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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)
[The topic is whether a new AM image is emerging. Let's get back on it. --Ed]
Political Observer...
I agree w/your post. Although I see the point Sammi was trying to make, it did come out somewhat rudely. Anyway, just so you know, not all blacks would make such a rude comment. Also, we may have BET but that's about ALL we have so we aren't really much better off than the Asians. Besides, out here in LA I've noticed quite a few channels dedicated to Asians. There's the Korean TV station, the Chinese one and I just saw an ad on TV to call your local cable company for the upcoming Filipino channel that's coming out soon. So! As you can see, Asians have just as many channels as we do. Perhaps I'm just a little more defensive b/c my boyfriend is Asian but I don't like to see Asians OR blacks dissed. I'd like to see the 2 groups get along so please don't take too much offense to Sammi's post. :-(
CaliGirl
Tuesday, August 20, 2002 at 00:08:32 (PDT)
Sammi,
You have BET, that's nice. Does BET put a BMW in everyone's driveway? Pay for every child's college education? No, I believe hard work does that.
huu76
Monday, August 19, 2002 at 23:29:18 (PDT)
Sammi,
you wrote
"We have BET, You have... er,um,er..."
Man it's not doing any good to black/asian relations when you write stuff like that. Every time you make a crack like that all it does is piss off asians and given them a greater resolve to diss black people.
Now I do agree with your statement "Asians have the money & the brains to get out & crate their own movies"
Question is does a market exist in white and black audiences to support asian media productions. I'm not convinced there is a large enough market.
Usually only asians and white guys with a fetish for asians buy these movies in large quantities. It's sad because asians do have a lot to offer movie going audiences. There is not enough support for it.
Political Observer
Monday, August 19, 2002 at 09:15:47 (PDT)
Can you blame Hollywood?
Can you blame TV?
Can you blame the Jews that control TV?
NO, NO, & NO.
Asians have the money & the brains to get out & crate their own movies, shows... EVEN NETWORKS!!! Why won't you do it? Is it too hard for you? Are you scared that people will laugh at you? Instead of trying to compare the WM/AF couples VS AM/WF couples (on TV or Movies), go out & do yer own thing.
We have BET, You have... er,um,er...
Sammi
Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 16:33:16 (PDT)
I guess I have to agree, being from LA too. I feel that most minorities, especially Asians and Hispanics can get away with taunting white kids in school and on the streets. I mean, as long as you're within the Greater LA area, minorities have just as much numbers as whites do. I'm not intimidated by whites in the least, at least in the city of LA.
Westiiide
Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 02:21:07 (PDT)
wut is this article talking about?
i live in los angeles. I have never experienced racism. if anything... i feel like i give off more racist vibes against whites than the other way around.
dang... this article certainly opens my eyes.
tolibndieinla
Wednesday, August 14, 2002 at 18:43:06 (PDT)
Hopeful and Optimistic,
Good comment!! I hear ya.
Azn-Pride
Wednesday, August 14, 2002 at 07:20:54 (PDT)
What I really hate seeing is AM playing pathetic and embarassing roles in hollwood for a few buck [with the exception to Jackie and Jet lee]. No honor but only humiliate the rest of us. Yup, it's pathetic.
P.s maybe the future will change for the better!!!
Azn-Pride
Wednesday, August 14, 2002 at 07:14:42 (PDT)
huu76,
Well sure we earned the respect. But every now and then you need to slap a dipstick around to give you the respect you deserve in the first place.
But honestly, I never had much problems in Canada. Except in Quebec where Francaphones refuse to speak English. That is just so annoying because it has been like 20 years since I needed to speak Quebec-quoi.
I even once did an accidental pick up with a brunette in Montreal when I just made an off handed comment about how good her english was. "You don't sound like you're from laval." I said. Next thing I know I had a dinner date for the weekend.
AC Dropout
Monday, August 12, 2002 at 07:02:06 (PDT)
In Canada, Futureshop aired something like that too.
2 artsy white guys go online to meet chicks, one was Asian (the other might have been latina).
I have many more examples, but I'm sure you get the point.
Positive side though,
There's a commercial for lotto 6/49, it shows an AM paramedic/firefighter. That's not our typical role.
huu76
Monday, August 12, 2002 at 01:19:17 (PDT)
I'm an Asian guy. It's true that we see much more Asian male exposure in the American media, with all the sports stars, some hollywood actors (Rick Yune, Jet Li)/TV personalities (John Cho of the WB and Will Yune Lee of Witchblade on TNT) -- things are getting better. It's also true that there is still a lot of rampant pairing of Asian females and white men, but it seems to have diminished. Perhaps it just feels that way b/c the Asian male exposre has increased. I occaisionally see AM/WF pairings on print ads and sometimes in the movies/TV, and much more often in real life.
And you know what? That is ALL I HAVE WANTED. Fairness in representation. I do not wish Asian women's exposure in the media to be obliterated. That wouldn't be fair. As long as I can see enough faces in TV that I can relate to, I am happy.
Now the next step would be to see happy AM/AF couples (whenever they do, they are always portrayed as unhappy or in the need of help, usu. from a white male). Here's to wishful thinking.
Hopeful and Optimistic
Sunday, August 11, 2002 at 21:57:52 (PDT)
If somebody thinks they are seeing something insignificant, and the the thing they are looking at is really majestic,
...who is mostly at a loss?
Rhode Island
Sunday, August 11, 2002 at 15:02:49 (PDT)
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