Jeet Kune Do, Hip Hop

 ”In both Jeet Kune Do and hip hop culture, creativity arises from the autonomy of self-expression.” (Kato, p.178)

This chapter is very interesting and reminds me of the film I’ve watched at Asian American festival, which is called ‘Raskal Love’ even though its story is about b-boy in the Hip Hop dance scene. I feel something familiar to hip hop, but I had never thought about the root of hip hop before I watched that film. In the film, Vanna Fut who is Asian American tells about his experience during the gang wars in the early to late 90’s gangster era in Pomona and Seattle Washington. Vanna Fut has the will to pursue his dreams against all odds.(http://raskallove.com)  As the quotation above says that hip hop has strong self-expression in lyrics. It is like poem.

Writing on the wall

 ”The spontaneous formation of the culture and aesthetic of  writing has come to represent the existence of a ghetto marginalized and incarcerated by the forces of post-industrialization and globalization.”(Kato,p.179)

I feel like everyone has different ways to express their feelings and identify themselves against society or government by writing on the …such as social movements, fashion, Slangs and so on. Especially, writing on the public walls is against the law. I did not know that there are its own language in spray painting on the wall. It remands me of a lot of dialects in Japan despite it is small country. Each groups had its own dialects to identify and historical background.

“Bruce Lee’s performance reorganized aesthetic form with his kinetic self-expression, creating an autonomous kine-aesthetic narrative as a critique of the dominant aesthetic form.”(Kato, p. 114)

I was moved by Lee’s nimble and flexible movement on the film. It is quite obvious that his physical ability is way too better than other casts’. It is also beautiful. His action let us show his feeling such as anger, sadness, and regret. Lee’s action is powerful enough even though it is not used computer graphics as recent films. In addition, Lee mostly does not use arms, so it shows an appeal and strength of Kung Fu.

“A careful examination of the postmodern construction of ‘Oriental’ protagonists and villains can inform us of the aesthetic manifestation of the strategic paradigm of globalization.”(Kato, p.145)

 This film was produced in 1973 by Hollywood in order to indicate the different positions between the West and Orient under imperialism. For instance, Han is portrayed as a bad person in the film as he is producing heroin secretly and control women including White women. This film still includes such a stereotypical oriental images. There are racial discriminations not only in this film, but also at its backstage.

“Nonetheless, Lee and the rest of the Hong Kong workers now found a vehicle for externalizing their feelings of defiance and discontent accumulated throughout the production in a ‘legitimate’ and constructive manner in the very process of production.”(Kato, p.122)

 Lee was fighting against both enemies in the film and racial discriminations by American. I was moved that he did not give up acting to represent real Kung Fu in spite of the bad process of production. He also represented new admirable Oriental image.

“Razia Khan: Remember one thing, son. There are only two kinds of people in this world. Good people who do good deeds. And bad people who do bad. That’s the only difference in human beings. There’s no other difference. Understood? What did you understand? Tell me. Tell me

Rizwan Khan: Good people. Bad people. No other difference.”

Were the scenes in Wilhelmina GA important to the film?

Yes.

I think it was a subtle way of addressing the misrepresentation of the Christian/Muslim aspect which is part of the 9-11 story. For instance, this scene presents the stereotypical view many have of Christians in America:

Fund Raiser Receptionist: For dinner with the president is $500 you know?
Rizwan Khan: That’s… that’s $500
Fund Raiser Receptionist: What church are you from?
Rizwan Khan: Church? Church?
Fund Raiser Receptionist: This is a Christian’s only event.
Rizwan Khan: But… but it says it’s a fund raiser for the draught in Africa.
Fund Raiser Receptionist: For Christian’s honey.
[Giving the money back]
Rizwan Khan: Honey, honey keep it. For those who are not Christian in Africa.

As is the rule with stereotypes, there is a measure of truth depicted in this scene. Many people who consider themselves Christian behave in very un-Christian ways. The director could have left it there, earned a laugh and moved viewers moved on with validation of a perspective. But they didn’t…

Complementing the Christian stereotype, is a stereotype of Muslims in the US. The director did this through a scene where several upset Muslims are gathered in a Mosque and being roused by their leader to take blood for blood in the name of Allah.

The two stereotypes are reconciled through the Wilhelmina GA scenes– most of which take place in a Christian church. Mamma Jenny and the community accept Rizu despite his different religious beliefs. In later scenes Rizu– a Muslim– is the one who comes to help his Christian friends in GA and inspires others to help. This inspires other communities to give their time (rather than money) to help rebuild communities. Christians and Muslims coming together to rebuild communities.

“Good people. Bad people. No other difference”
~Rizwan Khan

This week’s reading was extremely thought provoking….which led me to ask a few questions.

“Although Lee’s legacy had a direct relevance to the hip hop aesthetics, the L.A. ghetto youth were hooked onto narcissistic materialism and self-destructive nihilism articulated through the media of hip hop aesthetics called “gangsta rap” p. 173

I feel like the argument that “L.A. ghetto youth were hooked onto narcissistic materialism and self-destructive behavior” might not be necessarily true, or is more of an opinionated than fact based argument. What do you all think? What did you think when you read that quote?

“His writing has lent street aesthetic from to “their otherwise contained identities” (…) on the space that duly belonged to them” p. 186 -Quote is talking about Tsang Tsou Choi: writes calligraphy over public space objects which are reminiscent of the colonial era.

“As Sally Banes sums it up: “Breaking is a way of using your body to inscribe your identity on streets and trains, in parks and high school gyms” p. 191

Besides writing over public spaces and break dancing, what are some other ways people can reclaim their identity?

“The groove, as Malcolm X insinuated, can be conceived as force of social transformation” p 198

Are there other ways in which people can achieve social transformation?

Overall, I thought My Name is Khan was a very well written movie. It definitely was not a flat, one-dimensional film, and pulled nearly every emotion out it’s audience. One minute the film had you crying; the next laughing, and that’s what I most appreciated about it. Another aspect of the film that I liked was every scene had a purpose. But then our professor asked “Was the Wilhelmina, Georgia scene necessary?” In my opinion, I thought that sub-plot was a little misplaced, but still just as strangely necessary. Throughout the film, the characters remind us Khan cannot understand, or pick up on the unexpressed feelings exuded from others. This is where I think the Wilhelmina sub-plot was important. Towards the end of the film, Khan learns Wilhelmina has been hit by a hurricane. Worried about Mama Jenny and funny hair Joel, he goes there to check on them, risking his own life in the process. Fortunately, he finds both of them alive in the town’s church. Mama Jenny tells him to leave for his safety, but he refuses, and decides to stay in order to help rebuild the church. Mama Jenny is once again touched by Khan’s selflessness. And in turn it is clear Khan has been touched by Mama Jenny’s and funny hair Joel’s kindness. Slowly but surely, from what I saw, Khan begins to understand others’ unexpressed emotions. For example, when Khan wakes up in the hospital after being stabbed, the first thing he does is ask his wife for a hug (never before had Khan asked for a hug from anyone)….So yeah, that’s my argument as to why I thought the Wilhelmina sub-plot was important; to show how Khan was overcoming his inability to understand others’ unexpressed emotions.

I like this film so much. It has so many messages to us.

Firstly, it’s unique to describe the main character(Khan) as both Asperger Syndrome and Muslim at that time. When he is child, he is bullied due to difference with other kids. Also, he is minority in USA.

Secondly, It makes me feel the importance of religions. When Rizvan told his brother that he is going to get married with Hindu, his brother opposes that because those two have lots of conflicts… Mandira and Rizvan’s praying in deferent ways in the same house is impressive too.

Thirdly, I really like the relationship between Rizvan and mama jenny. Even though they have different religions, they respect and help each other. In addition, it is interesting that there are only black people in the church, and they have a warm personality.

Fourthly,although there are a lot of discriminations after 9/11, this film also portray that there are still many Americans who don’t judge Muslim. Also, discriminated people are starting to resist from discriminations at the end of the film.

I remembered that Chico had told us the connections between experiences of Japanese American after attack on Pearl Harbor and the Sikh, Muslim, Arab-American or South-Asian communities after 9/11.  They are discriminated because of races, appearances, religions… I believe that understanding other culture leads acceptance and peace.

This was my second time watching this movie. However, first time I didn’t realize this movie talked about Asian Americans. I just assumed that this one wanted us to talk about what happened after 9.11 and there were not only bad people but also good people in America like Mama Jenny. With studying Asian Americans, however, there was one scene which reminded me of other history. It was that Khan helped people in trouble at the church in Georgia State. In his action, I saw the picture of The 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Even they were discriminated in America, they believed they were American citizens and did their best to be accepted as Americans, and so they just did what anyone would do. In Khan’s situation, he just did what anyone would do. I found one thing in common between this movie and Japanese American.

In addition, after I watched this movie, I researched about the main actor. His name is Shah Rukh Khan same name in this movie. And, he has a wife who has a different religions, and their children believe in both of religions like in the movie. I’m surprised these facts aren’t only in the movie but also real life.

Today, because of globalization, it’s increasing the people married with other religions. Through this movie, I could learn about the love other religions.

In this chapter, it focuses again mostly on Bruce Lee and his work with the fantasy factory workers and the cast of Enter the Dragon, especially with Bob Hall who plays as Ohara in the movie. I was intrigued to discover that in the scene where  Ohara tried to use glass bottles as a weapon against “Lee”, Bob Hall decided to actually use real glass bottles, which injured Lee’s hands as he broke them in the scene. This could’ve been seen as a way to get at Bruce and to defy him, especially to all the Chinese on set who witnessed the incident. Fortunately, he “got back” at Ohara/Hall by pulling off the moves that “defeated” him. While this was happening, all the Chinese extras on set, including the ones under Han, started cheering and getting excited over Lee’s actions. This wasn’t intentional, but it was the fact that Bruce Lee was getting back at Bob Hall for his actions against Lee, especially for the treatment they received from the American cast who insulted them since they believed they did not understand English as Americans do. Another incident that occurred was the shooting of the boat scene for Enter the Dragon, where a man shouted cursed the Chinese for their inability to understand him, causing one of the Chinese cameramen nearby to attack him.

This chapter also mentions the “Oriental” stereotype of Charlie Chan and Dr. Fu Manchu. There were also connections between the story of Enter the Dragon and the cast and directors who were in the movie. The reading made it seem as though they were not entirely that different, having “Lee” take on Han, while off set it was Bruce Lee taking on the Shaw Brothers. There was conflict between both roles here, and it was interesting to find this connection since I wouldn’t have guessed that this kind of relationship even existed during the shooting of the movie.

The reading from this week jumped around a bit but the core idea of globalization and a global culture expansion was a recurring theme.

Beyond all the boring book talk there were a few points that I found particularly intriguing. specifically the processes and troubles the American film industry went through in cooperation with China to make Enter the Dragon. That being how the Chinese would refuse to use actors to portray prostitutes unless they were actually prostitutes since it devalued their image. So satisfy their needs the film team had to hire actual prostitutes to play the roles in the movie.

To me this was a clear message of how actors are seen in the public eye, at least in China. They are more than just a person pretending to be some one else. They must play roles within their character as a person retaining dignity and other such feelings. This contrasts with Asians appearing the American film throughout history where they play lesser roles in most mainstream films, even Bruce Lee was shown as being nothing more than an attack dog when the white guy wanted him to beat up the bad guys. Though Bruce Lee was an inspiring person inside and outside the film industry he was still restricted to the capabilities of what he could do in the current state of minorities in film.

Comparing the psychedelic drugs to the psy-trance movement in addition to voodooism from Jimmy Hendrix was interesting to say the least. All branching from the core idea of awareness of self, cosmic ideologies etc.

“(Primarily) Middle class white kids merge themselves within the music culture as a way to escape the monotony of their lives, as well as creating their own culture by appropriating things from other cultures and making it their own.”

So maybe I was so interested in this chapter because I related to it so well. I’m not ashamed to say that at one point, I was trying to be one of those kids that went to every rave and festival. And I’m pretty sure I could’ve pulled it off if I wasn’t focused on school and basically broke.

Around two years ago I was close to giving up on school. This was back when I was nineteen and still had it in my head that I would become a veterinarian. I mean sure, I was horrible at math and chemistry was my own personal hell but I liked animals and that was enough to get me to vet school, right? Obviously not become I’m an English major now but hat’s kind of besides the point. The point is that I get it. I get the idea of wanting to escape to a whole different world. At the time I didn’t have the patience to study hard and get good enough grades to transfer schools. I thought changing majors was like giving up, like failing. And instead of facing these problems I wanted to go to raves and festivals and concerts. It was easier to loose myself in the drugs and music than to grow up.

It’s easy to mistake the ‘spiritual awareness’ you’re feeling with the typical high though. I get why it’s so appealing to youth. Its a time when you’re supposed to be ‘finding yourself’ and here the media is, shoving the possibility of if in your face. In Washington alone we have Sasqatch, Paradiso, and every single USC event for every single holiday at the WaMu theater (ex. Lucky, Resolution, Freak Night). Honestly, I’d take the whole thing more seriously if drugs weren’t such a huge part of the culture. But believe me, it’s not bearable if you’re sober.

But it is its own culture now. Guys running around in headdresses with paint on their face, girls in swimsuits and fuzzy boots. Everyone is on multiple drugs and drowning in the sounds of Skrillex. Everyone claiming that they’re their for the music. Taking aspects from as many cultures as they can to make up for their lack of one. Spending the check their parents send them for food to pay for their molly and honestly believing that it’s worth it.

But this is what being young is about, right?

YOLO