Asian Pride?

I'm sure most of you have heard this song. And I'm sure most of you like it. I actually find it really annoying. But I digress.

As I'm sure all of you know, "Like a G6" by Asian-American group Far East Movement has made it to the #1 spot on iTunes as well as the American Billboard Hot 100. And suddenly, you hear it everywhere-- on the radio and in clubs, and see the song's lyrics on Facebook and Tweets. And with that comes the exclamation "ASIAN PRIDE!"

Uhm. Okay. Asian pride? Why? Have we not, over decades, tons of Asian pop that we ought to be proud of as well? With all due respect to Far East Movement (as much as the song annoys me to no end), we have so many more singers and groups that have stellar vocals and songs (with better lyrics, definitely) that have been around for ages. They are good performers and have made the #1 spot, not in America or on iTunes but perhaps in say, the Tokio Hot 100 or the RTHK Asian Charts in Hong Kong. So why do we revel in Asian pride only when we receive affirmation from a Western country?

It seems as though we seek confirmation and approval from the States, using them as a benchmark for good music, so much so that when an Asian American group sings an English song in an American (hip hop) style and wins American affirmation, we get ecstatic. Is this really what we call being proud to be Asian? Why aren't we proud of our own homegrown artistes in Singapore or in the rest of Asia, and instead end up lambasting those who listen to Mandopop as 'cheena' or 'lian'?

Why are we proud of these American-born Asians when we aren't even proud of, say, Ah Du (阿杜) in China? Or are Singaporeans just confused on their affiliations, wanting to associate themselves too much with the Western world, Mcdonalisation and Consumerism that we fail to see true 'Asian-ness' and be proud of it?

NB: I just watched the video and its full of Americanised culture.. so seriously. Asian Pride? Maybe. But only to a very limited extent.