Actually, I did not know Jimi Hendrix before this reading. But, I was impressed by the reading and watching his live movies at Wood Stock. Here is the movie at Wood Stock “Star Spangled Banner” below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

His performance captured the sound of bombs falling overseas and screaming protestors. It has quite strong influence against the war on Vietnam all over the world as people still share this performance and influence.

“Like Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech against the war on Vietnam, Hendrix’s own reference point in ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ according to Monice Dannemann, was not only the Vietnam War also ‘the daily was which was being fought on the streets of the USA.’ “

Around the time when Jimi acted at Wood Stock, there were a lot of new diversity such as labor, environment, feminist, gay and lesbian movements etc.. caused by globalization. Thus, Jimi prayed and touched for world  peace with his music impact. Because his mixed ancestry included African American, Irish, and Cherokee ancestors, he was a part of diversity too. As we can see on the movie above, he presented Native American’s identity.

MUSIC has strikingly power and importance. Music helps tell histories and reflect the society and culture in which they were produced although time has passed a lot. Also, Music help unify  groups of people and to move them to common action or help them express common emotions. People sometimes use music to express their suppressed feelings.

I enjoyed watching two films. I was surprised that Kung fu is practiced by such a lot of people in the USA. I’m so interested in Buddhism and Zen that I noticed similarities with them. I really like the way of Chinese martial arts; of course, technic and method are very important, but concentration of mind and  is  also really important like Buddhism. Those all are a way of life. Additionally, Chinese martial arts includes the self-expression as Hip Hop music.

It was interesting to see the differences among monks interviewed. Some give attention to spiritual part, on the other hand, Shi Xing Hong who went to Las Vegas sees a perfect opportunity to spread Zen and Kung fu in the USA.

There were different situations among Chinese and Black communities in 1960′s and 1970′s. However, both dealt with difficult political and prejudiced situations in the USA and China. Then, a precept of Kung Fu matched with Black community to express them selves. I really like the scene where the guy in the film mentions that people can use their own advantage for Kung fu. In the other word, Kung Fu is based on their individual merits. Skin color or a build does not matter. Everyone does different type of Kung Fu as the original five animal styles; Tiger, Leopard, Crane, Snake, and Dragon.

P.S. I just remembered this film “Kung Fu Panda”

Click here to view the embedded video.

I select from the article by Maira. My group came up with “pop-osition” for it; “Goa trance is inspired by ignorant appropriation of Indian culture by hippie-tourists.”

“….. South Asian motifs and music became particularly visible in the latest manifestation of ‘Asian cool’ at a time when South Asian immigration to the United States was growing rapidly…..”(Dave, 13)

It reminds me of Katy perry’s performance with Kimono. Some said she was racist because she was wearing Kimono improperly and mixed with Chinese dress. Some said she loves Japan, so she did not mean to be rude but expressed it as beauty that she thought. I also take popular culture in from other countries,culture, and religion such as s cross motif. New Asian styles are going ahead without understanding of original ones by foreigners or outsiders. I think that people should know prime culture if they want to use others.

To sum up, globalization created popular culture, however pop-culture is not always necessarily same as original meanings. Globalization created new culture.

Chapter15 -Cibo Matto’s Stereotype A

This chapter is so attractive for me that I enjoyed reading it. CM’s songs contains mixing different culture genre unlike SK in order to be unique and create new image toward Asian American female musician.

“CM members, on the other hand, are quick to identify as feminists and to recognize the sexist and racist stereotypes the press sometimes has conferred on them.”(Dave, p.295)

They dissented from image toward Asian American female such as  the expressions of female sexuality, power, and vulnerability. They wanted to be valued on the same level with male musicians or Americans.

In addition, Chibo Matto self-identified as Asian American even though they were not born in the USA.

“He defines hip hop as a social movement in that it ‘enable its participants to imagine themselves as part of a larger community’…..”(Dave, p.298)

By using hip hop that has diversity in the lyrics and styles and identifying as Asian American,  Chibo Matto tried to create different style outside the box unlike stereotyped Asian American female musicians’ image.

Chapter2 -Making Transnational Vietnamese Music

Click here to view the embedded video.

I found this music on You-Tube, which describes about Viet Kieu.

The story of Kiet Kieu music reminds me of the story of other Asian Americans because they sing about nostalgia. Vietnamese immigrants came to the US because the unstable society in Vietnam after the war like Chinese, Japanese and so on. It is interesting that Viet Kieu music is not only popular among both in Viet Nam and abroad but also be composed of historical and political messages. As Vietnamese government is afraid of  import of Kiet Kieu music, Kiet Kieu music has very important role to understand Vietnamese political and social situations.

“Considering the circumstances of the Viet Kieu departure from Viet Nam and their desire to hold onto their history and sense of nationhood, it was no wonder that music from the years continued to have a popular following long after the war had ended.”(Dave, p.36)

 According to this quotation,I understand that music is suitable tool to convey to next generations and easy to become widely used among all ages.

Chapter1 -Trance-Formations

 ”Asian icons are often used by white (or other) American youth to signal their ‘alternative’ approach to mainstream popular culture, as with neohippie subcultures that have reinvented the sixties’ fascination with India.”(Dave, p.13)

 Although Asian people are seen as strangers or “otherness” in America, Asian icons are thought as cool by white people. I’ve thought about this topic before. I wondered why there was Buddha at club even in America… The point of view toward Asian iconography as cool, cute, and psychedelic, and spiritual etc.. is different from previous image among the youth.

Chapter5 -’PAPPY’S HOUSE’

This chapter is really confusing to me… Anyway, I did not know there are some ways to call mother and father, which mean different from each other despite these sound similar for me….

Chapter4 -Model Minorities Can Cook

 ” ‘Chef Floyd Cardoz’s menu is a perfect example of what is so great about New York dining- its ethnicity, its diversity.’ ……the notion that it is truly ‘American’ because it melds the immigrant plate to mainstream tastes.”(Dave, p72)

 I agree with that because I have felt familiar to many variety of cuisine since I came to the USA. People mostly say that it is not truly original cuisine but Americanized cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese,Mexican and so on and sometimes these are mixed up. By touching cuisine culture, I also feel like knowing these countries. Food may be a chance for me to start to understand its country and culture.

“Rather, text produces a flexible, transnational narrative marking Padma Lakshmi’s emergence as a cosmopolitan and mobile South Asian American subject who travels easily between culture and nations.”(Dave, p.79)

Although Padma Lakshmi is seen as the main ingredients of the show and exotically sexualized objects, she seems to break down national boundaries. Her appearances lead consumers to think about other ethnic groups and feel familiar to them throughout fusion cuisine.

Chapter13 -”Alllooksame”? Mediating Asian American Visual Cultures of Race on the Web

I am often mistaken as Chinese and Korean though I am Japanese. It is sometimes very difficult to distinguish among Asians as Alllooksame.com researched. Thus, it was very interesting to read how much people can distinguish Asians’ races.

“What is my point you ask? Well… None of these groups are ‘pure’, nor are they homogeneous.”(Dave, p.266) 

 I like this part because not only this is true but also this explains why Asian countries such as Japan, Korea,and China are called ‘Asia’ and put together.

“…..race is detached from biological bodies and reassigned to realm of the cultural, political, and geographical.”(Dave, p.267) 

Chapter17 -Secret Asian Man

 ”Expression of anger in popular texts are interesting not only because of their narrative weight and cinematic value but also because the right to express one’s grievances explicitly is a privilege.”(Dave, p.340)

 It reminds me of differences between the films “Gran Torino” and “Come See the Paradise”.  In ”Come See the Paradise”, the story is described as sorrow through Japanese war experience. On the other hand, in ”Gran Torino”, Thao who is Walt’s Hmong neighbor expresses his anger when his sister is used violence by gang members. Also, the gang group consists of Asian Americans and they express their thereat against Thao, his family, Walt and so on.

Chapter 10

I came up with a question for this chapter.

“why could the pageants  never completely assimilate  with American style?”

I wonder why Nisei did not present only American culture without Japanese culture despite they wanted to be accepted by white community. “The addition of the queen pageant reflected the larger goals of the festival, namely, to ease the mounting economic and social tensions between Japanese Americans and the larger white community while trying to bolster the ethnic economy of Little Tokyo(Lee, p.205).” According to this quotation, I can also tell that Japanese American wanted to be adapted to Americans socially and economically.

My answer for the question above is that the pageants wanted to keep their own culture in the US. In addition, although Nisei had citizenship unlike Issei, they got put in the interment camps during the WWII. Thus, after the war, they still struggled with their identities whether Japanese or American. That’s why, the pageants combined Japanese and American culture forms.

Chapter 14

I found interesting sentences.

“Evidence of gay sexuality seems ti erase racial markings, an absence that is read as white.”(Lee, p.275)

“Race and sexuality seem ti cancel each other out in both the popular imagination and the zero-sum world of identity politics.”(Lee, p.275)

These two quotations mean that Race and Sexuality cannot be accepted by people at the same time.  Being gay is already strange, thus,  additionally being foreigner is so strange that people ignore a point of race.

Chapter 6 

“Rather than viewing the term queer as synonym for homosexual identity, I use it to question the formation of exclusionary norms of respectable middle-class, heterosexual marriage.” (Lee, p.120)

As Chinese immigrants, Filipino immigrants were seen as weird or queer people beyond the distinction of sex by White people.

Chapter 10

“why could the pageants  never completely assimilate  with American style?”

Chapter 14

“do you think that the sexual identity is more invisible than racial identity?”

“why gay sexuality seems to erase racial marking?”