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Asian Americans in Film - Coggle Diagram
Asian Americans in Film
Film
09/04: Political implications of representation in films and how it links to cultural belonging for Asian Americans, as they seek to be properly represented in a system formulated due to a sense of nationalism where everyone is equal
09/04: Explores how Asian Americans are represented in film within and outside of Asian American Cinema, and understanding how these portrayals have led to reframing stereotypes and pivoting narratives to be more accurate.
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09/04: "Representation is not positive or negative, but is always in relation to power." This quote within the context of Asian American films gives context to earlier representations and highlights the progress to movies today. How Asians are portrayed in early films and how they are now, with more autonomy and emotions/problems that are experienced by everyone, hints at more racial equality or cultural citizenship in modern day movies.
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The Other Question
09/06: Explains that to understand colonial discourse, you have to be able separate from the idea of categorizing what is right and wrong and instead understand how effective each stereotype is. Looking at each comment from the lens of the perpetrator and the subject, and understanding positions of power, circumstances and relationships helps create an understanding of "why" rather than "correct and incorrect"
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09/06: This is interesting to me because the effectiveness of a stereotype allows us to understand power dynamics and ways of thinking that are separate from our circumstances. Especially for movies that are much older than us, we can begin to understand the effect of these stereotypes by looking into the context of these movies and who made them
09/06: Philosophy is all about approaches and perspectives, which can be really useful in deconstructing stereotypes within movies. Especially because the experiences of Asian Americans span so vastly, we can begin to understand situations separate from our own and while it may seem like undertaking or supporting these representations, it puts us into the shoes of people who may really think this way and help us understand why.
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The Cheat
18:23 - Arakau shows Edith the stamp he uses and says "that means it belongs to me", alluding to the generalization of Asian men being very traditional and how they like submissive women
27:40 - Arakau is painted as very stern, strict and lustful while Edith is fearful of his aggression
32:31 - The scene where he tries to assault Edith contributes to a common theme amongst movies with Asian characters, as they try to fearmonger off of what people don't know about their "exoticness"
Fearmongering of Asian otherness by playing into harmful stereotypes including Asians being lustful and possessive through aggression (mirroring political decisions by Asian countries and the perspectives on them)
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Making Movie Magic
09/09: Movies provide individuals with a subconscious learning experience while also creating a space to talk about race, sex, culture and many other aspects of life that are generally hard to understand if its not your identity
09/09: Accurate representation of characters is not limited to the person's relatability to them, but transcends race by corroborating experiences, perspectives and politics
09/09: Hooks describes how movies have the power to reimagine life and help us experience something that is separate from life. Even if it's not the intention of the director, by thinking critically about movies and its content, we can understand ideas separate from how our lives may be
The Toll of the Sea
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51:15: The idea of giving up her son to the American mother because he would've had a "better life" perpetuates the idea that Americans (specifically white Americans in this case) are above and subconsciously creates this hierarchy and paints Lotus Flower to be subservient
The white savior complex and how Asians revolve around Americanness. The movie also emphasizes how Asian women are subservient, exotic and ultimately disposable, which plays into the idea that Americans are above Asians.
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Lotus Flower's character centers on ideas of white saviors and how being American is the standard even in an Asian world. The depiction of such exotic women being obsessed with American men paints Asian women as subservient and foreign objects of interest.
44:25: The use of clothing colors and physical appearances display femininity differently by highlighting different aspects of womanhood for each character. For Lotus, her entire appearance is unconventional but strangely attractive while the wife is feminine but in a familiar way.
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Made Up Asians
09/17: It's interesting how the history and progression of yellowface is not well known because of how normalized it is and how excuses from directors are just accepted, despite how wrong it is. It translates to the diminishing of Asian Americans struggle due to their depictions in film
The normalization of replicating Asian faces (through yellowface/brownface etc.) emphasizes how people see Asians as not human and more of a novelty to progress a story or serve as a cultural figure.
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09/17: The usage of yellowface and the exclusion of Asian representation highlights the history and role of yellowface/whitewashing in creating preconceptions about Asians that are in relation to their power. Without the ability to counter these portrayals, narratives about Asian characters are dominant and accepted widely, with no space for interrogation due to how the system was formed.
09/17: Rather than just serving as a political and technological tool for movies, yellowface was also seen as an artistic method with the ability only within the hands of those who could access it. Instead of trying to mirror reality, they created a new "reality" that focused on making an unnatainable Asian standard that doesn't align with the "real" experiences of Asian people but presents a whole new world of wonder for those digesting
Technology and representation for Asians and how color/culture/experiences are portrayed in newfound ways rather than allowing Asians to represent themselves.
When Dragon Ladies Die
09/22: There are two different approaches to assessing Anna May Wong's representations, one having to with dismantling her characters and understanding the implications behind every depiction. The other focuses on resignifying her characters by acknowledging the wrongness in each portrayal and understanding that there is truthfulness and realness hidden behind these negative layers
Restructuring our approaches to ingesting negative and generalized portrayals of Asian Americans to become more understanding of the context and looking deeply into why and how these portrayals may be accurate/innacurate
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09/22: Rather than focusing on how Anna May Wong's portrayals have enabled these ideas of Asian women to persist, the article highlights how we can restructure this way of thinking to view her roles as a necessary piece in eventually understanding Asian representation.
09/22: Highlighting Wong's outside actions to combat Asian stereotypes opens up a world of thinking that is separate from just trying to dismantle these depictions. We are able to understand the complexity in her character and her progression on-screen as well as off-screen to bring about change in how audiences view Asian characters.
Daughter of the Dragon
3:40: Ling Moy speaks in third person to emulate an "Asian accent" which perpetuates the idea that Asians are foreign and alien, same with the detective's accent
9:40: Fu Manchu is played by a Swedish actor and is wearing "traditional" clothing which demonstrates that he is an Asian character. Points to how Asians are again reduced to their culture and identified as exotic.
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39:24: Utilizes the preference for sons as a central aspect of Ling Moy's dynamic with Fu Manchu and perpetuates the idea that Chinese people only prefer sons over daughters (most likely linked to the one child policy)
1:01:11: Another instance of how the white couple takes precendence over the Asian characters, painting the main character as less than human and reducing to their culture
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Hypersexuality
09/23: The hypersexualization of Asian women is translated into how these Asian characters are painted in a negative light, as the dragon lady idea paints them as seductive and mischevious while the butterfly idea paints women as subservient and passive
09/23: By creating sexual representations that deviate from the norm, it provides the opportunity to redefine what has been normalized about Asian women due to hypersexualization. Rather than ignoring or forgetting the wrongdoings of the past, finding new ways to reimagine what we know can undo the harmful stereotypes and create a new way of thinking for people in the future
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09/23: Giving Asian women autonomy by reframing our thought processes on depictions of sexuality and instead of thinking it is a prompt given to them, thinking of it as a form of sexual expression that could be true to their character. By undoing the box that restricts Asian women into one category, opening up the understanding of character that isn't just stereotypical in nature
Depictions of Asian women that deviate from the norm, but taking these unconventional depictions as real to dismantle stereotypical thinking.
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Introduction
09/23: It's interesting how whitewashing comes in different forms, some more obvious than others, and the implications they have on internalized feelings among many Asian people. The effects are reflected in the more negative side of Asian culture such as colorism, an example of aspects that are heavily integrated and often overlooked.
09/23: Three ways of whitewashing - White representational flexibility before Asians, replacing Asians entirely with White actors, White characters in the center of Asian worlds
09/23: The idea of whitewashing takes colonialist values and repurposes them by making representation a catalyst for White individuals to live their fantasies of understanding Asian's exoticness without taking into account the normalcy and struggles Asian people face.
Whitewashing within these representations that frame Asian American experiences around and through the lens of white Americans.
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The World of Suzie Wong
6:46: The emphasis on her accent and this entire conversation sets the preface for her character. The broken english and her stubborness paint Asians as people who don't understand english but still push for what they want. Including the information about her "rich father" and "being pure until marriage" the opening conversation with the two characters already instills a number of harmful stereotypes
10:00: Saying her name then virgin paints the Asian girl purity narrative that has confined Asian actresses to this day. It gives perspective into how normalized these ideas were back in the day and how blatant they were yet never called out.
14:34: The depictions of Hong Kong with a bustling city but with sections of poor people, along with the inclusion of the hotel owner using something that isn't a calculator juxtaposes the idea that Hong Kong is a rich area. It paints the area in a good light while also maintaining the idea that it is not better than America.
20:40: The movie so far includes scenes of the Asian women diminishing their self worth by saying things like this, "I have no sex appeal because I'm skinny." These planned disses to Asian women by the actresses themselves paints them as unconventionally desirable, mirroring Asian men representation today
Whitewashing by putting a White character in the center of an Asian world, somehow taking upon a white savior role and also alienating Asians in their own space
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42:36: Americanizing Suzie Wong by making her unable to read or write Chinese but speaks with an accent to maintain the otherness of Asians; hierarchy
53:03: The scene of all white people sitting around a table and talking about how different the Chinese are from them builds a misconception that they are the "others", making it really difficult to see similarities and treat Asian people normally because theyre so exotic
1:20:53: "I didn't recognize you" while in American clothing alludes to how Americans diminish Asians to their culture and exoticness
1:24:22: Despite cheating on his wife, because she is Chinese and is "less" than the average American, it is not considered cheating. It is also worse because she is a prostitute, diminishing her value and painting her as less than a normal woman
1:33:33: The movie is starting to take an odd turn with the way it portrays Asian culture within their newfound romantic relationship. By making her wear the empress clothing it alludes to fetishization and I really don't like this
1:52:34: Kate and Robert's conversation about loving Suzie is really interesting because rather than focusing on the age gap they focus on the fact that she's a different race and play at the white savior aspect.
Hypersexualization of Asian women as trophy wives (without the wives part) that paints women as exotic and unimaginable without their culture
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Countervisions
09/29: The idea that Robert doesn't see Suzie past her race and then her job is very apparent through the way he treats her based on what she's wearing or what she's doing. The hierarchy they have is a representation of how people see many Asian women, since they are seen as submissive but intriguing.
09/29: The idea of pleasure and the blur of the line between assault/consent really hints at the idea that because Asian women are reduced to their exoticness and are hypersexualized that they are seen as less than human
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09/29: Suzie's actions within the movie do more than just display her character, but provide a reflection for some people on Asian morality and standards that may be prevalent within Asian culture. These depictions allow people to adhere to their pleasures without conforming to ideas that highlight Asian people, especially during this time of conflict
09/29: The author highlights how instead of the film being seen as a negative depiction of Asian culture and women, it serves as a middle ground for both racists and anti-racists to find pleasure within the scenes. From Suzie's occupation as a prostitute being normal within this Oriental world, as well as Robert's disdain for typical American women, this middle ground is seen as an opportunity for people to converse, whether through hatred or acceptance.
Enter the Dragon
8:!4: The Asian characters utilize very riddle-like speech and adhere to the wise and intelligent Asian stereotype. Despite martial arts having a similar way of thinking in the real world, the movie exaggerates how much honor and respect play a part in Asian culture, creating a stereotype for how regular people act
17:44: This scene of the MC's sister displays Asians in a more positive light (with cool martial arts skills) however the objectification of Asian women still applies even by Asian men
43:14: The objectification of Asian women is very prevalent in this movie, making them concubines or oversexualized. Women are also used as a plot device rather than as actual characters who function on their own without men. It's interesting how for this scene the only white man picks the white woman for a "fun" night.
Bruce Lee is also painted as uninterested in women as shown through how he doesn't engage with the women presented to him. The lack of attraction creates a preconception that Asian men are undesirable and focused on their personal lives like work/study/morals.
1:15:23: The black man is killed and the white man is offered good treatment by the main villain despite them both being martial artists. They even offer the white guy to be a representative which really mirrors how each race is envisioned during this time period
White characters placed within the Asian world receive plot armor while other Asian characters and people of color receive the brunt of all suffering
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Asian men portrayals and the overexaggeration of traits that are seen as specific to Asian men (ex. lack of romantic/sexual interest, model minority, kung fu)
Asian representation is more positive but still places them as otherworldly, with abnormal physical strength and culture extremely different from what people are used to.
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Better Luck Tomorrow
14:30: The Asian characters both perpetuate and poke fun at typical Asian stereotypes such as being overachievers and being short. In a way, this use of dark humor humanizes Asian characters to seem more like people in comparison to older portrayals
17:30: This interview reflects the Asian American experience not only because of how Ben was picked as the token Asian, but also because of how he does what he's told with the intention of maintaining order. This is a subconscious way of thinking a lot of Asian people have that stems from the culture, and this simple interaction really reflects how Asian people often do what they need to or what they're told because that's how it's supposed to be
33:40: Even though this movie humanizes Asian men by giving them romantic feelings, they still maintain the hypersexualized sentiment for Asian women with Stephanie's movie
43:04: Them having a power trip over controlling scams alludes to the Asian American experience with always feeling like they have to suppress their emotions. Overachieving and maintaining a perfect image ends up coming out in ways that are less than ideal
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History and Memory
6:00: They recreate images and scenes of Japanese individuals to portray a negative image of their war crimes, kind of disregarding accuracy in exchange for a depiction of the Japanese that aligns with the narrative
15:54 - It's interesting how the text says it's "necessary" to relocate Japanese people, which contributes to the eerie feeling of the documentary and how Japanese people were dehumanized
30:00 - The format of the documentary is not traditional and cuts off randomly while also compiling sudden sounds and images. This reflects the way the memories fade and show up, making the experience of remembering and watching very jarring
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Third Cinema
10/15: First cinema is content by studio systems like Hollywood, Bollywood etc., second cinema is independent or artistic cinema, third cinema is a political project
10/15: To sum, despite the intentions and choices of these independent filmmakers and individual artists, the systems in which they create have the power to intervene and transform the content during production, especially if it doesn't align with what they believe
10/15: By not limiting Third Cinema to the idea of Third world countries, we open up the narrative to be people-centric and all encompassing. This structure allows people to have a wider understanding of people even if they portray in a certain way, and flip the narrative to understand the complexity of experiences many Asian Americans face.
Third Cinema movies and how they mirror the experiences of overlooked Asian Americans through unconventional displays of trauma, struggle and circumstances that don't conform to the norm.
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SF International Hotel
10/18: "A victory of profits over human rights" -- it's interesting how even in a time of turmoil it leads to opportunities to strengthen existing communities. I feel like this is reflected in the way Asians are portrayed in the media, as many of the representations are a product or response to stereotypes that bring people together
10/18: This entire article feels like a reflection of representation/history and how these fights for identity span across generations. The want to create a solid and true identity is timeless and brings together people of all gender, ages and races.
10/18: The author reminds us that not all setbacks are negative, but are also an opportunity to recover history and celebrate each contribution, whether good or bad. Even though the author focuses on the impact of Filipino Americans in San Francisco, this is just one piece of a fight for change across all Asian Americans.
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A.K.A Don Bonus
5:50: Already, the documentary sets up a perception of Southeast Asians that differs drastically from what we usually know and see through old and new representations. Despite people in Asia falling under the umbrella term of Asian, Sokly portrays how his experiences set him up in a way that differs drastically from many of the East Asian portrayals commonly seen. With escaping war, living in an unsafe community and having a different culture growing up, there are more differences than people realize.
19:46: Even being immigrants coming to America after the Khmer Rouge and trying to make a living out of nothing, the system and poverty in the community still makes it difficult to do well. It gives perspective into why a lot of Cambodian people have such a drastic culture difference due to the situations in which they're forced into.
28:50: Sokly crying about not having a great relationship with his brother is really reflective of how the culture for Cambodian men is. Growing up having to take care of their extensive families creates trauma that not a lot of Cambodian men are able to face/get past.
46:30: Despite having different experiences and ways of growing up, Asian Americans in the movie have a sense of comradery due to being Asian.
Unconventional Asian American representations and highlighting the struggles as a result of poverty, stereotypes and culture
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Refugeetude
10/18: Refugees are being forced into a system that doesn't make being well off an easy task. It centers around capitalism and forces adaptation from the get-go, making it extremely difficult for people who cannot prioritize or do not have the knowledge of how to work the system.
10/18: The idea of refugeetude or refugeeness states that refugees don't stop being refugees once they are settled, but the experiences they faced as a refugee become prevalent in their way of living. It's a type of fight or flight that forces people into believing they must find a way out or seek refuge, but in a quick way that provides large results. However, capitalism doesn't encourage big results after lots of hard work and this mindset is not well understood by many refugees. You can do everything right and still be wrong
Understanding how the refugee experience seeps into the mindsets of many refugees but does not completely translate when faced with a different culture. The magnitude of being a refugee doesn't only exist within the name, but creates a living that exists within the in-between of culture, community and socioeconomic status
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10/18: The idea of expanding the definition of refugees brings a better understanding of the refugee experience rather than resorting to the legal definition. By destabilizing the definition to mirror the experience, we are able to get a grasp of these circumstances that may be beyond our comprehension.
10/18: Many refugees are instilled with the mindset to be grateful for their existence within America. While this thought process provides encouragement for most, it ignores the experiences that may make being grateful difficult and make it easier for people to feel defeated.
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The Fall of I-Hotel
Manong is a Filipino old timer who first ventured to America. Manilatown was the area in San Francisco where many Filipinos stayed.
It's interesting to see how the treatment for the elderly differs for Filipinos because of their race. Rather than looking past their differences and understanding the similarities of human life (reaching old age), they let their preconceptions diminish morality
This documentary highlights the downsides of urban development, because even though it brings modern change to areas, sometimes it pushes out communities that are loyal and underfunded.
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Seeing the personal spaces and hearing the experiences of the tenants gives viewers a more personal understanding of how these circumstances are bigger than they seem. We get a glimpse into their everyday lives and their emotions throughout this difficult time.
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Who Killed Vincent Chin?
The documentary focuses on telling the story of Vincent Chin's death in chronological order. This provides a stark contrast to the article linked to this event, because the presentation of information for this case and its order makes a difference in how big of an issue it was for Asian Americans, as well as it's impact as they gradually learned how this murder was racially motivated.
22:54: It's interesting to see how the different parents react to their children, especially because it reflects the privilege Michael's family has. To still have their child and go unscathed with no consequences, it provides a stark contrast to Vincent's mom who can't speak English well and is an immigrant in a lower income bracket, the difference in sentiment is reflective of more than just the situation itself but how race and socioeconomic status take a play into this.
28:40: Rather than focusing on how his actions impacted Vincent and his family, he only reflects on the consequences because of how bad they are. The lack of introspection is an analogy for the system and how people with higher status are given more leeway and those who don't fit the standard are challenged through every aspect.
38:00: The judge saying they had no prior criminal offenses and getting put on probation because they have "stable working backgrounds" links to the idea that people with higher status are given leeway because they fit a norm. In addition, it also highlights how Asians are placed lower on a hierarchal scale, and the punishments for crimes against them are seen as not as severe.
40:37: It's even more interesting to see how other people who could have attested to Vincent's side were disregarded due to race or gender, such as the police officers and the dancers. The prevalence of white supremacy stems from the people in power and the systems created, which tend to push "others" out of the system to maintain what they already own.
Systems are created by dominant racial groups and maintained by limiting opportunities for success for minority groups. This is to uphold the hierarchy of socioeconomic status they have achieved, which now implements race as a factor to maintain power.
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56:31: More grace is given to Ronald because of his lifestyle and status that "diminishes" any idea that he could be racist. Basing his character on how his normal actions and disregarding how he murdered Vincent Chin only alludes to their mindset on Asian people as being lesser than them.
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Saving Face
8:25: Setting up the stage with traditional Chinese values in comparison to Americans by describing the romantic landscape. Divorce is seen more as taboo and things like status, wealth and family are seen as more impotant than what you what or what you love.
50:57: The expectations for Chinese women are embedded into their everyday thinking and this is really reflective of Wil's mother. She thinks that because she is too old or not Chinese enough, that her situation will be unfavorable to other men.
1:10:19: It's interesting to see how Wil's lack of emotional display is as simple as just omitting her feelings. Usually a lot of movies take the time to narrate the character's feelings and splay out the problem/situation, however a lot of the movie just consists of simple conversation that don't truly reveal each person's feelings. This is very reflective of Chinese culture and how emotions are diminished in place of "saving face"
Portrayals of Asian people beyond ideas of poverty or financial/socioeconomic struggle, and representing different types of real world struggles like American movies (ex. sexuality, family beyond culture, etc.)
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The complexity of each character stems from the cultural norms set in place and how duty overrides personal opinion/expression. We begin to see how these conflicting ideas come out to play throughout each characters' interaction with each other and how affection comes into play with their dynamics, especially in terms of how they express this affection.
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Mississippi Masala
22:40: The comment about Harry's mother not liking "darkies" alludes to the colorism deeply rooted in Asian culture. Already the movie sets up a culture surrounding Indians and black Americans and differentiates the two main characters as not conforming to their ideals. Mina being rebellious and boyish, while Demetrius is more level-headed and strict in comparison to their counterparts.
28:33: Adding onto the colorism, it also highlights the effects of the caste system India has rooted in their culture, which makes comments on socioeconomic status even more hard-hitting than usual.
52:40: While Mina is not overtly displayed in a sexual manner, her exoticness as an Indian girl along with the cultural garbs/features makes her an object to those who don't know much about Indians. This subtle form of objectification is a common theme amongst the movies we've watched about Asian women, however it's interesting to see how different characteristics are emphasized depending on their ethnicity.
1:01:00: This interaction between Mina's Pops and the incoming customers kind of alludes to me the idea that Indians are different from all groups, even Asians themselves. Him talking to the Chinese guy and saying sayonara, as well as the guy denoting that they don't do hanky pank, creates a barrier that these two groups are separate even though we all fall under the umbrella of Asian people. It's interesting with the continuous allusion to colored people having to stick together that maybe these divides are separated based on color/struggles rather than labels.
1:04:08: The positioning of Mina and the fact that she is half-naked minimizes the effectiveness of a differing Asian woman portrayal and pushes the oversexualization and exoticism of them instead.
1:28:00: The conversation between Demetrius and Mina's father displays how Pontiac might be projecting onto Mina's situation because of his experiences in Uganda. Him bringing up how he once tried to change the world alludes that maybe he does have some support towards their relationship but his experiences maybe deincentivize him from allowing it.
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Model Minority Terrorist
11/12: The ideas of yellow peril and perpetual foreigners is really interesting to see, because it displays how the preconceived notions people have about South Asians and Muslims leads them to be unable to see people for their traits. They look only surface level and cannot get past their own notions, which is well articulated through the Reluctant Fundamentalist.
11/12: The idea of a double consciousness is interesting, because his questioning of his own identity is not with the goal of violence as most people think, but as a place of critical argumentation. He questions every culture and their beliefs and how people go about expressing their identity.
11/12: Going back to the idea of refugeetude and how refugees have a harder time assimilating into one identity within a place they are unfamiliar with, we get a weird sense of conflict when we see someone go against the assimilation and challenge the ideas that are common within our culture. It forces our sense of morality and sense of knowledge against each other, highlighting just how complex refugee experiences are within America.
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Robot Stories
20:21: The baby becoming violent after her mother's reactions is reflective of the mother's own trauma as a child. Her inability to react to children or react as a mother makes her avoidant and fearful. The lack of empathy is a learned reaction from her childhood and not an innate trait.
25:15: Wilson's mom has trouble acknowledging emotion and portraying her own emotions as seen through her coping with cleaning his room, fixing his toys and talking to her son as if he's conscious. This inabiility to communicate or even fully understand her son in her memories alludes to a bigger problem within their relationship and her position as a mother,
51:50: The lack of humanity portrayed through a robot's experiences and their observations emphasizes how inhumane people get when they don't see things on their level. It's so interesting to see how people reacted to the girl robot and how mistreatment of robots is similar to how some people treat real humans, just with more strings attached
Futuristic approaches to critiquing Asian norms by creating a perspective of life that mirrors stoicism/tough love prevalent in Asian culture
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Model Machine Myth
11/17: Asian people as automatons and their inability to be expressive/automated behavior. This is really interesting as an analogy because of the model minority myth, which is a product of culture. Because every person comes off as hard-working and all the same, portraying Asian people in the form of robots portrays more than their habits but also reflects the internal struggles a robot may face.
11/17: Techno-orientalism takes on a deeper meaning through this article because, rather than just focusing on the ways technology portrays these ideas, it emphasizes how technology is also a reflection of Asian character in people's eyes.
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11/17: It's interesting to see how stereotypes manifest into different forms of criticism, and how we adapt our languages and forms of depiction based upon these ideas. As we think more complexly about heavy topics, not only do we formulate new conversations but new modes of expression in critiquing these issues.
After Yang
20:13: The analogy of the branch being taped to the tree and not truly being a part of it is interesting. Seeing how the label of family makes them a family, however, Mika's dad and mom lack the common care and similarity in physical presence to be labeled as a true family. It alludes to their internal issues as a family dealing with each other's flaws and highlights the gaps in their relationships
22:00: The framing of the scene makes it really apparent that Mika is different from her mom and dad and lack the connection that they have with them. Even when the dad enters into the frame of Mika's section, she leaves just as he enters, highlighting how they are not thinking the same
41:51: The conversation between Mika and her dad alludes to their different way of thinking. While the dad may lack an emotional connection with Yang and see him as a way to assist Mika, she's much more independent than he knows. She also seems to enjoy quality time more than he realizes, and while this is a seemingly small interaction, it reveals a lot about their ideals and personalities.
51:31: Even though Mika's dad lacks the ability to describe tea in a deep way like the movie, his inability is what makes him human. Yang's comment saying "I wish tea was more than facts for me" illustrates how even negative or mundane emotions are what make humans
1:14:00: Yang's comments about there being no something without nothing suggest the idea that being human comes from the finite nature of their lives. His philosophical and logical nature allows him to understand life from a literal point of view, taking into account Chinese customs and thought processes
1:17:00: Jake's continuous inability to communicate the commands to the glasses reveals how he is starting to empathize on a deeper level with Yang's existence. He starts to contemplate what makes a human versus a robot and I think he is starting to question whether life is what gives things worth.
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Color as Hue
Exoticness is the main allure to Asian characters rather than negative ideas of otherness. Cultural aspects such as clothes and scenery create an aesthetic that intrigue its American audience.
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09/16: A lot of the colors emphasized in Technicolor films highlight the cultural aspects of Asians, which emphasizes the idea of exoticness rather than otherness that comes later
09/16: Talks about how Technicolor being the tactic for displaying Asian people and Asian culture omits the color yellow, which doesn't really perpetuate the idea of race for Asian individuals.
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09/16: It's interesting to see how color isn't just used for depictions of race, but also used to enhance ideas of femininity based on the standard of white attraction. While initially trying to push for a convincing depiction for the audience, they also are looking to create desirability, even though it dehumanizes the characters in which they portray.
09/16: This reminds me of how the goal for movies or any artistic expression to hook people in. If the piece does not evoke interest or relatability, it will falter in success. This poses an interesting point because at this time period, many people could not relate to or understand depictions of Asian Americans simply due to a lack of knowledge. This means depictions are forced to create a sense of desirability or attraction to keep people enticed to something that may be dismissed usually.
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