Sorry, I also meant to say: Of course you understand that your girlfriend doesn't speak for all Korean women. And if an Asian women denies trying to emulate Western beauty ideals, it doesn't necessarily mean she's just too "embarrassed" to admit it — regardless what your Asian girlfriend says. Don't be that person…

I really never understand when people make arguments like this ("I lived in Korea for a few years," "I have an Asian girlfriend," etc.) as proof that their views of Asian culture are correct — particularly when they're trying to lecture Asian people about what Asian culture is like.

I assume you mean whiteness as in lighter skin (not as in "I wish I were Caucasian"), and I would generally agree. But it seems that's true in a lot of cultures, not just Asian.

You make a good point. This was true in Europe for centuries too — that porcelain skin was prized because it suggested a life not spent working in the sun. I seem to remember reading that it was Coco Chanel who helped changed that idea, such that a tan became viewed as a symbol of leisure because it meant you had…

I get your point, and it is reasonable. But citing this video as incontrovertible proof (and concluding that it that renders incorrect all other people's opinions) is kind of strange, unless you assume that the opinions articulated here are shared by everyone in Korea.

It was from Conan O'Brien, I think — a skit about coming out to your family, and having George Takei there to help you do it.

You sound like a great person and a wonderful mother, and your son is clearly awesome — mature beyond his years, responsible, empathetic. You've obviously done about a million things right.

I often dread the moment at which I learn that someone I admire has some terrible, unlikable flaw — is an unapologetic bigot, say, or is really rude to waiters. Do you, Mr. Burton, have any secrets such as this, which will one day come out and make us question our admiration and adoration?

This nanny is clearly a grifter, and I totally understand why the family wants her out. But the family is not blameless in this either. Among other things, it's not legal to expect a nanny to work for only room and board, without compensation. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/06/27/knx…

This is the article I saw: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/06/27/knx…

I saw an article about how a reporter contacted the parents asking if they knew that this kind of arrangement was illegal — that you are required to pay the nanny even if you provide room and board. The mother got indignant, accused the reporter of trying to make her look like the bad guy, demanded that the phone…

As someone who obsessively read and re-read L. Frank Baum as a kid, I really loved the crossed-out text in this sentence:

Out of all the offensive things in his original interview, the most purely annoying was his insistence on trying to drag everyone else into his own racist box — insisting that everyone uses the racist and offensive words that he uses, but that he's the only one honest enough to admit it. It's actually kind of…

. . . I just re-read my earlier post and see a bunch of errors (mostly pronouns not agreeing with the subject, but probably a bunch of other errors as well). Sigh.

It's horrifying. This story has a feel-good aspect to it, and I'm glad that this time it turned out okay. But it is seriously horrifying how easy it is for this kind of thing to happen. And horrifying that an entire population of people has to walk around everyday with the fear that it could so easily happen to…

You are awesome. And these descriptions are all weirdly, hilariously accurate.

I wish there were a compilation of the various descriptions of Adam Levine from Jezebel and Gawker. It would be a good list. (I vaguely remember one about how he was a bad tribal tattoo come to life.)

I agree with pretty much all of this. But I've been assuming this whole time that Robin Thicke's constant public begging is designed to impress people with his devotion to his wife (such that they view him as a Bad Boy With a Golden Heart whose albums they must buy), rather than to convince his wife to come back.

I really love this post. It's so sweet how your parents tried to make your birthday special, and how happy it made you. (My family was like this in some ways — we were very poor, with most of our toys coming from garage sales, but I didn't know it because my mom worked so hard to make birthdays and holidays special…

What happened to your daughter is horrific beyond words. And then I felt like my head was going to explode when I was reading the questions asked during the interview. I hope your daughter gets some kind of justice. And I am glad that she has you, because you sound like an awesome parent.