Laughing at Asian parents — of course, this isn’t me!

We have to watch this together,” my daughter commanded. Her laptop was open to a YouTube video, “Shit Asian Dads Say.” For the next 2.54 minutes, we laughed like maniacs. This precious bit of parody revealed so much about…me. Ooops, I was busted!

When this searing spoof was first posted on Jan. 15, the Asian American blogosphere went berserk. To date, the video has already been viewed more than 3 million times. But I ignored it. The last thing I wanted to explore was Asian-style parenting.

Then the other day, my daughter brought me the video. We sat there giggling, mesmerized by familiar scenes that reminded us of my mom, our extended family and people that we know. The sketches also nailed the exchanges that pass between us nearly every day:

Next? We clicked onto “Shit Asian Moms Say,” the latest YouTube offering by Bart Kwan and Joe Jo of Just Kidding Films. Since its Jan. 22 debut five days ago, more than a million people have seen it.

Play it here and you’ll understand why. Once again, these guys were dead-on in their ability to nail relationships and double standards that have universal appeal. Honestly, I don’t think you have to be Asian to relate:

Hopefully, you won’t be offended by the s-word in the titles. They’re part of a “meme” (pronounced MEEM, rhymes with “green”), which refers to catchy concepts that take off on the Internet. This meme originated with “Shit My Dad Says,” which began as tweets from a brow-beaten (white) son that turned into a book and then, a short-lived TV show starring William Shatner.

Can’t wait to see what these Just Kidding Film boys come up with next. They promise a new video every Sunday. To make sure I catch it, I subscribed to their YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, my daughter and I have been perusing their archives.  Since her daddy is African American (he and I were married for nearly 18 years), we especially appreciate the sketches about Asian racism against black folks. They do a good on other topics too. If you have time, check out “Crazy Asian Parent” and “Accidentally G@y.”

Oh, it feels good to laugh with my daughter. These videos are family therapy for us. They’re also proof that making changes can be funny and fun.   ^_^