Communication

-Slang: there are lots of slang in Nao’s letter, so I wondered why young Japanese uses slang a lot (other countries also have own slang). As writhing on the wall from last Kato’s reading, people use slang to communicate with specific people. Using slang is sometime cool. Slang is being made one after another. Additionally, because slang is a part of identity, Nao kept using it in letter even though she did not know who was going to read or understand it.

-Text: text is very important for Nao to communicate with others. She uses it to get advices from Jiko and talk with her best friend Kayla because they live far away from each other.

-Maid Cafe: I feel that going to maid cafe is new method to communicate with others, especially it is not a bar or a night club. But heart still can be healed and feel satisfied by it.

-Praying: Although Nao does not believe in god, she prays for old Shaka-sama like talking to old Jiko. I think that Shaka-sama never give you the answers if you ask something. However, telling and praying for others like Shaka-sama make you relieved. Nao also wrote letter to somebody she did not know or was not sure if it was going to reach somebody in order to appreciate her thought again on the letter.

Lost

-identity:Nao identified as American because she felt like her whole life started and ended in Sunnyvale, additionally her Japanese language skills were limited. Sadly, she was bullied in school due to the difference from other students. Thus, she played dead or pretended she did not exist in school.

“I walked though the crowded hallway like I was invisible, a ghost or a spirit go the dead.”(Ozeki, p.76)

I feel so sad to read it. Nao lost her identity and existence…..

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.