On this journey for finding out stuff about culture and heritage, I had no idea about some stuff that happened. During the 1960′s particularly 1969 where a event in San Francisco united the rising forces of the Native people during the decolonization struggle. Also with Alcatraz where it states seventy-eight Indians landed on the Island to reclaim their land, later joined by six hundred fellow compatriots representing more than fifty nations.

This I’m like holy ****. I was always told the story differently and just hearing about the truth now, what other untold mysteries have I not heard of. This is interesting to me because being of Native American descent and to hear about this in my life just now, WTF world. High school never told me, media of course didn’t tell me and yeah, this is surprising the hell out of me. The fact that Jimi Hendrix is Native as well and made a song dedicated to the existential condition of his Native American identity in the process of ongoing extermination. Thanks Jimi Hendrix for this that. We have come along way, but we still have some ways to go and I would like to find out about more on what happened before that time and of recent events. Thanks for assigning a book that I could draw some more of my history together for better awareness and understanding so I and probably a lot others are in the dark about the real stories that are made up so the government doesn’t have to look like the bad guy. I want to learn more about the struggles that happened during these times even though the truths may not be what you want to hear, it reminds me of the debridement.

Who: Jimi Hendrix

What: “The Star-Spangled Banner”

When: Vietnam War

Where: Woodstock

Why: In 1969, Jimi Hendrix song “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock. Usually, people say the singers who sing the national anthem are very patriotic. In this book, the author also said “With the use of pure sound as a sole medium of expression, Hendrix is able to represent the testimonial voice of the historical contradiction in their rawest form as the “other” of patriotism.” (Kato, p84) However, in my opinion, we can take two reasons why he song this in Woodstock. I mean the truth might be mystery because we don’t know this action was only from his patriotism or not.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Through the cracks opened up in the sonic statue of liberty, we hear the wail, cry, and scream of those souls that have been killed, raped, exploited, and bombed by “America,” interspersed between the shrieking sounds medium of expression and violence.” (Kato, p84)

So, it was easy that people in Woodstock must have associated his national anthem with Vietnam War. It was sure that he song against the war. However, is it sure that he song this only because he wanted to be peace in America? I wonder whether we can also think about this was because he might mad at America having the war or not.

The Wedding Banquet had all the stereotypical Asian plot twists that we had come to know over the last several decades with a few new ones. Namely the fact that male lead was Chinese and gay while the parents were trying to marry him off to have grandchild. The long suffering partner telling him that he should tell the parents before it gets any further with both comedic and heart-wrenching consequences. For the purpose of this writing I shall only focus on one.

Being a gay man has its share of problems to being and doubly so if you are from Asian background with a family wanting to marry you off for the sole purpose of gaining grandchildren. How do you then explain that you don’t quite feel that way to the overbearing relatives? How do you explain that you don’t want have anything to do with women other than as friends? In this case,you don’t. You endure a lie when they come visit,put your partner in the guest room and have a fiancee on stand-by. The problem with that is is parents just aren’t that stupid. Doesn’t mean that they accept it. Just means that parents would rather not see what is plainly in their faces. Despite all the signs that are there.

What makes this unique in a movie setting is that the parents,mother in particular, deny the fact their son is gay,but, come to some sort of acceptance to the point of accepting his partner. Which is unusual to say the least. The moment with Simon and his partner’s father clearly illustrates that love sometimes can overcome anything if you are willing to accept it. Dad accepting his son’s choice of a partner,welcoming him into the family in the traditional manner says a lot to the older generation attempting to accept what they don’t want to.

Unlike other types of movies with a similar content the single fact of this entire exchange between lover and parent sets it above the rest by taking out the often used typical Asian dad,by making him real,by making him understanding of his son’s choices. Showing a small scene the importance of family no matter who that family is.

Quite a few people of African American heritage became attracted to kung fu during the 1960s and 1970s (Partially during the African American Civil Rights Movement). Why was this? According to the film it was because the martial arts provided a way for African Americans to experience self-awareness, equality, and a new-found sense of pride.

Ron Van Clief, who is an American martial artist, has faced an enormous amount of racism throughout his lifetime.

 (Center of Photograph: Ron Van Clief)

As punishment for refusing to sit in the back of the military bus he was thrown in jail. But the discrimination didn’t stop there. Right after being released, white men with pitchforks (and other various weapons) were waiting for him outside the door. They nearly beat him to death, breaking his jaw and severely injuring his eye in the process. Then they hung him from a rope to die and bashed his face in with a shovel. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in the hospital. His determination was again tested, during the Vietnam War, where he was sent on multiple no return missions, simply because of the color of his skin…As you can see with Ron’s story; anyone in his shoes would want an outlet or safe space to experience self-awareness, equality, and a new-found sense of pride. Clearly, martial arts was the perfect outlet. Another great thing about the martial arts was that if an African American man was good enough at it, he could then gain respect in Hong Kong. One of the men in the film appreciates Hong Kong so much that he travels there once a year, mainly to be further trained in kung fu.

(Photo taken from: http://www.boitenoire.com/media/catalog/

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Of the two films we watched today, this was the one that left the strongest impression on me. Due in part because my reading of the book, “From Kung Fu To Hip Hop” by M.T. Kato, and partly due to the fact I could better relate to the stories of those interviewed in the film. Each person told a story of struggle while growing up– their main struggle being with racism in the 1950s-1960s. Each person came to embrace Kung Fu in their way, through their own path. But the uniting factor was Kung Fu gave them a sense of belonging, purpose, and control over their lives.

One of the men interviewed talked about Kung Fu movies giving the inner-city kids someone to relate to– a role model of sorts. About the same time James Brown was singing about being black and proud (1968), and it being a sign of the positive change to come. This point of the movie weaves into Kato’s writing about Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix.

In chapter three, Kato describes how Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix subverted the paradigm of transnational capital from within the factory of global commodities– meaning that they subverted the bland flavor of conformity that is packaged and sold to people. He writes that their primary field of engagement was the aesthetic realm & the unconscious. Bruce Lee defied the homogenized idea of what American film heroes were supposed to be. Likewise Jimi Hendrix’s expression in music subverted those corporate imposed ideas of what music should sound and look like. The possibility of liberation is actualized in symbolic form. (Kato p72). Both had the same affect as James Brown singing about being black & proud in 1968; it subverted the conformity of its day, and gave people a new way of thinking– liberating people from the paradigm that was imposed upon them either consciously or unconsciously.

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Through the movie“The Black Kungfu Experience,” I was impressed because I didn’t know that some black people are interested in Kung Fu and that they not only have interests, but also excellent skills. At the same time, I learned one of the reasons why they started to have interests in Kung Fu was caused by their negative experiences of discrimination. I suggested this because they tried to have something fun in their life. They found Kung Fu and they were drawn into it. A reason this might be because Kung Fu was from a different culture, so they found common ground between kung Fu and themselves. There might be some connection between them.

I especially like Oso Tayari Casel. He mixed Kung Fu and African culture, creating a new culture in America. I think his thought of Kung Fu is more creative than that just only Kung Fu being Americanized. Through the discussion about “Pop-ositions” on Tuesday, I found popular culture was caused by globalization. By Oso Tayari Casel, African culture and Asian culture were brought to America, and then they became a new culture in America.

I assumed that new culture gave better understanding around the world because they put two different things together and they became familiar around all around.

Lately in class, we have examined the idea of resistance and how it can be applied in various different circumstances. When it comes to the Shaolin that live here in the United States, I think the act of spreading the Shaolin teachings across the world is a form of resistance – meaning looking past cultural differences and saying that white, latino, black or whatever can learn this stuff and embrace it. Through this, Shaolin has, in my mind, served as a strong form of resistance against racism and oppression. We learn this from the films Bruce Lee has made and how the Kung Fu experience is a form of rebellion against the Japanese samurai film. A good example is the line in Fists of Fury that Bruce Lee utters about how they are not the ¨sick dogs of east Asia” was enough to get Chinese audiences cheering in their seats I feel that it is this spirit of resistance that made African Americans, especially through the 1960s and 70s, want to learn the art themselves. Having dealt with so much horrible discrimination, I can see how seeing KungFu films back then could be so influential to the African Americans because a lot of these films were really about the down-trodden rising up against oppressing forces (in Bruce Lee’s case, the Japanese).

There exists a potent force that reverberates throughout the extreme sessions of mastery over the martial arts. Disregarding the typical annoying American tourist style of thinking in the first movie with the Catholic wife and the Texas rich man it was quite enlightening to the world of martial arts, Buddhism and kung-fu.

The expansion of the Buddhist martial arts from China, to Japan to America has shown that it is more than a purely cultural identity but a beneficial way of life that transcend any idea of race ethnicity or sex. This idea is further strengthened with the showing of the second movie which goes into detail the spread of kung-fu into the black community.

The kung-fu movement in America has demonstrated the rich and intricate culture of its Chinese origins but additionally shows the raw usefulness and help it can have on anyone of any origin. The cross cultural exchange not only allows America to learn of an art form that can greatly assist in ones peace and way of living but allows other countries to learn of all that encompasses American living. One of the monks in the movie mentioned America as an “immigrant country” which further shows the ease and effectiveness the mixing of cultures can achieve.

When black kung-fu users went to China they no longer had to deal with the racism to the extent in which they dealt with in America but they were treated like a specialty, an outsider who has accepted their teaching and way of life. The choice for some of the black kung-fu masters to live in China for extended periods seemed to be a more comforting and accepting environment at the time.

Overall both movies showed the potential for growth and the interest of the American people in the Buddhist originated martial arts. Which promotes more open mindedness and a better understanding of other cultures.