Some years ago in the mid-eighties, the Mercury News and associated media types used to put on a Gridiron show poking fun at the local politicians, exhibiting some good writing, and punishing us with some bad singing and horrible acting. Many of us wondered why they saved all their excellence in writing for this show and seldom flashed it in the paper.
A key skit in one show used a character from the Vietnamese community and again and again used the punch line “Nyguyen”, “Nguyen”, “Nyugen” with a clipped pronunciation. Perhaps it was a case of life imitating art instead of the reverse, although it may be a stretch to call those shows of past decades “art.”
Fast forward to June, 2005, when there are two contenders in the runoff for the open District 7 seat: their names are Nguyen and Nguyen. The two who have risen to the top of the South Central San Jose district are Madison Nguyen and Linda Nguyen. The former is a member of the Franklin McKinley School Board and the latter, a lawyer and member of a family business. Both are extremely poised and talented according to all reports. Coming from the tawdriness of the Terry Gregory affair and the lack of courage and willpower in many members of San Jose’s political elite in dealing with it, this is a wonderful and positive turn of events.
Many have watched the election with great hope, and a feeling that the several thousand people who voted in this election were desirous of a profound change and a new beginning for this much maligned and ignored area of our city. They believe that the next Councilmember will represent them, their aspirations and dreams, and not the various lobbyists and special interests that inhabit the back wall at City Council meetings and poison some of the decision making there.
Members of the Vietnamese community, many of whom came from the horrors of an exploding homeland and a tragic war, have contributed greatly to our schools, small businesses, and neighborhood revitalization efforts. It is now time for them to take the next step and enrich our civic life further - we can use it.
It has been a long and dizzying ride from that Gridiron show and many misperceptions even by our media elite. Those of us who have lived in Central San Jose and observed some of the miracles wrought by these recent arrivals, know the truth. Before too long, everyone will know the name, “Nguyen,” perhaps scores of them, and it will be a tremendous day for San Jose.
As President of the Society of California Pioneers of Santa Clara County, I wish to thank you, Tom, for echoing my feelings. The Vietnamese community are indeed “pioneers” and show the same guts and tenacity that the earlier pioneers, the pathfinders from Spain, the covered wagon people, the gold finders, the potato famine escapees, those who uprooted their families to evade Stalin and Hitler and all of the others who needed this great land to renew their families!
Our country is truly better for these many “Pioneers” who have changed and added to our society over the many hundreds of years, even if our leaders fail to see any connection.
Jerry
Too bad the Merc elite couldn’t see clearly enough to endorse one of them. Their “shuckin’ and jivin’” isn’t productive at all.
dc
Thank you Mayor McEnry. Your article reflects of the spirt of United States as a land of pioneers, and hopefully the Vietnamese-Americans will follow the American dream and be contributors to this great society. Nevertheless, this is just the beginning of a beginning, but I hope that this momentum will continue. The VN need a voice in the SJ city council to address some of the issues that hurt this new group tremendously. Gambling is one, and I far I remember, the VN gave Mayor Susan Hammer more than 3000 swing votes to win, but after that she tripled the number of gambling tables at Bay 101, about a half of players of which are VNAM. I really hope there won’tl be “lumpia” politics as usual anymore for the sake of this group and for the well being of this great city.
I find that very ironic that the 2 candidates that the mercury picked were not in the top 2 and the two “Nguyens” that were too “inexperienced” are now in a runoff. I think that is great that the Vietnamese community will have a voice and that there are some young people who are not too jaded by politics and are trying to make a difference. Regardless, it will be a HUGE improvement over Gregory.
One thing has been made very clear, and that is that there is no such thing as voter apathy in the Vietnamese community. I believe either candidate will bring some views and ideas to the Council that have not been seen or heard there before—at least not from one of their peers. If a voting block is this interested in local politics, then they deserve to be rewarded for their mobilization by getting representation on the Council (of course if the block in question was the Christian right, my opinion would likely be different). I’m not saying that every vote for either of these candidates was cast by someone who is Vietnamese, but the victory was so decisive that one has to wonder if every other ethnic or social group in District 7 has the same level of interest in the local political scene as the Vietnamese community has shown.
San Jose has a very diverse population but up until now only one noisy ethnic group has been pushing their agenda and getting money thrown at their community’s projects only to sit back and let them go unappreciated and/or fall into the red. There will be some competition now from a very industrious and deserving group, a group that will soon have a voice and influence on the Council. It’s a whole new ball game and the playing field is starting to level out. I think this is going to be really good for San Jose.
It is truly a great time for the residents of District 7. Finally, they will have honest representation and a person in office that will be truly able to serve the community’s needs.
That said : MARK T, WHAT A HYPOCRITE!
“If a voting block is this interested in local politics, then they deserve to be rewarded for their mobilization by getting representation on the Council (of course if the block in question was the Christian right, my opinion would likely be different).”
Everyone should be represented but the Christian right? This is the type of hypocrisy that we see everyday in San Jose and the bay area.
Never mind that over 70% of the US residents are Christian and that our country is founded by those who held Christian beliefs and weren’t afraid to reflect that in the founding documents.
Mark T is typical of those that think equality is great – so long as it doesn’t contradict what they believe. There are many examples of this in the country as a whole, and specifically in San José:
God forbid (can I reference god in this blog?) anyone brings any hint of Christianity into a public place – – but it’s okay to put Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec god, in a prominent place in the center of the city.
It’s not okay to teach creationism, but its okay for our children to study other religions in school.
CANDIDATES BEWARE : MORAL, ETHICAL, CHRISTIANS THAT ARE IN TUNE WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY, NEED NOT APPLY.
This time, McEnery’s gone too far! Impugning the great talents in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Girdiron show. This is just a cheap shot from a guy who’s been waiting for years to get back at people who sang about his entitlement and lack of humility, not to mention his half-baked proposal with Steve and Candi Wozniak for a kayak course on the Guadalupe:
(To the tune of “Camelot”)
My father bought some land when he was king here
Ensuring that I’d never work a day
But with my tax-free zone I’ll soon clean up here
in San Jose…
(To the tune of “I’m So Pretty”)
I’m so witty, I’m so witty
I’m so witty and pretty and bright
That I pity, anyone who isn’t me tonight…
(To the tune of “Down a Lazy River”)
Down the Guadalupe in my old kayak
The lazy Guadalupe with a Wozniak
Paddle ‘neath the shade of the CPA
Flush out all the poor folks in the Auzerais
Down the Guadalupe where the garbage floats
Your taxes are at work beneath our high-tech boats
You can make a bet
Candi’s dream is wet
Down the Guadalupe—McEnery’s latest cause
Down the Guadalupe with Woz
Is Scorekeeper really keeping the score, or just trying to even it?
Hey All Views – I don’t think Mark T was referring to the Christian Right.
Scorekeeper – what are you talking about? That kayak course is really a hot button for people here…
Tom,
San Jose Stage Company puts on Monday Night Live every year—which pokes fun at politicians, lobbyists, consultants, bureaucrats, labor, ex-mayors, current mayors, Labor, business, developers, the media and, occassionally, community relations specialists.
This year, as always, the show will will be on the last Monday in June. The show always sells out.
As humor is in the eye of the beholder, I won’t comment on its art. But I will say I have found some past skits were very funny.
They are always looking for humorous writers, if John is interested.
The christian right is nothing but a group that uses religion as a means to push its own political agenda. You will not find a Mother Teresa among them. In fact, their objective has nothing to do with God. It is all about taking power.
The problem with our society today is that it is too ignorant to distinguish what constitutes the exercise of true faith and what is mere lip service. Even the media has no clue and basically just plays it safe by calling any bible quoting person as religious.
If the “Christian Right” was made up of mainly “moral ethical” people instead of a bunch of hypocrites who preach and/or embrace hatred of their fellow citizens and who are trying to un-separate church & state in this country by bankrolling influential hypocrites’ campaigns, then maybe I wouldn’t have made that statement.
However, that was an aside and not what todays’ posting by Tom was about.
The Vietnamese community does not foster hatred and intolerance or force their agenda on the masses by donating money to hypocritical televangelists and politicians, who by the way, are laughing all the way to the bank—or lately, to the White House—with your money, Mr. All Views.
Amen