White men do not own the English language, and no one should be held up to this standard to be understood — I have become desensitized to the “ching-chongs,” the barks telling me to go back to my country, and White men telling me they “love Asian girls.” But the comment that somehow stings the most is the appraisal of my English, however good it may be — being told I speak…

At its most obsessive, this admiration of Korean popularity borders on appropriation — Whenever I meet a new person enamored by Korean culture — often referred to nowadays as Koreaboos — I’m reminded of a piece of romantic advice shared in an Ann Landers column: “Rose-colored glasses are never made in bifocals because nobody wants to read the small print in dreams.” Before…