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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
A New Image for Asian Men?
he original flavor stereotype of Asian men may have its inspiration in Hollywood mockery of the first wave of Chinese immigrants in the Old West. Bonanza's gimpy Hop Sing was the only recurring image of Asian men for most of TV's formative decades. For variety's sake, Hollywood racked its brain and added the coolie, the waiter and the bucktoothed enemy soldier.
Corean soccer star Ahn Jung-hwan
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Fortunately, Hollywood is no longer a one-stop outlet for depictions of Asian men.
Pro sports's $30 billion estimated annual U.S. rake rivals the $35 billion pocketed by Hollywood. Driven by athletic excellence, pro sports allow no room for image jiggering to satisfy racial biases. The exploits of dashing Ahn Jung-hwan in the World Cup wasn't scripted for white American mass audiences. The straight-sets drubbing that a tall young Thai named Paradorn Srichaphan gave Andre Agassi at Wimbledon can't be left on the cutting-room floor. Ichiro's leadoff-hitting and base-stealing can't be imitated with wires and special effects.
Hi-tech and bio-tech -- whose estimated $400 billion annual revenues dwarf the media -- have spawned another set of images that clash with Hollywood's. How do Americans reconcile premiere AIDS researcher David Ho or Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang with Hollywood's Hop Sings and Long Duck Dongs?
Questions arise. Doubts are engendered.
Even modern culture -- commonly tarred by association -- isn't entirely subject to Hollywood's reflexive Asian-male undercutting. Classical music lovers are nourished by Yo-Yo Ma's gourmet cello notes and thrill to the daring rifts of Japan's iron chefs. Younger Americans surrender racial identities to a no-holds-barred universe created by manga artists. Linguists and speed readers frequently abandon Hollywood's relentless quest for the lowest common denominator in favor of films made for Asian sensibilities.
To the extent sports, culture and business enjoy a tighter relationship with reality than does Hollywood, they offer Asian men a fairer, more compelling stage. And these spheres too pack big audiences that take note of the yawning abyss that separates Hollywood's "original flavor" Asian men from the crispier, spicier variety in the real world.
Is America seeing the emergence of a new, improved Asian male image? If so, is it making life easier for Asian American men? Or just stimulating a more determined effort at undercutting?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:55 AM)
I think the American media likes Ahn Jung Hwan (Korean super star soccer player) pretty much.
He was the cover model for Time magazine, and I read somewhere that LA Times praised Ahn's performance in the World Cup and talked about bringing him to the LA soccer team.
We're making small, but significant progress here. :)
JJK
Thursday, June 27, 2002 at 08:51:07 (PDT)
I agree, positive change is in the works, but it will be slow. I don't think most whites (i.e., white males) want Asian men to enjoy favorable portrayals (can you blame them? It's not hard to understand!). Whites are already exhausting themselves bending over backwards for blacks when they really don't want to. Asian men, as always, will have to earn it the hard way. I always contend that it's more of an "open season" on Asians in terms of racism, because whites have to pretend to be non-prejudiced toward other groups who are more disenfranchised (for whatever reason). I think Asians are less "needy," as far as whites are concerned; moreover, Asians have long been the mortal enemy-- the evil Other. But I know I'm preaching to the choir; most of you already know this. But take heart-- the Ichiros, Jackie Chans, David Hos, Chow Yun fats, and others will prevail. Asian males have lots to be secure about, the rest is illusory.
Yonsei
Thursday, June 27, 2002 at 07:23:08 (PDT)
---------"Pro sports's $30 billion estimated annual U.S. rake rivals the $35 billion pocketed by Hollywood. Driven by athletic excellence, pro sports allow no room for image jiggering to satisfy racial biases."------
Im pretty sure that Adolf Hitler was thinking the same thing when Jesse Owens crossed Germany's finish line.
Im pretty sure the world is confused when they watch the Olympic races or ANY Basketball game on the NBA television broadcast.
Im Pretty Sure Italy thought the same thing when Sengegal walked over them at the World Cup games.
Perhaps, despite all the steretypes about people Professional sports place in our heads, it is the ONE TRUE Media element that can actually be trusted.
JING CHA
Thursday, June 27, 2002 at 04:38:55 (PDT)
I agree with the pessimist.
Hollywood will have to change eventually, or else it'll go the way of the dinosaur. Asia will stop buying their drivel if they continue to crap on Asians (making the guys look bad and the women sex toys needing to be rescued).
Although I'm not a fan of basketball, I'm interested in seeing how that Chinese national player is going to do. Will he be the first to make waves for Asian athletes in yet another sport that we're supposed to suck at?
huu76
Thursday, June 27, 2002 at 00:18:17 (PDT)
Tony... I understand your frustration. While I am not Asian, nor a man, I do see the blatant stereotyping of Asian men (and women) in movies, etc. It's the same that they've (whites) done to every other race but their own. However, while Jet Li and Jackie Chan may make some ignorant people think all Asians know Karate (or whatever), I don't see it as anything to be ashamed of. Look at how many movies nowadays (that don't even include Asians)have the characters performing martial arts. At least they're not depicting the image that whites invented the martial arts, like they try to steal everyone else's cultures!! I must admit that I didn't even really notice Asian men until I began watching Jet Li's movies...Romeo Must Die, Lethal Weapon, etc. I saw him not just as an Asian man, but as a very SEXY man. Not saying that Jet Li represents all Asian men, but he is certainly the one that made me sit up and take notice of them!!! So don't be too hard on Jackie and Jet. :-)
CaliGirl
Wednesday, June 26, 2002 at 22:14:21 (PDT)
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