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AAST355 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - The idea of barely getting by and living paycheck to paycheck is one that is not new to many immigrants who arrive to the United States with no money.
    - - I think that this knowledge that she has no home to go back to also places pressure on their overall success in America.
  - - - In both movies, we see similar parallels of gay couples and their level of acceptance in Asian culture. In Saving Face, Wil feels forced to hide her relationship with her girlfriend from her traditional mother, in addition to the broader Chinese community. In EEAO, Evelyn believes that Joy's relationship with Becky must remain hidden to maintain the order of traditional balance.
      - Evelyn's instinct is to keep the peace and avoid any embarrassment in front of Gong Gong, reflecting the traditional expectations she grew up with of keeping the family respectable and not challenging elders.
        
        Evelyn believes that she is keeping the balance of the family and protecting Joy from Gong Gong's judgement. However, in reality, she's showing Joy that her identity isn't something the family can acknowledge openly and so must be hidden.
    - - Gong Gong represents authority and the traditional hierarchy in which Evelyn grew up.
        
        With him in the movie, Evelyn must maintain the roles of the obedient daughter, rule follower, and keeper of the family image.
    - - Evelyn is no longer guided by fear of disappointing her father and wants to be a loving mother rather than an obedient daughter.
      - Joy sees Evelyn trying to unlearn generational habits, leading to a rebuilding of their relationship.
      - From my perspective, Evelyn shows that tradition isn't fixed, but rather that it can evolve. By choosing acceptance of Joy's sexuality, Evelyn begins to rewrite the script of generational patterns.
  - - - I believe that Evelyn's versions of displaying and expressing love have been correction and "tough love," but what Joy really desires is open acceptance.
      - Jobu Tupaki's knowledge of Joy's pains of being Evelyn's daughter show the lack of capacity for Evelyn to truly show her feelings. Evelyn says that she "would only do the right thing for [Joy]," showing that Evelyn is trying to be genuine but this genuineness is lacking.
  - - - Waymond is portrayed as a sentimental, understanding, and "glass half-full" kind of character and is thus an outlier of most Asian American films.
- - - - 1:02:30 Suzie explained that when the sailors drank too much, they get aggressive and abuse the girls at the bar.
- - - - Getting representation and the opportunity to portray Asian Americans originally should be a win but as seen with Mindy Kaling's The Mindy Project, she received waves of criticism for having white men prevalent throughout the show's making.
      - This highlights the desire of Asian Americans to be portrayed in films/shows the way they want to be shown, ignoring the vision of the Asian Americans creating the films.
      - I think this creates a difficult issue with visibility of minorities as even success increases scrutiny. Each "win" for Asian in film carries significant weight for the entire Asian American community and how they're represented.
        
        I don't think that the goal is not necessarily only representation, but gathered empowerment and full cultural citizenship.
  - - - The view of media activism being purely for visual imaging can be shifted to being for political representation as it becomes as method for identifying who can be considered as "American."
  - - - Alien: As seen in characters such as Fu Manchu, Asians are sometimes viewed as threatening and depicting the yelllow peril (pg. 16). This leads to a wide gap between Asian Americans and their sense of belonging within Western society.
      - Foreign: On the other hand, Asians are occasionally viewed as only temporary and impossible to assimilate into American culture (pg. 16).
  - - - However, the category of Asian American overrepresents East Asians, while underrepresenting South Asians and Pacific Islanders (pg. 22)
      - Activism must continually evolve the definition of "Asian American" in order to maintain inclusivity while remaining politically effective.
- - - - On the other hand, Asians aren't usually depicted as athletic in films, so Ben playing basketball provides a different note.
  - - - 1:07:00 After pulling a gun on the prostitute, Virgil was quick to point it at Han because he was upset.
- - - - Initially, Taijiri was upset at her mother for not remembering her experiences at the camps but eventually realized that it was due to trauma
- - - - Due to the pregnancy being one out of wedlock, it would bring a lot of shame to the family and be considered evident of Gong Gong's failure to discipline and raise Ma properly.
  - - - 1:31:55 Wil's family becomes accepting of her relationship, even asking her when she is going to have a baby.
- - - - The capability for a robot to connect with Mika better than her human father is also interesting. It shows that a character's form of living isn't what is important but instead the relationship and connections that are formed.
  - - - Even when Jake watches Yang's memories, it seems that rather than looking at a robot's data/information, he's mourning a real person.
    - - This is also shown through the introduction of Ada, who Jake discovers is Yang's love interest. Even the capability of "ethnic technos" to have romantic relationships and feelings.
        
        1:05:28 When Ada tells Mika that Yang loves her and always talked about her, I think his humanity is shown again. Ada is speaking as if Yang had true feelings of love towards Mika and enough to want to talk to Ada about her.
- - - - Asians are characterized as mechanical, emotionless, and overall non-human.
  - - - Asians are praised for their work abilities and labor capacity but are also belittled for it. They are seen as too good to the point that they are dangerous to America. In my opinion, this also hints at how America believes that Asians are expendable rather than highly valued.
  - - - However, this concept is too recent in history to explain any of the deeper roots of racial past.
- - - - Through these different realities and perspectives that movies open the door to, I can see that readers are able apply lessons learned in their own lives.
- - - - In addition to the technology being utilized as "filmmaking," it is carried out as a method of alienation.
  - - - Physical yellowface: Makeup, CGI, lighting, eye alterations, prosthetics, accents etc.
      - Social yellowface: Through the use of yellowface, Hollywood chose to portray Asians however they wanted, leading to exaggerating and perpetuating Asian stereotypes. This led to a new racial image and identity created for Asian-Americans, but not by Asian-Americans.
- - - - This term could be utilized as a positive analytic tool to resist Hollywood fetishization of Asian women through rigid sexual characters or expressions. I think that If the audience is able to see this and through the facade of Hollywood, then objectification of Asian women is made more difficult.
  - - - Reducing Asian women to victims ignore the more political and emotional aspects of history that are deeply rooted and complex.
      - Additionally, the consistent victimization of Asian women also traps them in the narrative of passivity, which is ironically similar to the perspective of orientalism.
- - - - Lee's rejection from Hollywood only intensifies his desire to outshine them and liberate non-white audiences.
  - - - Lee utilized cinema as a tool for oppressed and marginalized communities to imagine and visual resistance against Western domination.
      - I think that it's also important to note that his battles against white men on screen depicted a reversal in the racial order of the real world in which Asians are belittled.
      - Oppressed people felt connected while watching Bruce Lee's films. Watching him defeat white enemies drew in rebellions rooted in deep emotional ties to anti-imperialism.
- - - - Third Cinema is not a genre but rather a worldwide practice consisting of the refusal to abide by Hollywood's rigid frameworks.
      - It also presents itself as anti-imperialist due to its direct confrontations to First World cultural dominance and pressure. Part of Third Cinema is that it is meant to activate viewers to make these same confrontations as well.
  - - - Film can be utilized as a tool to repair generational disconnections and trauma. But this can only be done by confronting the violence, rather than burying it and hoping it never resurfaces.
        
        I would also say that this is evidence to Third Cinema's goal of liberating filmmakers and viewers from suppression.
      - Film also becomes a way to fill historical gaps created by racism and violence (in the case of internment camps and the erasure of Japanese Americans experiences).
- - - - 28:12 At the Cambodian New Year event, Ny spoke about on his deep sadness over his older brother because they are no longer close. The older brother has his own family and life now but Ny feels neglected, as his brother was a father figure to him.
  - - - Rather than attending Ny's graduation, which he worked hard for and stressed over many times, his family went to his younger brother's court hearing. Of course he was happy that he received his diploma but he felt unsupported because his family wasn't there.
    - - After finding out he failed his composition test, Ny expressed that he doesn't think he could finish high school.
- - - - The I-Hotel sort of flips the typical immigrant narrative that generations are separated, with children and parents constantly clashing. Instead, political struggle unites them, allowing them to fight as one commuity.
  - - - Besides being a living space, the I-Hotel was also hub for Filipino and Chinese activists, even centralizing Asian American identity and its movement.
        
        The eviction doesn't just entail the physical removal of Asian American residents but it symbolizes the broader issue of racial erasure.
  - - - I feel that activism leaves deep wounds that even when treated right, could leave scars of traumatic remembrance.
    - - Remembering the painful experiences is crucial to understanding the past and preventing history from repeating itself.
    - - The new I-Hotel is evidence of what remembering the past and healing from it could do. It is proof that marginalized communities are capable of writing their own endings despite having parts taken away.
- - - - When Detroit auto industry collapsed, everyone turned to the still well-performing Japanese automakers and blamed them for their own failures.
        
        Asian Americans (even if not Japanese) became collateral targets, which I think shows how the absence of American logic led to the racial scapegoating of all Asian ethnicities.
        
        It's clear that Americans attacked Asian American communities rather than reflecting on the flaws of their own systems that led to their demise. This continues to show how racial scapegoating is used to hide real responsibilities.
  - - - Even this empty excuse just drives it deeper that the justice system did not value true justice. Even separating "criminals" and the "kind of men" they were, shows that white people would continue to be protected.
        
        Furthermore, it shows the continuation of racial hierarchy in the justice system and that because of this, Chin's life was valued less.
    - - The justice system's leniency for the white killers exemplifies structural racism and that as long as the perpetrators are white, they have nothing to worry about.
  - - - Chin's death united diverse Asian groups into a single identity because they saw the need for political survival.
- - - - I believe that this oversimplification ignores the racial inequalities that Asian Americans face and especially the ongoing violence that queer Asian Americans face.
  - - - For queer Asian American characters, the goal is not just romance, but survival. The reason is that survival unfortunately is not guaranteed.
    - - These characters have to navigate through environments that are filled with physical danger and social death.
  - - - Racial sexual stereotypes promote the erasure of queer characters, framing their sexuality in a way that deems it impossible. This causes queer Asian people to simply exist but not be seen.
- - - - The model minority myths is a product of selective immigration policy. The U.S. filtered for only the best and elite applicants to be allowed into the country.
      - I believe that the Asian immigrant American dream story is only a façade that hides the selection underneath.
  - - - Brown peril is not about what this group of people does but instead what white Americans think they are capable of and the harm they could cause.
  - - - I think this was done because being anxious about one group of people for is easier than being scared of several.
- - - - Each film resulted in the redefinition of representation and what it means setting up the foundation for the next movie about the Asian American journey.
      - It is evident that they each broke old stereotypes and replaced them with new images of Asian American presence.
  - - - You could see that representation of Asian Americans was not symbolic in this film but was literal. By ignoring actors and instead using real citizens of the community, every aspect of their living felt more real.
      - This expands the possibilities of film, allowing viewers to see their direct community on-screen and leaving them wondering what other stories could be told authentically?
  - - - It seems like the goal of Asian American film is evolving from representation/visibility to liberation. The freedom to portray Asian Americans the with the fullest extent of emotion, passion, romance, and creativity is what Asian American filmmakers could hope for.
      - This is also a counteracting of Hollywood Orientalism as Asian Americans are able to portray themselves as they desire, not for white approval.
- - - - The film uses art to justify racial possession. Even though Robert begins to view her correctly and romantically, this could be equivalent to him owning her emotionally.
  - - - Robert wants to trap Suzie in this role and have the upmost authority over her. Robert's realization of his wanting to have a romantic relationship with Suzie does not arise until the end of the film after her child dies in the natural disaster.
      - Robert is a key example of how in Hollywood, the white man is able to swoop in and save the Asian woman from any conflict, promising her a perfect future.
  - - - The romance in this film is an example of racial hierarchy as the white man's emotional journey is meant for the audience to identify with while Suzie's perspectives are ignored.
- - - - Although the story is one of colonialism, the brown immigrant is made laughable and comedic through his exaggerated death, lasting several minutes an ending with tooting his horn (pg. 22). In my perspective, this artificially comedic moment provides relief and allows the audience to laugh at the scenario rather than thinking about any racial connotations.
  - - - Mysticism: Religions in India are presented as cults willing to do anything to threaten the British and its ruling. Films portray Indians as having special powers that are given by gods that allow them to even see what others cannot (pg. 24).
      - Exotic Landscapes: Through the use of mud-hut villages and palaces, India is portrayed a land with clear distinctions between rich and poor. Even through the use of jungles with wild animals, India is altogether depicted as a fantasy world.
      - Rebellious Natives: Hollywood films characterize Indians as enemies that are always trying to overthrow the British Army. As opponents of the white heroes, Indians are render themselves as separate and forever different from Western civilization.
      - These motis create a notion that India is always historical, rather than ever modern. This idea that India is stuck in the past keeps South Asians stuck outside contemporary American belonging.
- - - - As a result of these differences between the "robot" and human coworkers, the white coworkers harass and view Archie as strange. 47:27 Two of Archie's coworkers exploit his "lack" of human emotion and begin kissing. They do this knowing that he wouldn't consider it weird, which is weird in itself as the woman calls him "freaky."
  - - - Even though Archie is presented as a robot with the sole focus of completing work, his desire for connection and emotion is shown, which goes against the narrative of Asian Americans that Hollywood pushes.
    - - This can be paralleled to "Model Machine" by Bui, which as stated in the reading, that while Asian Americans are praised for their work efficiency and effectiveness, are ultimately expendable because that is how much they are really valued. To the coworkers, the robot is a literal object, so they treat her as such.
- - - - Although hybridity is supposed to be redemptive, the film shows that in reality, a "happy ending" is never guaranteed. Choosing love is not as easy as enduring racial divide and systemic resistance.
  - - - Indians are part of an in-between status, in which there are racially not white but are economically close to the demographic. On the other hand, the have a sense of superiority over African Americans that sets them apart.
        
        Immigrant communities adopt anti-black opinions and use them as a tool for upward mobility.
- - - - However, I think that this approach critiques Wong's career according to stereotypes that she gave into but ignores historical constraints and her need to survive in Hollywood.
        
        As a result, this can cause marginalized communities to expect early pioneers to perfectly represent the entire minority group.
  - - - However, this viewpoint can romanticize Wong and ignore her navigation through the oppressive film industry. Ultimately, this could erase struggles and instead allow Asian Americans to naively look back on a prideful past instead.
- - - - I think that it is lose-lose because ff Asian American men were to reject the dominant masculinity that is pressured from society, then they appear as weak and feminized.
      - "[Ben] uses his explosive rage to justify his killing of Steve, whom he considers slighted him in the worst sense—by denying him his pleasure" (pg 158). But if they were to give into the hypermasculinity, then they are seen as dangerous and unpredictable.
  - - - Instead of chasing power or sex, some characters are seen to have been seeking care, responsibility, and true desires to love people. It is these forms of masculinity presented in films that allow Asian American men to break away from straitjacket expectations.