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James Nguyen's Coggle Map - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Viet Kieu: term for Vietnamese people outside of the homeland. Vietnamese in the homeland separate those who left and/ or grew up outside of Vietnam and make that distinction in politics, media, and when they visit the home country
      - 9:57-10:05: "Viet Kieu is the special mixture between the old country and new vanguard." I really resonate with this statement because as a Viet Kieu myself, I see how different Vietnamese enclaves behave. Many native Vietnamese lump Viet Kieu as American and non American, but each region can be very different. For example, the Vietnamese community in the VA area is much different from the one in California, Texas, and Louisianna, not even including the communities in Australia and Western Europe.
      - As someone who also grew up Paris by Night,I felt like this film did a good job capturing its sillyness and awkwardness. It was interesting to talk about the Asian American diaspora in a medium that can be considered part of the Vietnamese diaspora.
- - - - Sexualization of Asian Women
        
        Anna May Wong's love life and sexual orientation were constantly a focus of her fame. Both Western and Eastern audiences viewed her sexuality as a point of interest.
        
        9/22 - "The World of Suzie Wong"
        
        Suzie Wong's sexual and ethnic identity are emphasized in this film. She is not just the romantic interest but is portrayed as a sexual object (both as a prostitute and Robert's muse). Her character arc revolves around pleasing Robert like paying his rent and ultimately agreeing to marry him.
        
        Similiar to "The Toll of the Sea," Suzie is willing to sacrifice herself for the betterment of her white love interest. She's willing to continue being a sex worker and give up on being a "better version" of herself to support Robert's painting aspirations.
        
        The setting in colonial Hong Kong, where prostitution was common, establishes gender roles for Chinese women. Asian women are generally expected to be pure and submissive, but sex workers were expected to be easy. It's difficult for Suzie to escape her status, and enjoys pretending to be someone she's not, but is ultimately only able to escape it with the help of Robert
        
        9/25 - "Hypersexuality" by Shimuzu
        
        "Bind of Representation:" The experience of viewing/ critiquing the hypersexualization of Asian women as punitive and pleasurable. This form of representation lingers and haunts Asian women in other forms of consumption
        
        Shimuzu asserts that Asian American women cannot engage in representation or expressing their identity without being confronted with hypersexualization. Much of Asian American history saw Asian women entering the US in a sexualized context (such as Chinese prostitutes, Japanese picture brides, Korean war brides, etc.).
        
        Simply categorizing sex/ sexualization as a form of representation that is dangerous can be regressive. Perhaps it can be reclaimed and be used as a form of expression for minority communities
        
        If we simply ignore the concepts of sex and Asian American women together, it ignores how sex can be used to express pleasure, trauma, creativity, etc (Shimizu 19). Sex can be used in a dangerous manner to degrade Asian women, but it must also be acknowledged as well
    - - In "The Cheat," Arakau's den heightens the exoticness of his identity. His lair is dark, there is constantly smoke from incense, and he has a variety of exotic trinkets that serves to highlight how different he is from the white protagonists
      - Edith's independence can be initially seen as female perseverance in a patriarchy. She's intentional with what she wants and goes behind her husband's back to fix her family's finances (albeit to finance her shopping habits). However, her failure and gulibility ends up hurting her and could be a message from the filmmakers that women should not have the agency to make such important decisions
      - Arakau's sexual appeal is a double edged sword. On one hand, his good looks draws in white women who are allured by his exotic featues (similiar to how Asian women are sexualized), but his appeal can also be seen as a threat to white men (considering Arakau uses his charm to exploit Edith).
      - Justice is ultimately "served" when Edith shows her branding and the angry white mob attempts to lynch Arakau (51:30-53:00). At the time, this would probably be an appropriate response to protect white purity and punish minorities that stepped out of line, but from a modern lens, it's disturbing how spontaneous and carefree it could be to kill a minority
    - - Nuances of Asian culture are exaggerated in "Daughter of the Dragon" which makes it easier to see Lin Moy and her Asian collaborators as villains. They communicate with the bang of a gong, a dragon is used as a symbol constantly throughout the movie, and rituals such as praying and respecting honor are emphasized. Also, at the beginning of the movie, Petrie verbatim highlights Lin Moy's exoticness.
      - Being Cunning
        
        Fu Manchu and Lin Moy have power over the white protagonists because of their cunning and deceptiveness. They craft elaborate plans that always puts them one step ahead of the white detectives. Interestingly, Ah Kee, the Asian detective is one of the main characters to foil Lin Moy's plan - creating a representation for Asian men that is strong, attractive, and competent. Perhaps this trope of Asians relying on their wits for strength contributed to the formation of the model minority stereotype.
      - One of the readings state that one of the reasons why Anna May Wong was able to thrive in the transition to sound cinema was because she practiced with tutors to perfect her English accent while Sesue Hayakawa wasn't able to do the same
      - Ah Kee is a tragic lover to Lin Moy. It's obvious that he's infatuated with her and it's obvious that her heart is set on Ronald Petrie. His heart is exploited by Lin Moy and his loyalty is exploited by Scottland Yard as Ah Kee ultimately saves the day by sacrificing himself and his love to enact justice. Despite Ah Kee being a capable and handsome character, he is still unable to win over the white man for the love of Lin Moy. His unquestionable service and dedication to Scottland Yard also serves to put Asians in a box as submissive and efficient workers - like a machine
    - - The stigmatization of interracial relationships is normalized. Allen's group of friends persuade him not to bring back Lotus Flower because she's so different from Western women (12:30-13:00). They don't believe that a white man can truly love an Asian woman and Allen himself seems unsure that he loves her. This can show that even if a love seems pure in a story, interracial relationships will fail because they aren't natrual
      - White Dominance
        
        Lotus Flower is ultimately at the whim of Allen. Her aspirations and mood is dependent on how her relationship with Allen is going. She sacrifices her own life for the longevity of Allen's happiness
      - 7:10-7:35: America is portrayed as a paradise. Allen asks Lotus Flower to go to America and she says she heard it's a land of freedom and a place where women can spend all their husband's money. This serves two purposes: portray Allen as the white savior who will civilize the exotic Lotus Flower and portray Asian women as naive and materialistic
      - Lotus Flower raises her son by herself for years and speaks nothing but praises of Allen and America. However, when Allen returns, Lotus Flower decides to sacrifice herself and her culture for the happiness of her son and Allen's marriage. Her son dons Western clothes and is delighted to live with his father. The function of this and Lotus Flower's suicide is to make the story tragic, but in the grand scheme of things, it asserts that American culture is more dominant and desirable.
    - - Techno orientalism
    - - The earliest representations of Asians and Yellowface can be traced back to Europe, especially to represent Muslims, Chinese, and Mongols.Their non white features were exaggerated to dehumanize them for amusement and political reasons. These depictions were often accompanied by exotic instruments and trinkets (Lee 1). This reminds me of Yellow Peril where the fear of the orient led to racist depictions in popular culture and media. Perhaps the East will always be a natural foil to the West since these depictions persisted for centuries and still linger to this day
      - Lee defines the Exclusion Era from 1862 to 1940, the Anti Coolie Act of 1862 and the unraveling of WW2 (Lee 6). The use of technology to portray Asians with yellowface improved significantly. It was normal to discriminate against and lynch Chinese immigrants and the proliferation of yellow face and films/ plays that used yellow face and portrayed Asians in a negaticve light soared during this Exclusion Era. In history, we learn about the marvels of technology that advanced America's prominence on the world stage, but technological advancement also led to more ways to discriminate more effectively (yellowface, colored film, etc).
      - Lee introduces the Greek word techne and is used as a term for skill and manufacturing, an artistic endeavor (Lee 11). She uses this term to link technology to yellowface and gives examples of how advanced racism became. I find it a bit amusing that when given access to new materials and resources, white cinema found more accurate and innovative ways to be racist. This helped their agenda by depriving Asian Americans from rolls in Hollywood as well as giving them flexibility to create more racist narratives
  - - - Historically, Asian American male heterosexuality was discouraged in the US. In the context of film, rivalries over romance are often at the expense of Asian characters, especially in older films where orientalness was more stigmatized. Remembering "Daughter of the Dragon," Ah Kee is ultimately unable to win the heart of Lin Moy and sacrifices himself and his love for the sake of the white establishment.
      - Some independent Asian American male filmmakers are trying to break out of the binary constraints of "strong" or "weak" as a theme of their work. Having films where Asian American men are just normal characters who happen to be Asian American are very liberating: they aren't offensive stereotypes or are struggling to prove offensive stereotypes wrong.
      - In Columbia and Cornell studies, Asian American men ranked at the bottom of the list of several minority groups (Shimizu 126). Scholars discuss this lack of desirability and how it creates a sort of resentment towards white men and Asian American women couples.
      - Movies teach average Americans how to love and be loved. Thus, our decisions regarding Asian Americans are influenced by our representation
- - - - Changez's character offers a critique on American capitalism. Even though he loves America, he becomes disillusioned working on Wall Street since his firm prioritizes wealth and exploitation over artistic merit.
      - Changez initially embodies the ideal model minority: an ivy league education and a lucrative job on Wall Street. He gets into a relationship with a white women and associates with the wealthy. However, his minority status is radically flipped after 9/11 and explores his Pakistani identity more. This shows that the model minority myth and its benefits are conditional, and its conditions are set by white society. Changez's polished Wall Street demeanor is easily and literally stripped away in the airport when he's forced to a strip search and anal cavity search (53:00-54:00). The viewer are forced to decide who they believe: Bobby and the West, or Changez and the marginalized groups.
      - 43:00 - 45:15: In this scene, two separate narratives are presented on the same event (Changez teaching a course of violent revolutions and meeting a member of a terrorist organization). Bobby cherry picks certain pieces of information to paint Changez in a certain light, that being a violent extremist, while Changez explains that the reality of the situation was much more tame. He also rebuttles by saying violent revolution courses are taught at Duke but those professors aren't terrorists. Changez calls out Bobby on his double standards which is a reflection of brown peril
      - It was interesting that despite the film depicting a Pakistani man's plight, the movie was directed by an Indian woman and Changez was played by a British man. Despite there being historical conflict between Indians and Pakistanis, the dangers of brown peril presents an opportunity for unity and amendment between these two groups in the face of discrimination.
- - - - Third Cinema: leftist oriented films in third world countries in the wake of WW2 and the Cold War. Typically follows anticolonial themes. Unaligned with US led first world and Soviet led second world. Rather, they fuse elements from different forms of cinema to break down formal heirarchies and processes of typical studios and are able to more accurately capture the messages they want to convey (Mimura 32).
      - Third world cinema is not bounded by geopgrahy or a rigid set of thematic characteristics. Any story can be taken up by third cinema. Whereas First Cinema, like Hollywood, typically prioritizes profits, and Second cinema, from the Soviet aligned countries, typically concerns itself thought provoking questions and aestheticness, Third cinema is a more politicized product and can represent a class consciousness and their struggles
        
        First cinema has access of formal production and distribution companies, second cinema are more associated with independent cinema studios that challenges the main ones but are still constrained by the existing system, while third cinema are truly meant to challenge political/ societal issues and are truly independent
    - - Life as a refugee is rotted in capitalism, ethnicity, and gender. Le compares her life to being an indentured servant. She felt cheated and exploited when first experiencing capitalism and came to the realization that companies do not care about their workers. The reality is that many refugees do not come to embrace the American dream and are instead condemned to the working poor class which has come to be associated with the term "refugee."
      - Refugeetude: the coming into consciousness of the state of being a refugee. It is not a temporary state nor a necessarially negative thing, more as an experience that takes shape under the context of capitalism and removal from ones country.
      - One does not simply take off the label of "refugee." The term itself is an umbrella term that does not take into account the wide variety of circumstances that these displaced persons endure. They are often overlooked for physical and legal protection.
    - - Ny finds community with other Asian Americans. They gamble and drive through the city. Although this isn't a "productive" activity that's associated with Asians, they're united in their friendship and experiences despite of their different ethnicities.
      - Opposite of the model minority myth. The state of Asian American youths from families of refugees are more along the life that the boys in "Better Luck Tomorrow" wanted to adopt. Ny thinks about buying a weapon not to seem cooler but because him and his family are in genuine danger.
      - In Asian American cultures, it isn't very common to talk through problems. This personalized documentary style allows us to view a grounded perspective of an Asian American youth outside the touch of the benefits of the model minority stereotype. They don't know who to talk about their problems to: their parents don't understand and their teachers have no sympathy (40:00)
      - Ny was torn between whether or not to call the police when kids threw a brick through his window. He's afraid to call the police out of fear of retaliation but goes ahead and takes a risk. They ultimately never come. He resents the inefficiency of the government but is forced to rely on it 11:26
      - When Ny talks about his father, he speaks with distant remorse. He acknowledges his father's sacrifice but says that no one really thinks about him anymore. I also thought it was interesting that Ny refers to his life in America as "surviving" in America rather than living in America. As a refugee, the conflict isn't really over for him - especially since the projects he lives in are very violent (7:10).
      - Ny thinks
    - - I feel like this movie incorporates some Asian American stereotypes as well as disproves them - the most obvious one being the drive for success and disapproval of elders. Wil is a successful surgeon and her mother wants to set her up with a successful businessman (2:50). However, what makes this film appeal more to the Asian diaspora rather than just the model minority myth is how flawed the characters are. Homosexuality, "non productive" careers like dancing, and children born out of wedlock are taboo in Asian culture and contrast the picturesque and proper lives that society expects Asian Americans to follow. However, all of the characters in this film are inherently flawed in some way which shatters the illusion of perfection
      - I really enjoyed how the mother was a critical part of this story. In many Asian American focused stories, parental trauma is a focal conflict for the character and even though Wil faces some conflict with her mother, we see that her mother is ultimately human too. One thing that more recent and successful Asian Amercian stories have done is flesh out the characters of Asian parents. We blame our parents for forcing the model minority myth on us, but once we see what they struggle through, we can begin to forgive them and try to break the cycle of trauma.
        
        We see Wil's grandfather give a similar scolding to her mother about wasting their sacrifices that Wil's mother gave her (18:50). Her grandfather says that he sacrifced a lot to bring the family to America and if he knew how she'd turn out, he would have left Hwei Lan. This is very similar to what Hwei Lan said to Wil and how she should've not given birth if she knew Wil would be so ungrateful.
      - SImilar to Daughter of the Dragon, shame and familial honor plays a critical role in this movie. It influences many of the characters' actions since they want to behave honorably for their family. however when Hwei Lan calls off her wedding for the younger man she truly loves (1:20:00) and when Wil finally kisses Vivian in public (1:30:00), it shows the characters finally breaking out of the restrictions of honor and allowing themselves to truly be happy. This is the biggest attack on the model minority myth
    - - Seshagiri explores the phenomenon that came up after Mira Nair directed and released Mississippi Masala. South Asian women gained more prominence as directors and South Asian themed movies were no longer just anti colonial focused - rather they tackled diversity and assimilating into new cultures, making "diversity irresistible."
      - Indo American and Indo British films focus on hard topics facing the South Asian diaspora such as interracial relationships, immigration, and misogyny among others, but also present them in quirky and fun packages as to make the films digestible for wider audiences.
      - These more recent films see South Asians further away from the Inian subcontinent. They reveal that "exile and marginality are no longer compulsory" for South Asians and that they find community and "home" in their new environments.
      - 11/4 - Mississippi Masala
        
        The transition from the opening of the movie to the opening credits to the flash forward was well done.The opening scene portrayed Mina's family fleeing from Uganada amidst conflict. The opening credits follows a map that eventually lands in Mississippi, and the following scene is Mina grown up in Mississippi. There was at least a decade of assimilation and context after the opening scene but making it off screen signifies that the focus of the story is on Mina's life as an American citizen, not a struggling immigrant (2:00- 16:00)
        
        (38:00-39:20). Pontiac makes fun of Jay for being a "champion of blacks" in Uganda only for them to kick him out. The film explores the post colonial racial divides between former British subjects and their new conflicts in the West. This relates to Seshagiri's exploration of the fallout of two different imperial nations (America and Britain).
        
        Relationships in Asian American cultures are intended to be homogenous. Interracial and different sex relationships are tabboo and are often met with criticism in their communities. The stigma that Mina and Demetrius face is similar to what Wil experinces in Saving Face. In a way, the struggle for romance between Mina and Demetrius is a direct attack on this interracial stigma as well as the Ugandan caste system
        
        Asian American films often focus on conflicts with white society. However, this film explores intercultural and cross cultural discrimination. Mina's darker skin tone is a source of discrimination within the Indian community (1:23:00) and is seen as an outsider to Demetrius's community. Despite facing similar discrimination, Mina and Demetrius's communities cannot except the other due to existing conflicts based on skin color. The end sees them leave home to pursue their love together - but is that really a win if their communities never actually accept them?
        
        1:35:00. A central theme that is brought up multiple times is that Africa is for Africans and that Jay and his family were not welcome. Jay has an attachment to Uganda and thinks his life's purpose is to return to his home. He doesn't have love for America, but ironically, when he does succeed in returning to Uganda, he finds that he doesn't find his sense of home that he thought he would. He finds that his real home is with his family and desires to return to America. I also thought that it was interesting that in the scene where Kinnu is reading his letter, Delta blues is playing in the background which originated in the Mississippi Delta - symbolizing that his peace belongs in Mississippi with his family. Blues music was also an African American response to slavery and their diaspora in the South.
      - Seshagiri examines the change of perception of South Asians from colonial citizens to American immigrants (Seshagiri 8). In class, we examine how the 1965 immigration act affected East and South East Asians, but South Asians were also included and absorbed into the model minority stereotype. The early depictions of South Asians either manipulated them for their Eastern "hippie" culture or used as comical relief. Even today, tropes of Indian mysticism and jokes about their differences make their way into mainstream media/ culture.
    - - 11/13 - It Lives Inside
        
        This film reminds me of Saving Face and Mississippi Masala in the way that the director utilizes a specific movie genre to get a message across in a more paletable form for Western audiences. With this movie, typical horror movie tropes are utilized while combining themes of Asian American assimilation, cultural clashes, interracial relationships, and internal struggles. Non south Asian audiences can enjoy this movie at face value and still come to terms with the same conclusions that the director wants to portray.
    - - 11/15 - Everything Everywhere All at Once
        
        Deidre is an interesting character that serves as one of the main antagonists but also grows as a character alongside Evelyn. She represents the intimidating bureaucrat that exploits the family with her big words (16:31-17:40) but ultimately shares a tender moment with Evelyn across multiple universes (1:51:11-1:53:13). This could represent Evelyn's acceptance of Western society and open herself to be more understanding and compassionate like Waymond.
        
        Jobu Tupaki/ Joy being the main villain contributes to the generational conflict. Jobu was created because the alphaverse Evelyn forced her to push past her limits. However, her motivations are ultimately to kill herself because she believes that nothing matters. Many of the films that we cover in class address the model minority myth, but this film takes a creative approach at identifying one of the root cases: intergeneratinal conflict. Asian parents have the right intentions by forcing their children to succeed, but pushing them too far is a common phenomenon that leads to further conflict.
        
        When things seem hopeless, it takes Evelyn accepting the flaws in herself and her daughter to save Jobu. Evelyn confesses her love to her daughter despite her flaws (2:06:00-2:07:37) and pulls her from the bagel with Waymond and Gong Gong. I thought it was powerful to show Gong Gong attempting to save Jobu as well since he showed no hesitation to kill Joy earlier in the film and is seen as a cold character. Three generations are united in this scene and learn to coexist with each other. I think that this is a great end to an Asian American movie since many of us wish that our generations could truly understand each other and accept each others flaws.
        
        The verse jumping gimmick was interesting. It allows the user to gain the skills of other universes but the user must not be engrossed in their alternate lives. The main Evelyn is also the most successful because she has so much wasted potential. I believe that this is a warning to Asian Americans who get engrossed in "what could have been" instead of appreciating the mundane
- - - - Working amongst auto workers and union members in a city without many other Asians, Zia discovered that real Americans faced the same hardships under capitalism
      - The oil shortage in the 70s and the rise of cheap, fuel efficient Japanese cars made the Japanese the public enemy for American auto workers. It became "dangerous" to have an Asian face and drive a Japanese car
      - Vincent Chin was murdered, representing a tipping point in anti Asian discrimination in Detroit. The two culprits didn't go to jail and created outrage in the Asian American population. However, since the Asian American population in Detroit was miniscule and unorganized, they felt like they weren't supported or strong enough to protest
        
        10/16 - Who Killed Vincent Chin
        
        The film follows multiple narratives from different perspects to paint a broader picture about the impacts of Vincent Chin's death (his family, his community, and his country). However, the format is more of a traditional documentary style that we're accustomed to rather than experimental like Tajiri's film. I don't think an experimental film format would have done this story justice since such a controversial and outrageous incident should, and was rightfuly, presented seriously as to make sure everyone who viewed it got the message.
        
        There were many first hand accounts of the murder. The African American witnesses seemd a bit nonchalant about the incident and the white culprits and neighbors made it seem like it was an accident and that Chin started it (4:24). The can't beleive that someone like Ronald Ebens could kill someone. They discuss his outstanding character and work ethic but never acknowledge Vincent who is ultimately the one who is dead.
        
        The culprits didn't feel remorse and praised the justice system. Asian Americans are a "model minority" used by white people until they become an inconvenience. Vincent Chin's life was ended in what was deemed as "an accident" by men that the white court system could sympathize more with (1:17:00)
        
        The witnesses (like the dancers and the police officers) were shocked that they weren't called to the trial. The fact that two police officers were at the crime and 1. the culprits felt emboldened to kill Vincent Chin and 2. weren't even called to the trial as witnesses, showed a clear disregard for fairness in the justice system by the courts and white men
        
        Was a point of unity for many Asian Americans. Groups mobilized for justice and different Asian ethnic groups began feeling a Pan Asian American identity
        
        THe ACJ was founded and garnered a lot of support, including different minority groups.
      - Asian Americans mobilized in response to the murder, piecing together different community groups. However, they received backlash from other minorites who questioned their outspokeness and from whites (including liberals) who said that the Civil Rights movement didn't apply to Asians since they were considered white
      - Advocacy groups brought the case to retrial but ultimately lost in an unfair trial. However, the first nationally documented case regarded injustice towards Asian Americans mobilized more groups to form and inspired younger folks to join the movement