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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)
MJK,
Nah, your definitely a goof-ball with statements like that. It's a pity "yes" they're giving you. 2 dates and you're off their list.
AC Dropout
Wednesday, July 31, 2002 at 08:40:00 (PDT)
Here's the deal with the media, they're in it for money. You have to cater to the majority of your audience, which in america, is white middle class. The stuff with adding diversity is to avoid PR disaters with groups such as NAACP. Throwing one black cast member in a predominately white sitcom is just token pandering. What could be a good idea is a speical interest network like BET for asians. The asian american audience is small, so doing something like this would have be on the shoulders of bright idealistic risk takers.
money is reason
Wednesday, July 31, 2002 at 01:56:31 (PDT)
Equality? Not in this lifetime:
I didn't realize short track speed skating is such a popular/big sport back in Korea. When I was a little boy, I used to regularly skate at Dong-dae-moon ice rink, and sometimes on the frozen Han river. Ah, those were the days... Boy, in winter times the weather is so unforgiving and harsh in Korea, you know... Kim Dong-sung will get another crack at Mr. Ohno 4 yrs from now(Turino, Italy)...Justice will prevail, I hope...
Bring your own equality:
Yep. I know what you mean. But, I'm a realist...Hopefully in my children's/grandchildren's generation the full equality will be reached...
One Korean Man
Tuesday, July 30, 2002 at 21:50:23 (PDT)
Hi, "Not all WMs are the Enemy,"
I appreciated your post and the comments were right-on about being concerned that males of ALL backgrounds are portrayed in a positive light. I think women are doing a better job of consolidating across ethnic lines and seeing each other as human beings, not as stereotypes and/or enemies. Males, though, are cutting each other down in an ape-like fashion. It's time we see each other as equals and take pride in any guy, whatever his color, being a role model in the media.
I wish your comments had been posted or published in some more mainstream publication, one read by the general populations and not just Asians. Hey, why don't you write into some mag or paper about what you just wrote. I think, coming from a WM, your comments might be read with more sympathy from other WMs than if some "ethnic" person wrote it, because people might think they're just writing because they're mad.
Cool. Hope to hear more from you.
CAB
CAB
Tuesday, July 30, 2002 at 11:49:30 (PDT)
The media is stupid. They only care about ratings. They could care less about asians. Afterall they can't have their all-white primetime line-up damaged by Strong, Affirmitive, Asian males. I think the only way to change the media is to actually "embrace"
the media. By this I mean that we Asians need our own programming and channels. Asian Entertainment Tonight anyone? It would be tough to pull off but it would be well worth it.
K.D.K.
Tuesday, July 30, 2002 at 11:06:39 (PDT)
Asian Rambo:
I'm a White guy, but I have no designs, desires or intentions of trying to put men of some other ethnic group down. Putting men of other races down wouldn't make me some kind of "manly man"--it would mean I was either a coward afraid of competition or someone who wasn't a big enough man to show respect for his brothers in the one and only human race.
I have male buddies and close male friends of many different races whom I consider my true brothers. These guys are White, Asian, Latin, Black and mixed. These fellows have their strengths, their weaknesses, their funny moments and their serious sides, but overall they are good men whom I can count on, and they can count on me. I am very happy when I see men of all different ethnic groups portrayed in a strong and positive light. These days, men are taking a beating in the image department because some of our fellows won't grow up and still act like little boys on the playground. A dignified man of character on TV or in the movies is something I respect, no matter what the color of his skin or his ancestry. That being said, WE NEED TO SEE MORE POSITIVE AM PORTRAYALS IN THE MEDIA! I have faith that it will happen.
Bill Cosby, Sidney Potier, Bruce Lee, Dr. Haing Noor, Cesar Chavez, Theodoore Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln have always been my heroes. All of them had to overcome obstacles thrown their way by the prevailing beliefs of society, and all of them CHANGED SOCIETY to fit their inspired visions rather than forsake their honor in order to "fit in" and "not rock the boat."
So, my point is that not all WMs want to see AMs mocked or given a bad image. Many of us feel there's enough space for positive roles for members of ALL ethnic groups.
Not all WMs are the Enemy
Tuesday, July 30, 2002 at 06:30:40 (PDT)
How you like me now?
"...Asian men will always be the best no matter when or how..."
Agreed, wholeheartedly. But it makes me kind of sad that you leave out the Asian women in your list of "...white, Mexican, Persian girl on the street" to ask out. We are just as good as the white, Mexican, or Persian girl, don't you think?
MLK
Monday, July 29, 2002 at 22:42:13 (PDT)
I think what Asian Rambo is saying is that you can't let media dictate who you are and what you are worth as a person. You have to decide who you want to be and take action to be that person. If you wait around on the media to tell you it's okay to be Asian, beautiful, successful, average, or whatever; then you will end up just being dissapointed. Life is rarely fair, and those who succeed in it are those who take the circumstances given to them and make it work in their favor. They have that " I won't be defeated" and "I'll create my own reality" attitude. At least that's what I got out of his post.
asian guys rock!
Monday, July 29, 2002 at 21:39:57 (PDT)
Some Asian men are goofy... Actually, I think a lot of them are. So for a guy like me, a "cool" guy, it's nice because the non-Asian women get surprised that you're not a dork and think you got something going... And say "yes".
MJK
Monday, July 29, 2002 at 19:01:26 (PDT)
Here's a suggestion....all u asian male actors: audition for parts on "Sex in the City" and one of you, please, do Samantha. Give her a push for me.
Sexy Asian Male
Monday, July 29, 2002 at 12:43:23 (PDT)
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