Lots of Thoughts on the Film…(22)

There’s so much to talk about regarding this movie. It was definitely interesting, haha. Like we started discussing at the end of class, it seems there’s a lot of symbolism strewn throughout. Some of the symbolism represents Asian American stereotypes, and they help portray the stereotypes that the 4 boys experience. Ben’s book-smarts and the constant reference to “college applications” represent the Asian American “nerd” stereotype. Ben’s lack of experience with girls, inability to approach them and interest in only an Asian American girl, Stephanie, represents a notion that we touched on previously early readings—people stray from the different, and will avoid interracial relationship. Basketball represents the typical American jock—opposite to Ben, which is why he ended up quitting. Everything on this side end of the movie is safe, organized, and stereotypical. Then, it slowly transforms. Ben becomes the complete opposite. Drugs, sex, lies, cheating…NOT the stereotype. Perhaps this movie is trying to portray the struggle that Asian Americans go through in trying to create that balance. They can either conform to what society expects from them, like Ben was doing at the beginning, or stand out by doing the complete opposite. The ending is very weird. Obviously Ben is feeling guilt over the Steve’s death, but there is also some sort of closure, or learning involved. He sheds his feelings for Stephanie, and maybe realizes that there can be in-between to the stereotype and the opposite…he can simply be himself. I mean, that’s a positive way of looking at the ending, because it was certainly a little depressing. But maybe that could be an underlying meaning to the film.

One thing that stuck out to me is that there were NO characters of any ethnicity other than Asian American. There were no whites, African Americans, etc. There were people of other ethnicity in the background of scenes or supporting an act, however the audience was not introduce to any characters other then Ben, Virgil, Han, Derek, Stephanie and Steve. Isn’t that odd? This, I think, was done to emphasize a lot of different things. For one, it helped to simply focus on the Asian American identity. As we’ve talked about, there are very few Asian American actors or characters in movies today…they’re becoming more prominent then in the past, but they it is still rare. When the producer of this movie decided to make it, maybe he/she felt that because it was going to focus on the Asian American identity, that’s ALL it was going to do. Since Asians are rarely accounted for in movies, this movie was going to ONLY encompass their world. Using Ben as the narrative also really gave the audience a first-hand glance into the life of an Asian American.

Asian American Cinema (20)

It was cool learning about Asian American film and the messages they portray because I’m a big movie buff. This article made me look back on films that I’ve seen whose leading or supporting roles are played by Asian Americans, and what type of character they were. The biggest thing that this article seemed to focus on is how today’s American films portray the Asian American identity. The author, Peter X Feng, explains that “…Each of these movies grapples with the questions of Asian American identity in widely divergent ways, and the different paths they have taken to distribution reveals much about the way independents films are released in the U.S.” (Feng, 20). Asian American actors constantly struggle in a “crisis of identity.” That is, a state of living that is repeatedly hindered or negatively affected by society’s racism. Feng discusses how filmmakers struggle in trying to be successful because of this “racism” toward the Asian American identity. Producers feel that they must basically either strip Asian American actors of any Asian characteristics or mannerisms to become white, or add “asian-ness” to them, in order to appeal to the public. Filmmakers must choose: use characters with “either an Asian identity or an American identity,” never an Asian American identity. America will not be satisfied watching an Asian American in their true identity…it’s a sad realization. I can’t imagine what further dilemma that would put Asian American actors in—they not only have defend their identity to society in their real live, but also must put on a mask and act out an identity that’s not theirs on the television screen. I suppose that’s what acting is…however it just seems like such a more complicated process for Asian Americans, who must go through so much of an identity crisis already in their real lives.

On page 23 of Feng’s article, he brings up another interesting aspect of Asian American film and women specifically. One movie, Shopping for Fangs, uses “lesbian desire to signify an Asian American woman’s search for a self-affirming identity…it suggests that contemporary Asian American identity is up for grabs” (Feng, 23). This particular Asian American film portrays the notion that Asian Americans have no idea what their identity is. It is “up for grabs,” meaning they have yet to find it. That the lesbian character explores her sexuality is probably reflective of her unstable identity. Overall, it seems the idea of an identity crisis come up a lot in Asian American filmmaking. Acting is acting, and actors change who they are on screen to portray a character. However, it must be especially difficult, like I mentioned before, for Asian Americans to have to go through this struggle in real life when they combat stereotypes, and then do it again while acting, as their job.

Margaret Cho (19)

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Margaret Cho’s works…both the comedy act and the reality show. I think she exposes a lot of stereotypes and let’s out her frustration. But sometimes, she does in a way that is borderline offensive. If I were her mother, I would NOT want to allow her to create such a terrible public view of me, with that voice and attitude! I could see why come Koreans initially dislike her, because of her sarcasm.

However on the other end, Cho also makes some really great points. She puts emphasis a lot of issues in affect every race, not just Asians, and sends messages to society as a whole. For example, when she talks about her television show and the producers need for her to lose weight. Obviously this is a long-standing issue in society that pressures women to become unhealthily thin. She addresses racial and gender elements in her act.

She also makes society realize the truths about being Asian Americans. She puts a humorous twist on her struggles and frustration, and this really makes her audience focus on the message. I don’t have too much more to write in this post haha, just because I feel we touched on the majority of the important stuff in class. One of the most important points in her comedy act, I felt, was when she started to wrap up the act by explaining how she experiences “racism every day,” in some way or another. It’s just something society needs to focus on. That racism is present in so many ways, all the time. Society needs to continue recognizing the discrimination and stereotyping in order to continue the fight to end it.

Native Speaker 202-END (18)

The ending of this novel is packed with events and quotes that are worth mentioning. I found a ton of things to blog on. I think it is within these last chapters that we learn the most about Henry and Lelia and their relationship. It seems like they finally start to realize what was lost in their relationship. They gain an understanding of each other’s work. When Lelia and Henry are discussing what had just happened, after the INS found the list of illegal people, we see a softer, empathetic side of Lelia that wasn’t shown before. ‘”So many. They got so many”…”You don’t work for those Dennis anymore. You can help those people of you want”’ (Lee, 336). She expresses her worry about what could happen to Henry, and she indirectly states how terrible it would be to lose him. However, this part also confuses me, because after he tells that he’s going on “one more trip to him, that is all” (Lee, 337), she threatens to kill him if he doesn’t return and she finds him. Is she exaggerating here, and just trying to express how angry she will be if he lets himself get hurt, or is she actually threatening him if he doesn’t keep his promise? This is confusing to me. Again, it is tough to create a set personality for these characters.

Another part that I thought portrayed a lot of the things we’ve talked about in class was on page 333, when Henry is reminiscing on his mother, and what she would have thought about the situation. He starts the thought with “My mother said to me once that suffering is the noblest art, the quieter the better” (Lee, 333), discussing Janice’s coping methods. He then talks about how he thinks his Mother would view John Kwang—she would think that his ambition was too big. His ambition should have been focused on his family, not striving to become a man in politics. Henry then says “In turn, she’d proudly hold up my father as the best example of our people: how he was able to discard his excellent Korean education and training, which were once his greatest pride, the very markings by which he had known himself, before he was able to set straight his mind and spirit and make a life for his family. This, she reminded me almost nightly, was his true courage and sacrifice” (Lee, 333). His mother here seems to perfectly describe a struggle for Asian Americans—having to stay true to their family, while also wanting to pursue dreams that went beyond working in a family convenient store. To his mother, his father was able to “set straight his mind and spirit” by giving up what he had worked so hard for, to please his family and ensure their survival. This goes back to what we’ve talked about before in class, the struggle for Asian Americans to choose between staying true to their ethnic roots, or following their dreams and break stereotypes in a new life.

Who is Henry? (17)

This novel seems to be triggering a lot of different responses. I know some people hate it, while others like it. I’m kind of in between. I thought it was going to be a nice change from Zia, because it’s an actual fictional story instead of mostly history however its strangeness and confusion are hard to get past. One particular thing that I think is hard to pin-point and grasp in this novel is Henry: what his personality is, whether to like or dislike him, etc. We brought up in class yesterday how is almost like he has split personalities. I think it was interesting that Professor mentioned how a lot of critics of this book have brought up the idea of schizophrenia, relating to Henry. Split personality is the first thing our group thought of yesterday when we were working on the 2^nd question on the worksheet.

We found Henry in one of his roles on page 176. The way he described his job and his role in the job seemed really uncharacteristic of him. With Lelia, Henry is passive and kind of let’s her “where the pants” in the house. He is indifferent in many situations. At his work, like described in this passage, he is diligent, dedicated, and takes pride in the work. On page 176, he describes the risks that came with the Kwang job: “You could get mugged or beaten up if you strayed down an alley, or knocked on the wrong door. Bravery didn’t matter. Nor raw smarts. You had to be tactical. Suspicious. Ready to admit your losses” (Zia, 176). This just doesn’t seem like the Henry that we are used to, or that we thought was him. Here, he’s tough and willing to accept a failure. Perhaps this is supposed to make us go back to Lelia’s “list” and make sense of some of the descriptions. He’s “surreptitious” because he acts so differently at work, and Lelia is unaware of this opposite side of him. He is a “B+ student of life” because sometimes he is willing to risks things and test his courage (when pertaining to work) but then other times in life, he won’t care. He is a “stranger” because he acts so differently, in different circumstances. Overall, maybe the list is so diverse and often contradictory because Henry himself is so contradictory.

Native Speaker 47-130

I think in this chapter we start to see more of Henry’s personality. He starts by describing many things about his father, who seems to not be the nicest person. I found the passage on 63 particularly interesting and characterizing of Henry’s father. His father started to explain the mysterious woman to him, who would end up living with them in a new house. Lee’s says “He started speaking, but in English. Sometimes, when he wanted to hide or not outright lie, he chose to speak in English. He used to break into it when he argued with my mother, and it drove her crazy when he did and she would just plead, “No, no!” as though he had suddenly introduced a switchblade into a clean fistfight” (Lee, 63). I think this is so interesting how his father basically used the English language to express anger. By only speaking English was he was fired up, Henry and his mother probably grew accustomed to disliking English, when coming out of his father’s mouth. His dad had made English a symbol for anger and hate. This is a really interesting thing to analyze. A common thing for Americans to do when angry and yelling is to use the person’s full name who they are yelling at. My mom will sometimes shout at me when she’s mad, and always end the sentence with “Mary Elizabeth German.” That is one example of the ways people deal with their anger, and their means of portraying the anger. Henry’s father’s way was to use the language that Henry and his mother were not very familiar with. By associated English with hate and anger, Henry’s dad was indirectly making Henry connect hate and English together; this must have only hurt Henry’s struggle with adapting to American culture. I think this is some proof that Henry’s father does not have the greatest parenting skills.

Further down on page 63, Henry gives an example of when his father yelled English at his mother, saying “my hot mama shit ass tight cock sucka.” Wow. Not only was he associated anger with the English language, but he was using some of the most derogatory and insulting words in the English language. When Henry tried to defend his mother and speak out, he was sharply scolded. Henry’s father obviously had some insecurity that he had trouble dealing with. Using the insulting English words may have made him feel powerful, or smart, because his wife couldn’t fully grasp what he was saying. He obviously had some issues. Lee does a great job in this chapter of characterizing Henry’s father.

Zia Chapters 10-12 (15)

Zia’s discussion on the Hmong culture in chapter 10 showed good examples of how difficult it is for Asian Americans to balance their own customs with the new American customs thrown at them. This passage really stuck out to me:

“Upholding both the community’s customs and the law has placed Hmong American leaders in difficult positions. ‘We are sometimes stuck in the middle,’ said Kao Ly Ilean Her, executive director of the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans. ‘…We try to create policy that the community can live with, to get parents to realize that, for their children to be successful, they need to have an education. We’re trying to get leaders to say that we as a community don’t condone early marriages. We’ve learned that you can’t force a culture to change. That could lead to additional tension and family violence’” (Zia, 258).

Zia quoted Her after discussing how Hmong customs had been bashed on a local Twin Cities radio talk show. This must be such a huge topic of concern for Hmong Americans…staying true to their traditions while knowing that they must adapt to American tradition to some degree. They have to come to terms with American law and policies, preventing them from some of their very cherished and comfortable rituals. Her brought up an interesting point about trying to “force a culture to change.” There must be a lot of pressure within cultures like the Hmong to stay completely within their culture boundaries, and not change. If someone chooses to change in order to make their life easier in America, they are probably ridiculed or chastised. Like Her said, differing opinions/methods of assimilation within a culture could cause family problems and tear apart relationships. So, on top of the conflict Asian Americans face within society and society’s racism and discrimination, they must also deal with this inner conflict that exists between their fellow Asian Americans. Assimilate to make life easier and more adaptable, or stay true to your heritage? It must be a very stressful decision.

Reaction to Wiki Presentations… (14)

Today’s class was great because we were able to show off our blogs, see other groups’ approaches to the wiki, and learn from their information. This seems like it was an effective way to learn more about important Asian American issues, from a different viewpoint than Zia’s. It was successful group-work, too.

I thought the information on Miss Saigon was particularly interesting. The idea of “yellow-facing” seems to have various sides to it. After the wiki presentation on the play, someone in class mentioned that some people feel “yellow-facing” shouldn’t be such an issue—that acting roles should be given to those who can act. Regardless of race, the person who wins the audition should play the character, and be transformed into the character. On the other hand, “yellow-facing” seems like such an obvious way of strengthening stereotypes…changing a person to look like what people think an Asian should look like, and making them act how people think an Asian should act. I think it’s kind of ridiculous. Stereotypes are never going to be broken when people are asked to transform into a different race. They will obviously act how the stereotype of the race acts. Plus, if a director wants good acting, why not take the real thing? It seems like the obvious solution to obtain the most authentic acting.

Wiki Progress… (Post #13)

The Wiki project is going well for our group (Same-Sex Marriage). We divided up the research categories, so that we each have about 3 pieces of research to find. We’re doing summaries of each, posting them, and later on we’re going to tie each piece together and include relations to Zia’s reading.

So far, I’ve found two articles and a reliable website. One article reflects the opinions of advocates for same-sex marriage, while the other article reflects the viewpoints of those opposed to it. So, there is a good range of information from both sides. A wiki is a really innovative idea for group projects. It is so easy to use, and allows every person in the group (our class) to edit. It’s like a blog, but better because you can work on the page collectively and everyone has access to it.

Twilight LA Continued… (Post #12)

There are so many comments that I could make about this movie. The article “Shades of Loss” by Anna Smith was interesting because we got a chance to hear her as herself. We learned why she approached the film the way she did and how “Twilight Los Angeles” is “a place to start” on “America’s journey to get to ‘we’ the people.” The information she talked about relating to the Rodney King trial was really crazy…she talked about some of the police officers’ excuses for beating King, and their case for being innocent. “…The police officers reportedly concluded that King was on the drug PCP, impervious to pain, and therefore did not respond to the beating.” King’s Aunt explained eventually how she could hear King holler in pain on the tape. Regardless, even if King was on drugs, the police made it seem like that was an adequate excuse to beat him brutally, because after all, he couldn’t feel it. That makes no sense at all. It just goes to show, like Smith also touched on, how different the American law enforcement system is for every different person, which it shouldn’t be. It goes back to Zia’s discussion of the Vincent Chin case. The judges shoulddd be fitting the punishment to the crime, not the punishment to the person. It’s crazy to think that this idea could still be misinterpreted by our judicial system—the system that makes or breaks many people’s lives.

Another part of Smith’s article that stuck out to me was when she stated “…part of perceiving the light, I think, is seeing race as more than a black and white picture.” The LA Riots proved that racial injustice in our society is present among every race, not just blacks and whites. This part directly relates to our Asian American studies. I commented on another person’s post about a week ago, agreeing that Smith didn’t seem to touch enough on the losses of the Koreans during the riots—their stores, which represented Koreans’ time, effort, money and pride. It was all lost. It seemed there was only little focus on their suffering. Although at the same time, the film as a whole did a great job of showing that every single race and ethnicity living in America was affected and changed by this event.