conference listening to a remarkable discussion by a Korean American lawyer regarding minorities in the higher echelons of corporate America.  Among Asian American lawyers…

Parasite’s Lessons on Humiliation

The movie Parasite captivated the entire world with its stylish and engrossing narrative about two families.  So much deft storytelling and artistry are woven through the movie it’s hard to point to one or two qualities that set it apart from the rest.  But surely the one thing that most people acknowledge as a powerful…

The Pandemic’s Test of American Identity

How is America not the leader in the world’s response to a global pandemic?  How is it, instead, the world leader in Covid deaths?  One ready answer is that, the full implications of unconstrained individualism, namely, selfishness, has reared its ugly head, and that there is no turning back for us.  As our country limps…

A Shoulder Ride on Father’s Day

About 15 years ago, I was carrying my toddler up a hill from a small lake to our cabin in the woods.  He sat astride my shoulders, taking in the view.  It was his accustomed perch, but this time I told him that someday it would be his turn to carry me, as I would…