1. Impact of Tiger Woods recent scandal on the idea of being Cablinasian.

• Does it cause people to revert back to prior stereotypes of African American males?

2. The business connection seen between the Japanese beauty pageants and Tiger Wood American Icon status.

3. Opinions on whether or not the Japanese beauty pageants, “erode progress for womens equality” (212)

4. Is “race a myth” (276)

Chapter 6:

“To the casual observer who is even mildly aware of recent social and cultural transformations, the sodomitical implications of “within each crack/a story” are not lost. This phrase would not escape the snickers of Bevis and Butthead, who have been so oddly influential in the queering of popular culture” p. 118 – Is this true about Beavis and Butthead? Are there other ways in which Beavis and Butthead have been influential in the queering of popular culture or even Asian American pop culture? Has the show ever played a role in Asian American stereotyping or has it been against the stereotypes?

“In spite of these transformations and recognitions, a relatively new question has been heard with increasing frequency and loudness; How, if at all, does queering productively intersect with critical race theory and historical materialism?” p. 119

“Even with Asian American studies, the conception of Filipinos as forgotten, and forgetful, is canonical. It has customarily and persuasively been argued that this amnesia is an epiphenomenon of the amnesia around U.S. colonialism in the Pacific at the turn of the century” p. 123- Why has Filipino and Filipino American history been forgotten/overlooked?

Chapter 10:

“Starting in 1935 in Los Angeles, the Nisei Week Festival added the Nisei Week Queen Pageant to draw more people into the festival. 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” p. 205 -Interesting that the Japanese American community used beauty pageants as a tool to gain a larger audience for the Nisei Week Festival, ease social tensions with whites, and bring in a heavier income for Little Tokyo.

- What were some of the drawbacks of these pageants  for the Japanese American women? and how did the pageants help them?

Chapter 14:

“Race and sexuality seem to cancel each other out in both the popular imagination and the zero-sum world of identity politics” p. 275- Thought provoking quote.

Here are a few talking points to coincide with the reading of East Main Street: Asian American Popular Culture.

- Chapter 11 has this quote regarding golf great Tiger Woods; “…announce the arrival of a new color-blind era in US history” (pg223.) Is this a good thing?

- How does race define Tiger Woods?

- What would Tiger’s “symbolic status” (pg.225) be if his mother was instead Jewish?

- How would Tiger be the Icon he is without marketing?

- If not Tiger, who should be “America’s Son?”

- How does Keanu Reeves  status as hapa change your view of 47 Ronin?

- Is perception reality?

- Is Reves just playing the game by side-stepping questions about his sexuality and/or his ethnicity?

Crisis of Identity:

The Slanted Screen: Asian American actors are always trying to destroy or break away from film stereotypes.

Saving Face: Wil is trying to come to terms with her sexual orientation and being comfortable expressing her feelings for Vivian in public. Throughout most of the film she is also trying to gain enough courage to tell her mother that she is gay.

Lee: “She is the symbolic of the deeply contradictory and contested representation of the Asian American as permanent resident alien: both model minority, productive and acquiescent, and yellow peril, the Viet Cong, invisible and destructive” p. 180. During and after the Vietnam war white American culture decided to focus their stereotyping antics on Vietnamese women.  More than often, Vietnamese women were stereotyped as young, extremely intelligent, and having the mission of killing the white American “hero” soldier.

Another stereotype that plagues many Asian Americans to this day is the ”model minority myth.”  “The myth presents Asian Americans as silent and disciplined; this is their secret to success. At the same time, this silence and discipline is used in constructing the Asian American new yellow peril” p. 190. Because of this myth, as also mentioned in The Slanted Screen, a good majority of Asian Americans feel torn about their cultural identity’s. They either feel like they need to live up to this myth, rebel from it, or somehow use it to their advantage (the advantage part can be somewhat seen in the film Better Luck Tomorrow).

Crisis of Economics:

The Slanted Screen- Film industry makes money off of Asian/Asian American stereotypes.

Saving Face- Wil’s grandfather is angry that his 48 year old unwed daughter has become pregnant. He yells to his daughter that he didn’t leave his homeland in order for her to put herself in this situation and that she is a disgrace. The reason I am connecting this to an economic crisis is because it can be assumed that when Wil’s grandfather left his home country, he was also leaving his job, which meant he was taking an economic chance. And if his plan failed then he would of had for sure been in an economic crisis.

Lee: “The year 1974 encompassed Watergate, the OPEC oil crisis, and the fall of Saigon” p. 180. Right before the “model minority myth” became popular, the mid-1970s crisis called for a global restructuring of capital and the development of “de-industrialization.”  Fordism was replaced by flexible accumulation. And with the “de-industrialization” came America’s hope for a return to hegemony “in the global marketplace through discipline, obedience, and return to family values” p. 182-183. This is when the use of the”model minority myth” blew up.

Thinking about today’s key word; “crisis”, I think there were many points in this film. So, I’d like to focus about Wil’s crisis and her mother’s one.

-Wil’s crisis

First in this film, I thought her crisis would be that she told that she is gay to her mother. This was because her mother wanted Will to be more girly and tried to find the guy who she liked. However, after she told her mother about herself, I found it won’t be her crisis. Her mother had already found it. So, I changed my mind, and I think her turning point is the time when she kissed Vivian in front of people.

In this movie, I also felt again how clever the mother was. I mean not only the mother but also all of mothers in the world. This is because Will’s mother knew everything about her before she told her mother. In the movie; “the joy luck club” which we watched on Tuesday, I thought the same thing how important mothers were.

-Mom’s crisis

I think her crisis was the time when it was clear who the baby’s father was. In this movie, there were many scenes which I think we can say one of stereotypes as Asian people. It was that Asian people always care about other people think. In the parties which were shown twice in this movie, most of people talked about other people. Because people cared about others view, Mom couldn’t tell the baby’s father. He was too young comparing with her. I don’t want to care, but at the same time, I also care what people think in Japan every time. This is one characteristic of Asian culture.

Through this film, I wondered about the title; “Saving Face” meaning a kind of obstacles against humiliation. Kissing with Vivian in front of people, and telling the truth about who the baby’s father is, these things were caused when Wil and her mother exposed themselves. To me, the crisis meant the point which people could keep going or not.

What connections centering around crisis can I make between today’s two films and our reading? This morning we watched The Slanted Screen which was an examination of Asian men in film. This afternoon we watched the romantic comedy, Saving Face– a feature film about a lesbian woman and her relationship with her family in New York City. The books reading for the day was the final few chapters of Robert G. Lee’s Orientals.

The common thread that jumped out to me was the crisis of identity. The Asian actors interviewed in The Slanted Screen talked much about the image of Asian men portrayed through film. When surveyed, the stereo types Asian kids identified were being portrayed as nerdy or kung fu. An older actor said the only two roles available for him were those of the wimpy businessman, or a bad guy. He choose the bad guy to show that Asian men “have balls.” When surveyed, American audiences said they wanted to see the hero, leader, etc. to look like them; to represent them– and in most cases they want a “white” person. The viewers are looking to film (TV & movies) for validation of their worth– that they are important.

Wil, the main character in Savin Face is struggling with the stereo types imposed on her through her family and culture. Her mother is ostracized by her grandfather for being pregnant out of wedlock. Wil’s mom moves in with her and soon thereafter admits to her mom that she is gay. Her mom doesn’t want anything to do with her at that point. Will, being in love with Vivian is working through her identity crisis– not willing to publicly show affection for Vivian, thus admitting to all that she is gay. That relationship is counter to the model minority stereotype that has been assigned to the Asian American community; something the reading speaks about at length.

In each of the three mediums, actors, characters and the researcher/author are forced to confront the image crisis of Asian Americans– specifically of image. The danger is that people– both kids and adults– absorb the stereotypes, internalize them and allow these false images to affect their lives. Saving Face acts as a summary of all three; it confronted the model minority stereo type by first showing it modeled  through Wil’s life as a doctor and relationship with her mom. It then deconstructs it as the story shows us that Will is a person (not an image) who struggles with her parents traditional expectations (just like anybody else) and ultimately follows her heart by professing her love for Vivian during a community party by dancing with her despite the social outcry of some there. The morale being to live your life despite the judgments of others, and maybe– just maybe– others will follow.

This crisis turn of events I can relate to both films in a sense also says some in the reading. In Orientals Lee talks about Asian American habits of behavior are seen as the secret weapons of national restoration. I want to believe that, but both of the films showed me differently. In the slanted screen where all the actors are talking about well one of them where he was saying being rebellious and be creative. The future events of their movie careers could definitely change for thinking out of the box, where the guy that said that stared in the movie just recently cam out: 47 Ronin. He was rebellious and is still going to achieve what he wants to. In Saving Face, where the main character she was suppose to be the one to make her mom proud and marry a man and turns out that she likes the opposite sex and the norm is different in her mind. Crisis climbs through the family where her mother was thrown out of her dads house and had to move in with her daughter and she trying to juggle her emotions and with her mother needing her 24/7 and the restoration is not there. She wants to be with her girl, but shes scared of rejection and being ashamed as her mother did in the movie. I’m saying that crisis can happen in your life at anytime and sometimes when you least expect it. I can say that the norm of Asian Americans can be different. No ones stopping anyone. Power to the People.

6. “Within Each Crack/ A Story”, Victor Bascara.
This article on the “queering” of Filipino American history opens up new world to both the queer definition and the domestic unit of the original Filipino labor men. The usage of queer in this article creates an even broader umbrella for the term which serves up both pros and cons. Of course, the pros of “queering” history come from the vices that arise out of what was a very silenced time for queer individuals. Those who broke the nuclear family model and went against the heteronormative expectation were majorly underrepresented, so for those who still find themselves outside of the nuclear, heteronormative mold it is important to see those stories grow from the silence. However, the cons of opening up the word queer could come into play if those using the word were doing so in an inappropriate reclaiming, as the queer community is still oppressed and victimized for being queer.
However, with that caution in mind, the article still demonstrated the way in which the Filipino men created their own communities, mostly composed of other men in a unit. Of course, despite Filipinas being unable to immigrate initially, there were still men who married and had relations with women. However, these marriages were still seen as being beyond the proper nuclear family and determined unassimilatable. Perhaps, this was a strategy created by those who dictated the proper family structure and who wanted to keep immigrant of color out; to not allow their wives or female family to immigrate as well they were setting those first Filipinos up to create their own queer communities. “A horizontal brotherhood rather than a parent-child model was the idealized social ordering” (page 124).

10. “Miss Cherry Blossom Meets Mainstream America”, Rebecca Chiyoko King-O’Riain.

This article was extremely important in the way that it showed both the major influence of western beauty standards on Nisei girls as well as their resistance in losing their own culture. They found ways to represent themselves in a way that felt comfortable and appropriate to them while participating in an event that was most definitely meant to exclude them. Of course, there were drawbacks to the pageants, because there was still a heavy focus on assimilation (such as having a part of the pageant be peaking with unaccented English, page 209). And when feminism began to move its way into communities and media there was still exclusivity as to who had the voice in the feminist movement.Instead, the Asian American women pushed back against the white feminist ideas that did not apply to them, such as being more outspoken. Once again they were resisting the loss of their culture while finding platforms to feel beautiful.

This article reminded me immediately of Miss America 2014. I have never participated in a pageant nor have I followed them closely, but this last year’s winner made quite a stir. Her name is Nina Davuluri and she is the second Asian American Miss America and the first Indian American. While she participated in ball gown dress and bikini walk, her talent was a Bollywood dance.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I associated Nina Davuluri to this article not only because she is Asian American, but also because she has taken a part of her culture which is often under-represented and mocked or appropriated and showcased it as a part of who she is. Of course, there was major backlash and after her winning many people took to the internet to share their racist opinions on why she shouldn’t have won. But for both Davuluri and the Japanese American women, the pageants have given them the opportunities to speak out publicly and represent themselves in a way they choose. They are given the stage, and even if they do not win, it can be an empowering act.

14. “Guilty Pleasures: Keanu Reeves, Superman, and Racial Outing”, LeiLani Nishime.

To begin, I’ll say I was pleased and surprised to read this article because for a few of my elementary and early middle school years I was a huge Smallville fan, so to read the “queer and raced readings” of the show was both exciting and shocking. Other than the brief reminiscing, however, I was also really interested in the take on Reeve’s perceived identity and how that asks the questions of who can count as “someone” (page 277) and the dismissal of mixed-race people who do not meet the standard “look”. (I am interested to see this juxtaposed with an analysis of those who are passing-white.) By creating a standard look, however, it forces communities to either fit the mold or “deny” their identity. But like the queer Filipino communities that pushed back against the traditional domestic household as well as the creation of Nisei beauty pageants, Asian Americans in the media who do not fit the stereotyped role are pushing back to create their own representation.

Within the community of Smallville, however, those representations come more subtly. For the actors, of course, Nishime points out that seemingly Pete [Sam Jones III] and Lana [Kristin Kreuk] are the only people of color in the entire town which also tells us that they are the only people of color on the cast. And, that Lana’s character was portrayed as white until the racial outting of her character could become progressive towards the plot (page 286). But perhaps the most beautiful and subtle ways of the “race reading” is the symbolism of kryptonite in its comfort and danger.