“The way the show represents the Vietnam War, I do think a lot about the emotional response people have,” Lopez said. “You get this sick feeling in your stomach ... if this is how I’m being represented, maybe that’s how other people see me?

“We need to have people from marginalized countries tell their own stories and have more control over them.”

Locally, the disconnect between Overture and the largely Asian American panel seems to have come with who was in charge. Joseph Ahn, a math teacher at West High School, was among those who approached Overture about a discussion, with the intention of taking the lead on a conversation with cooperation and help from Overture. But a lack of transparency and agreement about who was choosing the panelists and who had final say on questions led to a breakdown on Tuesday.

Yu called the cancelation foolish on Overture’s part, turning a lower-stakes, academic discussion into something more like a protest, which it nobody wanted in the first place. Ahn isn’t asking for a boycott.