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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)
Hank Lewis, i've read some of your posts on and off these few months and have to say: way to go! =) you are definitely one of those wm/af pairings i don't just accept, but celebrate. your wife isn't a sellout. She just married a good guy who happened to be white and who cared enough to express support to the Asian American community... People who see the world and others through prejudiced lens are a sad bunch who lack true heart and soul. if only more men were as open-minded and have a genuine belief in fair play the world would lose its bigotry and foolishness... Course i know plenty of the other fellas in here deserve the same praise so it is a good thing to see how positive these discussions can be. All change in society starts first with the individual. Can't argue with that.
american born taiwanese college guy
Saturday, August 31, 2002 at 22:33:23 (PDT)
[65.184.91.9]
Geoff you wrote: "We need to hear a message about and justification for why it's important to learn more about Asian male image."
well said. the justification lies chiefly in giving young asian youth positive male role models (the emphasis on male cuz we have much more AF representation, though whether or not it is positive is up for debate) so the next generation will have less identity issues and feelings of alienation. The youth, having positive images of positive Asian American men and women would feel much less marginalized in American society. It would make it easier for having the next generation of Asian Americans grow up very confident, secure, and stable in their selves. Also while I personally don't disapprove of interracial marriages nor deny the value of assimilation into the mainstream, in my opinion it would also be nice to have our inter-Asian ethnic peoples to become a wholesome community proud of it's rich heritage, culture, and history as well as contributions to the American nation. To paraphrase, let's have some good guys, Asian American Guys out there in the media representing for once instead of all those long duck dongs and kung-fu gangbangers dammit. So f*cking annoying to be preconceived and prejudged by all these damn ignorant people who believe every goddamn thing they see on television. All men are the same, we all demand and deserve respect.
american born taiwanese college guy
Saturday, August 31, 2002 at 22:13:08 (PDT)
[65.184.91.9]
B. Lee,
You have a good point. One has to love his or her own culture in order to love another.
Ray
Saturday, August 31, 2002 at 06:52:47 (PDT)
[68.96.110.59]
B,
I like to have my cake, but I don't need to rub it in anyone's face.
huu76
Friday, August 30, 2002 at 21:01:00 (PDT)
[64.231.96.243]
B.Lee,
Just cause I prefer non-Af's and have pretty much no respect for AFs, doesn't mean I encourage people to parade their significant others around.
Incase you never picked up, I can't stand it when Afs do that, and I think an AM with self-respect (and respect for the wife) doesn't need to do that either.
I don't remember insulting Dat? Let me look again. Nope, I didn't.
Yes, his story is encouraging, but I doubt he needs to stoop as low as advertising that his wife isn't asian.
That's how I took you comment.
Whining is saying the same thing over and over until someone agrees with you. I pretty much say things once, then shut up.
Anyway, I'm starting to get off topic.
huu76
Friday, August 30, 2002 at 20:40:02 (PDT)
[64.231.98.162]
HollywoodBergstein?
HAHAHAHAHA, I love it!
A bunch of homosexual, overweight, liberal, racist, not-quite-white blockheads with nothing better to do than to put down asian males. Sad. Just a thought, so who got their asses herded like cattle some time ago? huh, goldbergsteinblum? Damn, the nerve of these people.
shieeutdafreakup
Friday, August 30, 2002 at 19:59:42 (PDT)
[205.188.209.140]
huu76,
"but what's the deal that she happend to be blonde and/or white. So what? I'm not trying to pick a fight, but just thought that comment had nothing to do about anything."
Excuse me, but if you look at the gender divide forum, as well as other forums, all you ever do is whine and rant about the "evil" sellout Asian females running off with white guys. You go through incredible lengths to make AFs look like trash, and encourage all AMs to ditch AFs.
I don't know about your personal life, but as for me, I'm okay with the AFs I know. I also encourage more AMs to seek out non-Asian women, but unlike you, I don't have an inferiority complex and have any need to bash on AFs. Even Dat Nguyen, while married to a WF, has great respect for Asian women and his Vietnamese culture. He doesn't start a crusade like you for all AMs to abandon AFs. In fact, he is a regular honor speaker at Vietnamese culture camps for children, and contributes to charity causes like breast cancer research, and sports camps for girls.
I thought Dat's story would be a little more encouraging, especially an an AM role model. He's gone through war, racism, poverty, and hardships you or I would never understand. Yet, he overcame them. I thought you could learn something from this.
B. Lee
Thursday, August 29, 2002 at 20:56:00 (PDT)
I'm not saying Yao/Ming are the only celebrities, but they are probably two of the more recognized. Again, unfortunately they chose wussy careers.
About Dat. It's good he married his highschool girlfriend (how often do you see that when one moves up the social ladder?), but what's the deal that she happend to be blonde and/or white. So what? I'm not trying to pick a fight, but just thought that comment had nothing to do about anything.
huu76
Wednesday, August 28, 2002 at 16:45:11 (PDT)
huu 76,
I admit my suspicion is no longer merely suspicion that positive asian males images are deliberately excluded from mainstream television and movies. You have provided credible examples and Geoff DB has also provided good examples.
Obviously there are screen writers, directors and producers who are making implicit statements about asian guys which are not being made against other guys. It's probably not going to do you any good to make anti-jewish remarks cause that just divides your attention from the argument at hand.
I guess it's fairly difficult for me to decide if it's a probably worth getting worked up over or is it just "icing on the cake". Don't take offense huu 76. I now how you can get worked up :)
Political Observer
Wednesday, August 28, 2002 at 10:51:41 (PDT)
It's not just the likes of Yo-yo and Ming Tsai who form famous AM/WF couples. Dat Nguyen, the starting NFL middle linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, married his college sweethart, Becky Foster (a blonde WF), last spring.
B. Lee
Tuesday, August 27, 2002 at 21:24:22 (PDT)
Political O,
AM and maybe AFs would watch a show (doesn't have to be every show that comes out) with positive
Asian characters (maybe even free of other cultures too, kind of like how Friends is oddly KKKish (bit of a joke, so don't take it too seriously)).
It probably wouldn't have the highest ratings, but I'm sure it'd still make money. And as we all know, that's all Hollywoodbergstein cares about.
huu76
Tuesday, August 27, 2002 at 18:48:41 (PDT)
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