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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Asian Men Deliberately Excluded from Star Wars?
ow that the fifth installment of the Star Wars saga has hit theatres, it's official: Asian men have no place in George Lucas's vision of the future. An Asian female Jedi was glimpsed in the most recent installment, but not one single Asian male has been spotted in any of the five movies.
The absence is all the more remarkable given that Star Wars borrows its themes and fight scenes so obviously from samurai and kung-fu flicks. On a purely demographic level, it's difficult to imagine a distant future in which Asians will not be the preponderance of humanity. Even on a mundane economic level, Asians account for at least a third of today's global box office and video revenues.
The utter absence of Asian men in the latest installment is even more glaring in light of the promises Lucas made in response to Asian protests over the omission of Asian actors coupled with suspicious attachment of Asian cultural traits to unsavory alien grotesqueries in The Phantom Menace. Lucas had even hinted that images of Bruce Lee would be used in the installment now known as The Clone Wars.
In The Phantom Menace Lucas used Asian martial artists both to choreograph and perform the kendo-inspired light-saber sequences. But as if wishing to take back the decision, in The Clone Wars Lucas's PR machine made a point of showing that the fight sequences were choreographed by a white man and performed by the actors themselves. That explains why they were so leaden and lackluster, but raises the question why?
Could it be that George Lucas wants to avoid calling attention to his large debt to Asian action films?
Is Lucas afraid that including an Asian man will invite critical focus on the new movie's sub-par swordfight sequences?
Is Lucus slyly inviting viewers to see wizened little Master Yoda as a winking representation of Asian men?
Despite his avowed interest in Chinese and Japanese martial arts, culture, literature and films, is Lucas a closet racist after all?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:56:01 PM)
Uh, villageidiot:
I can't speak for all White folks, but a lot of us do NOT want to be "played to" if that means actors of non-White ethnicity are going to portray their own ethnic groups stereotypically in order to get a cheap laugh. Sorry, but I don't find anyone of any ethnicity doing this to be "entertainment" in my book. I find it kind of pathetic.
I would much rather see an African-American, Asian-American, Latin-American or Euro-American playing a character with complex depth or funny in a non-ethnic based humor rather than pander to what someone somewhere thinks the "majority" audience wants. That's one of the reasons why Denzel Washington and Halle Berry have such a strong transethnic following and lots of clout: they don't pander to stereotypes and portray roles with dignity and depth.
Out of most Asian American actors, Rick Yune has shown the strongest bent towards that, with Jet Li a close. If only Jackie Chan and other Asian actorws who are more well-known in non-Asian American households would follow that example.
Random White Male
Monday, June 03, 2002 at 13:13:03 (PDT)
Slayer of Gods,
U've made some good points...but you left out 1 thing. What is the SOLUTION?
Violence, Rivalry????
Remember African Americans once appeased Whites too. But also remember Whites were hostile towards Blacks in many ways the Asians did not suffered on a large scale. Ex. slavery, segregation, destruction of black businesses.
Also remember, Asians come from cultures where they expect authority to make changes so they are less likely to settle for "an eye for an eye" confrontation. They take a more passive and subtle approach. Are they cowards? That all depends to who u are talking!
One last thing, remember Asians are capable of becoming violent towards Whites if pushed to the limit. Japan's murdereous deeds on American and British POWs need no further explaining.
power in the hands of the manipulators
Monday, June 03, 2002 at 11:54:41 (PDT)
"It’s like how white men treat women by making them confuse abuse with love. “I’m only beating you because I love you. If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t bother to care!”"
Um you need to stop talking out of your ass. Not all white men abuse their wives. And there are certainly black, hispanic, asian, polynesian, etc etc that abuse their wives as well.
you're a hater too
Monday, June 03, 2002 at 11:11:16 (PDT)
As a former actor in SF and LA, my experiences with the film/TV industry were mixed at best, much like villageidiot's. So long as we are the tools of a white-dominated business, the scraps from the master's table will be tokenism, stereotypes, and cultural appropriation. Then we're supposed to be grateful for the work. Color-blind casting sometimes happens in theatre, but in film/TV, fuhgeddaboutit!
Once in a while the industry will make nice by dropping a bunch of awards on their favorite non-white tools. To be a beneficiary of white liberal guilt (esp. blatant at the recent Oscars) is not truly satisfying or empowering either; it looks rigged, like a surprise party on The Truman Show.
It's easy to criticize, but much harder to create something new. Independent AA producers exist, but even with creative control, marketing a minority's "experience in America" to the infantile masses is a lot tougher than selling a minority cuisine.
Every pioneer effort is bound to look crude to some degree (I know, I was an extra in The Joy Luck Club) but right now our task is to outlive "The Age of Dinosaurs" and create a better culture ourselves.
Waynio
waynio@jps.net
Monday, June 03, 2002 at 11:07:20 (PDT)
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