Chang - rae Lee : If Korean box were a person , he would be the nosy first mate on a plane . Lee can tick Korean box but knows his Korean - ness in it is like no one else 's . Lee : ` ` Our shared [ Korean ] heritage shows in our faces , '' but similarities are superficial . Lee says if he designed boxes , boxes would multiply , blur , become uncountable .
Chang-rae Lee : If census form were a person , he would be the nosy seat mate on a plane . Lee will tick Korean box but knows his Korean-ness in America is like no one else 's . Lee : `` Our shared [ Korean ] heritage shows in our faces , '' but similarities are superficial . Lee says if he designed form , boxes would multiply , blur , become uncountable .