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AAST Digital Concept Map, My Geisha (1962) GEISHA, Hwei-Lan imposes the…

- - - - This is one of the only films we have watched that is a documentary and not a movie for entertainment
      - This documentary is used as a form of activism, bringing attention to both the murder of Vincent Chin itself but also the grassroots organizations and activism that followed, in order to call more people to participate
        
        Not necessarily third cinema, but it was created as a political tool, creating connections to third cinema in terms of motivation behind the creation.
    - - This is both an obvious and tragic form of racism. resulting in the death of Vincent Chin. The racism stemmed from the automotive industry being dominated by Japanese companies, leaving many people in the area (Detroit). Despite Chin not being Japanese, he and other Asians were all perceived to be the same
        
        This mirrors sentiment from Model Minority Terrorists, and how post 9/11, Brown Asians were all lumped together to establish the face of terrorism. After Americans began to lose their jobs to Japanese manufacturing, they combined all East Asians together to create the face of the Japanese automotive industry
        
        In Detroit Blues, Zia discusses how after the layoffs, anything and everything perceived to be Japanese became a target. Unions were hosting events where they encouraged the public to destroy Japanese vehicles. The media began to include slurs in their coverage and it became common to use these slurs in place of actual terms.
      - It was interesting to watch the murderers both act like what happened wasn't out of racism. They continued to use the same excuse of "having Asian friends" and knowing Asians in order to make it seem like they weren't racist
    - - The local Asian community coming together is what spearheaded the movement against injustices towards Vincent Chin and other Asians that were victims of hate crimes.
      - If organizations like the ACJ had not come together, the murderers would have goten off with just 3 years probation and a fine. Even though the end outcome still was not exactly ideal, the ability for these organizations to bring this case up as a federal civil rights case was a huge win for Asian American justice.
      - In Detroit Blues, Zia emphasizes that change came because of the ability of Asians from all over to come together. The Detroit Chinese Welfare Council was responsible for hosting a handful of events to raise awareness on the issue, create a sense of community among those who were scared and grieving, and to help create the American Citizens for Justice (ACJ)
  - - - Asian Mother/Daughter Relationship
        
        There is tension between the mom and daughter because of the two both keeping their own secrets, but being confined to the same space when Hwei Lan goes to live with Wil, making it impossible for the two to have their needed space from each other
      - Filial piety
        
        Hwei-Lan kicked out of her home by her parents after they discover that she is pregnant out of wedlock. This scene showed us that filial piety doesn’t have an age since Hwei-Lan is a grown adult and still gets ousted by her parents
        
        Hwei-Lan is aware of Wil’s sexuality, but chooses to ignore it because it makes her feel disappointed; she is worried it reflects on her as a mother
      - racism
        
        while brief, hwei lan openly exhibits racism towards Wil’s black friend; telling Wil she can’t eat too much soy sauce or she will look like her friend and that if she herself eats too much soy sauce her baby will be darker
      - LGBTQ Identity
        
        I believe this is the first film we have watched that showcases an Asian lesbian couple
        
        Wil's LGBTQ+ identity is a point of contention between her and her mother's relationship; despite being in trouble herself for breaking traditional values, Hwei Lan is unable to deviate from the values she knows: heterosexuality
        
        Wil herself also struggles with her own identity because of the disapproval she will receive if her family finds out, causing her to keep Vivian a secret and put a strain on her own relationship
    - - Asian women in control
        
        Eleanor is a somewhat stereotypical representation of the Asian "tiger mom" mother. She claims everything she does is in her children's interests, but she comes off as over-bearing and hard to like because of her intense nature
        
        What Eleanor says, goes. She strongly disproves of Nick and Eleanor's relationship because of Eleanor's status as a Chinese American, not just Chinese. She makes her feelings known and tries to drive Rachel away.
        
        Rachel is given many scenes where she is able to stand up for herself and be portrayed as strong instead of letting people walk over her. At the bachelorette party, she takes matters into her own hands and doesn't give the girls the power to run her out. In the mahjong scene between her and Eleanor, Rachel is able to take a stand against the family matriarch, a huge moment where she makes decisions for herself instead of Eleanor making decisions for her.
        
        Despite her story having the more unhappy ending of the other stories presented, Astrid is another example of a strong Asian woman. She is the breadwinner in her family but maintains her kindness, something that most people in her family have forgotten to show. Even after she finds out her husband is having an affair, she maintains composure and professionalism, not letting him tear her down in the process of leaving her.
      - Asian Representation??
        
        Super model-minority oriented representation
        
        The Young family is one of the richest families in Singapore/the world, all of the children attended elite British boarding schools and are now all successful adults post-grad
        
        Rachel, despite not being as rich as her partner, is still a successful potrayal of an Asian American. She is an economics professor at NYU who is well known for her work and class
        
        Multiculturalism, or lack thereof: So many people left out!! This movie is regarded for its representation of Asians, but there were populations that were left out/given insignificant roles
        
        The only south Asian characters we see are the intimidating bodyguards seen outside of the Young property, contributing to the stereotype that Brown bodies are violent
        
        As a Filipino, I was looking for Filipino representation. Oliver is played by a Filipino actor, but is portrayed as Singaporean. Kris Aquino, an extremely well-known Filipino figure, is reduced to a role with maybe two speaking lines. Some of the cleaning staff might be Filipino, but this is it.
        
        Sugino's three parts of Multicultural Redemption are: Capitalist Ascendency as Racial Remedy, Assimilation to Whiteness and Mainstream Representation, and Anti-Blackness/Devaluation of Darker-skinned Asians; All three of these are present in Crazy Rich Asians, and Sugino also says that CRA is part of a trend that gives the illusion of racial progress but it doesn't actually!!! change anything
        
        Capitalist Ascendency: The Young's are the epitome of capitalism. They are probably in the top 1% if we are being honest with ourselves and they act like it. What's interesting is is that despite them being rich, they aren't actually immune to racism. We see the Young's as victims of racism at the beginning of the movie in the hotel and the only reason they are then treated right is because they buy out the hotel. I wouldn't say they were treated nice because they were rich after that, but because they literally held the workers' jobs in their hands.
        
        assimilation to Whiteness/Mainstream: Also supppperrr prevelant in CRA. Nick and his siblings (I think?) went to boarding school in England and Nick still speaks with a posh, British accent.
        
        Anti-Blackness/Devaluation of Darker-Skinned Asians: Literally the only darker-skinned Asians we see in this film are bodyguards with guns that scare Rachel and her friend. Not great representation if you ask me
        
        As we can see from this reading, we can't really call the inclusion into the hierarchy "redemption" if we are just feeding into the system that perpetuates the hierarchy. I think there are no doubts that Crazy Rich Asians was a step in the right direction of Asian representation in casting, but in terms of the storyline, there wasn't anything particularly relatable for most of us Asians. I actually really enjoyed this article and its critique of the idea of multicultural redemption and how it doesn't actually help us to simply try to be included in the hierarchy instead of making actual change.
      - East vs. West
        
        Eleanor disapproves of Rachel being from America and the concept of the American Dream, which she believes is for fools. She has a very traditional approach in terms of work and money and believes that Rachel is naive in her beliefs.
        
        Eleanor refers to Rachel as a foreigner in their mahjong scene, showing that Rachel will never be able to achieve the status of any of Nick's ex-girlfriends from home. This also further showcases Eleanor's prejudice towards those from the West, whose values she does not appreciate
        
        this was an interesting contrast from previous films, where the Asian is portrayed as the outsider. In this film, it is the Asian American being painted as the outsider.
        
        Eleanor's hatred for the West is interesting given that her family's money most likely stems from Western capitalism?? Don't be classist and xenophobic to th people you built your life on!
      - Filial Piety
        
        Nick feels a duty to please his mother by bringing home a girl she approves of and by taking over the family company, two things he finds himself unable to do
    - - Relationships
        
        Romance: Mina and Demetrius are the first interracial couple we have seen that involves another person of color as a love interest instead of a white love interest. In addition, we get to see them have a semi-happy ending!
        
        Friendship: Jay and Okelo follow in the steps of previous relationships we have seen, but as friends. They are unable to get their happy ending together after racial tensions separate the two, but the way that this happens is not similar to other movies at all. While Jay attempts to paint Okelo as a villain for what happened in Uganda, at no point does the film actually try to paint Ugandans or Indians as evil
        
        Even when Jay does go back to Uganda, he still does not get to reclaim a happy ending with Okelo, who he finds out passed away shortly after he went to America
        
        In order for Mina and Demetrius to get their happy ending, we watch them as they are forced to leave their home/runaway and start over somewhere else. This brings us to the concept of what home is and how characters have to create it for themselves in the face of being pushed out
        
        AT the Crossroads of Two Empires: "The film could not envision a future in which cultural hybridity held a legitimate public space.... despite an apparently optimistic ending, Nair's film could not deliver its characters out of imperialism's unhappy legacy" brings attention to the fact that Mina and Demetrius' ending can barely be described as happy if they are forced to leave their home, repeating the cycle of what happened to Mina's parents, just for different reasons. This has been a common theme across many of the movies we have seen: in order to be with someone, you must leave what you have behind.
        
        The reading also discusses the intersectional nature of the movie and its ability to target multiple topics at once: British Imperialism, american slavery, and class mobility. Despite being unable to break free from these same structures at the end of the movie (Mina and Demetrius still forced to run), targeting all of these topics at once is something that this movie succeeded in that other movies could have addressed better. Gran Torino had the opportunity to touch on more in-depth stories of the Hmong struggles, but instead it focused on the Hmong struggle inside of an American suburb and the struggles of a White man reckoning with his war crimes. The movie fails to go in-depth to the "Secret War" despite it being a driving force behind the grandmother.
        
        Filial Piety
        
        Mina faces pressure from her family to soon be married, but there are expectations about who this partner is. While at the wedding, we see everyone try to pair up Mina with a man who she ends up going out with, but then ditching to hang out with Demetrius
        
        When it is discovered that Mina is dating Demetrius, her parents experience a sense of dishonor to find out their daughter is dating a Black man. This is because of the prejudice they hold against Black individuals for what happened to them in Uganda, despite the people in America having nothing to do with that. The conversations that occur between Mina and her parents revolve around her disrespecting her parents and embarrassing them.
        
        In order to try and get Mina away from Demetrius, her parents turn it into a conversation of how she needs to go to college and fulfill her potential there.
      - Being forced to make a home
        
        The beginning of this movie focuses on Mina's family being forced to leave their home in Uganda after being run out by the government. After this, they settle down in America, but even after years of being there, Jay does not view America as his home and has every intention to go back to Uganda and reclaim his old home. After realizing he doesn't recognize Uganda anymore, he is able to recognize that his home is where his family is in the States
        
        Colonialism: The events we see that unfold in Uganda are as a result of colonization by Indian/British regimes. While Indians originally went there for work,there was an economic disparity that grew between the Indian and Ugandan population, leading to rifts between the two groups that resulted in the Indian population being expelled from teh country.
      - Racism/Colorism
        
        Although it is a brief encounter, we see two women at the wedding in conversation who end up delving into colorist ideals. Colorism is prevelant in many Asian countries, with lighter skin being viewed as more valuable/beautiful. This has clear links to racism towards Black individuals, which we also see in the film.
        
        The pushback towards the relationship between Mina and Demetrius comes from him being a Black man, something that Mina's family takes issue with given their history in Uganda. However, we also see it from family that has been there for a long time. Mina does not have an issue with this because she was raised in the US for most of her life, exposing her to people of different races and causing her to have more accepting values than her family.
    - - Racism in the post-9/11 world
        
        Before 9/11, Changez experiences little racism at his company or in public. During his interview, his future boss Jim makes comments on his accent and continually pronounces his name wrong, but other than that Changez is treated relatively normally while at the company.
        
        Immediately following 9/11, Changez begins to experience racism in a way that he had not before.
        
        He goes through a full body search while in the airport on the way back, he is the only one pulled aside out of the coworkers he is with to be searched
        
        When Changez begins growing a beard, he receives comments from multiple people around him. His coworker tells him that it is stressing other people out and that he doesn't need to wear a physical badge to represent his culture while his boss also tells him to manage his appearance after being promoted.
        
        At 1:18:00, Changez is arrested by the police after they mistake him for someone else who was also Muslim.
        
        In Model Minority Terrorist, Sohn describes how South Asians, Muslims, Arabs, and other Middle Eastern populations were all lumped together in the eyes of Americans in order to create the image of a "terrorist." This led to innocent people who simply looked Muslim or Arab to become targets of hate crimes and discrimination because of perceived terrorist status. This is exactly what we see happen to Changez, who was not even in the country during 9/11, as he becomes a target while in the US and even after he goes home to become a professor
      - Model Minority
        
        We watch as Changez is able to leave his home behind in order to pursue a position at a top consulting firm and during his interview, he lists off his stats for both the boss and the audience in order to prove his academic expertise
        
        Once an official employee at the company, Changez is able to excel beyond his fellow coworkers because of his ability to leave behind any emotion and simply look at his job from a financial/business standpoint. At no point does Changez show remorse for being responsible for people being laid off, but he is excited to rise up the ranks because of his ability to maximize profits
        
        in Model Minority Terrorist, Sohn emphasizes teh ability of the model minority to become the perfect corporate employee because of their industrious and efficient nature. We watch as this happens to Changez, who comes from a somewhat struggling family on financial aid, as he progresses into someone who doesn't thinik twice about laying people off.
    - - Asian mother/daughter relationship
        
        Evelyn is extremely tough on Joy, both because of her expectations for her to succeed but also because she herself felt like she was never enough for her parents, who wanted a boy
        
        Joy feels like she can't do anything to make her mother proud of her. This spans across all universes, making Jobu Tupaki the ultimate villain after not being able to be anything but a disappointment to her own mother.
        
        The only thing able to solve the conflict between Evelyn and Joy is when Evelyn recognizes that they are the same. They are both stubborn and hardheaded, and depsite efforts Joy came out exactly like her mother, and that is what leads to their final reconciliation.
        
        After the intial fight between Evelyn and Joy after Evelyn refuses to introduce Joy's girlfriend as such, Evelyn chases Joy out to her car only to tell her that she is getting fat, leaving Joy extremely hurt. This is a common sentiment that we see in both films and real life between Asian mothers/grandmothers and their children.
      - Filial Piety
        
        most of the tension seen in the family derives from filial piety and failure to carry it out. Evelyn has never felt like she has done enough for her own parents because she is a woman who also left to go to America. This point is emphasized when we see that her father did not fight for her to stay with them in China
        
        Imagining Queer Asian North American Lives: Sohn points out an important cultural barrier for Asians who identify as LGBTQ+: they "cannot necessarily expect support from their biological families" and that queer Asian north Americans who come out of the cloest can face familial dsownment, expulsion from the home, physical harm, and psychological distress." This is something we see in two of our movies: Saving Face and EEAAO. In both movies, the daughters are struggling with coming out to their families for fear of backlash. Wil's mother expresses disappointment while Evelyn doesn't even give Joy the chance to come out to her grandfather in the beginning of the movie. She also insists on calling Joy's girlfriend her "friend"
        
        Joy doesn't feel like she is enough for anyone in the family, struggling to find where she fits in because she is only ever on the receiving end of criticism, leading her to a nihilistic mindset
      - Difference in cultures
        
        Evelyn and Joy are facing two very different cultural expectations. Many of Evelyn's hardships from her childhood come from the fact that she was born a girl, not a boy, to two parents in China who wanted to have a boy
        
        Joy struggles with having to juggle two different cultural identities: her Chinese culture and her American culture. We see this come into play when she tries to speak to her grandfather in Cantonese but finds herself stumbling over her words, leaving her unable to introduce her girlfriend.
        
        LGBTQ+ Identity Joy is also struggling with her identity and culture as a young, LGBTQ+ woman. The only other person in her life who she can relate to is her girlfriend, but in her own family, she has no one she can go to about this, leading to more tension between her and her mother, who is traditional and does not understand at the beginning of the movie.
    - - Fu Manchu as one of the early depictions of techno-orientalism
      - Created a new competition between the East and the United States: Japan competing for dominance in tech (creates tech) while China competes for labor and production (is the tech); with both Japan and China being part of the techno-orientalist idea, it creates a bigger "threat" for the US
      - "US techno-orientalist imagination has its roots in the view of the Asian body as a form of expendable technology"
        
        We can connect this idea of the expendable technology to the idea of the Asian body being the perfect corporate employee. Asian bodies are ideal for these roles because they have historically been something we can rely to do the exact work that we need.
  - - - This is the first movie we have seen with Hmong representation, a historically underrepresented group. We also are able to see these characters in the absence of a love interest that takes up the whole plot.
      - Clint Eastwood acts as a grumpy, racist veteran. As a Korean war veteran, he harbors resentment towards all Asians as well as POC in general, an interesting stance to have when living in a majority minority neighborhood. He also harbors resentment towards Asians because of the tensions in the automotive industry after Japanese companies began to dominate the markets.
      - The Hmong representation we see in the film isn't the greatest. While the main family doesn't necessarily adhere to the big stereotypes, there is the threat of the Hmong gang, contributing to the idea of yellow peril.
    - - On the other hand, Spider's gang is the complete opposite of Thao and are a representation of toxic masculinity. The Hmong gang uses violence to get their way and even goes through assaulting Sue, Spider's own cousin
      - Thao is another representation of a demasculinized Asian man. In the first half of the movie, he is portrayed as weak. He is the victim of bullying/harassment from his cousin's gang and he is unable to speak to a girl that he clearly has a crush on.
        
        It isn't until Walt takes Thao under his wing that Thao begins his journey to becoming more masculine. Walt's insistence on Thao doing construction jobs and teaching him how to fihgt back is what helps Thao get the girl.
        
        Despite Walt's efforts to make Thao more strong and masculine, he doesn't permit Thao to help get revenge for his sister because he wants to preserve Thao's innocence.
    - - Spider's gang weaponizes Sue's innocence by kidnapping her and assaulting her as a way to get back at the family and Walt. This is another representation of an Asian woman lead being the victim of violence, but it is new in that it was violence from someone in her own community/family.
      - The only other woman in the film who isn't the mother or grandmother is Thao's girlfriend, who gets little to no speaking in the movie and is instead there just as a representation of his journey to masculinity to get the girl.
    - - Walt's primary purpose in this movie is to serve as a white savior of sorts. The audience watches as he turns from a cold, racist man who hates his neighbors into someone who cares about his neighbors (but is still pretty racist, he loves to use slurs any make inappropriate comments)
      - When it comes time to avenge Sue after she is assaulted, it is Walt that carries out the revenge instead of Thao. We can view this as his "reckoning" of sorts, sacrificing his life for his Hmong neighbors after years of racism
      - The movie also ends with the final detail of Walt leaving everything in his will to Thao's family, "saving" them even after he has died
      - While Walt is being painted as a savior, we can see that the grandmother still does not approve of Walt, but we are often left not knowing what she is saying. However, we do know that there is tension on her end despite the movie painting him as the hero
        
        In History on the Run, Vang discusses the importance of the overlapping histories of war that occur between Walt and the Grandma, who have two different perspectives on the wars that occur. Vang describes Grandma's memories as "not [fitting] the script]" of wanting to portray Walt as a hero because she spends her time condemning him for his actions. Thao (the actress for the grandma) actually improvisedd her lines to tell her side of the story, and the unsubtitled speech can be seen as a symbol for the "US public's inability to address the secret war" and forgotten Hmong generation
        
        Despite not having many lines that the audience can understand, the "silent" grandmother serves as a reminder of the injustices committed against the Hmong population
  - - - first example we have seen of a 3rd cinema film, giving us a look into films that are made w a social justice lens that are meant to advocate for social change without a hollywood budget
      - Due to the nonlinear story line, as well as a different format from traditional movies, I had a much harder time understanding this movie compared to the Hollywood movies with easy-to-understand plots
      - Uses old footage interspersed with photos, new footage, music, narration, and more in order to convey the story
      - Ghost Life of Third Cinema: Third cinema was used as a revolutionary tool in third world countries, especially in connection with anticolonial struggles. It is inherently political and fights to both bring awareness and behave as an activist tool
    - - explores the aftermath of being exiled out of your own country and having to come to terms w a new life; effects of colonialism
      - Specifically focuses on the challenges that Vietnamese women faced after the Vietnam war
- - - - Lotus Flower as tragedy
    - - Lotus Flower is obsessed with the idea of America, dressing in Western clothes and dreaming of going there with Paul
      - At the end of the movie, Lotus Flower sends her child to America for a better life before killing herself instead of living out her life in the Western world with her White husband.
  - - - Filial piety: In this movie, there is heavy emphases on Ling Moy's respect towards her father and making him proud. She prioritizes being loyal (despite barely knowing him??) and sacrificing her career and life for to kill for her father.
      - Outfits: The only characters who continued to associate themselves with China (Fu Manchu and his allies/henchman) were also the only ones presented in traditional Chinese clothing. Ling Moy, a star of the west, was shown in flashy western clothing. Ah Kee, an ally to the west, stayed in a plain suit (except for when he visits Ling Moy!)
      - In the movie, there is a constant use of dragon imagery as well as the use of gongs. These objects adhere to the stereotype of Chinese culture from the western perspective. In addition, when there is writing from a Chinese character in the film, it is presented in a stereotypical font, often referred to as "Chop Suey" font.
      - orientalism: Silent film but Lotus Flower somehow has an accent over text...
    - - Love Interests: Ling Moy is presented with 2 love interests. One is Ronnie, a white man, who she is also actively deceiving. At the same time as their "relationship," Ronnie is also engaged to a white woman. The other is Ah Kee, a fellow Chinese character, who she rejects the advances of. In the end, Ah Kee and Ling Moy both end up dying, signifying no happy ending for the Chinese characters.
        
        NO HAPPY ENDING: Asian characters to not get to have a happy ending. The white couple always ends up happy, while the Asian leads meet their untimely demise. (Yes, Arakau was bad, but he fits the point)
        
        This situation is different from the others because Arakau actually ended up being a bad person unlike Lotus Flower and Ah Kee (Ling Moy also bad but...). Arakau and Edith seem to have some sort of chemistry going on, but it goes nowhere after he later assaults her. As a result, Edith stabs Arakau. Despite surviving the stab wound, we are to assume Arakau dies in the end after a lynching attempt in the courtroom, while Edith and Richard walk away happily.
        
        No happy ending continued: Unlike movies like Toll of the Sea or Daughter of the Dragon, we do see the Asian character get the man. Despite Robert and Suzie ending up together and going to America, she still loses her child. Again, we do not see a 100% happy ending.
        
        Suzie Wong as tragedy AND salvation
      - Dragon Lady
        
        Ling Moy is a deceptive and cunning character, playing the role of Ronnie's lover in order to get close to him and kill him. She also is deceiving Ah Kee at the same time, who does not suspect her as the villain because she is just a dancer whom he loves.
        
        Ling Moy as seduction trope in interracial relationships
        
        Marchetti's work in Introduction touches on the interracial relationships that Hollywood portrays between Asians and white people and some of the issues that come with it. One thing Marchetti points out is that these relationships almost always fit into one of a handful of narratives: captivity, seducation, assimilation, salvation, tragedy, and more.
        
        Strong/Aggressive: Ling Moy is quite literally a hitman and out to kill Ronnie Petrie (which would end the bloodline). At the end of the movie, she plans to disfigure Joan's face with acid, making her out to be a ruthless individual.
        
        In When Dragon Ladies Die, the author talks about the harmful effects that the Dragon Lady stereotype has, especially on Anna May Wong. Anna May Wong was objectified heavily in her personal life and was often asked questions about her sexual/love life in interviews because of her roles in movies. These portrayals of these characters directly impacts teh sexist treatment of Asian women in real life.
      - Sexism/Objectification
        
        Exoticism
        
        Ling Moy is portrayed as exotic throughout movie. She is described as an exotic dancer with the name of "Princess Ling Moy" at the beginning of the movie. At around 6:00 in the movie, in a room where she is not present, Ronnie describes how exotic and intriguing she is. Later in the movie at 25:20, Ronnie (repeat offender!) tells Ling Moy how much he loves her Asian features while Ling Moy simultaneously explains her desire for Western traits.
        
        color and exoticism
        
        In Toll of the Sea, Lotus Flower is also portrayed as exotic. Through the use of color in the film, the only things shown in vibrant colors are Lotus Flower herself and the Chinese nature in the background. When in America and focusing on Paul and his American white, colors are dull. By making the nature "exotic" and having Lotus Flower blend in, she becomes exotic.
        
        In Colour-as-hue, Colour-as-race, Peng notes that it is "specifically the relationship between the Chinese heroine and her environment that marks her as racially distinct from her Caucasian lover and female counterpart." Peng points out that color is used to make Lotus Flower blend in with her background and make her a literal part of China
        
        Despite the child being Wasian, he is very clearly a white baby. When he is living with Lotus Flower in China, he is seen in intricate outfits with vibrant color. When he is sent to America with his White father, he is changed into a sailor outfit that lacks color, removing any "exotic" aspects about him.
        
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        By having Lotus Flower blend in with the colors and nature behind her, it not only exoticizes her, but also objectifies her: a common theme throughout movies with Asian women
        
        Arakau, whose ethnicity changes depending on which version of the movie you watch, is not only exotic because of his Asian features, but also because of the amount of wealth he has.
        
        BLATANT!! misogyny: Desires for Ling Moy to have been born a son are a common theme in the movie. At 19:05, Fu Manchu blatantly states that he wished God had granted him a son to carry out his duty and Ling Moy is quick to say she can be his son. After she fails to kill Ronnie the first time, Lu Chung makes two remarks about her being useless as a daughter (39:00)
        
        Only when its Asian man do we see "weak" men. Ah Kee, despite being a renowned detective, quickly becomes vulnerable and naive in the face of love towards Ling Moy. He also does not have his feelings reciprocated.
    - - mention of the Boxer Rebellion right at the beginning of the movie, painting Fu Manchu as a violent Chinese nationalist
        
        Fu Manchu, Ling Moy, and all of their henchmen are violent Chinese villains trying to kill a white family. Ling Moy was not evil until she met her father.
      - Caveat at the beginning of the movie that clarifies that while Fu Manchu is after the Petries for killing family members, the Petries did not actually kill anyone and are completely innocent!
      - Ah Kee, the Chinese character closely associated with the Western world, is also unproblematic! His only problem is that he loved the villain and died because of it.
      - Yellow Peril cont: In the Cheat, Arakau is the primary villain. After making violent advances towards Edith, he proceeds to brand her, similar to the destruction of beauty seen by Ling Moy towards Joan.
        
        In The Cheat, Arakau feeds into the stereotype of Asian men being villains, leading to the social order of Asian men being valued less because of the inherent danger that comes with them.
        
        The Other Question by Bhahba explores the concept of fixity and the idea of an unchanging social order. It looks at this in relation to stereotypes that characters play into
  - - - After Edith is branded, it is other white characters that come to save her from the sole Asian character.
      - After the public finds out what Arakau did to Edith during the trial, a public lynching ensues in the court room, "avenging" Edith -- mob justice.
      - Robert, a white american man, comes to Hong Kong and becomes infatuated with Suzie Wong. After establishing a relationship with her, he "saves" her from the world of prostitution, the mourning of her son, and from Hong Kong in general by bringing her to America.
        
        Robert saves her from the white sailor that attacks her.
  - - - Every Asian woman in the film that we see is a sex worker. They take advantage of the hyper sexualization they face from white sailors
        
        In Recuperating Suzie Wong, Feng describes the film as a "classic racist, sexist text" that enforces stereotypes about the Chinese population: the women are prostitutes, the men are asexual, the women enjoy being beat, and the women need saving. Feng argues that some of these moments are moments of rupture of Suzie trying to break out of the world/mold that is around her. I personally have trouble understanding this viewpoint, but I do appreciate that Feng did not shy away from explaining why the film is problematic.
      - Violence and Sexism: Suzie brags to her friends that Robert hits her and instead of being upset, they are all jealous, showing the normalization of violence against women
        
        When Suzie attempts to Westernize herself, Robert assaults her and removes her clothing, telling her she looks like a "cheap Euro street worker"
        
        The men in the movie, who are mostly sailors, assault the women when they do not get what they want. Suzie was a victim of this.
    - - Scene where Robert walks through the street: shows the locals in ways that make them look lazy and filthy. Robert grimaces at the sight of some of the things in the market.
      - At the end of the movie, Robert brings Suzie to the United States for a "better life." They are not able to establish a home in China and must instead leave it behind to make a home of their own in the US
      - Degradation of the Asian women, especially Suzie, makes them appear as in need of help. The Western woman in the movie is rich and well off, but the Asian women are all sex workers. Suzie Wong specifically is painted as naive, almost like a child.
- - - - First cast we have seen with all Asian actors!!
    - - Model minority myth
        
        The Asian characters in the movie, for the most part, are portrayed as smart and studios. The first crime they partake in is sharing test answers, which when it comes down to it, is not horrible and is still connected to academics. Kinda ironic that they would get involved in a crime and that crime would be related to school
        
        They do go against this stereotype in the end when they turn to serious crime, but is that really a better alternative? This obviously is not a positive representation, which many people think the model minority myth is a positive representation
        
        In some ways, the characters in Better Luck Tomorrow end up shifting the narrative from model minority to yellow peril. We watch as they slowly start to abandon their academics in favor of a life of crime and violence, showing that even "positive" representations of Asian characters aren't safe
      - hyper sexualization of women:
        
        Stephanie portrayed as a cheerleader who is only there to be an object of affection for the men. Most of the movie follows Ben trying to win Stephanie over from Steve, her current boyfriend.
        
        Not necessarily true, as we eventually see that Stephanie is her own character with ambitions of her own. She works hard as a student and dreams of being a cop, but her purpose in the movie is reduced by the men who are the main focus of the movie
        
        in Straight Jacket Sexualities, Shimizu points out the complexities of the characters in Better Luck Tomorrow. Despite Stephanie being painted as hypersexual by her male classmates, the film also recognizes that she is an "empowered sexual woman" when the rest of her character is taken into account. The men, on the other hand, aren't as empowered. Ben turns to violence because he feels emasculated by Stephanie's boyfriend.
        
        The guys watch a pornographic film with an Asian woman as the lead and convince themselves that it is Stephanie. I'm not sure whether or not we are supposed to be convinced that it's her, but it's worth noting that I am not. I have no faith in these boys and I think it's foul that they would think its her.
      - De-masculinization of Asian men:
        
        Before "getting" Stephanie, Ben's primary focus is his academics. While he has a crush on Stephanie, he is weak in comparison to Steve and is less overtly masculine. It's not until he starts to get involved in a life of crime and become more masculine that he is able to get Stephanie.
    - - We see Steve as one of the first people to go against the stereotype of the Asian man not being able to get the girl. He has the girl, and on top of that, is portrayed as overtly sexual, cheating on his girlfriend and having no regard for her feeelings.
      - Relationships/Bad ending: We see the main Asian characters end up together, but again, is it happy? Stephanie moves on from Steve, but she also has zero clue that he's been killed.
- - - - The crimes that Han were involved in were not small, petty crimes. He was involved in serious, scary crimes that involved drugs and human trafficking, something that would inevitably paint Asian characters in a bad light
      - Han, the main villain, exhibits parallels with characters like Fu Manchu. He is often seen in traditional Chinese clothing and has the same "mysterious" characteristics that Fu Manchu had
      - Despite having an Asian protagonist, the film does not shy away from creating a villain that is heavily based in ideals from yellow peril
    - - Tania, the white woman, is one of the first times we have seen a white woman as a villain. Not only is she working for Han, but she is also helping to traffic young girls.
      - Women are hypersexualized because they are all shown to be sex workers. While Tania may not be one herself, she is quick to offer herself to one of the characters.
      - The women in the movie are all victims of sex trafficking, with the exception of Mei Ling and Tania. Mei Ling is the only woman in the movie who is not a victim nor a villain, but we don't get to see much of her work as an agent, disempowering her.
    - - in contrast, Roper and Williams, who are white and Black resptively, are portrayed as sexual characters who are able to hook up with women
        
        Most diverse movie we have seen thus far in terms of the cast. The three main protagonists are all different races: white, Black, and Asian. Despite there being some pitfalls in the representation, it was refreshing to see the three men working together despite differences when I would've expected otherwise given the other movies we have watched up until now.
        
        In Buruce Lee and the Anti-Imperialism of Kung Fu, Prashad makes a case for Bruce Lee's work being an example of polyculturalism, an "antiracist ethos that destabilizes the pretense of superiority put in place by white supremacy." We see this clearly in Enter the Dragon through the friendship we see between Lee, Roper, and Williams, who all join together to fight Han.
      - Bruce and Mei Ling do not end up together despite my initial impression that they definitely would. While in some ways it is nice to see a man and a woman who stay friends, it also contributes to Asian men not being able to get the girl
      - Lee, the Asian protagonist, is given the option to choose from a group of girls. While he does end up choosing one, nothing happens