And he's not only complaining about only Vietnamese people's culture not being fully taught...but he's explaining that there's more to history than what's being taught in schools..
Fantastic perspective, and I love the visuals you've chosen to go with your words. As a teacher - of literature, of the English language, and of history - I strive to make SURE my students know that the books *are* (of course!) biased, that they learn - more than anything else - to QUESTION whose voices are being heard, and whose are silenced/ignored, whose stories are changed to make "US" look good, b/c we can't bear to be seen as "THEM". THANK YOU for sharing this piece, and others. Your voice IS heard.
There's a teacher at my school who brings out the ruler every time someone refers to the United States/America/the west as "we" or "us" its actually kind of wonderful.Beautiful piece!
Can you explain this to me in a different way? Asian nations are notoriously xenophobic and very, very nationalistic. That their respective citizens think nothing of saying the words "we" or "us" when referring to their nations has been a given for, like, ever.
Ralph Winfield Well I attend a boarding school, in which there are a variety of nationalities,ethnicities, and cultures even within those of us who would at some point in time call ourselves "Americans" (for example I'm a proud hyphenation Mexican-American, and would always say Mexican before I'd say American) so in an effort to make sure we are aware that not everyone in the room shares the same identity our teacher eliminates the words "we" or "us". It also helps make class less awkward so when discussing something like the American revolution its not "we" fought against "your" country, but THE COLONIES fought versus BRITAIN. Its a recognition that not only are we not all the same, but that even America now is not the same as America then. When discussing the Mexican War, I'm glad I don't have to pick sides. I'd be a we of both countries, and that could get pretty confusing :P Its just a way to ensure that we are aware of who we are conversing with, and the fact that pride and nationalism are great, outside of the classroom. The classroom should, for the most part, remain objective and discuss what happened, why it happened, and what we can take away from the events, without our personal/national pride getting in the way.
@@EElias-ek9mq powerful work man, I did national poetry slams and produce high concept poetry films check this out :) th-cam.com/video/5CbwKrktzXc/w-d-xo.html
That was awesome Fong! Must've felt like batman in the alley spitting poems of justice, speaking to right a wrong. If we have it bad, then can we imagine a country, that has 90% of our household products, complete cencorship.
Truth be told though, there's just way too much history to cover in school. However, I do agree that we need more than just 2 pages of any other history than just American history.
This was awesome! The message in here was incredible, this might be a little selfish but I want to say thank you. My mother was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after the Vietnam War because her Village in Laos helped the US Military, and no one knows about it! Other than a few documentaries that I've found, a page in a text book, and the stories I've heard from my family I would've never known who the Hmong people were. Thank you for acknowledging us :) it really means a lot.
I shared this with my History Students, LOL. First of all, I am one of those academics with all the letters after my name, but I am not a man, but a woman. And I teach the alternate history of the underclasses the forgotten masses, the indigenous the outrageous, the dreamers and schemers and heroes and villains. I teach that there are so many stories left untold, and that we should all fight against the idea that the conquerors write the history. Let's champion the almost forgotten languages, the small and precious things, the art, the generations of humanity who lived and worked and died leaving only their descendants as testaments to the future.Go out and interview your grandparents, your parents, the old guy down the block. Record the srories they tell you about how it was in the past. Pass those stories on. And remember the Past is a different country, one to which none of us can return. We carry with us stories of that lost country like bundles of personal belongings as we flee, immigrants all, into the unknowable land of the future. I would recommend to all to read some Howard Zinn... he wrote mostly about the United States, but what he wrote is not the patriotic knee-jerk same-old same old, but a PEOPLE'S HISTORY.
Dear Helen women have brains and make considerable contributions around the world in all cultures. What you speak of is the REAL STORY, NOT THE privilege-bound story revealed by an old WASP (former IMF president) on one of the TH-cam channels several months ago. Let your students see this and have barf bags available, this man's laments and confessions were sickening!!! Not to mention, totally disrespectful of the lives, hopes,and aspirations of the entire non-white world. If you are keeping up with the Tea Party's garbage truck, you will see that these Planet of the APE types are only interested in SELF CONSERV(ATION). So 99% of humans are expendable to their way of thinking.
I love how you mentioned the truth and nothing but the truth. Preach it. Thank you for knowing about the hmong people and the secret war. You are a great guy. I wish I ran into this sooner.
Dayum dude! That was sick! Is it a passion of yours? Spoken word, I mean? I gotta passion as well, and no doubt, that was inspirational. And passions should be such.
My dear, Fong--in my search this morning for spoken word poetry for my Year 9 students here in New Zealand, I found you! And this powerful poem from your brilliant mind. Thank you for sharing your gift and this will become now one of the best examples of real poetry I could ever hope to find. I am especially impressed also because of how you combine your words with the visuals of young people re-writing their history on the city walls in graffiti. I am a fan and in touch with the amazing work of Tunisian calligraffiti artist, eL Seed. Look up his work if you don't know it yet. Thank you again and I look forward to seeing more of your work. Regards and huge respect, James.
Saw fong perform 3 yrs ago at my university. Finally got around to watching this video which has been in my Watch Later playlist for at least 5 yrs. I wasn’t familiar w his work before seeing him but now realizing I could’ve been (and should’ve)
Interesting and thought provoking. History is subject to the person writing it. And the history taught in school is the mindset or opinion of who is writing that history. There are many different viewpoint to what happened in the world and how different people experienced it. Question everything and every viewpoint. Loved your lyrics. Great that some people can think for themselves about what other people think they should think.
I had to like this, because it was a masterpiece it truly had it's value in what he was trying to say and though I am an American doesn't mean what he was saying was not true. Why should we place what had went on in the past to determine the future? And the future looks bright to me and in this young man eyes of the truth.
Great poem brother Tran. Here in the US we have Bảo Phi (wikipedia or google him) whose spoken words are as powerful and poetic as yours. Keep up the good work!
It's a good thing you learned the information in HS that you now use to refute the content you learned in History based on your life experience. If history teachers told you the story you just told, then there would be nothing to challenge our thinking to become life long learners. Which you obviously have become. Thanks to all the bogus stuff you learned in high school. History is in the eye of the beholder, so what you learned was just that of the person who wrote the text. It's not a teachers job to tell you the correct things to know, but give you information that helps you develop what you know and why it is right to you. Looks like they did their job. I hope you encourage others to challenge your thoughts or else you will contribute to further mindless indoctrination of social views. Facts are meant to be challenged to further learning and meaning making of the world. I am high school teacher that uses these videos in the classroom, among many other teachers, as a means of encouraging independent thinking, which is essentially the overall goal of most good educators. We're not so bad, we just seem that way because we tricked you into learning. Sorry for the deception, but it's a necessary evil used for teens that can't see the process yet. Keep thinking, just don't stop at one conclusion, there is never one.
lease Share and Comment! New Spoken Word Piece about the problem with what's taught in School. Title: History Textbooks. Original poem by Fong Tran and special shout out to Somchay Phakonkham of Melbourne Australia for helping direct and edit this video.
Fong, you are a pro-communist, anti-white racist. You burp your emotional propaganda at the low IQ fools who will eat it up because they are minorities who feel uncomfortable in white nations. Well, no one asked you to come here. If you minorities feel so uncomfortable then you should just leave. By the way, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Asians economically outperform white people in supposedly "white supremacist" countries. You sound like a fool.
Thank you! The truth about the Hmong's story really needs to be known! I'm thankful I live in St Paul, otherwise I probably still wouldn't know about it.
No, but I don't own it so it's technically not mine. I do however tag our backyard fence sooo.... Maybe you shouldn't tell people their art form is less significant than anyone else's.
Where do you live? Tagging is, in some sense, at least similar to "painting" a fence with spray paint. I hope that you do your art only in your own space(s). I'm not preaching that your art is worthless, but certainly it is not what cultural anthropologists would say is High Art. It's at best a pedestrian way to express feelings of dissatisfaction/unhappiness with the social-political-economic-moral status quo. Thank you for your time, and have a great day! Sincerely, RW
I now live in a North Carolina suburb and I personally think the idea of high art is utterly ridiculous. I think the idea of a status quo in any form is utterly ridiculous for several reasons every person who tags a wall isn't looking to make some political statement. The only thing those ideas promote are the idea of being better than and worse than and I don't feel like that could ever end well, but whether I am painting a portrait on a canvas or tagging my fence I think it is all beautiful regardless of what cultural anthropologists would say. Also that is all beyond the point I wasn't only saying the graffiti was made me wanna make art the beauty and truth I found in his words made me want to make art, I personally was here for the spoken word not a protest.
Hi there! North Carolina, eh? I have not been there yet. Massachusetts has been tagged to the point of overflowing. Do you think that "the status quo" represents/is symbolic of stasis? By the way, my training is in Fine Art, Anglo-American Philosophy, and Classics. I dig art like you would not believe! I've a feeling that you could teach me a lot about art. Well, read Sexual Personae if you get a chance. I'm re-reading it now. I read it when I was in school at Wesleyan University (Middletown, Ct.) before an alum of Wesleyan mocked the school in his comedic film, P.C.U. (It's a sort of good film and you might wanna check it out for a good laugh or 3.) Take good care,and thanks a bunch for the replies to my messages. Sincerely, RW
I am done with school, that's why I am going to get out and be the change, and I am not afraid to fail, and I will try to do it over and over again, until it is finally changed!!
This is phenomenal. I had a different perspective of Spoken Word, but after seeing this and previous Spoken Word videos, I am glad that I had a chance to learn more about it. Thank you for posting this. Be blessed.
Love the message here and enjoyed the poetics. Thanks for sharing Fong Tran you are a true talented spoken word poet. Sweet! Curated to my Spoken word and Rap Playlists here and sharing socially across all of my networks.
Hey Fong, I'm a big fan of your work. You have a beautiful flow. You need more views! Let me know if you're ever in Atlanta the scene could use another good Viet poet!
"Manifest beautification cos godammit we look good. "
I love that!! And I love your poetry!
And he's not only complaining about only Vietnamese people's culture not being fully taught...but he's explaining that there's more to history than what's being taught in schools..
History is always told from the viewpoint of the conqueror.
Fantastic perspective, and I love the visuals you've chosen to go with your words. As a teacher - of literature, of the English language, and of history - I strive to make SURE my students know that the books *are* (of course!) biased, that they learn - more than anything else - to QUESTION whose voices are being heard, and whose are silenced/ignored, whose stories are changed to make "US" look good, b/c we can't bear to be seen as "THEM".
THANK YOU for sharing this piece, and others. Your voice IS heard.
There's a teacher at my school who brings out the ruler every time someone refers to the United States/America/the west as "we" or "us" its actually kind of wonderful.Beautiful piece!
Can you explain this to me in a different way? Asian nations are notoriously xenophobic and very, very nationalistic. That their respective citizens think nothing of saying the words "we" or "us" when referring to their nations has been a given for, like, ever.
Ralph Winfield Well I attend a boarding school, in which there are a variety of nationalities,ethnicities, and cultures even within those of us who would at some point in time call ourselves "Americans" (for example I'm a proud hyphenation Mexican-American, and would always say Mexican before I'd say American) so in an effort to make sure we are aware that not everyone in the room shares the same identity our teacher eliminates the words "we" or "us". It also helps make class less awkward so when discussing something like the American revolution its not "we" fought against "your" country, but THE COLONIES fought versus BRITAIN. Its a recognition that not only are we not all the same, but that even America now is not the same as America then. When discussing the Mexican War, I'm glad I don't have to pick sides. I'd be a we of both countries, and that could get pretty confusing :P Its just a way to ensure that we are aware of who we are conversing with, and the fact that pride and nationalism are great, outside of the classroom. The classroom should, for the most part, remain objective and discuss what happened, why it happened, and what we can take away from the events, without our personal/national pride getting in the way.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry over the fact the intended message of this video flew right over the heads of so many people.
laugh while crying
@@EElias-ek9mq powerful work man, I did national poetry slams and produce high concept poetry films check this out :) th-cam.com/video/5CbwKrktzXc/w-d-xo.html
Wow! This is a great poem, so inspiring to me.
Very liberating, good job Fong :) keep empowering and fighting the struggle!!
That was awesome Fong! Must've felt like batman in the alley spitting poems of justice, speaking to right a wrong. If we have it bad, then can we imagine a country, that has 90% of our household products, complete cencorship.
I'm using this to teach in my high school - know that your words spark change of perspective
I'm going to show this to my freshmen college writing students.
Thank you... keep doing what you're doing.
Truth be told though, there's just way too much history to cover in school. However, I do agree that we need more than just 2 pages of any other history than just American history.
This was awesome! The message in here was incredible, this might be a little selfish but I want to say thank you. My mother was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after the Vietnam War because her Village in Laos helped the US Military, and no one knows about it! Other than a few documentaries that I've found, a page in a text book, and the stories I've heard from my family I would've never known who the Hmong people were. Thank you for acknowledging us :) it really means a lot.
I shared this with my History Students, LOL.
First of all, I am one of those academics with all the letters after my name, but I am not a man, but a woman. And I teach the alternate history of the underclasses the forgotten masses, the indigenous the outrageous, the dreamers and schemers and heroes and villains. I teach that there are so many stories left untold, and that we should all fight against the idea that the conquerors write the history. Let's champion the almost forgotten languages, the small and precious things, the art, the generations of humanity who lived and worked and died leaving only their descendants as testaments to the future.Go out and interview your grandparents, your parents, the old guy down the block. Record the srories they tell you about how it was in the past. Pass those stories on. And remember the Past is a different country, one to which none of us can return. We carry with us stories of that lost country like bundles of personal belongings as we flee, immigrants all, into the unknowable land of the future.
I would recommend to all to read some Howard Zinn... he wrote mostly about the United States, but what he wrote is not the patriotic knee-jerk same-old same old, but a PEOPLE'S HISTORY.
Dear Helen women have brains and make considerable contributions around the world in all cultures. What you speak of is the REAL STORY, NOT THE privilege-bound story revealed by an old WASP (former IMF president) on one of the TH-cam channels several months ago. Let your students see this and have barf bags available, this man's laments and confessions were sickening!!! Not to mention, totally disrespectful of the lives, hopes,and aspirations of the entire non-white world. If you are keeping up with the Tea Party's garbage truck, you will see that these Planet of the APE types are only interested in SELF CONSERV(ATION). So 99% of humans are expendable to their way of thinking.
I love listening as history truly enfolds for every culture we're all the stories have been watered down but yet we take charge and now it is told
This literally took all the words I ever thought about out my mouth. Mate your a legend! Peace from London !
I love how you mentioned the truth and nothing but the truth. Preach it. Thank you for knowing about the hmong people and the secret war. You are a great guy. I wish I ran into this sooner.
Dayum dude! That was sick! Is it a passion of yours? Spoken word, I mean? I gotta passion as well, and no doubt, that was inspirational. And passions should be such.
My dear, Fong--in my search this morning for spoken word poetry for my Year 9 students here in New Zealand, I found you! And this powerful poem from your brilliant mind. Thank you for sharing your gift and this will become now one of the best examples of real poetry I could ever hope to find. I am especially impressed also because of how you combine your words with the visuals of young people re-writing their history on the city walls in graffiti. I am a fan and in touch with the amazing work of Tunisian calligraffiti artist, eL Seed. Look up his work if you don't know it yet. Thank you again and I look forward to seeing more of your work. Regards and huge respect, James.
Saw fong perform 3 yrs ago at my university. Finally got around to watching this video which has been in my Watch Later playlist for at least 5 yrs. I wasn’t familiar w his work before seeing him but now realizing I could’ve been (and should’ve)
I'm so glad I met you Fong at UCSC in May with APISA. I love your poetry and your wisdom!
Interesting and thought provoking. History is subject to the person writing it. And the history taught in school is the mindset or opinion of who is writing that history. There are many different viewpoint to what happened in the world and how different people experienced it. Question everything and every viewpoint. Loved your lyrics. Great that some people can think for themselves about what other people think they should think.
Awesome poem, and the video really helps to drive the point home!
I legit teared up at this.
I had to like this, because it was a masterpiece it truly had it's value in what he was trying to say and though I am an American doesn't mean what he was saying was not true. Why should we place what had went on in the past to determine the future? And the future looks bright to me and in this young man eyes of the truth.
Put on some shades to screen out some of the KRAP!
Where is this street located? I want to go there.
This poem is on point. American history in school doesn't even tell half of the story.
Its Hosier Lane in Melbourne, Australia
Fong Tran What do you have to say about all those SEA gangs in Oz?
Hi Fong! I am sharing this with my classes again this semester. Thank you for all your amazing words and work!
love it! Truth is allows up lifting if you allow it to be .
I've been waiting for someone to share my ideas.
Thank you. I shall share this with my HS
Scratch that!!! You got my people up in your poem!!! *was writing this while watching*
Much appreciated! *hits subscribed*
Absolutely Amazing!! Well done !!
Love this poem. Love the location, very iconic. It's great how you connected the writing of history with the street art.
Great poem brother Tran. Here in the US we have Bảo Phi (wikipedia or google him) whose spoken words are as powerful and poetic as yours. Keep up the good work!
Sukran= thank you!
This is awesome!! From an Iraqi hijabi girl.👌👍👏☺
BTW I feel your mom, grew up in a refugee camp myself.
Beautifully said.
Ayyyyyy you mentioned Hmong people. Beautiful piece, Fong.
I heard him in live it's even better and more inspirational/motivational, keep up the good work !!
Now produce one with fewer curse words in it so someone can actually use it in school.
this gave me chills, thank u fong, i'm glad i met u at apilr, you are inspiring, thank u for spreading truth
Well done brother. Your words speak the truth and a light that is seldom shown. Will be watching you!! :)
This is really good. Good thoughts, good conversation.
It's a good thing you learned the information in HS that you now use to refute the content you learned in History based on your life experience. If history teachers told you the story you just told, then there would be nothing to challenge our thinking to become life long learners. Which you obviously have become. Thanks to all the bogus stuff you learned in high school. History is in the eye of the beholder, so what you learned was just that of the person who wrote the text. It's not a teachers job to tell you the correct things to know, but give you information that helps you develop what you know and why it is right to you. Looks like they did their job. I hope you encourage others to challenge your thoughts or else you will contribute to further mindless indoctrination of social views. Facts are meant to be challenged to further learning and meaning making of the world. I am high school teacher that uses these videos in the classroom, among many other teachers, as a means of encouraging independent thinking, which is essentially the overall goal of most good educators. We're not so bad, we just seem that way because we tricked you into learning. Sorry for the deception, but it's a necessary evil used for teens that can't see the process yet. Keep thinking, just don't stop at one conclusion, there is never one.
lease Share and Comment! New Spoken Word Piece about the problem with what's taught in School. Title: History Textbooks. Original poem by Fong Tran and special shout out to Somchay Phakonkham of Melbourne Australia for helping direct and edit this video.
I love this homie. You should share this on Summit fam page. Miss you!
+Fong Tran GET IN TOUCH BRO CHECK MINE
shared, p.s. WHere IS this place?? I want to go there!
Fong, you are a pro-communist, anti-white racist. You burp your emotional propaganda at the low IQ fools who will eat it up because they are minorities who feel uncomfortable in white nations. Well, no one asked you to come here. If you minorities feel so uncomfortable then you should just leave. By the way, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Asians economically outperform white people in supposedly "white supremacist" countries. You sound like a fool.
*Looks at comments
...
*head catches fire
AHHHH!!!
THE STUPID! iT BURRRNS!!!
Thanks Fong you are welled doing!
truly amazing man and at the end about dust we will return was wow! 🙌
Well said! Respect and greetings from the Netherlands.
Dang! Killed it! Preach!
it's human nature. Nice speech!
Good stuff. Can someone tell me where this is at?
I have to say really liked this !!! It was good
Reminds me of Geologic, good job.
I remember you from apylp! Great job brother fong!
I believe there is a problem of what is being taught in schools today but he didn't express enough why it's a problem
Great poem, this is truly awsome!!!
that was just beautiful, dope poetry!!!!
Wow just Wow!
Awesome!
this deep. intersectional.
Thank you! The truth about the Hmong's story really needs to be known! I'm thankful I live in St Paul, otherwise I probably still wouldn't know about it.
Excellent work!
love this.
"cause god damn it, we look good"
the graffiti is so sick though!
sick flow and beautiful words :D
This is amazing it really makes me wanna paint!
Tagging is ugly. Do you tag your home?
No, but I don't own it so it's technically not mine. I do however tag our backyard fence sooo.... Maybe you shouldn't tell people their art form is less significant than anyone else's.
Where do you live? Tagging is, in some sense, at least similar to "painting" a fence with spray paint. I hope that you do your art only in your own space(s). I'm not preaching that your art is worthless, but certainly it is not what cultural anthropologists would say is High Art. It's at best a pedestrian way to express feelings of dissatisfaction/unhappiness with the social-political-economic-moral status quo.
Thank you for your time, and have a great day!
Sincerely,
RW
I now live in a North Carolina suburb and I personally think the idea of high art is utterly ridiculous. I think the idea of a status quo in any form is utterly ridiculous for several reasons every person who tags a wall isn't looking to make some political statement. The only thing those ideas promote are the idea of being better than and worse than and I don't feel like that could ever end well, but whether I am painting a portrait on a canvas or tagging my fence I think it is all beautiful regardless of what cultural anthropologists would say. Also that is all beyond the point I wasn't only saying the graffiti was made me wanna make art the beauty and truth I found in his words made me want to make art, I personally was here for the spoken word not a protest.
Hi there!
North Carolina, eh? I have not been there yet. Massachusetts has been tagged to the point of overflowing.
Do you think that "the status quo" represents/is symbolic of stasis?
By the way, my training is in Fine Art, Anglo-American Philosophy, and Classics. I dig art like you would not believe! I've a feeling that you could teach me a lot about art. Well, read Sexual Personae if you get a chance. I'm re-reading it now. I read it when I was in school at Wesleyan University (Middletown, Ct.) before an alum of Wesleyan mocked the school in his comedic film, P.C.U. (It's a sort of good film and you might wanna check it out for a good laugh or 3.)
Take good care,and thanks a bunch for the replies to my messages.
Sincerely,
RW
I am done with school, that's why I am going to get out and be the change, and I am not afraid to fail, and I will try to do it over and over again, until it is finally changed!!
do more of this please :) it touches me
This is phenomenal. I had a different perspective of Spoken Word, but after seeing this and previous Spoken Word videos, I am glad that I had a chance to learn more about it. Thank you for posting this. Be blessed.
Love the message here and enjoyed the poetics. Thanks for sharing Fong Tran you are a true talented spoken word poet. Sweet! Curated to my Spoken word and Rap Playlists here and sharing socially across all of my networks.
wow! Amazing work.
Love the word play
We are history in the present
Nice piece! I really like it ... the truth as to be said :)
Loved it so much!! It was an AWESOME message, and yes you guys are beautiful people
I found you ! Remember me from Motivation Conference 19 at UCSC ?!
Yeah mos def. good to hear from you Brandon. Follow me at fongtranpoetry.tumblr.com
I dont have tumblr . Haha , remember that piece you did for us about fathers ? I'd like to hear that again
Brandon Mao Behind the Fifth - FONG "BATMAN" TRAN, Spoken Word Artist here you go
The histories that are written in minds!
I am touched by your spoken word,this is true talk from a great warrior! 1Love!
WOW! Killed it!
LOVE THIS. You're amazing.
you get your ways with words
This is fantastic, shared!
this is awesome
thanks. melbourne, australia - hoiser lane
this is so beautiful.
Whooooooo made the post prooooood? Aaaaaah! the words are pretty but I had to turn of my monitor!
Oh lord. Tumblr making us lust over intelligent men of color.
...I'm so here for it.
You inspire me thank you!
damn homie, hats off for you!.... you go Fong, tell those ignorant that have been brain washed, the truth that they decided not to see.
Amen!
So much talent
This is deep bruh you fucking touch my heart. Respect
this deserve so many LIKES!
I LOVE this!!! 💖💞 Omg totally worth my time!!
I don't know what to say it's just too good...
All time favorite
Hey Fong, I'm a big fan of your work. You have a beautiful flow. You need more views! Let me know if you're ever in Atlanta the scene could use another good Viet poet!
Thanks man, lets try to make something happen so you can get me out there
Deep man
Nice nice!
You're my hero
beautiful!
Thank you!
This is amazing!