Lintrospection

Well everybody knows what the hot topic in sports land is right now and if the title didn't tip you off.....then get the fuck out of here. That’s right, it’s linsanity and the business of Jeremy lin. So what the heck, here’s my two cents.

Jeremy Lin has taken the sports world by storm and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. I’m pretty sure everybody knows his life story by now, but if you don’t, heres a super brief recap. Taiwanese kid goes from undrafted Harvard grad to starting point guard of the New York Knicks all in the span of just 10 hours of NBA court time. That’s right kids, I did the math as any typical Asian would.

Now heres my take. While the Jeremy Lin show has taken everybody by surprise, and certainly me as well, I always wondered why it took so god damn long for an Asian point guard to come to prominence. You see to me, Asians make the perfect point guards. Lets break it down.

Factor number one. We aren’t very tall.

No denying this one guys, Asians aren’t the biggest guys on the block, now with Yao Ming enjoying his retirement by going back to school(seriously, who retires to go back to school guys?). On the other hand, point guards are the shortest people on the court. This would make it seem like a definite lock for either Asians or Mexicans due to our vertical proclivity towards the shorter end of a meter rule. If you picked up any Asian off the street and stuck him on the court, we would most definitely have to play point guard, that is if you didn’t have a Mexican on your team. What I’m trying to say here, is that we, Asians, are physically designed to play the point guard position, the ones that can actually play basketball that is. We weren't designed to be 7 footers. I don't even think we were designed to be 6'6". but hey, that's alright.

Factor number two. We are pretty darn smart.

Not to brag or anything, but when it comes to smarts, it’s pretty hard to top an Asian. It’s something we pride ourselves on. It’s a stereotype we strive to live up to. They always say, “Asians are good at math and science.” You bet your ass we are. We aren’t brute beasts bestowed with physical gifts and can dominate with just that. We study, we learn, and we make it better. So why wouldn’t this extrapolate to basketball. Let’s put it this way. Most major athletes these days don’t even graduate college, probably wouldn’t be able to explain how they can defy gravity with their God given talents, and probably don’t even have enough math to know how many zeroes there are in their million dollar paycheck(how else do they blow so much money?) Granted, they have sports knowledge in spades. But honestly, how hard is it to learn basketball. Are you telling me it’s harder that calculus? Quantum physics? I highly doubt that. Shouldn’t it be a cinch then for a person of Asian ethnicity to be a student of the game, grasp the concept of 10 guys running around a court, plug it into an algorithm, and know what to do? If the court ever needed a floor general, Asians would be perfect. After all, did Sun Tze not write the Art of War?

Factor number 3. Precision is the name of the game

With the summer Olympics coming up, let’s take a look at the sports Asians have dominated. Diving, Table tennis, Gymnastics, Badminton, Shooting, Archery. Asians regularly take home gold in these events. These sports, while requiring above all other attributes, precision. If even one toe on your foot is out of place when performing a triple back flip into a pool, consider that a deduction. I’m sorry, your feet weren’t together when you landed that back handspring, that’s gonna cost you some points. So you want me to return a tiny white ball coming at me at 70mph with less than half the distance a pitcher has to home plate and hit the right corner of the table when returning it? No problem. Shooting and archery are pretty self-explanatory. Don’t even get me started on video games. I don’t know what it is, but Asians excel in precision sports. And basketball is a game all about precision. Making that sweet pass to the corner for a three. Dishing it to your big man after driving in. projecting a man in mid-flight and hitting him when he arrives there. These skills require precision, a lot of precision. Just another facet that would make Asians suitable for a point guard role in the NBA.

So while Jeremy Lin’s success is a pleasant surprise, it comes as no surprise to me that an Asian point guard has finally got some of the spot light in the NBA. With our genetics, studiousness, and uncanny precision, Jeremy Lin has broken down some stereotypes and racial profiling and, hopefully, has helped America realize a whole new untapped pool of potential. Now if only Asian parents would stop telling their kids to become doctors and dentists.

P.S if anybody thought this article was racist, suck a dick.

Expectations

Momma said there be days like this, there be days like this my momma said....

Do what your parents say, brush your teeth, go to school, be nice to your friends, go to college.

Of course there will be a job waiting for you once you have your degree. You'll get a good salary, be able to buy a house, and raise a beautiful family (well... not everyone can be beautiful...but beauty is in the eye ya?).

These are the expectations we have been taught since a young age and you know what? Those expectations have led to a generation that is sure to meet disappointment.

The following phrase (which I loathe) has been used to soften the blow of disappointment because of improper expectations. You know what God-forsaken phrase I'm referring to? Need more time? Ok....ten more seconds....and time. The phrase that haunts me to no end is, "Because of the down economy... or in this economy" I hate those phrases. Once you utter either phrase they becomes an all purpose security blanket for why your life hasn't turned out the way you wanted.

Our nation is in a massive deficit and it's because children mimic their parents. We see the government continuously spending and as a result our deficit is now in the trillions. Yet, there are bailouts and life goes on just like any other day in "the matrix." In this loose metaphor of children mimicking their parents we have adopted the same spending habits as our government and consequently are in huge debt as well. Our nation has collectively put its head in the ground and has continued to spend without thinking about the inevitable train that is about to smash us into financial Stone Age.

You know what I wish they taught in high school or college? Personal Accounting and Achieve Your Dream Classes. What do I mean? Well, how many of you balance your check books or know how much your credit card company charges you? And I'm not talking about knowing what your APR is. I mean how much do you pay every month when you pay that teeny tiny number and not the larger ugly number? I would also have students make a budget and learn what is necessary and unnecessary. Also on the agenda would be learning what an asset and a liability is. I would have them look up how much they want to spend in college and realize how long it will take them to pay it off if they earn a $50,000 salary (if they can even find a job). Then I would tell them how long it takes to get a promotion with different jobs and the projected pay scale. Stop me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this just make sense?

The Achieve Your Dream Class would consist of the following lesson plans:

• Do you know what it takes to get your dream job?
• Do you know the work it takes to get this job?
• Do you realize how much work it's going to take?
• No really, do you really know what it takes? Ask someone in that profession, shadow them for a week if not a month. Can you really see yourself working there for 10, 20, even 40 years?
• Do you know how much debt you are going to accrue striving for your job?
• Explain what paying your dues mean. 

We need to change the expectations for our generation and the next. We need to educate them that in your fourth year of college or even during the summer of your junior year, students need to look for internships to secure a possible job after college. The reality is companies are cutting costs and don't want to hire new grads who don't have any work experience. So what should they do? Is it impossible to get a job out of college? No way! You become a strong candidate for a job offer by getting your foot in the door by applying for internships and residency programs. Yes, you won't be getting paid much (if at all) your first few months, but if you have been working hard and exhibiting that you are indeed competent you are very likely to receive a job offer (for very little pay, do make sure you that is your expectation).

Our generation has been coddled and told we're the best, smartest, and most capable. What has happened is that we lack the work ethic of previous generations. We look at older workers and wonder how they could have worked at the same place for 30 years and not complained. Well that requires work ethic, which is something our generation tends to lack. To create that work ethic starts with expectation management and then to create an attitude of enduring hardships and failure. The sooner we realize how hard it is to thrive in this world, the sooner we realize the need to work harder and stop giving up at the first moment of resistance.

So what are you going to do to achieve your dreams?