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After the news of the Atlanta spa shootings broke, I asked if she would like to postpone.
Unsurprisingly, she didnt want to.
Coming up in San Francisco of the 1980s, Cho was inspired by ACT UP and their slogan Silence=Death.
you’re able to read an excerpt from the transcript or listen to the full episode below.
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So, first, how are you feeling?Im very upset actually.
I lived in Atlanta for seven years.
Im also a former sex worker.
Its just an excuse to act out rage that has really no place in society.
I mean, its a very destructive thing.
And yet we have no mention of it in any of the history books.
There really isnt an acknowledgement of the racism and hate we have endured being Americans.
I think we have a culture thats not really seen in American media.
But these are very specific stories about different people, and theyre not the norm.
All Asian Americans are not crazy rich.
We are not all living in Beverly Hills.
There are microaggressions where the othering of you is brought forth in tiny actions you experience from other people.
It goes back to the police saying the Atlanta shooter had a bad day.
It weighs down on you.
Thats kind of what were doing.
I mean, whenAll-American Girlpremiered, it was 1994 and it was directly after the Koreatown riots.
So its a very interesting thing.
Then they want to somehow censor everything that came after the riots, because of what happened.
I think now I understand its just a knee-jerk reaction to the kind of visibility that they didnt expect.
I think its actually pretty concrete.
My non-acknowledgement of the generation before me had a lot to do with that too.
I really regret that.
So I had examples, but I didnt acknowledge them.
But they werent in stand-up comedy they were in newspapers at that time.
They were people like Connie Chung, who I really love.
Yet I think I didnt understand her struggle.
I didnt understand her achievements until I had gotten to that other side of it.
Now I see what an amazing thing she was able to do.
Are you able to see people you influenced?
Can you remember seeing someone and being able to see your reflection in them?Oh yeah.
So I was so honored and so excited to finally get to see another Asian American woman do that.
Shes so raunchy and so raw, and its just my style of comedy that I love.
Its really thrilling to be able to witness.
So theres so much history that we have, and so much love.
And Bobby Lee, of course, is one of my very favorites.
Theres also just so many queer comedians right now.Oh, theyre all my children.
I love them, and I love that theyre doing so many different things.
To me its very alive.
Comedy is a very living, breathing art form.
When you’re able to see what youve done translates into future generations, its really empowering.
