The Debut

“Wake up Ben! you’re just as brown as the rest of us.”

This quote struck out to me because I think so many minorities deal with this while living in America. Moreover, as we have seen during fall quarter and so far in this quarter, Asian American’s, more specifically Japanese American’s struggled with embracing both of their identities of being both Japanese and American. This is clear throughout the film with Ben as well, he is Filipino and also American, however, he tries to hide his Filipino culture as much as possible. It’s important to never forget your roots and where you came from which is what his older sister was trying to help him see.

The importance of family is another key aspect throughout the film that Ben finally begins to realize towards the end of the film. We see this at his sister’s party and how his white friends were so interested in his culture. I think he is surprised about how interested they are and realizes that family is very important. This also reminds me of last quarter with Japanese Americans always being able to count on their family and look to family in crucial times of need. So far we have seen that family is extremely important in the Asian culture. In addition, I think for all minorities, we see how truly important it is that we hold our family sacred to our hearts because of everything minorities have been through. That is one thing we have in common. We can always look to our families for support and as a remembrance of our roots. Because during the times that some experience the challenges in dealing with identity issues, when white America pulls those away from their roots, it is important to always look back to our family as a reminder of where we are from.

There is also a connection in Gran Torino with family. We see how Walt learns the importance of family through another family that is not even his and that is also an Asian family. Although Walt has pre judgments because of his experience in the Korean war, as he starts to learn more about Thao’s family, he begins to appreciate his own family much more. For instance, he tries to call his son and reconnect with him. Moreover, at the end of the movie he sacrifices his life for Thao and his family.

One thing that caught my attention right from the beginning of the film The Debut was that I noticed that three of the films we have watched so far have all had the main character’s name the same of Ben. I wondered why the name Ben is so popularly used for Asian American actors.

From the beginning of the film, it is clear that Ben is ashamed of his Filipino family and attempts to fit in with white/western American culture as much as possible. For instance, he hangs out with his two white friends as much as possible and at the beginning he is embarrassed and does not want to let them in his home. Throughout the film, we see that he continues to struggle with this because he is constantly trying to avoid spending time with his family and is always fighting with his father and/or having issues with his sister. Moreover, Ben struggles because he is resisting what his family expects from him because his dream is to go to school for art yet his father pushes him along with other members to go to medical school and to be a doctor. It’s obvious that Ben does not understand why his father calls him spoiled throughout the movie because he does not realize that his father made a sacrifice of his dreams to be the father that he needed to be and take care of more important responsibilities such as raising his family.

The generation gap between Ben and his parents, mainly his father, demonstrates that he has a difficult time accepting his family and his identity because he does not know his native language very well unlike all his other family members. As he meets other Filipino’s he starts to realize he needs to become more in touch with his roots. I do believe his white friends helped him to be able to see this as well as his mother and his sister and in the end, he understands where his father is coming from. Furthermore, when he deals with Gusto in the fight and how he is treated by him because they believe he is a sell out and they call him a “coconut” basically implying that he’s brown on the outside but white in the inside. This generation gap reminded me of last quarter’s program when we discussed the issues that Japanese American Issei and Nisei experienced. I saw some similarities with the two races of Japanese and Filipino’s experiencing similar issues.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and was able to draw many different connections and relate them to issues discussed in previous programs as well as being able to make personal connections. I also found it interesting to be able to see the Asian American experience through the lens of a Filipino American.

Gran Torino

Initially, the title Gran Torino struck out to me and I wondered why that was the name of the film, and even throughout the film, i kept questioning and looking for more clues to lead me into knowing the reason for the title as well. At the end of the movie, we see that in Clint Eastwood’s will he gives Thao his Gran Torino. His dog Daisy, I believe took the place of Walt after his death and was just as important to Thao as Walt was.

His plan to go to the gangs house because he knew they would kill him. I think the film did a great job with showing Walt’s growth as a person throughout the film. From the beginning he was bitter about his wife’s death and being in the war and having the weight on his shoulders of how many people he had killed in the war.

I thought it was really sad when he called his son to try and gain a closer relationship yet his son told him he was too busy and then soon after this scene I made the complete connection realizing that he wanted a closer relationship with both of his sons. Moreover, it was also important to note that while he had all these pre-judgements of his neighbors, he became closer to them than he was with his own family. One reason seemed to be because his family was very greedy and “spoiled” as he stated in the movie, it was clear they were only concerned about his possessions and the Gran Torino he owned. Yet, although he was rude to his neighbors, they still found the good in his heart and took him in as part of their family.

The quote from Thao’s sister Sue “You’re old fashioned too, but you’re American” when she was talking to Walt grabbed my attention because it made me think of issues discussed in last quarters program and how Japanese American’s had to try and fit in to western culture in order to be able to feel like they were part of the American culture. It also seemed to reveal the struggle to embrace both double identities that make up her own identity.

Furthermore, there seemed to be quite a bit of foreshadow of Walt’s death throughout the film. For instance, when he went in to the doctor, there was never an actual diagnosis to what his illness was. However, it was clear that he was ill because he continuously was coughing up blood. This seemed to be insinuating that at some point he was going to die. Then at the end of the film he was killed.

The film demonstrated Walt’s growth as an individual through the relationships he had made with the Thao and Sue and their family. Meanwhile, Thao’s character showed a lot of growth as well. Walt helped him become more of a man and he was able to fend for himself while Thao helped Walt become more sensitive and caring

Grand Torino- Thoughts and Impressions

The film “Gran Torino” starring Clint Eastwood takes place in a Detroit neighborhood where Clint Eastwood plays a retired Ford factory worker named Walt. The Walt has continued to remain in this neighborhood as his white neighbors have moved away and have been replaced by an Asian American population, more specifically tje Hmong people who originate from the Hills of Thailand, China, and Laos.

Moving on from the setting of the film I am attracted to the change seen in Walt’s character as the movie progresses. Throughout the film he uses a plethora of dirogatory terms directed towards the Asian population surrounding him such as “zipperhead,” “gook,” and “swamp rats.” It is undeniable that Walt who is a veteran of the Korean War was a man with extreme racial prejudices. Walt lived in a time when anti-Asian sentiment was highly present. Such events as World War II and the hate expressed by the American population towards the Japanese, his own experiences in the Korean War, the war in Vietnam, and his once beautiful neighborhood beginning to be populated by the Hmong people all seem to add up to his racial feelings towards the Asian American population.

However what strikes me is these pre-formulated thoughts produced by a lifetime of experiencing Anti-Asian sentiment doesn’t change the fact that Walt is a helper and a fixer. He fixes things as a says in the film when a girl asks him what he does. So when his Hmong neighbors finnaly break down Walt’s rough exterior, you start to see him in a different light. He begins to get along with these “strangers from a different shore,” and finds, “He has more in common” with these people then his own children. So when his young Hmong neighbors Thao and his sister Sue who Walt has become fond of in his own gruff way, are threatened and tormented both physically and psychologically you see Walt stand up for them and take the role as the fixer. He fights for them throughout the movie and eventually gives his life to ensure their torment will not continue in the future.

This is important because it shows that people can change, their pre-concieved notions can be changed, and if these ideas are broken their true character can be shown. Such is the case in Walt. By shedding his ignorance towards other racial groups Walt’s personality as the fixer is displayed to the viewer.

Zombie Obsession Post 3: Description on Zombie Project

For my obsession project I have decided to compare and contrast Japanese zombie TV show/movie with American zombie TV show/movie. To elaborate, once a week I will watch both a Japanese zombie TV show/movie and also an American zombie TV show/movie. The goal of this project will be to answer the overarching question,”What do these shows say about their native societies?” by the end of week 9 (its week 3 right now). To do this, I will answer in my weekly blogging’s a set of my own questions over the course of the next seven weeks.

1. what is the meaning and message of the two shows in comparison?

2. How are the dialogues/relationships different or similar between the two shows?

3. Does the idea of stereotypes ever come into play and affect the show? For instance, on “The Walking Dead,” many people think the Asian American character Glenn is stereotyped.

4. What are the characters goals in the two shows? How are they different or similar?

5. Are there any similarities or differences between the plots or characters?

6. what is the mood and setting for the storyline?

7. How are the zombies viewed/treated in show? Are they pitied upon, or seen as evil?

8. What is the overall mood of the show? What is it’s intent? Is it supposed to be gory, scary, emotional, romantic, funny, or what?

9. Are gender roles present in the show? Or any forms of discrimination?

10. Are the zombie’s characteristics/storyline similar or different? And if so how?

11.What are the zombies exact role in the show/story?

12. Are the zombies central to the characters storyline? Just how important are they to the show? And if they are important than how? For example, in “Zombie Loan,” the characters are zombies themselves but are good zombies out to kill bad zombies. This causes internal conflict and deep emotions for the characters.

Lee, p. 51-105

On page 52 of Lee, there is a picture of a five white people inside of an attic. One of them is a woman, laying down on a bed, smiling, with the upper half of her body propped up looking straight ahead. Next to her is another women, sitting down on a stool with her face buried in her hands. In front of them is a man laying on his back, who seems to be relaxed, with a bottle in his hand. Then inside of the attic’s doorway is a police officer holding a baton, trying to catch a seemingly younger boy. Interestingly enough, outside of the attic’s window is a view of a four story building, which contains a laundry business, a sewing machine store, a cigar manufactory, and another unidentifiable store. Inside of the unidentifiable store is a man standing with the window open, looking down as a man falls directly beneath him. As this is happening two men are walking out out of the building. And then right next to these two is a dead body on the sidewalk. So my question is; what is the meaning of this picture? Is the younger boy in the attic guilty of the person’s death? Is the woman crying the younger boys mother or sister? Or perhaps she knew the person who died? Who really committed the crime? Did the man looking at the person falling push him out of the window? Are the two men walking out of the building trying to catch the falling man? Or maybe he isn’t falling but instead is looking at the dead body? And why are two out of five people so calm in the attic?

Besides the picture, connections between the reading and the film 47 Ronin can be made. For example, on page 82 “Despite his intelligence and beauty, his half-breed racial status makes him a permanent outcast and dooms him to a life of criminality. Of the terrible product of “miscegenation,” Beck concludes, “In all fairness, such a man is better dead.” First of all I want to break this quote down. Let’s start with the first sentence. Actor Keanu Reeves, aka Kai in the film, is a “half-breed,” is intelligent, many of Reeve’s fans find him “beautiful,” and so does his love interest, and because he is a half-breed/raised by demons, he is doomed to forever be an outcast and criminal. Like when Kai was smart enough to know how to kill the creature at the beginning of the film, he got no credit for it because the man who witnessed his accomplishment did not want to admit his own incompetence. Or when there is no samurai to fight in the arena, Kai with persuasion from Chikara, fills in the empty spot. Unfortunately when his samurai head gear falls off the audience then knows it was Kai fighting all along. Despite Kai’s bravery and loyalty, he is severely punished like a criminal, simply because he is an outcast. Now looking at the second sentence, there were many times throughout the first half of the film where someone told Kai he should have never been saved, or allowed to live.

Notes Week 3: Lee through p. 105 and Class Notes

Lee through p. 105:

“Oakland” or Oshkosh” is never the acceptable answer, and its rejection reveals at once the question is not about hometowns. The repeated question always implies, “You couldn’t be from here.” It equates the Asian with alien” p. ix

“Constructed as a race of aliens. Orientals represent a present danger of pollution. An analysis of the oriental as a racial category must begin with the concept of the alien as a polluting body” p. 2

“This representation is quite recent; Asians have been cast as an economic, social, and sexual threat to the American national family throughout their history in the United States” p. 8

“Six images-the pollutant, the coolie, the deviant, the yellow peril, the model minority, and the gook-portray the Oriental as an alien body and a threat to the American national family” p.8

“This representation of the Asian as pollutant originated in mid-nineteenth-century California” p. 9

1870′s and 1880′s idea of Chinese coolies began. Portrayed as un-free and servile.

Model minority idea originated late 1960′s and 1970′s in the racial logic of Cold War liberalism of the 1950′s.

“California As It Was And Is,” published in 1855 in Put’s Original California Songster, laid the blame for the passing of California’s “golden” era squarely on the arrival of immigrants from China. “Put” was the pseudonym of John A. Stone, who wrote the largest number and most popular of California Gold Rush songs, including “Sweet Betsy from Pike” p. 16

“In the pastoral image of “California As It Was And Is,” the Chinese immigrant represents the entering wedge of disruptive capitalism” p. 16

“Like “California As It Was And Is,” a score of popular songs published between 1855 and 1882 portrayed the Chinese immigrant as an agent of economic decline and social disorder for free white working-men ad their families” p. 17

“Popular songs were not meant to be passively consumed in the listening, but were intended for singing around the campfire, in the boarding house parlor, in the saloon and music hall, and at the political rally” p. 17

“Not all foreign people are objects or pollutants, only those whose presence disrupts the narrative structure of the community. Pollutants are anomalies in the symbolic structure of society, things that are out of place and create a sense of disorder” p. 31

“Chinese immigration became a metonym for the collapse of time and pace produced by a transition to industrial capitalism, a collapse that constituted a boundary crisis within the symbolic or ideological structure of American society. This boundary crisis demanded the transformation of Chinese cultural difference from exotic to pollutant” p. 32

“By the 1870′s, capitalists were attempting to rationalize and reduce the cost of production, ushering a second of accumulation. The long-term decline in economic activity brought about by the erosion of the 1st phase and the secular decline of the business cycle produced the devastating depression of 1873″ p. 54

“In the 1850′s, the use of immigrant labor in American industry soared, representing fully half of all factory workers in the country” p. 55

“Particular ethnic groups tended to coalesce in certain industries, as a result of both discriminatory hiring practices and the traditional skill mixes and settlement patterns of these groups. For example, native born Anglo-Saxon men maintained their privileged position in such industries as iron-molding, furniture making, and make spinning (rope making), where craft guides still dominated, while in the textile and clothing factories, for example, immigrant women and children replaced native-born women. In shoemaking, immigrant men, particularly Irish and French-Canadian Catholics, entered the shoe factories of western Massachusetts displacing Yankee protestant women” p. 55

“Despite the powerful and sustained efforts of Chinese to establish solidarity with white workers, the white workers remained convinced that the Chinese must be expelled because they were a naturally subservient people who could neither participate with white workers in any sort of common working-class consciousness nor be organized effectively into a coming resistance movement”. 67

“Because more women survived the Irish famine than men, and because the marriage prospects for Irish immigrant women (at least for finding a suitable Irish man), were not goof, many of the white women who married Chinese men were Irish. Tchen reports that at least half one quarter of all Chinese men who lived in New York between 1820 and 1870 were married to, or lived with, Irish women” p. 75

“Despite his intelligence and beauty, his half-breed racial status makes him a permanent outcast and dooms him to a life of criminality. Of the terrible product of “miscegenation,” Beck concludes, “In all fairness, such a man is better dead.” p. 82

“To describe the West as homosocial is not to deny its sexuality. The land itself was feminized in the metaphor of the virgin land, and the westward movement was imagined in terms of masculine penetration and conquest. In western frontier imagery, whether the Davey Crockett narratives or the songs of the California gold rush, the land may have been a woman, but it was a place where boys could be boys” p. 88

“The huge profits involved in this illegal but low-risk trade created a web of exchange between Chinese merchants, brothel owners, and tong members on the one hand and white sea captains, immigration officials, policemen, and politicians on the other. The exchange was not limited to the merely economic, but extended to a shared sexual desire for the bodies of Chinese women” p. 90

“The presence of Chinese men on the sphere of domestic labor, once naturalized as “women’s work,” required a new formulation of the separate spheres” p. 105

Class Notes:

“Orientals,” and “Wilderness,” are both Eurocentric terms.

“Black face,” developed 1830′s-1840′s, as a way to justify slavery.

1850′s- “American freak shows,” begin. Many times people with disabilities or people of color were put on display.

Begin At The Beginning

This part of the project (Rock) is a tangible attempt to draw connections between Asain and American Pop-culture through the medium of music– in this case making music. Along the way I will post other items that cross this path… whether they are more, or less tangible only time will tell.

My plan is to follow the wisdom of Zen Guitar and post thoughts, observations and maybe some videos as I travel this path. Hopefully something I post here will be useful to you, or you’re friends. I would LOVE for this blog to inspire others to take up a musical instrument– especially the guitar. At any rate, I think it will be fun to look back on these posts… two or three years from now.

To put this experiment into context, be sure to check out my blog review of Philip Toshio Sudo’s excellent book, “Zen Guitar.”

The chapter titled, The Beginners Mind summarizes my view about taking on a challenge such as learning a new instrument– which anyone at any age can do– is that it’s like running a marathon;

“Those who want to run, run. Those determined to finish, finish. As the samurai say, ‘The only opponent is within.’ There are no tricks or secrets. It is a matter of will– putting one foot in front of the other every step of the path. In Zen Guitar, honesty, integrity, spiritual strength, and depth of conviction are more important than skill. These are the elements that make vital music, and they have nothing to do with natural talent. Where there’s a will, theres the Way.”

First, I (we?) need tools; a guitar– in this case a bass-guitar, amp and assorted gear. When choosing your gear, keep in mind the wisdom of Zen Guitar;

“…make sure you look for an instrument of suitable quality… Avoid poor craftsmanship; it’s the sign of a poor spirit. That doesn’t mean you have to buy the most expensive equipment… Learn to identify quality and appreciate anything thats well made, wherever you find it. Look deeply into the spirit that goes into making an item of quality– the care, precision, the attention to detail. Incorporate that spirit into your work…make [it] as well as you can. To do otherwise is spiritless.”

The tools/gear I choose: G&L bass guitar, Carvin combo amp, Boss tuner/metronome, notebook (for keeping track of my practice sessions, music notation, etc.) and my textbook of sorts– “Bass Guitar For Dummies.”

Next, rather than finding a good teacher (-no money left over after acquiring the gear) I am following the advice of Victor Wooten, which is to just start playing– this will inspire me to practice more often. I started through the book, and searched out a few foundational lessons on YouTube. There are some good videos to get you started, which I’ll post links to in the Bass Guitar Journal page.

It is important to remember that not everything on Youtube is helpful, or useful. There are however some real gems to be found. One of the gems belongs to Scott Devine, titled, “The Most Important Bass Lesson I Ever Teach.” Scott is responsible for A TON of quality instructional videos– and they are free. This first video establishes a solid foundation and proper perspective to approach learning a new instrument. It contains wisdom (not just information) that will sustain the beginner through the long journey ahead. GREAT stuff here!

Click here to view the embedded video.

With a proper foundation established, it’s time to pick up the instrument. Building on the Zen Guitar wisdom that says,

“Don’t pick up your guitar aimlessly. Act with a sense of purpose. Be of the mind that you’re going to do something– even if you don’t know what that is yet. Prepare yourself to play.”

As a long-time guitarist, I intentionally remind myself that playing the bass is quite different in approach and technique. For example, on guitar I strike the strings with a pick; good bass tone however, is all in the fingers. I found videos very helpful in getting started, but effective practice is much more than following a video or two. You have to have a plan. Time is a premium in our house, and when one considers all the responsibilities that come with married life, finding time to practice can be tough. Thankfully I came across this article on No Treble, an excellent website for bass players:

”Efficient 20 Minute Practice”

The advice in that article has really helped me stay focused (rather than noodling around), and to concentrate practice time to improving areas that I’m weak in, opposed to playing only the that which I already know. I started keeping track of these practice sessions with a basic 80-sheet bound notebook. I choose a quad-rule (graph paper) version because I like to map out fretboard shapes, and locations. Having the little boxes pre-printed is also a time saver, and keeps things neat and orderly.

Lastly, I created this little cheat sheet, or as I like to call it “quick reference guide” to the fretboard. I have found it very useful in conjunction with my practice logbook.

Theres nothing like playing with other musicians to inspire me to improve, and keep learning new things. It’s my hope someone will read this blog– perhaps this entry– and find the encouragement needed to learn an instrument. The great blues musician, Elwood Blues once said,

“…no pharmaceutical product could ever equal the rush you get when the band hits that groove; the people are dancing’, and shouting’, and swain’, and the house is rocking’!”

Stay tuned & in-tune!~

The Language of Music

Since I’ve embarked on this new adventure– learning the bass guitar– I’ve found inspiration in many different, unexpected places. One of the best parts of being in an Evergreen program is exploring other cultures and learning to see things from a different/new perspective.

I am experiencing the same thing when trying to learn songs on the bass. Simply listening to a favorite tune is one thing… listening to what each musician is doing is something else. Now that I am specifically paying attention to what the bassist is doing, a whole new world has been revealed to me. The songs are the same, but I am listening to them from a completely different/new perspective. It’s much like hearing the song for the first time.

Along the way I came across a musician named Victor Wooten. Many bass players already know him– as one friend explained to me, “he is to the bass, what Carlos Santana is to the guitar.” I first became aware of Wooten through his book, “The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search For Growth Through Music.” Then, as if a guardian angel was paying attention to my musical journey, I received this TedTalk video through Facebook of Victor Wooten describing music as a language.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are a few excerpts from the video. Consider these ideas yourself and how you might integrate them into your life– musical, or otherwise:

“Although many musicians agree that music is a language, it is rarely treated as such. Many of us treat it as something that can only be learned by following a strict regimen, under the tutelage of a skilled teacher…”

“Think about the first language you learned as a child. More importantly, think about how you learned it. You were a baby when you first started speaking, and even through you spoke the language incorrectly, you were allowed to make mistakes. And the more mistakes you made the more your parents smiled.

Learning to speak was not something you were went somewhere to do only a few times a week. And the majority of the people you spoke to were not beginners. They were already proficient speakers. Imagine your parents forcing you to only speak to other babies until you were good enough to speak to them. You would probably be an adult before you could carry on a conversation with them.

To use a musical term, as a baby you were allowed to jam with professionals. If we approach music in the same natural way we approacehed our first language we will learn to speak it in the same short time it took to speak our first language.”

So not only am I leaning to listen and hear music differently, my perspective on music– and learning– has changed.

Just get out there and play. The more you play, the more you will want to practice. Before long you will be able to express yourself through your instrument. As Victor puts it,

“Music comes from the musician, not the instrument.”

-My obsession “FOOD”

“Food” is one of my obsessions, and I’m really interested in American food culture. This is because without going to anywhere, we can have different kinds of foods here. Asian, South American, European… These foods make us the feeling like we travel around the world. However, as you know, all of them are not authentic foods, everything become Americanized. It is understandable, because people have their own tastes. I think it is okay to change their tastes, if their food cultures are still there. I’d like to talk about sushi as the example how different it is.

Japanese sushi can be roughly classified into three kinds; “Nigiri,” “Gunkan,” and “Norimaki.” Nigiri which today we often see spread in Edo period (1603-.) At that time, Nigiri also called “Hayazushi” which meant “quick sushi” because people could have them right, easily, and fresh fish. So, they became famous soon. “Nigiri” make by small rice balls with fish, shellfish, etc. on top. Some of the most common ones are tuna, shrimp, eel, squid, octopus and fried egg.

“Gunkan” is small cups made of sushi rice and dried seaweed filled with seafood, etc. Some of the most common ones are sea urchin and various kinds of fish eggs.

“Norimaki” Sushi rice and seafood, etc.They are rolled in seaweed sheets.

Typical sushi restaurants have counter and tables. In front of the counter, there is showcase, and we can check what fish is fresh today.

Today, conveyer belt sushi bars are increasing in Japan. Most of the sushi bars sell only about one dollar per plate. We also have delivery services.

I found the video which you can know more about sushi. So, if you are interested more, please check it.