Archive for the 'Asian-ness' Category
October 19 2008: First Generation Migrant
Filed under Asian-ness & Life with 9 Comments
You have to understand one key thing about me: I’m not very good at sitting still and doing nothing at all. Granted, I’m very good at doing nothing at all when it comes to university assignments and studying, but I substitute this nothingness with a whole lot of somethingness in other forms. I go to work and earn money, I buy and sell on eBay for money, I organise my parents schedule for their money, I clean and iron clothes, I drop off and pick up my brother from school, I read voraciously, I (albeit rarely) exercise, I see my friends and the fella, I research travel destinations and mortgage plans at different banks, etc.
In other words, I never just sit and watch television, I never just take a walk in the park, I never just do nothing at all. Even when I’m watching House M.D. (<3), I’m always doing something else at the same time, like folding laundry. I even have to admit, sometimes when I’m having sex, I wonder about how much I would be earning if I was to start charging for my services. Two birds with one stone. Never let a minute go past wasted. Action, not reaction. Yadda yadda.
I’ve been mentioning this to a few people recently, but this type of behaviour really frames me as a stereotypical example of your typical first-generation Asian migrant in Australia (though with second-generation characteristics as I straddle the divide between the two). I came to this country with nothing, but by god, I’m going to make something of myself. I’m going to be frugal, I’m going to save all my money, and I’m going to work, work, work, so that I can buy into a wealthy white-bread neighborhood and taint it with my yellow skin.
Either that or I’ll give into my lazy, debt-ridden, instant gratification, Gen-Y destiny.
October 16 2008: East Asians On House M.D.
Filed under Asian-ness & Media with 15 Comments
Last night, I watched House M.D, this time with the regular gratuitous episode featuring an East-Asian actor. It got me thinking about the depiction of Asians on television, which, Lucy Liu and Sandra Oh not withstanding, is few and far between. An examination of when East Asian actors have appeared on House M.D:
- 1-04 Maternity: The baby that ends up dying (the Chen-Lupino baby) is the child of a mixed race (Asian and Latina) lesbian couple.
- 1-08 Poison: The second admitted patient is of Korean (?) descent.
- 1-20 Love Hurts: John Cho (of Harold and Kumar fame) is the guest in this episode, playing a young man into S&M.
- 3-18 Airborne: The patient on the plane suffering from decompression sickness is Singaporean.
- 5-04 Birthmarks: The patient is of Chinese descent, though adopted by an American family. This plays a big role in the storyline.
I think those are the only episodes featuring East Asian characters, but correct me if I’m wrong. Taken as a percentage of the total number of episodes (ninety in all), the number of episodes in which an East Asian character appears is only 5%. As a percentage of the total population of America, Asian Americans make up 4.4%. However, this doesn’t take into account the greater concentration of Asian Americans on either coasts - on the East Coast for example, where House M.D. is set, there’s a greater concentration of Asian Americans (some studies suggest as much as 8-10% of the population), in which case the show is most definitely not ‘true to life’.
So, the question: Does House M.D. as a television show accurately depict the Asiatic population of America? I think that in a certain sense it does - they’re clearly making a concentrated effort to cast East Asian actors in roles that aren’t specifically written for someone of Asiatic appearance (e.g. episodes 1-04, 1-08, 1-20, 3-18). However, there’s a problem with the roles that they’re being cast for, which are predominantly as primarily unlikable characters that the average audience member will fail to connect with, which then leads to questions about possible inherent racism in the program. Note for instance:
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October 3 2008: An Asian Extravaganza
Filed under Asian-ness with 22 Comments
I’m being exceedingly politically incorrect, and having an “Asian Extravaganza” for my 22nd birthday celebrations next month. The night of festivities will include:
- An Asian dinner somewhere in Chinatown
- An Asian arcade, playing Dance Dance Revolution until our legs fall off
- An Asian karaoke bar, with our own private karaoke room
- An Asian night of mahjong back at the hotel room I’ll be booking for the night
All in all, an incredibly Asian-tastic time. I briefly contemplated slotting in a visit to An Asian Club (capitals entirely necessary), but to tell you the truth, it scares me a bit to be in a club entirely filled with Asian people when I’m in Melbourne. I’m comfortable with it in China (cause you know, lots of Chinese people), but put me in the same sort of club in Melbourne and it just freaks me out no end.
There’ll also be a dress-up element to the night, with party guests encouraged to dress up in a costume which is vaguely related to Asia in some way. Whether they dress up like a fobby exchange student, as a Harajuku girl/boy, in a qipao, or as an anime character, the best costume on the night (as judged by myself) will receive a $22 gift certificate (the arbitary number is because I’m turning twenty-two).
Who me, politically incorrect and stereotyping? Never!
As always, all Melbournian readers of this blog are invited - just shoot me an email (acchamanda at gmail dot com) and I can let you know more details closer to the date (last week of November). All other readers are invited of course, provided that you can make your way down under.