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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.]
huu 76,
you wrote "When one minority bitches and whines about how bad they have it, the majority shifts their negative energy/efforts onto another minority group. In this case, the minority group sure as hell doesn't deserve it, but we have better things to do than complain and sue everyone in sight"
You have a very serious attitude problem my friend. I wouldn't want to spend one minute in the same room with you because your behavior sucks. Who is bitching? I hear legitimate complaints from african americans and asians about fair representation in the media. I've never said that complaints about negative carricatures is bitching. Those are good reasons to complain.
You just don't want to admit that you're a racist. That's the problem. You're the problem.
In addition you state that you have better things to do with your time than complain. Perhaps that's the reason why you keep seeing these negative depictions.
Political Observer
Wednesday, July 17, 2002 at 12:00:21 (PDT)
TO: huu76
There are some things about you that I really like and there are some things about you that I don't like.
First, the good things:
1) You're definitely a strong believer in your own race - Asian Americans deserve to have your type of representation;
2) You certainly believe in what you say;
3) You're a good fighter - you don't back down.
Now, the bad things:
1) Your arguments are not proportional - you fail to take the totality of American sociology into consideration when forming your arguments;
2) It's not so much that you're pro-Asian that you're anti-African American;
3) You practically exonerate white corporate America and executives while indicting black America without a blink of an eye.
Now I do admit, Fast and Furious, Romeo Must Die and Rush Hour 1/2 are pretty good examples. However, in Romeo Must Die you had black and Asian criminals; black and Asian good guys. That's America, huu76. You had an Asian mafia boss, a black mafia boss and an uppity rich white prick who forced illegal real estate transactions. Everyone shared the good and the bad.
I didn't see Fast and Furious cause all it had was a bunch of good looking faces with no real plot. That's not my taste.
No question about it, the Rush Hour movies are pro-African American and insulting towards Asians and Asian Americans. No explanation from me. It's Asian bashing pure and simple.
"By the way, my L.A. beating example is to stress how everytime a black guy gets his ass kicked by the cops, its because he's black. When one of use gets an ass kicking, it's just that, an ass kicking."
huu76, do you have any idea how many law abiding African Americans are stopped by local police just because they fit a profile (profile being their race). Now, I guess I could go talk to all my "home boys" and tell them to chill, but they'd kick my ass before they would kick yours. It's a criminal justice issue, huu76.
Police have a difficult job to do. No question about it. However, police are allowed to get away with abuse so long as they are targeting poor people who don't have the resources or political voice to defend themselves. All the cops have to say is "I feared for my life and the life of my partner." Guess what? The public will generally fall in line (i.e., the state trial of the four LA cops who beat Rodney King). You had a videotape, but even that wasn't enough, huu76.
"Michael Jackson is suing Sony (an Asian company) because he feels we're screwing him somehow. Sony bad, Michael the child molestor good."
OK, I forgot Sony was Asian owned. However, I do agree that M Jackson and Rev Sharpton claims of Sony being racist is absolute bullshit. Michael needs to spend more time in the studio being creative and stop sleeping with young boys.
huu76, African American artists have been fighting for years to get more positive images of black people in film. The pace has been slow but it's picking up. It hasn't been until recently that Asian American activists started speaking up. I think it's cultural.
This is America, huu76. Certainly a guy like you who believes so strongly in Asian American issues and who acknowledges how much Asians don't need anyone else to show how great a contribution Asians make can realize how much you have to fight for equality in this country. Young black criminals victimize Asians and blacks alike. Law-abiding African American citizens, artists and executives are simply trying to survive and be positively projected like any other minority group.
Geoff DB
GeoffDB02@aol.com
Tuesday, July 16, 2002 at 22:50:54 (PDT)
Observer,
Your comment about the conspiracy. Whatever.
When one minority bitches and whines about how bad they have it, the majority shifts their negative energy/efforts onto another minority group. In this case, the minority group sure as hell doesn't deserve it, but we have better things to do than complain and sue everyone in sight.
huu76
Monday, July 15, 2002 at 22:26:11 (PDT)
Geoff,
Fast and the Furious.
Vietnamese gangs bad. White gangs misunderstood. OH yeah, and the head of the FBI just happens to be black. And all the cops are white.
Romeo Must Die,
Asian gangs bad, Black gangs trying to change their ways.
Rush Hour 2,
All Asians are mafia types, whether in Hong Kong or Nevada.
Other than Chris Tucker, the other main black guy runs a restaurant and likes to study philosophy.
I can't think of any extreme cases on TV right now though.
By the way, my L.A. beating example is to stress how everytime a black guy gets his ass kicked by the cops, its because he's black. When one of use gets an ass kicking, it's just that, an ass kicking.
Michael Jackson is suing Sony (an Asian company) because he feels we're screwing him somehow. Sony bad, Michael the child molestor good.
huu76
Monday, July 15, 2002 at 22:20:55 (PDT)
To further get off topic.
Blacks usually portray themselves in a negative light (music artists and athletes), while whites makeup for it by overly portraying them in a positive light (visual and print media).
I find Asians get shafted by getting portrayed in a less than flattering manner so Hollywood has something to sell to white America.
The first wouldn't be so bad if the 2nd wasn't always a bi-product of the first.
huu76
Monday, July 15, 2002 at 22:05:55 (PDT)
huu 76,
you wrote "All of this is related to blacks getting over representation as positive images. Hollywood often makes Asians the scapegoat or leaves us out altogether since they figure all minorities will be happy as long as there is a minority presence being portrayed."
You may want to postpone your lectures until you have a better understanding of white and african american relations here in the united states.
They are certainly perplexing issues that guide american life. Not everyone sees eye-to-eye and when race enters the discussion it's always bound to stir even greater controvery.
I am not too sure if you believe in true equality. You're certainly pro-asian but the topic at hand is a dilemma.
One of the main reasons why you see an over-representation of positive images for black americans is current and past racism. Black people didn't deserve all the bad stereotypes against them. Those images were created and indellibly painted by racists.
Although I do agree that hollywood moguls unfair exclude fair and balanced characterizations of asian americans too.
Political Observer
Friday, July 12, 2002 at 15:47:20 (PDT)
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