Time To Say Goodbye

Latest Episodes:

Final thoughts on affirmative action Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

Hello from clear-skied Brooklyn!

Thank you to everyone who attended our (first) third-anniversary TTSG summer picnic! And thanks to all who subscribe, listen, spread the word, and otherwise support the show.

It’s just Tammy and Jay this week, unpacking some complex cultural shifts in Asian American food and education. (5:15) First, Tammy guesses which Asian cuisines dominate Asian restaurants in the U.S. (according to a recent Pew Research Center study). We also discuss what it means for food to be “elevated,” Americanized, kept “authentic,” or *gasp* made into some kind of “fusion.” (24:40) Next, we go cynical on the likely end of affirmative action and debate the merits of other methods of increasing diversity at universities and beyond.

In this episode, we ask:

Why has Thai food proliferated in the U.S. while other Asian cuisines trend and fade?

What’s behind the idea that “authentic” Asian food should be cheap?

What does the lack of energy around affirmative action tell us about racial solidarities and class recognition?

For more, see:

* A dispatch from last week’s apocalyptic smoke in NYC

* The full Pew study about Asian restaurants in the U.S.

* Zak Cheney-Rice on affirmative action's past and present, plus Jeannie Suk Gersen on The Secret Joke at the Heart of the Harvard Affirmative-Action Case

* An older piece from Jay about the long, slow death of affirmative action

* Tammy on the recent Supreme Court ruling that could dampen workers' right to strike

And, if you find yourself in Portland, visit some of Tammy’s favorite authentic(?) Thai spots: Eem and Hat Yai!

Support TTSG on Patreon or Substack to attend future subscriber events like last weekend’s picnic! Keep in touch via Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, and email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

A.I. scab-bot$, with Max Read Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

Hello from Montréal!

🥳 Reminder: Join us THIS SATURDAY, June 10th, in Brooklyn, for our subscriber picnic! Subscribe on Patreon or Substack for more details.

This week, we welcome back our friend Max Read—dad, Twitter lurker, hat seller, and creator of the incredible Read Max newsletter—for an anniversary chat. (12:30) We speculate about the next phase of A.I. ascendancy and (28:25) large language model pioneers, and (44:00) unpack the labor dimensions of these technological shifts. Speaking of labor, (45:30) we get Max’s inside perspective on the WGA strike (in which, again, A.I. …) and express solidarity with the Insider journalists who just went on strike for a fair contract!

In this episode, we ask:

Will the next generation be expected to know how to write?

Who will ChatGPT threaten to (awkwardly, inadequately, terrifyingly) replace?

Is A.I. doing to writing what earlier technologies did to the music industry? Are we getting schooled in notions of collective authorship?

For more, see:

* Max’s newsletters on the WGA strike and A.I.:

* Why I'm on strike

* I cannot believe the s**t that morons are getting up to with ChatGPT

* Yet more of what I'm reading about A.I., a great mixed-reality TV show, and a great new music newsletter

* His previous TTSG appearances!

* Crypto fraudsters with Max Read

* TTSG disinformation campaign with Max Read

* John Herrman’s New York piece about Google’s in-search generative A.I. experiment

* Our last episode about A.I., in which Ben Recht gets skeptical: What can’t A.I. replace

Thanks for listening! Keep in touch via Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, and email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

“Succession,” edibles, and immigrant stories, with Hua Hsu May 31, 2023

Show notes

Hello from Jay’s dried-out basement (finally)!

This week, writer Hua Hsu joins us for a record fourth appearance on the pod as part of our neverending anniversary celebration. In a wide-ranging chat, we touch on (7:08) how podcasting has influenced our interview styles, (16:55) the "Succession" series finale [SPOILER ALERT], and (27:30) Tammy’s accidental encounter with edibles. (38:22) We also look back at a previous conversation with Hua, from January 19, 2021, and reflect on major changes in Asian American media representation.

In this episode, we ask:

Which “Succession” character deserved to win?!

Whom has the Internet erased from Asian American art?

Who is Jay's (extremely specific) target audience?

For more, see:

* The full episode we excerpted, from January 2021: "That identity s**t, that’s old news, man": belated Capitol takes + "Chan is Missing" with Hua Hsu

* Our longer convo (and Jay’s full rant) about drugs, from July 2022: More Dem failings + a shifting drug culture

* Hua’s piece on Frank Chin and “Aiiieeeee!”, plus his profile of Maxine Hong Kingston

* Jay’s profile of Zappos executive Tony Hsieh

* A 1993 performance by Lynbrook’s local ska band, Janitors Against Apartheid

* The 1990s Godzilla collective

Join us on June 10th, in Brooklyn, for our subscriber picnic! Subscribe on Patreon or Substack for more details.

Keep in touch via Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, and email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

America’s war on the poor May 17, 2023

Show notes

Hello from Mai’s COVID den!

It’s just Jay and Tammy this week. (3:25) First, we chat about a mini-generation of Asian women named after Connie Chung and the news anchor’s professional legacy. (22:18) Then, we discuss the public killings of Banko Brown in SF and Jordan Neely in NYC—and the disturbing turn against poor (particularly Black) people in our cities.

We ask:

Has America so devalued the lives of homeless people that any offense now seems to warrant vigilante murder?

How do these conversations play out on the West versus the East Coast?

Does urban topography affect these dynamics?

For more, read:

* Reporting from the S.F. Chronicle: Banko Brown: Video shows what led to S.F. Walgreens shooting; D.A. won’t file charges

* Jay’s recent New Yorker piece on Jordan Neely’s death and an older article that discusses California’s housing-first approach to homelessness

* Friend-of-pod Darrell Owens’s take on homelessness and vigilante violence on public transit

Some TTSG housekeeping: First, we’re having a subscriber picnic on June 10th in NYC! Subscribe on Patreon or Substack for more details.

Second, get a TTSG tote for yourself and all your pals! You can either get it shipped to you directly or select "Ship to TTSG" and pick it up at the June 10th picnic. If you’re shipping internationally, use this link instead. Order by this Friday and rep the pod wherever you go!

Thanks as always for listening! Keep in touch via Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, and email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

Three years of bad takes, with Andy Liu May 10, 2023

Show notes

Hello from the vault!

In the first of a series of episodes commemorating TTSG’s third anniversary, OG Andy Liu returns. 🎉

We look back at the first episode we ever released, on April 13, 2020, and ask:

(9:30) Was Andy right to attribute both the spread of the coronavirus and the backlash against Asian Americans to China’s growing power?

(34:30) Has COVID diminished the concept of U.S. exceptionalism—if not within the U.S., at least in the rest of the world?

(56:30) Is it possible for leftists to embrace national industrial policy without replicating the same kinds of neoliberalism that led us here?

For more, see:

* That fateful first episode, Pangolin Panic and Why the West Said "No" to Masks

* Our episode analyzing Dan Wang’s U.S.–China 2020 newsletter, plus his 2022 assessment

* Commentary on recent China-related legislation and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s speech, outlining a new Washington consensus

A couple big TTSG announcements! First, we’ll be having a subscriber picnic on June 10th in NYC to celebrate our anniversary and Jay’s “American Son” premiere (movie tix here!). Subscribe on Patreon or Substack for more details.

Next, we’re finally releasing TTSG MERCH, starting with a PMC staple: a TTSG tote! When you place your order, you can either get it shipped to you directly or "Ship to TTSG." Please only select the latter option if you plan to attend the NYC picnic on June 10th! (Apologies to all non-locals.) Buy one (or two or three) to rep the pod, and share the link with friends & family!

As always, keep in touch via Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, and email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

Karaoke soft power + left media cowardice May 03, 2023

Show notes

Hello from the start of AANHPIXYZ Heritage Month!

It’s just Jay and Tammy this week, going long on two of our favorite topics: U.S.-Korea relations and progressive media. [3:15] First, we address the carefully crafted viral moment from Korean President Yoon’s debut at the White House, and the sanitizing of human rights realities in Asia. [17:30] Next, we discuss the controversy over an article about Tucker Carlson published by the American Prospect—and mea culpa’d by the top editor following online criticism. We touch on [28:10] virtue-signaling disclaimers and [38:55] the tiptoeing endemic to our fractured news industry.

In this episode, we ask:

Why did a misogynistic, anti-labor president get such a glowing White House welcome?

Do we agree with the central argument of the Prospect article: that there is some value to Tucker Carlson types’ espousing of “populist” views on Fox News?

Is Jay less cancellable because he’s not white?

For more, read:

* “South Korean president sings ‘American Pie’”

* About Korea’s legislative and symbolic agenda on this U.S. trip

* Background on President Yoon when he first entered office, by Tammy

* The American Prospect article: “The Smuggest Man On Air”

* David Dayen’s editor’s note and the response by two other Prospect writers: “The Real Tucker Carlson”

Thanks for listening! Subscribe on Patreon or Substack, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

Join us at the premiere of Jay’s movie, “American Son,” at the Tribeca Film Festival, in NYC, in June! Purchase tix here!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

Wellness frauds and James Harden, with Jennifer Wilson Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

Hello from a cruise ship!

This week, we welcome book critic and Philly basketball devotee Jennifer Wilson back to the show. We discuss [1:00] the epidemic of belligerent airline passengers; [6:25] the surprising (and not so surprising) firings of Tucker Carlson from Fox News and Don Lemon from CNN; [15:10] Jen’s favorite 76er, James Harden, and his ejection for nut-punching; and [27:40] journalist Lauren Oyler’s recent piece on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop cruise and the sexist genre of wellness writing.

In this episode, we ask:

Why do so many basketball players punch and kick one another in the crotch?

Are the Tucker Carlsons and Don Lemons of the world easily replaceable?

What (besides capitalism, duh) makes us so obsessed with wellness?

How is vulnerability (especially in women) used to sell products, activate people online, and smooth out social relations?

For more, see:

* This week’s viral airplane video (baby screams; man yells)

* A breakdown of James Harden's and Joel Embiid's fouls

* Lauren Oyler’s dispatch from the Goop Cruise

* The David Foster Wallace cruise piece that the Goop story references

* Oyler’s 2021 essay on writer W. G. Sebald

* How Goop’s Haters Made Gwyneth Paltrow’s Company Worth $250 Million, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

* The TikTok influencer video that led to the intense doxxing of two young women

* A rumination on the rise of astrology among millennials by Christine Smallwood

Thanks for listening! Subscribe on Patreon or Substack, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

What Chicago can teach us, with Alex Han Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

Hello from a 90-degree day in New York!

This week, we’re joined by Alex Han, executive director of In These Times and a longtime organizer based in Chicago. Alex previously worked for Bernie’s 2020 campaign and SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana. We get into the context behind the surprise mayoral win by former teacher and organizer Brandon Johnson, over “corporate reformer” Paul Vallas. We discuss [15:45] the values (neoliberal versus progressive) at stake in this race, [25:08] which strategies can, and can’t, be reproduced by other candidates, and [1:01:30] the role of left-labor publications like In These Times in counteracting corporate media.

In this episode, we ask:

What made the Chicago Teachers Union become such a central player in city politics?

How has “defund the police” evolved, rhetorically, on the left?

How do you build a coalition that’s led by progressives but populated by centrists?

What should left media do to engage young people and other big yet hard-to-reach groups?

For more, read:

* Alex’s post-election editorial for In These Times

* This reflection on bargaining for the common good and the influence of the CTU

* More on the deep, grassroots organizing behind Johnson’s victory: 'It Was 100-Percent People Power' (Block Club Chicago) and Chicago’s Rich Organizing Tradition Paid Off (The Nation)

* An interview with Alex on the past and present of In These Times: What Do Movements Need from Progressive Media?

* The book Jay mentions, After Black Lives Matter: Policing and Anti-Capitalist Struggle, by Cedric G. Johnson

* Horrifying news of the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in Kansas City

Thanks for listening! Subscribe on Patreon or Substack, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

“The border itself is the crisis,” with Silky Shah Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

Hello from Jay’s COVID den!

Mai would like you to know that she begged Jay to skip recording and rest after he tested positive for COVID, and did the same with Tammy a few weeks ago. They did not listen. Please don’t follow their bad example!

This week, Tammy and Jay chat with repeat guest Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network and longtime organizer for immigrant rights. [1:45] We start, though, with a discussion of “Veep,” which Jay has been rewatching—a show that continues to be relevant and prescient ten-plus years on. [14:40] Then we talk about Biden’s disappointing policies on immigration, including the continuation of Title 42 and other policies designed to exclude asylum seekers, [50:00] and reflect on some small wins that follow years of organizing by groups like the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).

In this episode, we ask:

How do anti-immigration policies actually worsen the same border conditions that some claim to be fighting through deterrence?

What makes immigration intersectional?

How might the immigrant-rights movement adopt a broader framework of immigrant justice?

For more, see:

* More on the Biden administration’s anti-immigrant moves, including a potential reinstatement of family detention

* Hannah Dreier’s NYT report about migrant child labor in the U.S.

* The fire at a Juárez migrant detention center that killed dozens

* A glimmer of good news: DHS expands protections for whistleblowers

* The Tennessee GOP’s attack on two Black legislators

Plus, listen to Silky’s August 2022 TTSG appearance, Immigration’s “catalyst moments,” and a September episode where we discuss Ron DeSantis’s migrant-busing stunt: GOP cruelty gone wild.

Thanks for listening! Subscribe on Patreon or Substack, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

Palo Alto’s ghosts, with Malcolm Harris Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

Hello from the Bay Area!

This week, it’s just Jay speaking with Malcolm Harris, the author of the recently published Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World. We talk about [5:40] why Malcolm wrote a 600-plus-page epic instead of a shorter, more personal book; [27:25] Palo Alto’s origin story, including Leland Stanford and immigrant labor on the railroads; and [43:20] what mainstream histories get wrong about the New Left and Silicon Valley’s development. (Heads-up: There is a brief discussion of suicide between 11:30 and 14:10.)

In this episode, we ask:

Why does Palo Alto give off such a weird vibe, and how does Stanford University's approach to real estate contribute?

What did Jay and his daughter learn about the exploitation of Chinese rail workers at the California State Railroad Museum?

Is Malcolm worried that AI could take his job?

For more, read:

* Malcolm’s colossal Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World

* An archetypal business book: Barbarians at the Gate, by Bryan Burrough & John Helyar

* Mae Ngai’s book on Chinese migration and the gold rush, The Chinese Question—and listen to Andy’s episode with Mae! 'History is not a straight line': on the Chinese Question with Prof. Mae Ngai

Thanks for listening! Subscribe on Patreon or Substack and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. And email us at timetosaygoodbyepod@gmail.com.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

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