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Garrett's Coggle Map, 9/25 - The World of Suzie Wong (1966), 9/27…
Garrett's Coggle Map
9/4
The Cheat
(1915) - DeMille
Haka is initially portrayed as a businessman who is unliked by Richard, but tolerated, while his wife likes him and works with him on a charity
Haka takes advantage of Richard's wife when she takes a risk and loses $10,000, asking him for help
The details of their deal were not mentioned, but when she tried to pay him back, he declines, and they enter a struggle where he brands her neck with a metal object.
After Richard gets taken to trial, he is about to be given the guilty verdict before Edith goes in front of the jury and shows her branding from prior, which starts a riot in the courtroom
Aggression towards asian americans
Displays Haka as a barbarian
Based on 32:20, it appears the deal is related to Haka's love for Edith, as he attempted to kiss her and keep her against her will
Shows Haka as being two faced
General distrust of asian americans
All Asian characters use broken English, despite the movie being silent and the lines written rather than spoken (See timestamps 12:15 46:01)
Director portrays all asians as being bad with english; Foreigners
"East is East and West is West and never the Twain shall meet." - Richard
Implies asians are too different from other people to coexist; Suggests Europeans/Americans are superior
Lighting during introductions depicts Haka as villan before movie even begins, Edith seen as pure and Hardy as hardworking man
9/25 -
The World of Suzie Wong
(1966)
Suzie is portrayed as vulnerable and weak; left behind by Ben the British man
White Savior
British are portrayed as old fashioned while Robert is portrayed as modern and more accepting
Ben tells Robert he cant even get a job at a Bank if he is marries to a Chinese woman
In the opening scenes where Robert is walking through the Chinese market, many images of hungry/impoverished/dirty people are shown, which can push the idea that they are in need of saving by the Westerners
Whenn Suzie wears a western dress, it threatens Roberts perceptions of her as an Oriental.
Hypersexuality
"I want to be like nice English girl for you." - Suzie, 1:27:52
West dominance over the East
"If I have to get him the way she did, I'll do it." - Kay, 1:53:40
By Kay saying she will do anything to get Robert's love, she is stooping down to lower "non-western" standards
American dominance over everyone?
Asian men is shown as untrustworthy when they gave Suzie a child and left her with it
Suzie's child is named Winston, after Winston Churchill
"best keep your nose clean out here, that is, if you want to be accepted by your own people."
The prostitutes brag about getting beaten by American men, seen as devotion.
Lack of Morality
All Chinese women shown in Movie are protitutes
Hypersexuality
"You know she isn't really a human being so she couldn't possibly have any feelings. Since she's Chinese it wouldn't matter anyhow." - Robert
9/27
Asian American Media Activism
- Kido
"...even when images of minority communities succeed in gaining visibility there can be disagreement about what political gains have really been achieved." (Kido, 3).
There are many different ideas about how to best represent Asian Americans in the media
Different groups of Asian Americans see cultural citizenship differently
Cultural Citizenship
Asian American characters in shows and films are rarely cast in starring roles, shown with families, shown with love interests, or shown with well-developed backstories
Fixing the issue of representation is tricky because by removing white bodies from the screen, other groups may see it as excluding white people
"Asian American media activism chases after a moving target that cannot easily be reduced to a simple or universal set of demands." (Kido, 8)
Advertising and online media are just as important for representation as films and shows
"In our increasingly neoliberal media culture, this focus on the individual begins to shape citizenship as something that everyone must attain for herself." (Kido, 13)
Continuously mentions the "Yellow Peril" as well as "Orientalism"
"although the foreign still serves to bar outsiders from cultural assimilation, foreignness can nevertheless be fetishized and even admired because it does not pose a threat." (Kido, 16)
"Asian American activism has never been and is
certainly not today a monolithic or unified force," (Kido, 21)
Asian Americans seen as simultaneously objects of repulsion and fear and objects of convenient desirability (17)
10/2 -
Enter The Dragon
(1973)
The use of gongs and other stereotypical "Asian" sounds in both the music and sound effects
As a nice improvement, Asian characters use clear English, with some characters only having some accent
In early scenes talking about Han, we learn how his men chased Lee's sister and forced her to kill herself lest she gets taken by the men.
We learn about how Han uses drugs on women that go to his estate before selling them, showing needle holes on their wrist.
The Chinese city is displayed as relatively dirty, and with Hans men running around, it makes it look very dangerous.
West Dominance over East
The white participant, Mr. Roper, is portrayed as arrogant and having bad character. He is shown cheating in the tournament for betting money.
"You seem to be very much at home here, Mr. Roper" (Lee, 38:00)
All participants are gifted with a selection of Asian women who they can pick from every night
Hypersexuality
Later in the story, Han threatens to kill his cat, using it to make a point about how far he will go for his work
"Then there is a point you will not go beyond." (Han, 1:11:18)
Lack of Morality
Dual representations of Asian characters - Han vs. Lee; similar to daughter of the dragon (Ah Kee vs. Fu man chu)
Demonstrates an increase in power for Asian Americans (speaking english, hero of story) despite still less sex appeal than the white Americans
"A man's strength is in his appetite" (Mr. Roper, FIND_TIMESTAMP)
10/30 -
History on the Run
(Vang)
Even though Hmong living now may not have memories of Laos or other home countries, it is still important to feel connected to their roots.
Retelling old Hmong stories in English to educate the masses can be hard as the storyteller may not have good English skills or the audience may not have much experience with Hmong history.
"It is the encounters between Walt and Grandma that illuminate the contact between the U.S. and Hmong as a gendered racial project predicated on saving or civilizing Hmong from their supposed “primitive” status" (Vang, 166)
The Hmong actors voiced their concerns about the script during filming, though it is said that their feedback wouldn't significantly affect the script as it had to conform to Hollywood stereotypes.
Vang argues that certain aspects of Walt and what he says hurts the representation of Hmong people by boxing them into certain groups
Example: on the way back after rescuing Sue from black gang when he says "Where are Hmong people from anyways"
"...the Hmong presence in his [Walt's] neighborhood makes the Korean War veteran uneasy because it elicits unwanted reminders of his actions and the U.S.’s own 'forgotten' role in Korea." (Vang, 171).
"Although she may be in danger of sexual violence, Sue also takes up the racist language in the discomforting end that aligns her with anti-Blackness." (Vang, 171)
The final scene was seen as a welcome of Hmong people into the multicultural US family
Some lines spoken by the Hmong family are left untranslated as it would weigh too heavily on the original storyline
"...the decision to leave them as unsubtitled presents a crisis in the film that compels a closer listening to expose how even the narrative in the scripted text actually enacts a form of silencing" (Vang, 176).
grandmother is the figure who mediates Hmong histories by "stringing memories everywhere" (146-147)
10/15
Detroit Blues
- Zia
Asian Americans lacked cultural and political citizenship in the 70;'s, not even making up 1% of Detroit, which resulted in anything Asian being modified to fit the appetite of the rest of the population.
"At Stanley’s, I wasn’t surprised to find that the cocktails wore pink umbrellas. But I was stunned by the gigantic, flaky dinner rolls that accompanied my order. Rice was optional, and everything was smothered in heavy brown gravy." (Zia, 36)
"Lee Iacocca, chairman of the failing Chrysler Corporation and onetime presidential candidate, jokingly suggested dropping nuclear bombs on Japan..." (Zia, 37)
"According to witnesses, Ebens seemed annoyed by the attention the Chinese American was receiving from the nude dancers" (Zia, 38)
Ties into "Who Killed Vincent Chin?", where different witnesses had different stories, as the nude dancer had a different account of the situation. Who can be trusted in this situation?
"'These aren’t the kind of men you send to jail,' he said. 'You fit the punishment to the criminal, not the crime.'" (Zia, 39)
This relates to the judges explanation in "Who Killed Vincent Chin?", where the judge clearly gives the white men an easier time in a place where minorities get larger sentences for less crimes.
“You have raised the ugly ghost of racism, suggesting in your explanation that the lives of the killers are of great and continuing value to society, implying they are of greater value than the life of the slain victim..." (Zia, 39)
Some African Americans and white Americans thought that Asian Americans had not suffered any prejudice back in the day
"Underlying both concerns was the suggestion, a nagging doubt, that Asian Americans had no legitimate place in discussions of racism because we hadn’t really suffered any." (Zia, 45)
Asian Americans were afraid of speaking and making cases such as Vincent Chin's a racial issue, as it could increase tensions between whites and other minorities. They also lacked the political power of African American groups such as the NAACP
"Out of about 180 Cincinnati citizens in the jury pool, only 19 had ever had a “casual contact” with an Asian American, whether at work or the local Chinese takeout joint." (Zia, 53).
Compared to Detroit, where there was an active Asian American political movement and knowledge of the Vincent Chin case was well known, Cincinnati Ohio has a much smaller Asian population where the case was not known, resulting in an easier acquittal for Ebins
As one of the question for jury selection was about whether someone had ever interacted with an Asian before,
"Almost as outrageous as the sentence itself was the fact that no prosecutor was present when Judge Kaufman rendered his sentence of probation" (Zia, 42)
"a settlement judgment of $1.5 million was levied in September 1987 against Ebens, who later told documentary filmmaker Christine Choy that Mrs. Chin would never see the money. He stopped making payments toward the judgment in 1989." (Zia, 53)
No remorse for his actions? Never says sorry or providing anything to help the family after he killed Vincent
The Vincent Chin case resulted in the creation of many Asian American and wider minority groups to fight against racism cases in the country
9/10
Romance and the Yellow Peril
- Marchetti
"Hollywood’s romance with Asia tends to be a flirtation with the exotic rather than an attempt at any genuine intercultural understanding." - Marchetti, 1
"Hollywood favors romances involving white males and Asian females, while Asian men tend to be depicted either as rapists or asexual eunuch figures." - Marchetti, 2
"…a far more common scenario involves the threat posed by the Asian male to white women." - Marchetti, 3
The Cheat is a great example of this
Hollywood narratives create an image of Asia that empowers the West and rationalizes racism
Interracial romance used to pose key issues to American Identity
Sexual violence (Asian male -> white female) is seen as national violence, while reverse scenarios (white male -> Asian female) speak to necessity of colonial violence
"Hollywood used Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders as signifiers of racial otherness to avoid the far more immediate racial tensions between [B]lacks and whites or the ambivalent mixture of guilt and enduring hatred toward Native American and Hispanics" (6)
framing of interracial relationships in American film reveals constant negotiations between "liberal ideology of the 'melting pot' and the conservative insistence on a homogeneous, white, Anglo Saxon, American identity" (5)
9/6
Toll of the Sea
(1922) - Franklin
After meeting Allen, Lotus refuses to speak Chinese with the other residents
"I converse only in American language since I am the honorable wife of first gentleman of that country."
West expressing dominance over the East
All asian characters speak broken english, despite their lines being written text
"Christian lady at mission tells me America fine place. Women free - can spend all husbands money."
Asian Stereotypes
Allen goes as far as to have a kid before leaving the country without Lotus and the son, quickly forgetting them and marrying someone else in the United States
Paints a character that is careless and causes lasting damage to others
At the end of the movie, Lotus gives the child to Allen and his wife and proceeds to drown herself
When asked about why he loved Lotus, he said "...she's sweet and charming - and different"
Fetishization of asians
"...I have already been forgotten by four faithful American husbands." - The Gossips
Asian Disposability
Lotus has lines depicting the west as a better place than the east
"... in clever American language"
People warned Lotus at the beginning of the movie that nothing good could come of interacting with the foreigner, which foreshadowed the events of the film
"Give this great gift and ask of me anything in return, O sea!"
"Oh, sea, now that life has been emptied I come to pay my great debt to you."
The sea gave the gift of the mans life, but took in return Lotus' life
Lotus Flower is a call to how she is plucked from the garden.
Before leaving Lotus, Allen is seen crumbling a flower Lotus gives him
9/18
Made-Up Asians
- Lee
"in 2014, Seattle's Gilbert and Sullivan Society faced criticism for a production of The Mikado in which all but two of forty Japanese characters were played by white actors in yellowface." (Lee, 2)
Despite Yellowface being big in the 1960's, it still exists today and even might be attempted digitally using CGI
"The film's producers had experimented with making a white actor look Asian using CGI but ultimately decided against it." (Lee, 2)
"In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited al immigration of Chinese laborers; it was not fully repealed until 1943. The Act remains the only immigration law in U.S. history to target a specific ethnicity." (Lee, 7)
"...yellowface proliferated during the Exclusion Era precisely because it was a tool for exclusion." (Lee, 8)
The "Asiatic Barred Zone" was designed to "prevent the immigration of 'idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, epileptics, insane persons, ..." (Lee, 9)
"Many hours and resources were spent perfecting yellowface as both an art form and a technical achievement." (Lee, 11)
Yellowface more normalized and seen as "less offensive" than blackface
8/30
Film
- Desai
"Film is recognized as a significant institution for establishing and maintaining a racial order within the American nation and empire."
Many American movies show Asians with stereotypes and "negative" representations.
Asian Americans use film to articulate their own representations and reclaim their voice
"...representation, like race, has very real effects within social hierarchies of power."
"...film and media also marks and determines those who deserve access to citizenship."
political citizenship is legally recognized, cultural.citizenship is social belonging and cultural representation
Just because someone has political citizenship does not mean their cultural citizenship is respected by everyone; Very few Asian American films exist, giving other people the ability to write their image an history in the eyes of the public
Due to many prior films expressing power over Asian Americans, groups were formed to help make Asian American films as successful as possible to increase their cultural citizenship
9/13
Daughter of the Dragon
(1931)
Ling Moy protrayed as someone who is two-faced and sinister after learning of her father identity
With both Ah Kee and Ronald (52:08-55:00 & 1:00:00-1:08:28 respectively), she acts like an innocent woman until the illusion is broken, in which she attempts to kill them.
Asian Stereotypes
Ronald shows his interest in Ling Moy's appearance
"I wish I could find a word to describe her...exotic! That's the word! And uh...she's intriguing if you know what I mean..." - Ronald
Fetishization of Asians
"Teas ready, course it's the unspiced English variety." - Joan
Movie Poster Art shows Ling Moy giving a very intimidating stare over Ronald, foreshadowing that she would be a villain
When Ling is going to kill Ronald, she wants to make him watch someone close to him die from Acid first, showing that she is Barbaric
"Stop it, Ling Moy! In heavens name, it's inhuman!" - Ronald
Asians are inhuman/capible of inhuman acts
Also tells Ronald that he can alternatively stab Joan himself and kill her with his own hand
Early on in the movie, Fu Manchu is shown using almost mythical acts to subdue his victims, moving through secret passages around the house and committing mind control on Ronald's Father, John
When Ling fails to kill Ronald the first time, Lu Chung attributes it to her being a woman
"I will burn this incense of repentance at her prayers. The master provided it for the weak half of her, which is woman." - Lu Chung
Sexism
9/13
When Dragon Ladies Die, Do They Come Back As Butterflies?
- Liu
"Upon her death in 1961, Time magazine's obituary labeled her 'the screens foremost Oriental villaness'" (24)
"Unlike the racist image of the threatening Asian rapist, white males are generally provided the necessary romantic conditions and masculine attributes with which to attract the Asian females' passion." (ibid., 27)
"...The dismantling stereotypes school of criticism is primarily concerned with deconstructing Anna May Wong as a signifier of exoticism, cruelty, and Asian despotism, and as the female embodiment of masochism." (28)
"Why should we [screen Chinese] always scheme, rob, kill? I got so weary of it all - of the scenarist's concept of Chinese characters." (LOC, Photoplay, March 18, 1937; AMPAS, Los Angeles Times, July 12, 1987)
When Wong was asked by a journalist whether a rumor was true about her being married to a Chinese businessman, she replies that she was wedded to her Art, which was then interpreted as being married to someone named "Art".
the Hays Office Code is described by Ed Guerrero as upholding a "strong sense of racial apartheid...by expressly stating that miscegenation, or the mixing of races, was to be portrayed as in no way desirable." (Guerrero, 1993, 173)
"...British film actors removed an on-screen kiss between Wong and her co-star, Jameson Thomas, from the film Piccadilly..." (32)
9/18
My Geisha
(1962)
In the opening credits, all but one white name was presented before the asian name, which came on a card altogether instead of seaprate
Interestingly enough, Paul seems to want to have a genuine movie created in Japan, as he even turns his wife away from the main role of the geisha
"Lucy in the part of madame butterfly would be offensive" - Paul (5:01)
Almost every other white character does not share the same sentiment
"What I wont do is pay 2 million dollars to have Robert Moore kissing a Japanese girl. The film public wants to see Robert Moore kissing you, and your artistic husband should know that." - Leonard (8:00)
Implies that the American public would not like to see races mixing.
Much of the plot revolves around Sam and Lucy attempting to deceive Paul by having Lucy be the main character in yellowface
"You're really obligated to Lucy for doing this." - Sam (1:36:50)
Film in Hollywood begins to have more visibility of the issues related to Asian Americans in cinema?
Robert shows various times throughout the film that he treats Japanese women differently from American women
When Robert was attempting to get with Yoko (who is Lucy in yellowface) at 1:04:45, he shows no manners and continually grabs her until she mentions needing to tell someone about the encounter, showing he clearly knows what he was doing was wrong
"You think the Japanese women take alimony? Do you know what they do when you split with them? They jump in volcanoes!" - Robert (1:10:00)
West expressing dominance over the East
Lucy and other white characters show lack of respect for the Japanese throughout the movie
When Lucy and Sam are trying to get a Geisha teacher, she asks if she could learn in a week
"The hours required to study and work to become a geisha [is] equal to that of a doctor." - Geisha teacher (40:00)
In response to this, Lucy and Sam ask if they could learn just how to look like one, rather than be an actual one, bringing an ingenuine representation of the geisha to the screen
Cultural Appropriation
At 49:45, Paul mistake other geisha as Lucy and the other geisha
When Lucy begins to speak fake Japanese, a Sumo wrestler comes up and tries to speak to her at 53:00 before walking away, looking offended
The whole idea that Paul selects his wife in yellowface over a room of many other geisha is a subtle nod that white women are more beautiful than Asian women
Robert is very excited to take Yoko's (Lucy's) first kiss
Fetishization/Sexualization of Asian Women
10/8 -
Straitjacket Sexualities
- Shimizu
"One way to make apparent the coexistence of lack and macho is to locate how straitjacket sexuality assigns Asian American men to a position of lack, which when understood as inadequacy leads to overcompensation in the form of macho" (Shimizu, 124)
"intimacy [between a white man and an Asian American woman] is perceived as threatening to Asian American male subjectivity—as if women betray Asian American men through sex acts with men other than Asian Americans." (Shinizu, 127)
"These filmmakers often risk their own financial security to make these products that alter the status of Asian Americans in the cinematic imaginary. " (Shinizu, 132)
Views Ben form
Better Luck Tomorrow
as someone who attempts to claim their masculinity back through violence against Steve, who Ben say as taking advantage of him and denying him pleasure.
"Rather than simply escape their assignation of straitjacket sexuality, the characters portrayed acknowledge the impossibility of getting out of it entirely." (Shinizu, 164)
infinity vs. totality
10/15 -
Who Killed Vincent Chin?
(1987) (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnrxk-KmIq8
)
One big theme throughout the documentary is the varying standards applied to different demographics in the US Justice System as well as the disparity of treatment to Asian Americans (as well as other minorities) between different parts of the United States
When Mr. Ebins sees Vincent Chin in the car and wants to jump out, he is told that there are cops there, in which he responds "f*ck the police" (3:00)
Is Mr. Ebins saying this from a position of power, knowing that he would receive better treatment than minorities from the police?
When the Chin family first began making a living in a laundromat, the locals would make faces at them and make gestures insinuating doing harm to them (11:50)
Many different people interviewed have different takes on the situation, especially commenting on his motivations (or lack of, depending on the person) ex: 37:47, 29:55
Regardless of intent, why are people ignoring or downplaying the fact that he killed someone? He did not serve in prison a single day for a murder.
Similar to this, many people tried to poke holes in the character of Vincent Chin in order to make him seem like a bad person to represent the Asian American's cause for protesting. (1:03:52)
Very similar to what happened with BLM and George Floyd, where many people attempted to paint Mr. Floyd's character in a bad light to hurt the BLM movement.
Some interviewed people even went on to claim that the media coverage was blowing it up more than it needed to be, and that it was one-sided: 29:55, 1:16:27
Very similar to current day political new channels, where there is constant talk of "fake news"
"Detroit, it's got the reputation Murder Capital of The World. And I didn't even do it on purpose." (Mr. Ebins, 1:16:23)
The judge appears to have no issues not having both sides of the story as well as downplaying the murder based on minor details, while also ignoring others; shown at 37:47, 39:42, 41:40, 43:20
Not a single Chin family member was invited to testify against Mr. Ebins
Mr. Ebins also claims to not be aware of any racial issues around Asian Americans. This could be ignorance, racism, or both. (49:50)
Also utilizes the "Asian friend" card to justify his statement
"My daughter used to help an asian kid at school."
"The ones [Asians] that I do know have always been very nice people."
After federal prosecutors won their case, the appeal case went to Cincinnati Ohio, where they lost.
Multiple people interviewed expressed concern that because Cincinnati was a conservative and primarily white city, compared to the primarily minority town that Vincent Chin was in, it would skew the votes towards the white man. (1:17:03)
Despite Mr. Ebins claiming that his killing was not out of racism, he is quoted by eyewitnesses saying "It's because of you little
that we're out of work.", relating to the competition from Japanese car companies causing layoffs in the United States
10/28 -
Surname Viet, Given Name Nam
(1989)
Appears to be very 3rd cinema-esque
"A foreigner, in principle, is already a spy, even a socialist...we live in constant suspicion" (4:33)
Mentions the effects of colonial rule over Asia, something not seen mentioned much in previous films
"A society that imposes on its people a single way of thinking and a single way of life cannot be a women's society" (10:45)
"They [men] hold the key positions of power, women only get the leftovers... The men are the only ones to discuss problems that concern us [women]" (28:45)
"To say that we are courageous or heroic beings, is to pay a tribute to our revolution. But to glorify us is, in a way, to deny our human limits." (57:27)
11/16
"Introduction" (Techno-Orientalism)
- Gibson
Argues that Japan tends to be ahead of the world in preparing for the future (future shock)
Started during the industrial revolution, when Japan learned of futuristic technologies after sending their brightest men to England.
"Japan is the global imagination's default setting for the future" (Gibson)
"Japanese culture is 'coded', in some wonderfully peculiar way that finds its nearest equivalent, I think, in English culture." (Gibson)
The japanese are big appreciators of "secret brands" or ultra luxury, hard to find items
Despite Japan mirroring values from Britian and America, we don't mirror them back
9/25
Recuperating Suzie Wong
- Feng
"If the film is constructed in such a way that both racist and anti-racist spectators can enjoy it, then ti is a truly successful consumer product." (Feng, 41)
"for tearing off her clothes does not make her look less like a prostitute, only less like a Western one. As long as Suzie is in her cheongsam or her lingerie, Robert is able to see her as an Oriental first and postitute second." (Feng, 43)
Hypersexuality
Robert did not like that Suzie was challenging her Oriental image
"The only Chinese women we meet are prostitutes, and the few Chinese men we encounter are asexual." (Feng, 42)
West dominance over the East
Feng argues that the film constantly moves between discouraging racism by the British before having its own racist acts
Argues that Nancy Kwan (the actor for Suzie) continues to star in racist movies, but resists the narratives of those movies, maker her even more resistant
10/15
San Francisco's International Hotel
- Habal
In the 70's, affordable housing in San Francisco was destroyed to expand the financial district, and Manillatown was in the crosshairs, where many elderly Filipino residents lived in the International Hotel along with Chinese and Filipino activist groups
"Eventually, saving the I-Hotel won considerable support from the mayor, city supervisors, and other major politicians. Even the sheriff went to jail rather than carry out the eviction—until he acquiesced to the courts." (Habal, 3)
Could the assassination of Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone be related to their blocking of efforts to expand the financial district into minority communities?
"The new International Hotel is a reminder of what should never have happened—a victory of profits over human rights" (Habal, 5)
The Manillatown Heritage Foundation continues to exist today, providing "educational programs, exhibits, and cultural performances" (Habal, 5).
11/6 Mississippi Masala (1991)
Within the movie, we see a common theme of different racial groups sticking together and staying away from others.
"Can you imagine dumping Harry Patel for a black?" (1:21:12)
"Africa is for Africans...Black Africans" - Okelo (2:55)
Many of White-to-Colored Racism Examples
"He's the good one." (25:58)
"Send them back to the reservation. That's what I'll say." (30:22)
"How many times do I have to tell you, they're not that kind of Indian" (30:22)
Misidentification of Indian - ties to Vincent Chin case where he was mistaken for Japanese
Toxic Masculinity
"You said that big people don't cry" - Mina (7:40)
A big overarching story point is that when Mina and Dimitreus break the societal norm of same-race relationships, every single community unanimously turns against them. By the end of the movie, there is no obvious resolution. Is this supposed to be a critique on racism exhibited from all communities or simply giving it screentime?
Limitations of POC affinity and solidarity (crossing the sexual boundary)
11/27 -
Everything, Everywhere All At Once
(2022)
Joy spent her childhood learning both American and Chinese cultures and their related expectations, which causes tensions between her family and her.
"Your Chinese is getting worse every time we talk" (Gong Gong, 10:00)
In the same scene as above, her mother only introduces Joy's girlfriend as a "very good friend", highlighting the cultural divide between her and her parents/grandparents
Highlights the language barrier immigrants face when coming to America
"You may only see a pile of boring forms and numbers, but I see a story. With nothing but a stack of receipts I can trace the ups and downs of your lives, and it does not look good." (Deidre, 20:00)
"I thought you were going to bring your daughter to help you translate" (Deidre, 21:39)
At 45:24, Evelyn struggles with coming to terms that her life in China would have been better compared to her reality of chasing the American Dream
Gong Gong was never happy with Evelyn since she is a woman
"I'm sorry, it's a girl" (23:00)
Everything Bagel represents Joy's Nihilism, and black circles in the movie represent that in other people's lives
8/30
In Search of Asian American Cinema
- Feng
Many different cultures exist in Asia, but in America, many would not say that Asian Americans have their own unified culture
This lack of a unified culture is due in part by differences between nations of Asia (Dialects, conflict, etc.)
The term "Asian" means different things to different groups of people
"Anything Asian, anything that comes from Asia, is considered Asian American film: critics say it's a boon for Asian American filmmaker"
Media critics tend to hyperfixate on the fact that a given film is classified as an Asian American Film
The classification of Asian American Cinema looks for the face of any Asian and no further
Could refine the classification more by excluding films made in Asia
A classification based on content alone (such as themes of immigration) is not valid, as it would promote a single "correct" Asian American Experience
At the end of the day, everyone has a different idea of how "Asian American Cinema" should be classified
Adding a hyphen between Asian and American implies the identities are at odds with each other, rather than being an American
Meanings of "Orientalism"
8/30
Orientalism
- Said
Many publishers did not want to publish ideas that were considered radical at the time
Challenged western influence over how Asians were seen and the narratives created around them
Europeans expressed (through their writing) an intent to control and manipulate what was manifestly different from them.
Criticisms of the work resulted in putting the very behavior it argued against out on display
"After Orientalism, scholars in the humanities and the social sciences could no longer ignore questions of difference and the politics of representation."
Academic Meaning: Actions to research Asians
General Meaning: Style of thought based upon distinction made between Asians and non-Asians
Historical Meaning: "Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient."
European culture gained strength and identity by setting itself against Asian culture
Displays a relationship of power, dominance, and hegemony
Seen as a theory and practice for which signifigant time has been invested
10/4 -
Better Luck Tomorrow
(2003)
While the film displays characters of all races, all conflicts involve at least one Asian party
Could this be interpreted as Asian Americans being allowed into society but with their previous stereotypes from past representations coming back to haunt them?
Yellow Peril?
After the murder, the group tries to hide the body and go on with their lives
Stephanie is repeatedly sexualized throughout the movie
"I swear I saw her in a porn" - Virgil 6:52
Hypersexualization
One interesting observation is that there is no same sex couples throughout the movie, and many of the high school student use F*g as an insult
Same-sex couples are not being provided cultural representation
When Steve goes to Stephanies house at 18:03, a white boy opens the door
Mixed race households appear to have gained more ground as acceptable in American society
10/8 -
Disidentifications
- Munoz
"Disidentification is the process in which the artist reformulates the actual performativity of his glittering B movie archive...performativity that surpassed simple fetishization." (Munoz, x)
"In the competition for the woman, the clash between two forms of masculinity, one passive and the other aggressive, is resolved through violence when Ben kills Steve. Ben's achieving the prize of the woman in driving away with Stephanie results from his deliberate act of masculine aggression"
"we see Ben, who's short and a distance away from hegemonic masculine beauty, competing ..."
"Disidentification is meant to be descriptive of the survival strategies the minority subject practices in order to negotiate a phobic majoritarian public sphere that continuously elides or punishes the existence of subjects who do not conform." (Munoz, 4).
10/12
History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige
(1991)
When the US has a reason to, it is willing to take minority groups without representation and remove their freedom. This includes those who have served in the military and gained citizenship.
This included trampling on additional minority groups in the process, such as them taking land from Native American reservations for the camps, creating buildings from cheap material, and then returning the land in a disheveled state
A scrapbook-like style was adopted to show what the Japanese Americans remembered vs what was actually going on from the outside.
The only way some of the footage was possible was by breaking some of the rules the US created that were designed to cover up the reality of the camps
Americans used the war and Pearl Harbor as a reason to murder Asian Americans
Government propaganda was used to cover up the horrible treatment of Asian Americans, while at the same time, trying to paint the picture that they were there of their own free will
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)
Major Theme: Being in America can cause a person to drift away from their cultural roots
"You know, I don't recognize my own voice anymore. It sounds all tinny and fake, like someone who doesn't come from anywhere." (Changes, 35:00)
In the melting pot that is America, even if you find your communities, can it become difficult to identify your own roots among the many other diverse cultures? Can being away from your home for a long time change who you are as a person?
Entire story illustrates the power of information and the stories that can be told from it
Plotline consists of a series of back-and-forth retelling of facts and using that to paint a story, with each sides' story showing a different conclusion with similar facts
How can the interpretation of facts and construction of a story based on the interpretation differ based on who is telling the story? How can that affect representations of people?
At the end of the movie, the story the journalist decided to go with ended up being the wrong one, and a life was taken due to that action (1:53:22-1:58:16)
Illustrates the racism that foreigners experienced after 9/11
9/11 seen as turning point for Changes's life in the United States
Changes was searched extensively for no reason at the airport (52:30)
If the hostage was already dead, what location did Changes give the reporter?
11/16
Modern Boys and Mobile Girls
(Roh, Huang, Niu)
Tehco-orientalism is "the phenomenon of imagining Asia and Asians in hypo- or hypertechnological terms in cultural productions and political discourse."
"If Japan is a screen on which the West has projected its technological fantasies, then China is a screen on which the West projects its fears of being colonized, mechanized, and instrumentalized in its own pursuit of technological dominance." (Roh, 4)
“If the future is technological, and if technology has become ‘Japanised,’ then the syllogism would suggest that the future is now Japanese, too.” (Roh, 3)
Argues that techo-orientalism dehumanizes Asians and Asian Americans by making them out to be efficient factory workers before humans
Extends to Vincent Chin murder, who was seen not as a human during the war on Japanese cars but as a "factory machine"
Asian American Media Representation
"the ways in which peple internalize others' perceptions of one's self based on the views of society" (203)
"Psychological burden that stems from acquiring the cultural characteristics of the new country one immoigrates to" (203)
While overall representation of Asian Americans has increased over the years, the representation of women declines quickly as they age, which highlights a more overarching agism in casting
Many Asian Characters were stereotype-conforming.
9/4
The Other Question - Stereotype, Discrimination, and the Discourse in Colonialism
- Bhabha
Colonial discourse relies on "Fixity", which is a "...paradoxical mode of representation...it connotes rigidity and an unchanging order as well as disorder, degeneracy, and daemonic repetition."
Stereotypes are repeated as if they are proof of something, despite usually being something impossible to prove
Stereotypes are used to display power over other groups of people, especially in colonial discourse
Stereotypes are not challenged as they are extremely intertwined in the way our society and politics run today
9/6
Color-as-hue and color-as-race: early Technicolor, ornamentalism and The Toll of the Sea (1922)
- Peng
Adding color to film was expected to help racial issues, but instead increased the divide
this was due to differences in skin color now being made more apparent thanks to color vs. black and white
"...racial difference ... is located not in the characters’ different skin tones but in the bright yet ‘naturalistic’ colours of the exotic mise-en-scene, including the ornamental gardens, foliage and costumes" - Peng 288
Lotus Flower's purpose: "to act simultaneously as an index and an icon of the authentic Orient" (301)
9/20
The Hypersexuality of Race
- Parrenas
"The framework of bondage and the bind aims to capture the restrictions and constraints limiting Asian/American women's choices..." (17)
"... to reject the hypersexuality of Asian women is to reject how we are shaped by and wrestle with these images."
In discourse about representation of Asian Americans, many parties are left out of the conversation with various excuses,
10/3 -
Bruce Lee and the Anti-Imperialism of Kung-Fu
- Prashad
multiculturalism vs. polyculturalism (53) - how does the latter move us towards anti-racist positions?
visibility and success of bruce lee also spurred by asian american, civil rights ad other minority actibist movements -> multiculturalosm; also 1965 immigration act welcomed asian immigrants for their techincal labor (56)
Interracial coalition building and solidarity happens through independent groups organization first, then merging of goals through recognition of shared oppression
10/11
In the Afterglow of Regenerative Violence
- Mimura
Follows the idea of three types of cinema, though the works created by them may not be completely distinct in their visual characteristics
First Cinema, such as Hollywood and Bollywood, where movies are made to drive corporate profits
Second Cinema, where independent artists challenge first cinema productions, but sustained radical critique is not possible as it is still part of the system
Third Cinema, where fundamental political projects "challenge and provoke the collective consciousness of its viewers toward the revolutionary transformation of society" (Mimura, 30).
Usually has far less money than first and second cinema, resulting in lower quantity and quality of resources to work with
Sussue Hayakawa made 13 films under his production company "Haworth Studios", of which only 3 survived. Mimura categorizes these films as Second Cinema as they subverted his image but were made following the regulations of the industry.
At UCLA in the 70's, students of color were able to protest and establish a temporary program for ethnocommunications to expose more students to third cinema
Claims that the startup that resulted from the ethnocommunications program, Visual Communications, helped set the stage for Asian American Independent Media
VC began as a third cinema producer, but is now a second cinema producer, as ""the politically transformative possibility of such image-making was the presumed or anticipated effect, rather than the explicit object, of the organization's work" (Mimura, 41).
10/29 -
Gran Torino
(2009)
While Walt uses racist language even after death, the plot of the story shows his progressive acceptance of Asian Americans through befriending the Hmong neighbors
He is even painted as a bad guy at the beginning of the movie, but we come to learn that he has a complex history and is a caring person despite his sourness
His character growth eventually culminates in him killing himself to save the Hmong neighborhood from the rule of the local gang
Is it possible he got himself killed in this way as he knew the police response to a group of Asian Americans killing a white man would be greater?
After Sue gets violated, both Thao and Walt want revenge, but Walt does not Want Thao's innocence to be destroyed through killing, so he locks him the basement to do the job himself.
The neighbors end up being a better family to Walt than his own blood, with his sons not wanting anything to do with him except to use him and his granddaughter only wanting the car.
Much of Walts hate comes from serving during the Korean War and working in a Ford Dealership
In response to Walts racist remarks about Asian Americans eating dogs and Cats, Sue responds with "No worries, we only eat cats".
This gives attention to the stereotype without trying to say it is correct, which may be due to being produced in the 21st century but represents a shift in how Asian Americans are stereotyped
11/1
Saving Face
(2004)
Another redemption story, but this time through the eyes of an Asian American woman who is anti-gay and anti-black and slowly recovers from those after herself becoming ousted from her traditional Chinese family for becoming pregnant.
Similar to Gran Torino, except in that movie it was the redemption of a white guy with a hatred towards Asian Americans
"Your neighbor is loud and dark and eats too much soy sauce" (24:15)
"I am not a bad mom. My daughter is not gay." (1:12:50)
Some lines spoken in Chinese were left untranslated, similar to Gran Torino. Could this be related to removing proper representation of the characters?
At 35:13, when the mother and daughter are at some sort of baby clinic, the entire room turns and looks when it is the mother, not daughter, that is having another baby. Is this showcasing the stigma of the Chinese American community?
Filial Piety
11/1
Imagining Queer Asian North American Lives
- Sohn
Given the difficulties that lie in living in society while being gay, after a series of teen suicides, the "It Gets Better" campaign was begun to try and reassure teens that life would get better,
"This campaign’s progressive message, one that proclaims an eventually happy life, offers some concrete evidence of the sea change that has occurred within the past decade, particularly in attitudes concerning same-sex marriage and other issues..." (Sohn, 1)
Argues that Queer Asian American men are at risk of being hurt more than other minorities due to their negative stereotypes and old-style family "values"
"The queer Asian North American man, for instance, is often considered as the submissive, obedient partner, mainly matched in an interracial relationship with a Caucasian man" (Sohn, 6)
Argues that Queer Asian Americans face "social death", which means they are alienated to the point of being left out of social order
11/8
Crazy Rich Asians
(2018)
Unlike previous movies, seems to highlight that even if two people are the same race, they can still not see each other as equals
Mother seems to believe that America corrupts individuals and that Asian Americans are not the same as Asians, even if their ethnicities are the same (1:43:23)
"You might be excited that the first girl I bring home is a Chinese professor." "Chinese American." - Mike & Elenore, (47:39)
Seems to poke fun at popular Asian stereotypes
"Wah, so many Rachel Chu's" (6:56)
Intergenerational conflict highlighted (1:07:51)
At The Crossroads of Two Empires (Seshagiri)
Separates
Mississippi Masala
from other South Asian films as Mississippi Masala had "narrative paralysis" due to "collision between cultural radicalism and historical uncertainty"
Other movies called "pop optimism" which integrates cultures and reflects the changing status of minorities
“[MM] enabled for the first time a joint interrogation of British imperialism, American slavery, and class mobility” (Seshegiri, 171)
Model Minority Terrorist
(Sohn)
"the South Asian American body transforms into a site of racial anxiety that manifests in acts of prejudice and violence" (Sohn, 233)
"America’s racial and religious minorities rarely inhabit the same positions in social hierarchies and are often positioned against one another" (Sohn, 233)
Multicultural Redemption
(Sugino)
Multicultural redemption celebrates identities as a form of reconsiliation for past trauma