Gannonc813's Weblog

East Main Street: Asian American Popular Culture

gannonc813 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:26:13 +0000

This piece talked a lot about racial anger and Asian repression. “As I will argue, popular perceptions of racial sensitivities are an important factor in shaping patterns within popular media products” (pg. 341). This quote attempts to explain to the reader that the way society percieves a certain race has a huge impact on how this race is shown in the media, in movies and television in particular. It talks about how films and caricatures of Asians shape how Asian Americans are perceived within popular culture. I liked how it incoroprated masculinity into stereotypical representation. Asian American men are demasculized in many ways in popular culture. In movies, they are the powerless, weak and slow characters, or the comic relief. Masculinity plays a lot into citizenship. Men are expected to be macho and powerful. When films and other popular media continually show Asian American males lacking this “macho-ness” and power, they are not seen as true cultural citizens. In the movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story , Lee expresses his pent up anger and how it all erupts in an explosion of bottled up frustration. He hates how he has had to swallow his rage when watching films like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” where the only Asian American is the “buck toothed, kimono clad, Rooney.” He is portrayed as a joke and provides the comic relief. This angers Lee, but he controls his anger which is very sympathetic. He does not say anything because the rest of the theater bursts into laughter when they see Rooney. Lee lacked power which resulted in his anger. There was a direct relationship between power and anger. It wasnt until the end, after he lets out his frustration and agner, that Lee accepts the cultural image which has claimed him. The Hulk is compared to the soft spoken Asian man. Like the hulk, Asian American men tranform into raging, scary, intimidating, and wild creatures when they release their anger. They let out their “inner-Hulk.” Lee makes a comment about how he understood how the Hulk acted becuase he could really relate to him. The whole part talks about masculinity, power, anger, and Asian repression and how they all relate.

Better Luck Tomorrow

gannonc813 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:40:39 +0000

I was not expecting this kind of movie when we first started watching it. It addresses several different aspects of Asian American culture, as well as things that are not Asian American specific. A lot of the things that the boys faced are common to any boy their age, regardless of race. They dealt with drugs, violence, getting into college, girls, and money. I think that the filming of the movie was so cool! The angles and closeups relate to the scenes. For example, when Ben was on crack, the video was shown as a blur, similar to what Ben might be seeing while on the drug. I thought it was interesting how differently the movie ended from how it began. It was the same scene, but because of what we knew in the end, the ending seemed almost chaotic. The beginning makes the boys seem as if they are relaxing and nothing is wrong. In the end, they seem in a panic. All of the four boys felt pressure to perform well in school and everything they did went towards putting it on their resume. When Ben was presented with an opportunity to make easy and fast money, he did it. It was easier and more fun than working at the hotdog stand for minimum wage. Ben was in love with his classmate, Stephanie, who already had a boyfriend. He wanted to be with her, but settled for being her friend. I think it is ironic that Stephanie finally gives him a chance only after he kills her boyfriend. Ben beat her boyfriend to death with a baseball bat. This kind of murder is somewhat inhumane. It reminds me of when Vincent Chin was killed. I think that this was done on purpose. Chin was killed because of a misunderstanding on his race. Stephanie’s boyfiend was also killed “on accident.” I think that the director wanted to show how Ben was jealous of her boyfriend, similar to how Ebens and Nitz were jealous of the Japanese auto makers. The baseball bat reminds me of males and a sign of strength and power. The person with the bat is the one in power.

article on asian american film making

gannonc813 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:43:11 +0000

This article referenced a lot of things that we have already discussed in class: Vincent Chin, the LA riots, and community. These things are all importatn aspects of Asian American history and culture. The article discusses how some Asian American films play off of their race while others try and downplay their race. I think that Asian American film makers must think about how they want people to view Asian Americans before they create their film. If you create a film about college students, who happen to be Asian American, preparing to go away to college, people will most likely see the students as just that, students. It is about something that all students going away to school can relate to. On the other hand, if you create a film that incorporates Asian history, the people in the film will most likely be seen and remembered as Asian Americans. Not as many people would be able to relate to this kind of film. For example, in Harold and Kumar, the Asian American character is remembered for smoking weed and going to white castle, not being an Asian American. His race plays a minor role in his character. I think that how you write your script says a lot about what you want people to think about you and your race. If you are an an Asian American film maker, how you portray your characters (esp. Asian American ones) will create a lasting impression on the rest of America and help shape how they view Asian America.

margaret cho

gannonc813 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:14:42 +0000

NOTES

-as an actress they told her to change and lose weight..similar to how asian americans are forced to assimilate to fit the mold. they told her her face was too round. something was wrong with her face and she never knew there was something wrong. so she changed because of fear..she wanted her acting job so she changed for them and lost a lot of weight.

-she had never found acceptance until she got the call from disney telling her that her pilot would become a series. she calls her mom to tell her and she is so happy because she never could have been successsful as she was growing up in America.

-qunitin tarentino tells her not to let them take away her voice.

-wanted very badly to loose weight so that she could be an asian american sitcom star. the tabeloids call her fat.

-she is a korean role model that “doesnt play violin”

-producer tells her to look in the camera and say in her native language “we are now switching to an ABC affiliate.”

-references long duk don

-”i deal with something racial every day”

I thought that Margaret Cho was hillarious in her standup acts! She does a nice job of addressing issues that Asian Americans face in a comical way. I liked how she compared being Asian American to being an actress. Both kinds of people are always being forced to change who they are to fit a mold. She said that in order to become a successful Asian American actress, she struggled with how Asian she should be and how much weight she needed to loose. Production told her that she needed to change her image in order to play herself…doesnt make much sense. She lost the weight, in an unhealthy way, in order to reach success. She also became an alcoholic from dealing with and reading nasty tabeloids about herself. I liked where she said that “I deal with something racial every day.” Race consumes her every day. I think that her mother is very happy for her daughters’ success but does not approve of some of the things she does. When she is standing in front of both of her parents, naked, her mother is more concerned that her painted on clothing is traditionally Chinese, not Korean. This, again, deals with race. Her mother was more concerened with the mistaken Chinese dressing than with her daughter being naked. I love the part when she saays that she is a Korean role model who doesnt play the violin. She is not what people think of when they think of an Asian American role model, or the model minority. She is edgy and different. Overall, I think that Margaret Cho is a hillarious comedian who can serve as a role model for every minority in America, not just Asian Americans. Through all of her struggles, she has realized who she is and finally seems happy with it.

Native Speaker..The Ending

gannonc813 — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:28:45 +0000

I think that language was a very important part of this book. I liked how Lelia and Henry were able to work out their differences. They seemed to work everything out over cleaning out Henry’s father’s house. Lelia started working out of their house with her speech therapy. The children would come to their house and Lelia would work with them on their language. Henry was able to help her with this. All of the students that they had I think almost represented Mitt. They work with other children because they do not have their son. I think that Lelia helps Henry to become more comfortable with his own language and not be ashamed of who he is or how he speaks.

The ending of this book was unpredictable. I did not think that Lelia and Henry would end up back together. I think that language is the main reason why they got back together. Also, I did not think that Eduardo would die. Kwang proved to be the opposite of what the media portrayed him as. He killed Eduardo because he was getting too close to him.

Native Speaker: getting to know the real John Kwang

gannonc813 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:58:30 +0000

I think that up until this part of the reading, John Kwang has been portrayed as a local celebrity. He is a respected public figure, brave, an ambitious minority politician, an underdog champion, and breaks the Korean American mold. Asian American involvement in politics remains minimal, so John Kwang is doing something unexpected by being a successful politician. He wants Asian Americans and African Americans to realize that they have a lot more in common than they realize. Kwang wants these people to be able to work together and he expresses this outside of a black church where he gives a speech. The media portrays him as perfect so he is seen as just that by his people, perfect.

It is not until later on in the book that the reader is shown different, more mysterious, and questionable personality traits. In one scene, Henry sees him sceaming at his wife inside of a car and shaking his fists in her face. I am also interested to find out what his relations are with his assistant, Sherri. When out to eat, Henry says that Kwang touches her on her lower back and gradually moves his hand up her back, under her vest. He seems to be flirting with her. I think that they are secret lovers and are having an affair together. I think that as I read on, I will find out more and more about Kwang’s character. The “real” Kwang will be revealed, not the perfect one he is shown to be by the media.

Native Speaker: Henry’s relationship with his father

gannonc813 — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:55:11 +0000

In this reading, Henry discusses how traditional his father is. He says that his father offers the “classic immigrant story” implying that he something of himself from nothing. Henry thought that all his father cared about was money and remembers his father being part of a “ggeh,” a Korean money club. His father works in his own vegetable store business even though he graduated from one of the top colleges in Korea and was an industrial engineer. Henry’s mother told him not to question his father about his business becuase it was insulting to him and talking about fruits and vegetables was below him. One thing his father does that is unexpected is approve of his white wife, Lelia. Henry thought that he would want him to marry someone like him. Both of his parents were very traditional and were willing to do anything for their son.

Another part that struck me was when the Asian woman was brought to their house when the mother dies. She seems to be a maid. She does not get in the way and cooks, cleans, and does the laundry. Henry thinks that she is some sort of zombie because she never socializes or talks to anyone. At the summer house, Lelia asks Henry what her name is and Henry does not know the answer. I am interested to find out more about this character. I wonder if when she was sneaking into his fathers’ room, if she was really just bringing him tea. I think that after the death of his wife, he was lonely. This woman dies shortly before the father does. I don’t think that she liked living in America. Her last wish was that her ashes be sent back home to Korea. I think she may have been sent to America to work against her will. She seemed so unhappy while working here.

We also learn that Henry is working for John Kwang in this reading. We also find out that Mitt was killed from a dogpile of his friends.

Native Speaker

gannonc813 — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:36:46 +0000

Todays discussion in class really gave me a better idea of what this novel is all about. After reading it, I was unsure of what the plot was or where it was going.

The part that I found most intrigueing was about Henry’s job. To the reader, his career is like a mystery. He says “Our work is but a string of serial identities.” Again, the word “identity” is being used when talking about Asian Americans. In this case, Henry is forced to take on a different number of personas or identities in order to carry out his work and spy on people. At times, it becomes personal for Henry because it becomes difficult seperating the role which he is playing and who he is in real life. This is a struggle that I think many Asian Americans deal with. They are stuck between being true to themselves and wanting so badly to fit a certain “American mold” that they can sometimes forget who they really are. Henry talks about his friend, Jack: “..who was the Jack that buried Sophie; was he just another version in the schema, or the true soul, or could he have been both?” This quote does a nice job of showing the reader that it is difficult to distinguish between work and reality, the fake you and the real you. Henry talks about strugles with finding himself in this part of the book

I think that he works for an agency similar to the CIA, the only difference being that his agency represents different ethnicites besides white. Henry is used for being a Korean. He is used to work with Koreans while his friend Pete is used to work with Japanese. Everyone who works with Henry is used for their racial or ethnic background.

vincent chin wiki

gannonc813 — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:16:23 +0000

Since I have never worked on a wiki before, I have learned a lott! I found youtube videos and it took me a while to figure out how to insert them onto the wiki page. I think that by adding videos, our page will be more interesting and easier to look at. I have yet to really figure out how to make links to different websites. I want to make a link to some of the old NY Times articles I found. Aside from looking up background information on Vincent Chin, I have found some really good old newspaper articles from NY Times. The articles I found show how the community responded to the Vincent Chin case. They show how activism and fighting for harsher punishments for the killers helped the case gain national attention. The Asian American community fought for their rights and gained a lot of respect through their efforts. One article discusses the formation of the ACJ, which proved to be a very influential group at the time. My group members have also found some good information and pictures. I am not really a fan of group work, but this project is going well so far. Our group has not really met to clean up our page, but we are planning on doing this sometime Monday after class. It has been difficult to coordinate our schedules and find a time to meet. Until then, I am continuing to research our topic to add as much information as possible so that when we do meet, all we have to do is organize the information.

wiki

gannonc813 — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:29:36 +0000

I have begun looking for information to put on my wiki. So far I have been able to contribute a couple of very good old New York Times articles on the Vincent Chin case. Also, I looked on youtube and was able to find some good stuff as well. I found a video that gives people some general guidelines to go by when deciding if an Asian is Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. It is short but helpful. I also found another video where an Asian American woman gets angry at a white couple in a restaurant for being ignorant and thinking that Chinese and Japanese were the same thing. She was frustrated because she probably deals with people thinking that all the time. I wanted to find something on the documentary made called “Who Killed Vincent Chin” but was unable to find anything but a movie review by the New York Times. I will keep looking for an excerpt from the movie. I am beginning to gather a broad base of things to use for the wiki and will be able to weed out the unimportant information later. As of right now, it is kind of messy and cluttered.