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GOLDSEA |
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, 04:38:55 AM)
I don't need other people to tell me I am attractive or what not. I know I am. I am a handsome, successful, strong, and proud ASIAN MAN!!!
I am not afraid to ask and conversate any white, Mexican, Persian girl on the street. They are not going to bite you.
Asian men will always be the best no matter when or how...
How you like me now?
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 23:33:59 (PDT)
Heres a simple lesson for you beginners:
What people watch, they will mimic, entrust, follow blindly. The media, movies, television, music, videos - an open portal to the captive audience's mind. The key to Generation "Now" America as has for the last 50 years, has been this "The Unreal Reality"
Asians of races Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, have been repressed by the entrenched racist anglo jewish media power.
Enough to kill for:
Brandon Lee (father chinese) murdered
Yet AA's clearly superior, in intelligence, ability, wit and beauty
But only AZ mixed are somewhat making the cut.
Keanu Reeves (Great Actor!) (father chinese) yet he is shunned by the academy, many directors from big budgets, why? RACISM|
Russell Wong (father chinese) Hollywood shunned him, he had to go HK for his stardom.
Dean Tanaka (father japanese) "AKA Dean Cain) only reason he got accepted was his step-dad "Cain" a hollywood director
And these are all Half-Mixed, Those Racist mongers are busy portraying Asian females are whores and males as killers, welcome to reality.
the viewer public
racist@hollywood.com
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 19:08:31 (PDT)
Asian Rambo,
Hmmm, could I have it all wrong? Maybe I should walk around with my balls hangin' out, you know, like a manly man. But I'm not sure, they should show an asian man doing that in a movie first, 'cause don't wanna be too original, ya know.
Once again, the best advise is not to be asian, right? Oh wait, we're not asians, we're martians, martian on the outside, asian on this inside, is that how this works? So in other words, we have to be anything but ourselves, huh. Oh, wait maybe we should all be football stars or something. So are you trying to say, rather than watch tv and movies, we should instead be on tv and in the movies. I might need a career change then. Very well.
Media tricks? naw, could it be the special FX? ;-) I don't understand, nevermind.
uh, could you repeat the question
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 18:43:20 (PDT)
Asian Rambo,
You are the voice of reason. I'm also tired of listening to all this whining about Hollywood. If Asian men want to date white women just go for it! There are plenty of us that appreciate you.
white femme
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 17:51:51 (PDT)
I am an Asian man in Canada and I follow asian celebrities very closely. Especially film stars, since I plan on attending film school. I have observed that the image of Asian men is changing for the better. They are slowly begining to take a place in a lot of women's hearts too. People like Will Yun Lee and Rick Yune are playing lead roles in major films. Rick Yune is also one of the first asian man to model for versace and polo. He is the next Russell WOng. Will Yun was named one of the 50 most beautiful people. Jet Li was also voted one of the 12 hottest men in starbiz at www.women.com.
Even Apollo Anton Ohno is half asian. Hence, the image of asian men are moving towards that of a sexy, talented one from that of a nerdy, hardworking one.
film crazy guy
Saturday, July 27, 2002 at 23:07:32 (PDT)
Korean Man,
"But at the same time, I've realized that there are still enormous upward social climb we AMs have to make before we can be fully accepted as equals(will never happen. I'll settle for 90-95% acceptability) to WMs..."
I read this line a few times and couldn't help but to laugh after pondering about it. It does appear that equality is achieved at our own expense, doesn't it? But is this in itself equality? I don't think so. While you're making that treacherous climb for something you cannot achieve, someone else is getting a free ride, doing something with that "free ride", and likely "raising the bar," so to speak. The harder you try to move up, the harder they try to keep you down. It must be an endless source of amusement for them.
Bring your own equality.
Friday, July 26, 2002 at 00:14:06 (PDT)
Any Asian man who believes it is the media playing tricks on his mind
is some stupid fool. You don't wait for media trends to tell you that
you are beautiful. You got to tell and reassure yourself that you
are. You got to be a real man and start hitting up on those white,
Mexican, and Arabian chicks. The more you hit on them, the more your
chances are. You will never win, by sitting and complaining to
whitey that you ain't in the movies laying up the sack with some fine white, Hispanic or Middle Eastern
women. Of course, you want to see it for yourself in real life and
not on TV, right? You don't wait for others to make an image for
you. You are supposed to do it for yourself.
Asian Rambo
Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 22:26:44 (PDT)
abc college guy
You should have listened to the comment from Japanese announcer on NHK sports.
NHK is Japanese national broadcasting.
Apolo Anton Ohno is half Japanese,right?
Oh but sorry to say this-NHK announcer commented "That gold medal is totally BULLS***!! "
Even Japanese medias showed negative response for that gold medal awarded for OH~~~NO!!!
LOL
korean man
Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 21:36:13 (PDT)
hollywood, for the fragile amerikkkan male ego and Equality? Not in this lifetime:
Yea you jus' kicked some butt there too. I totally agree that Kim Dong-Sung CAN kick ohno's a$$ any day of his life. Have any of you people tried watching the Korean News right after the 2002 Winter Olympics? They showed a very very indepth, camera-angled view(s) of the whole situation and you could clearly see that Kim Dong-Sung shoulda gotten that gold. (unlike ABC or any other news network that totally got it all wrong.)
And btw abc college guy:
What good is a role model who cheated?
typical azn female
Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 19:07:39 (PDT)
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