06.30.03
Hollywood has lost one one of its greatest leading ladies, Katherine Hepburn. And I was a fan—The African Queen has got to be one of my favorite movies. However, there is at least one film in her vast body of work that makes me cringe: she stars in the rarely-viewed Dragon Seed, based on the novel by Pearl S. Buck. I've never seen it, but I've seen clips... and it ain't pretty. YELLOWFACE. The plot goes, according to IMDb: "The lives of a small Chinese village are turned upside down when the Japanese invade it. And heroic young Chinese woman leads her fellow villagers in an uprising against Japanese Invaders." That's funny, because if you look at the cast, it adds up to a village full of white people. Taping their eyes back and speaking with funny accents. Honestly, it's just ghastly. And racist!
06.30.03
According to a recent study, Hispanics are the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority, their buying power is increasing - yet they remain barely visible on the major broadcast networks: Major TV networks mostly ignore Hispanics, study finds. Whites received 81 percent of screen time and blacks 15 percent—both disproportionate to their population. Also note that Asians held only 1 percent of screen time. American Indians were deemed "invisible."
06.30.03
Interesting essay on 'Asian thought' by Andrew Lam: Can You Help Me with My Homework?
06.30.03
Fox Movie Channel has made moves to cover its ass. They will discontinue the broadcast of the Charlie Chan mystery films. I received this email over the weekend, in response to an email I sent several weeks ago:
Fox Movie Channel will discontinue the broadcast of the Charlie Chan mystery films.
Originally restored to meet the requests of mystery fans and film preservation buffs, Fox Movie Channel scheduled these films in a showcase intended to illustrate the positive aspects of these movies such as the complex story lines, interesting characters and Charlie Chan's great intellect. Additionally, numerous subscribers to Fox Movie Channel, as well as film historians, have long requested that Fox Movie Channel broadcast these films.
However, Fox Movie Channel has been made aware that the Charlie Chan films may contain situations or depictions that are sensitive to some viewers. Fox Movie Channel realizes that these historic films were produced at a time where racial sensitivities were not as they are today. As a result of the public response to the airing of these films, Fox Movie Channel will remove them from the schedule.
In the hope that this action will evoke discussion about the progress made in our modern, multicultural society, we invite you to please visit our website at www.foxmoviechannel.com to send us your thoughts on the matter.
Sincerely,
Fox Movie Channel
The same notice pops up when you visit the Fox Movie Channel website. Obviously, this was in response to all the negative feedback they received—your calls and letters worked! (Along with big efforts from advocacy groups like the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, APA Media Coalition and NAATA). Now if only Fox would just kill Banzai. That's racist!
06.30.03
Hold up. Looks like we won't be seeing NBA draftee Xue Yuyang playing any time soon... Chinese basketball officials said Xue is not ready for the NBA and will not be allowed to play in the United States next season: China: Xue not ready for NBA
06.30.03
This weekend, 110 Japanese American internees and the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of internees made a pilgrimmage to the government's World War II Minidoka relocation camp in Idaho: Japanese-Americans Relive Barbed Era
And in a completely different kind of gathering, about 10,000 people showed up to the first Korean American Peace Festival over the weekend in Washington DC—a celebration of the Korean American centennial: Music That Speaks to Their Seoul
06.30.03
"Cameltoe" by FannyPack is a nasty little tune that's apparently been getting wild club play. And yes, the song title explains it all. Goes to show, you can pretty much write a song about anything... Anyway, they're from Brooklyn, and there's an Asian girl in the group. The funniest thing to me about the song is that the booty beat sounds like it's from 1987...
06.29.03
Here's the official website of stand-up comedian Dat Phan. Yeah, that's him you've been seeing him on NBC's Last Comic Standing. Funny guy...
06.29.03
Fox is still scheduled to premiere the incredibly disturbing Banzai! on July 13. This cannot happen. There is a huge anti-Banzai movement brewing in the horizon....
Meanwhile, check out this forum posting on the Banzai website, supposedly from the creator of the show. It's been written in response to the charges Banzai has been receiving, of being racist, offensive and ignorant towards Asians:
Banzai was inspired (certainly graphically) by video games and cartoon culture more than Japanese TV. Although the irreverance and anarchy of entertainment shows like Takeshi's Castle, Iron Chef & Monkey were also definitely an influence.
Our aim was to create a fantasy world based somewhere in the far east (we have always been non-specific about the precise region)were these strange gambles could happen. The original notion was, what would happen if a notorious gambling syndicate from the far east (Yakuza, Triad etc) made a family entertainment show for television. The end result is a series of gambles constructed using western celebrities and members of the British public. We are the pawns in their gambling game.
Our cast is a mixed bunch. The voiceover is performed by Asian actors who are now all resident in London. They are: Burt Kwouk (Pink Panther legend & the voice of the Water Margin) & Aiji (Japanese game show host). The on-screen characters are Masashi (an opera singer from Japan based in London), Jit (an ex-accountant from Singapore), and Shizuka (an incredibly ballsy lady from Japan).
I am white and from Liverpool, so apologies for that but really there was nothing I could do about. I'm sorry you found the show offensive, I'm a big fan of Japanese design, film and games, and I've tried to be authentic in every possible detail. In fact, when the show first aired in the UK, it was widely thought to be a Japanese import for a long time - that was my intention.
Obviously the show is controversial, but I'd like it to be more for the content of our gambles. It's a punk TV show that tries to push things as far as they can possibly be pushed. Sadly in America that isn't too far, but in the UK we are more famous for breaking taboos than being racist (in fact I haven't received one single allegation of racism from anyone until now, and the show is 3 years old here).
I believe I'm showcasing Asian talent in comedy - I'm sorry if you don't find there performances funny, but believe me, they are not putting on any buck-toothed accents - they are for real and very funny I think they are too.
The show isn't for everyone, and it's certainly not going to be liked by an entire community of people whether that be white, black or Asian. It's primarily aimed at a younger "Jackass" audience but if you're a fan of surreal comedy shows than you should like it too. If don't like either then it's probably not your cup of tea.
All the best
Gary Monaghan
Creator of Banzai
What a load of crap. This is show is all about exploitation—pointing and laughing at Asians and Asian culture, and parading it around on network television like a freak show. That's racist!
06.29.03
Got this email from Raymond Lee, currently winning hearts (and votes) as a contestant on NBC's Fame:
FROM: "Raymond Lee"
TO: angryminsoo@angryasianman.com
SUBJECT: from Ray!
Hey What's up dude?!
I just wanted to e-mail you and tell you thanks so much for the support.
It's been so amazing being on Fame and....definitely a dream come true.
Just a couple months ago I was an average student at Northwestern and now
I'm starting to live out a dream I thought would never happen.
Anyways, Harlemm, Jamisen, and I read your website whenever we can and we
wanted to thank you for the support! Tell everybody out there that we say hi
and to thank everybody for watching the show.
~Ray
There you have it... Watch the show and vote!
06.29.03
There's another Chinese player in the NBA! Meet Xue Yuyang. He was a second-round pick by the Dallas Mavericks, who traded him to the Denver Nuggets. Keep your eye out for him...
06.29.03
In Boston, police arrested three men accused of hogtying, beating and stabbing a pizza delivery man because they mistakenly believed he was Muslim. It's absolutely sickening: Three Arrested in Delivery Man's Beating. And read here: Second Man Charged with Hate Crime in U.S. Attack. That's racist!
06.29.03
Hey, I'm back from a few days of R&R, if you can call it that... I realize I completely forgot to mention Asian CineVision's 26th Annual Asian American International Film Festival in New York, which closes out tonight with Mina Shum's Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity. Go see it if you get the chance....
06.26.03
I'm going out of town again for a couple days. Updates will resume when I get back.
In the meantime, chew on this: 'Charlie's Angels' Sequel Is Campy Fun. Yes, Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle opens on Friday, with Lucy Liu back as an Angel. Personally, I think it looks like good fun, and anyone going in expecting something more is a booty head. Woman empowerment yeah yeah yeah... but it's hard to say that with a straight face when these ladies are shakin' their ass at you in widescreen. Anyway, I'm a Lucy Liu fan, and she stars in this movie....
06.26.03
Someone will pay for this, I promise: Banzai!
06.25.03
Tonight on Fame, Raymond Lee, Harlemm Lee and Jamisen Tiangco all advanced to the next round! I voted Ray again...
06.24.03
Meet Kuya, an Asian Canadian band making some waves.
06.24.03
Never been a fan of soaps, but it's been brought to my attention that today's episode of Days of Our Lives featured a
truckling sushi chef who prepared dishes and spouted broken English, while the two Caucasian leads cracked a joke about "Wong is Right." Honestly, who are the writers who come up with this crap? That's racist!
06.24.03
Jackie Chan's latest movie, coming in August: The Medallion.
06.24.03
This is actually several weeks old, but I forgot to mention it when I came my way. A weird, creepy letter to an advice column: Infatu-Asian. Call the doctor, the man's got a bad case of Yellow Fever. What's most disturbing is how Asian women are completely objectified in this discussion, including Prudence's advice: "Their attraction for American men is nothing new; they can be exotic-looking, along with having the cultural stereotype of a docile, man-pleasing submissiveness." That's racist!
06.24.03
Continual legal troubles for Abercrombie & Fitch: Clothier settles dress-code complaint. A&F has agreed to pay a $2.2 million settlement over allegations that it forced its employees to buy and wear the company's clothes on the job. It's not the lawsuit we've been talking about... but it does add some weight to the growing negative press A&F's been getting.
06.24.03
Great, angry perspective on acknowledging the inequality and 'whiteness' of America: Facing Up to Race. Couldn't have said it better.
06.24.03
Heard this really interesting story today on NPR's Morning Edition, on Vietnamese American artist Binh Danh. He uses the chlorophyll process to print photographs on leaves. Check it out.
06.24.03
Some useful info about Take 2 Games, the company that publishes and produces the Vietcong game:
PUBLISHER: Take 2 Games
Their web site and contact information is at:
http://www.take2games.com/index.php?p=global_contacts
http://www.vietcong-game.com/us/contact.php
They are listed on the NASDAQ as TTWO.
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
622 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
536-2842
DEVELOPER: Pterodon
http://www.pterodon.cz
They are a Czech company.
There are some large corporate and financial companies involved with Take 2 Games. U.S. Bancorp Piper is one showcasing this game developer:
http://www.usbank.com/cgi_w/cfm/contact_us.cfm
06.23.03
Canada is looking for an idol of its own. Yes, there is a show called Canadian Idol. I'm told an early favorite during the televised auditions is an Asian-Canadian dude from Toronto named Mikey. He sang Lionel Richie's "Hello" and received enthusiastic reviews from the judges. Making it to the final 100, he remarked that it's a dream of his to break the Asian barrier in North America. Here's hoping for the best... (Thanks, Nemo)
06.23.03
This is pretty interesting, the moderization of Vietnamese sandwich shops: Sandwich shops add slice of Americana. Mainstream Vietnamese sandwich chains! Sounds inevitable. Although there is definitely something to be said for the busted, cramped corners of a mom and pop Vietnamese sandwich shop, with a fat lunchtime line out the door. It's got character, and I've always like that...
06.23.03
Better Luck Tomorrow director Justin Lin has made Entertainment Weekly's annual 'IT List' (current on newstands) as 'IT Auteur.' Basically naming him the hot new filmmaker of the moment, based on the success of BLT. It reports that his next project will be adapting the novel Tenth Justic for Fox 2000.
06.23.03
13 years old, and winner of a national title... Whoa. The future's bright for golfer Michelle Wie: Wie got game / Hawaiian sensation wins first title on mainland by a stroke
06.23.03
The official poster for the U.S. release of Shaolin Soccer. With that godawful tagline: GET READY TO KICK SOME GRASS! Well, at least it features the super-cute Zhao Wei.
06.23.03
Heh heh. Actor/comedian David Jung (aka "C-Diddy") is a front-runner finalist in the U.S. Air Guitar Championships (yes, there is such a competition). The winner, chosen by a panel, goes to Finland to represent America in the battle for world air-guitar domination. C-Diddy's self-described secret weapon: 'Classical technique and Asian fury'
06.22.03
The subtle, dynamic sexuality of Charlotte Sometimes gets some attention in the LA Times: Not a geisha to be found
06.22.03
A really interesting article on the rapidly growing Asian American population of the city of Cupertino, CA: A CITY DIVIDED BY CHANGE. It touches upon a lot of the powder-keg tensions I mentioned a few weeks ago in a relevant discussion. And for those who know, it really does hit home.
06.22.03
Some stuff on Bai Ling and Kelly Hu at Ain't It Cool News. Bai Ling is in a futuristic sci fi martial arts action thriller (ho hum...) with Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Ling apparently kicks Law's ass. The article also mention Ling's various other upcoming projects.
06.22.03
Here's a response they've been sending out, from one of the owners of Saigoniste:
From: "Cynthia Ashworth/SAIGONISTE" [cynthia@saigonist.com]
To:
Subject: RE: Modern Vietnamese Style
Dear . . . . ,
I am one of the co-owners of Saigoniste, along with Hugh Duthie. We
received your email wanted to respond immediately.
We are extremely sorry that some people have taken offence to some of
the language and branding we use in our store. We certainly did not
wish to offend. Our goal has been and continues to be to promote
Vietnamese design and high quality merchandise with sophistication
and panache. We believe that our store, website and merchandising do
that in a highly engaging, effective, respectful, and yes, humorous
kind of way.
In response to the feedback we have received we have removed the
material from the website that caused concern, and also rewritten the
Mama-isms in perfect English.
However, our Ho Chi Mama character is probably one of the biggest
selling points of the store, and integral to the personality and
identity of Saigoniste, and we do not plan to do away with her. We
chose the name Ho Chi Mama to signify that we are sell exclusively
Vietnamese products, not to convey that she is any sort of loose
woman. Interestingly, Ho Chi Mama invites a majority of the positive
feedback on the store -- and has also elicited positive feedback in
the press -- and we have taken great care to make sure that
her 'voice' reflects very positive attributes. (As an observation, we
would estimate that a fifth to a quarter of our foot traffic is
Asian, many of them of Vietnamese birth/origin, and we get tons of
positive comments from them on Ho Chi Mama).
We launched the store with a Flash video which showed Ho Chi Mama
arriving from Vietnam-- on the Concorde! -- and leading an assortment
of New York style mavens to Saigoniste: sort of an ambassador for
modern Vietnamese style, and a very hip, positive and aspirational
figure. Unlike Miss Saigon or some of the other negative sterotypes
of Vietnamese women that have appeared in popular culture, Ho Chi
Mama is empowered, confident and under no-one's thumb.
I don't know whether you have even visited the store let alone read
the majority of her "isms" but we feel that they reflect her sense of
humor, her confident sense of style, and her smart observations on
the world at large. We think of her as a Vietnamese Carrie
Bradshaw...a smart, insightful arbiter of style.
We hope that this compromise will cause you to re-think your
objections to Saigoniste.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Ashworth
Cynthia Ashworth
Saigoniste New York
(212) 925-4610 - store
(917) 414-6884 - cell
Ho Chi Mama stays. That's racist!
06.22.03
A less celebrated baseball player than Jackie Robinson, but no less of a pioneer: Hall of Famer Larry Doby, AL's first black player, dies
Speaking of baseball... Ichiro Suzuki is kicking some serious ass this season: Pulp fiction / Ichiro's skills have known no bounds this season. With comparisons to Ty Cobb(!)
06.22.03
I'm back, and I received a fat load of mail about this new video game: Vietcong—and it sounds absolutely horrible. It's a game about Vietnam war combat, and it's freakin' racist! According to some of the articles I've read, the game freely uses the epithet "GOOK" to refer to Vietnamese combatants, and urges the violent killing of "gooks." The protagonists are American GIs who regularly say colorful statements such as "Fuck me, I gotta find where these GOOKS are coming from" during the heat of combat against "Charlie." Read this review. It'll make you sick. That's racist! I expect much more to develop with this...
06.19.03
I'll be busy, out of town for a few days, through the weekend. So no updates... but back to business as usual next week. Stay Angry.
06,19.03
The much anticpated Hulk opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow. Directed by Ang Lee. This should be interesting. Why, look, the main character isn't even a white guy --he green! Yeah, yeah, bad joke.
Oh, I heard Daniel Dae Kim, one of our favorite guys, has a small role in the film. Look out for him.
06.19.03
This band was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien last night: O.A.R. (of a revolution). Their guitarist is an Asian guy, Richard On. Good sound.
06.18.03
Okay, I watched Fame. And I voted for Ray, 'cause my sister told me to. I think he did quite well, for performing first, and considering the tough competition. You can't help but like the guy. But the real star of the night had to be Harlemm. In all seriousness, the guy had the strongest, most moving performance of the night—he's got a voice that blows people away. He earned every single call-in vote he gets, and if he doesn't make it to the next round, that's just wrong. The real "scandal" of the evening was when it was revealed that Harlemm is NOT age 27, as he initially led them to believe, but actually 36! Anyway, I was impressed. Props to Harlemm.
06.18.03
I'll admit it, I'm into this. Tonight on Fame, the twelve finalists perform live, and then you get to call in and vote. I'll be tuning in and rooting for Raymond and Harlemm—I saw both of their previous performances, and you just gotta dig them. However, my sister—who knows Raymond personally—tells me to tell you all to vote for Raymond "because he's the sweetest, most genuine guy, with so much talent and so much heart. That guy defies the expectations society puts on him, and really follows what he wants to do." Wow. I can't argue with that.
06.18.03
South Korean rookie Jae Weong Seo pitched in a record one-hitter game for the Mets, beating the Florida Marlins, 5-0: Mets Face the Minimum in Another One-Hitter
06.18.03
Here's the website sponsored by one of the law firms filing the law suit against Abercrombie & Fitch: www.afjustice.com/. It is described as "a website on the nationwide civil rights lawsuit against Abercrombie and Fitch for alleged racial and ethnic discrimination against employees and job applicants." Plenty of informative stuff all about kicking A&F in the balls, including a form that you can fill out regarding your own experiences with the company. A good resource, so check it out.
06.18.03
Interview (if you can call it that) with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu—Charlie's Angels: Movies: Threesome. Lucy says a few interesting things, including:
The iconography of Charlie1s Angels has always been Caucasian. Drew has modernized it. Now Angels can be any ethnicity. It's an honor when kids come up to me—not only Asian but all different colors—and are like, "We1re so proud that you1re an Angel."
Yes, Asians certainly can kick ass and shake booty with the best of them. Speaking of the Angels, here is the sixth and final chapter of the Animated Angels series: Chapter Six: Falling Angels
06.17.03
Really interesting article on a funny lady named Shazia Mirza—a devout Muslim female stand-up comic, believe it or not: Did You Hear the One About the Suicide Bomber?
06.17.03
Tonight on Last Comic Standing, Mr. Dat Phan made the cut and advanced to be among the final ten contestants. They're going to live in a house together. Funny guy, made some jokes about being Asian—and sucking at math.
06.17.03
LAWSUIT: Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch recruits and hires a disproportionately white sales force, cultivates a virtually all-white image and discriminates against minorities in hiring and firing. Well, this is something we've known all along... from its perpetually-white league of clothing models, to last year's offensive t-shirt designs, we already knew what was up. Now someone's got a lawsuit laying the smack down.
According to the lawsuit, the company has a policy that requires all sales people to exhibit an all-white "A&F look." This image is obviously reflected in their posters, ads and catalogues. How many times have you seen a nonwhite model in their catalogues? I think I've see one black guy. That's racist!
From an AP article:
Anthony Ocampo, a Filipino-American who recently graduated from Stanford University, said he applied for a job at a store in Glendale, Calif. where he'd previously worked. After speaking with a manager, a sales person told him, "We're sorry, but we can't rehire you because there's already too many Filipinos working here," said Ocampo, 21.
Also this:
Another plaintiff, Angeline Wu, a Chinese-American, saw her hours cut and was later terminated from a store in Costa Mesa, Calif. That happened after a manager pointed at a poster of a blond-haired, blue-eyed male model and said the store needed more staff members with a similar appearance, she said. She and five other Asian-American women were later terminated, she said.
I'm very interested in seeing how all this plays out. Read more here:
New York Times - Clothing Chain Accused of Discrimination
San Francisco Chronicle - Clothing retailer accused of discriminating against minorities
06.17.03
Hey! Friday, June 20 is the Los Angeles premiere date for Eric Byler's Charlotte Sometimes. You can still read my "official endorsement" of the film here. So, you Southern Californians, check it out at the following theaters:
West Hollywood: Laemmle's Fairfax 3
Pasadena: Laemmle's Pasadena Playhouse 7
West Hills: Laemmle's Fallbrook 7
Alhambra: Edwards Atlantic Palace 10
Irvine: Edwards University Town Center 6
06.17.03
The first Asian NBA player to get a championship ring is neither Yao Ming nor Wang Zhizhi, but Mengke Bateer of the San Antonio Spurs!
06.17.03
News from abroad: U.S. Marine Wanted on Japan Rape Charge. Fueling the fire for anti-U.S. military sentiment in Asia...
06.17.03
Kelly Hu is on the cover of this month's Stuff Magazine. That's all I really have to say about that.
No, wait. In the interview (yes, not just pictures), they ask "So, you starred in Martial Law with Sammo Hung. Is his middle name well, or not well?" Kelly replies with "He's Asian—you figure it out." ARGH. Bad form, Kelly. Really bad form.
06.17.03
Probably under pressure from recent criticism, it seems that Saigoniste has changed some of the offensive wording on its website. It used to read:
"It goes without saying that we at Saigoniste love Vietnam longtime!
Even more, we love the name Cochinchine, the former French name for
the country when it was a colony of France. (Indochine, which most
people associate with Vietnam, was in fact the name for the entire
region, including Cambodia and Laos). If it weren't completely un-PC,
we'd love it if they rebranded the country Cochinchine to give it a
bit of retro-chic appeal. If you are planning a trip to this fabled
and fabulous country, there are some insider tips that we just can't
keep to ourselves. Read on, or contact one of us at the shop for some
personal insight and scoop."
It now reads:
"It goes without saying that we at Saigoniste love Vietnam in a very
big way! If you are planning a trip to this fabled and fabulous
country, there are some insider tips that we just can't keep to
ourselves. Read on, or contact one of us at the shop for some
personal insight and scoop. We will be updating this section of the
site in the future as we find new and interesting places to check
out."
It seems that Saigoniste has taken measures to cover its ass, quietly and unapologetically. If you go through the rest of the website, there are no further traces of broken English of Ho Chi Mama... Lesson learned? I doubt it.
06.16.03
From the very first announcement that Ang Lee was taking on the cinematic telling of The Hulk, you had to be curious. What kind of vision would the acclaimed Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon director bring to the comic book anti-hero? Well, according to this New York Post article, Lee is breaking a lot of the usual rules: HERE'S LURKING AT YOU. It also answers the question we've all been wondering: Where is Lou Ferrigno?
06.16.03
Islanders owner Charles Wang is in talks about buying the New Jersey Nets and moving them to Long Island: Wang Wants To Bring Nets 'Home'
06.16.03
The previously mentioned "Ching Chong" character in Dumb and Dumberer is played by Michelle Krusiec. Ai-yah, what has she gotten herself into?
06.15.03
There's a McDonald's commercial I've been seeing, for their new McGriddle breakfast sandwich. Though I'm not grossly offended by it, I can see how it could be problematic. The commecial involves an elderly Black lady fighting off a bunch of ninjas, complete with a wah-so sound effects and other related kung fu noises. What? Their tag line is "weird, but in a good way" and "bizarre, but yummy" —that's where the ninjas factor in. The ending of the commercial features a husband comparing the strangeness of the sandwiches to the old lady fighting the ninjas—point being, it's weird, but not that weird... Now, I like ninjas as much as the next guy, but I think they probably could've used different imagery than this. Still, if you've seen the commercial, and you've got problems, contact McDonald's here.
06.13.03
Premiere Q & A with Stephen Chow on this summer's US release (finally) of Shaolin Soccer. Looking at one of his answers, it seems to imply that they've gone with the voice dubbing. Argh.
06.13.03
This article came my way, about Saigoniste, a "trendy" New York craft store whose trademark character is an offensive racist caricature. You should read it:
Saigoniste Mocks Vietnamese with Ho Chi Mama Character - Orientalists Beware
by Linh Thuy Song
6/9/03
It was a long day of going through Central Park, checking out the Puerto Rican Day Parade, visiting the Vietnam exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, and spending time with a Vietnamese American friend, a newly minted professor and specialist in modern Vietnamese culture. As my husband and I talked about the cultural pride that reverberates throughout
New York City, and my delight in how Vietnam is being celebrated and understood beyond a war, I stopped dead in my tracks.
We had walked right by the store, Saigoniste.
Some families of adopted Vietnamese children had told me about Saigoniste. I had assumed they said "Saigon East," thinking that it was a craft store started by backpackers who "just love Vietnam." Nothing new. In Vietnam, backpackers are known for their shopping talents; bringing back artifacts for those wanting something exotic, but not too Third World. My friends insisted that I stop by and see how offensive it is. I hadn't thought about it until yesterday. A window sign declared, "Ho Chi Mama say spring is time to put love in air and tropical color all over home."
http://www.monkey.org/~dugsong/tmp/saigoniste.jpg
I had to go in. Saigoniste markets "Modern Vietnamese Style" by employing broken English in their marketing material. It was awful. The store tags its products with "Ho Chi Mama say...." Apparently "Modern Vietnamese Style" means "Modern Orientalism."
I confronted the woman at the register and asked why they're doing this. Surprised, she replied that it isn't broken English.
"It's from a character on our website called Ho Chi Mama. She's Vietnamese."
Apparently, Vietnamese women do not speak proper English.
I was baffled. Was this answer supposed to have made some sort of sense to me since I speak impeccable English?
Wait! I'm a Vietnamese woman!
Ah-so, how this possible?!
Other Asian boutiques in the area do not resort to Orientalism to promote their wares (Amy Chan, Cake-O, etc.). This could be because Asians actually run and own the stores. Also, the area borders with the largest Chinatown in the country and the largest concentration of Chinese in the western hemisphere. It seems like a thoughtless move to offend Asian neighbors with this stereotype. Maybe Saigoniste assumes that all Asians speak "fortune cookie dialect?"
More likely, it's possible because no one has protested the obvious. This allows patrons to indulge in Third World lacquerware, priced at a Vietnamese laborer's average annual income, without thinking twice about how Asian and Vietnamese people would react to offensive marketing. Who knew that Vietnamese people would actually come to New York? Even if
by way of Ann Arbor, Michigan? Or, that there's actually a Vietnamese American community here that unlike their third world brethren, can speak up and out?
My husband and I left the store in disgust, too shocked that what was blatantly obvious to us went over the heads of the store patrons and owners. I am loathe to make comparisons with other ethnic groups but sometimes it helps to make ignorant people understand the damage behind perpetuating stereotypes.
What the store doesn't understand is that if any other ethnic group was being targeted, protests would be immediate. Imagine a high-end Native American craft store using "Indian talk" like "Princess Pretty Rainbow likeum beads for teepee decoration." It's ridiculous and shows no love or respect for a people or culture. It's also far from humorous as Native
Americans and Asian Americans alike will attest to how stereotypes lead to racism, how it contributes to people believing we are abnormally different, unscrupulous, and the "exotic other." Perhaps even, incapable of using definite and indefinite particles or conjugating verbs.
Saigoniste may cater to Soho and Nolita crowds but it needs to answer to the Vietnamese and Asian American communities. The store is about a century behind in its caricature and unaware of protests against corporations who've resorted to similar marketing strategies. Remember the Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts portraying Chinese laundrymen? Or last year's Kung Fool Halloween mask featuring a horrific, slanty-eyed, buck toothed figure? Maybe Shaquille O'Neal's "ching chong" comment to Yao Ming? That's right, we're able to pull together vocal outrage, media coverage, and national protests like any other ethnic group.
Besides Ho Chi Mama, the owners go on to declare their "love" for Vietnam:
"It goes without saying that we at Saigoniste love Vietnam longtime! Even more, we love the name Cochinchine, the former French name for the country when it was a colony of France. (Indochine, which most people associate with Vietnam, was in fact the name for the entire region, including Cambodia and Laos). If it weren't completely un-PC, we'd love it if they
rebranded the country Cochinchine to give it a bit of retro-chic appeal. If you are planning a trip to this fabled and fabulous country, there are some insider tips that we just can't keep to ourselves. Read on, or contact one of us at the shop for some personal insight and scoop."
http://www.saigoniste.com/news_tips.html
Time to study up, people. Colonialism is not cool but then maybe the owners never actually talked to the Vietnamese people about this, they just bought and ran. The Vietnamese people suffered under the French, thus the reason for independence and conflict. My Grandmother told us stories about the French using Vietnamese as slaves on rubber plantations, capturing and killing runaways, then burying their bodies underneath a tree to ensure that their very souls would be tied to labor even in the afterlife.
Love Vietnam? Love the people? Then love our voices and anger. It's not worth keeping Ho Chi Mama and it's beyond being un-PC to market a country like a hip shopping mall.
Shall we remind them that behind a product lies a community, culture, and consequences? I encourage readers to e-mail the owners and let them know that Ho Chi Mama is inappropriate and tactless. Tell them to stop perpetuating a stereotype that has no place in society much less reflecting modern Vietnamese style.
This modern Vietnamese American woman says, "Orientalists beware, the joke's on you."
Please sign this petition:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/hochima/petition.html
Saigoniste can be found at www.saigoniste.com
Linh Thuy Song
Executive Director
Mam Non Organization
www.mamnon.org
There you have it. Another instance of the offensive commodification of Asian culture. That's racist! Be aware, sign the petition, write your letters.
06.13.03
Has anyone seen the new reality show Last Comic Standing? It's exactly what it sounds like—they throw a bunch of comedians on an island, and they have to kill one another until only one guy is left. Just kidding, that's the plot to Battle Royale. No, Last Comic Standing is an "Idol"-esque talent competition for stand-up comedians. There happens to be an Asian contestant, Dat Phan, one of the winners from the west coast semi-finals. And I'm told he's pretty funny. It'll be interesting to see how far he makes, and if in fact he can win it... (Thanks, Jerry)
06.13.03
Wyatt writes in... Earlier this week on ESPN radio, Dan Patrick made a comment along the lines of, "That was a
tad faster than a cat in Chinatown." That's racist! Now, Patrick is generally a good guy and promotes good sportsmanship, etc., but that's just an ignorant, unnecessary crack that further promotes unwanted stereotypes and conceptions. Something about sports radio seems to bring out the worst in people...
06.12.03
It looks like Zhang Ziyi will not be taking that role as a mail-order bride opposite Adam Sandler in Good Cook, Likes Music. Thank goodness. May we all breathe a collective sigh of relief. In an interview she implied that she has detached herself from the project, criticizing Hollywood's limited, stereotyped roles for her as a Chinese actress, including prostitutes or mail-order brides. Props to her—I'm sure she could've earned herself a good chunk of cash. Respect just went way up. Now if we could only get Wayne Wang to drop the project...
06.12.03
US Army General Eric K. Shinseki retired on Wednesday after five decades of military service. He is the only officer of Japanese descent to rise to the top post in the Army. Check it out: Army chief retires with parting shot at Rumsfeld
06.12.03
Late night television continues to bring out the best of ignorance. I'm told last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, they put out a fake public service announcement in the form of a sick guy endorsing SARS over the new 'epidemic' Monkey Pox. Included were your assorted chingchong speak, martial arts poses, broken English accent, and a gong. It seems like this crap is happening on Jimmy Kimmel's show every other night... I'm sick of it. I wouldn't want to encourage futher racism, but why aren't we seeing similarly inappropriate jokes about other racial groups on this show? It's because Kimmel and Co. see Asians as fair game, easy targets for cheap jokes. That's racist! I'm writing my letter.
ABC Audience Relations Department
ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4551
06.12.03
A couple of interesting upcoming documentaries on PBS, including Shaolin Ulysses: Kung Fu Monks in America, brought to you by ITVS. And Trading Women, filmmaker David Feingold's investigation of the Thai sex industry.
06.11.03
Actor B.D. Wong was the guest on today's broadcast of Fresh Air. Give it a listen.
06.11.03
Did you see Harlemm Lee on Fame tonight? It was his night to compete, and the guy was simply dynamite. Singing Janet Jackson's "Control," he pretty much blew the judges and competition away, and advanced to the round. He made the cut! It was impressive. That's it, I'll readily admit I'm into this, and I'll be following along. Fame!
06.11.03
This news is about a month old, but definitely worth noting. In May, KSTP-TV in Minneapolis hired Kent Ninomiya to anchor its 5 pm, 6 pm and 10 pm newscasts—definitely a positive development, considering the severe lack of Asian American males in broadcasting, and even fewer as anchors. In the top 25 markets there are only 19 Asian American males on the air in television news. Minneapolis is the 14th largest market in the country. Read more here: Minneapolis Station Hires Asian American Male to Anchor Main Newscast
06.10.03
Been a while since I received some hate mail. I was wondering where all the racist emailers had gone. 'Pissed off whity' steps up to the plate: Anatomy of a Hate Mail
06.10.03
Haven't seen The Eye, but I think I get what this article is talking about: Why Asian Ghost Stories Are the Best. The American remake will definitely lose some of the story's punch. A lot of the inherent creepiness of Ringu came from its unmistakable Asian-ness, while the American remake lost it for slicker scare tactics. I'm looking forward to seeing The Eye.
06.10.03
Art Shibayama has a family story you should know about, a little-known chapter in American history: during World War II, Latin American families of Japanese, German and Italian ancestry were forced into American custody, stripped of their passports and shipped to detention camps in Texas. Essentially, it was U.S. government-sponsored kidnapping to come up with prisoners to exchange for American soldiers. Nearly sixty years later, Shibayama is still fighting: A last hope for W.W. II reparations (not to mention fairness and justice)
06.10.03
Possible hate crime in Fremont, CA... A teenage boy was sent to the hospital with a head injury inflicted by a baseball bat. He was wounded in a confrontation Friday night that was sparked by three young men who were described as white or Latino yelling racial epithets at a group of teens of Asian descent. Read more here: Teens Attacked in Possible Hate Crime
06.09.03
I tuned into Fame tonight, hoping to see Raymond Lee make the cut. You have to hand it to the guy. Up against some stiff competition, the guy melted the hearts of the judges (and the audience) with his rendition of "I'll Be There," and advanced to the semi-finals. He completely won me over. The guy may not have movie star looks (he admitted being perceived as having the "look" of a scientist or something), but the guy has got IT. Tell me how you could watch that broadcast and NOT want to be the guy's friend. We were sitting there in front of the TV, cheering and clapping and hugging like crazed fanatics when they announced his name. Best of luck, Raymond.
06.09.03
Linda Mabalot, executive director of Visual Communications in Los Angeles, will be remembered at a special memorial tribute to be held on Sunday, June 22, 2003 beginning at 4PM at the Aratani/Japan America Theatre located at 244 South San Pedro Street in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles. All are invited to attend. For information about the memorial tribute event contact Visual Communications at (213) 624-7827, ext. 58.
06.09.03
Better Luck Tomorrow: The Aftermath. Justin Lin's BLT was touted by many (including myself) to be the film that would revolutionize Asian American cinema. So did it? After making huge waves and some sizeable release buzz, the commotion seemed to die down pretty quickly. There's no doubt, it's an important film. But what did it really do for the future of Asian Americans in media/entertainment? Here's an article that takes a look at the post-BLT landscape: Asian-Americans still knocking on Hollywood's door
06.09.03
Here's an organization worth calling attention to: Freedom Center. Check it out.
06.09.03
More on Banzai!, the freakin' racist TV show that just won't go away. Apparently, the show is set to premiere Sunday, July 13 on Fox. I've already expressed my problems with this show (see 05.21.03)—Banzai! needs to die. I feel a campaign coming. More news on this as it develops...
06.09.03
A few weeks back I posted the trailer for Disney's remake of Freaky Friday, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Why? Because of the FORTUNE COOKIE scene, which sets the good ol' body-switch formula in motion. I haven't seen the movie, but it doesn't look like you need much context to know what's going on: it's just your average mystical, ancient Chinese secrets playing their usual part in the movies. That's racist! This already has people raising some concerns about typical racial stereotyping. What do you think? You Make the Call.
06.08.03
The guy is a fighter: Kariya shows character in Game 6
06.08.03
Hey, some cool Asian American films are online for your viewing pleasure... from two of my favorite filmmakers:
Wes Kim's Vision Test, Jury Award Winner at the Media That Matters Film Festival, an animated film which uses an eye exam to explore racism in America.
Greg Pak's Asian Pride Porn Audience Award Winner at the SinCine Film Festival, an infomercial spoof in which Tony Award winning playwright David Henry Hwang hawks progressive pornography featuring smart Asian women and sexually empowered Asian men.
06.08.03
A lame, cheap joke at the expense of Yao Ming, and more mock Chinese: Words of wisdom for today's graduates (by Eric Immerman). Scroll down to Yao Ming's "advice." When will people learn to cut the "Ching-ngingbo-chaozhou-wah-ah-so" crap? It reduces Asian languages to punchline novelties. Comments? Give some feedback.
Immerman also happens to be a writer for Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn... ah, more evidence that late night television is the breeding ground for our nation's media ignorance.
06.08.03
Chicago Cubs first baseman Hee Seop Choi was injured in a pretty nasty field collision Saturday: Cubs' Hee Seop Choi in Fair Condition. Hopefully he'll be okay...
06.08.03
Heathen Chinee Artful Chinee Chinky Chinee Bogie Man Ching Ching Chinaman: Exposing Historic Musical Racism. It's a historical look at racist 19th century sheet music. What's interesting is at the end of the article, the connection between this music of the 1870s and some of the negative media stereotypes still being perpetuated today. That's racist!
06.08.03
The 57th Annual Tony Awards, celebrating achievement in Broadway musicals and plays, will broadcast on CBS tonight. The revival of Flower Drum Song is a nominee in three categories: Best Book of a
Musical: David Henry Hwang; Best Costume Design: Gregg Barnes; Best Choreography: Robert Longbottom. Woohoo!
06.06.03
Archie Kao will be joining the cast of Alias for a few episodes next season. You may have seen him last on CSI.
06.06.03
2 Fast 2 Furious opens in theaters today. More fast, furious car racing fun. And we all know how much I enjoyed Rick Yune's motorcycle-riding, machine gun-toting performance as gang leader Johnny Tran in the first movie. (I'm completely kidding.) I've already said a number of things about the dubious lack of Asian representation in a movie about street racing... So now we have a sequel. Forgive me, but once again I have to ask: Where are all the Asians? Well, there are a few... Model/actress Devon Aoki plays Suki, and she drives a Honda S2000. Do you really need to know anything more? Rapper Jin tha MC has a small role in movie, and also contributes a song to the soundtrack. Yipeee.
Another noteworthy movie, one you probably haven't heard of, is Pages From a Virgin's Diary, a surrealist, cinematic ballet retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Crazy, right? Even crazier is that a Chinese actor, Zhang Wei-Qiang, plays the titular role. Check out this NPR profile on director Guy Maddin and the film. Maddin mentions how the "yellow peril," racial tensions surrounding the 2000 spy plane incident helped influence his imagining of the story. Intriguing.
06.06.03
Admit it, you botched the handling of this case. But we want the info: U.S. Won't Release Wen Ho Lee Report
06.06.03
Someone recently pointed out to me that I seem to have a lot of sports-related postings. This is kind of interesting, considering that in reality, I'm not much of a sports guy... neither follower nor participant. That said, here's another sports article, on racial and gender equity in the sports industry: NBA Leads Men's Leagues in Diversity Hiring.
06.05.03
When A Magazine folded early last year, I thought, hey someone ought to pick up the slack. Someone did: Hot fusion - Fresh S.F. wannabe joins publications for Asian Americans. Actually, a lot of publications did. Hyphen is the latest to step up.
06.05.03
Article on actor BD Wong and his new book, Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man, chronicling his emotional, arduous journey to becoming a father: An actor comes home. The guy is a pioneer, no matter how you look at it.
06.05.03
Meet the Chows. New York Times article on Chinese Americans in the South (Eugenia: "We're everywhere.") and the interesting cooking techniques and ingredients that have developed over the years: East Meets South at a Delta Table. Call it good Southern cookin' —Chinese style.
06.04.03
Little blurb with some info on filmmaker Mike Kang and his participation in the Sundance Institute's Sundance Lab. His creative goals:
"Kang wanted to show Asian-American male sexuality in a light rarely seen in film. Breaking away from the nerdy stereotype perpetuated in the films he grew up on like SIXTEEN CANDLES and GOONIES, Kang's film highlights the passion and emotions within an Asian-American teen."
I like that. Kang's current project, The Motel, is shooting this summer.
06.03.03
For the entire month of June, Fox Movie Channel will be presenting the Charlie Chan Mystery Tour, a series of "classic" Charlie Chan. For those in the know, the Charlie Chan films are an infamous (and arguably the worst) example of Hollywood's proliferation of "Yellowface" —the racist practice of Asian characters played by white actors in offensive, degrading "Oriental" makeup. Now, audiences get to see a month-long series of these film, apparently back by "popular demand." Ridiculous. At the very least, this may be worth watching for a lesson on the history of yellowface in Hollywood. But an entire series? It would be the modern day proliferation of this stereotypical image: the slanted eyes, moustache and fake accent. That's racist! Is this a part of American movie history that we are really proud of? It has got to go. View the film schedule here: Charlie Chan Mystery Tour.
Now be sure to contact Fox Movie Channel using the form here: Contact Us.
06.03.03
You must check out Classic Material: The Hip Hop Album Guide, edited by Oliver Wang. It's got commentaries and reviews covering 80 landmark hip hop albums. More info here.
06.03.03
Interview with Kelly Hu, on her post X2 success, including stuff about recent work doing The Vagina Monologues and upcoming projects like Jade: A busy 'X-Men' star? You know Hu
06.03.03
Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets will play two preseason exhibition games against the Sacramento Kings in Shanghai and Beijing. Check it out: NBA to stage preseason games in China in 2004. Interesting, considering that many sporting events have been rescheduled or moved from Asia since the outbreak of SARS. Props to the NBA, I guess.
06.03.03
Why the unease when I sneeze? Don't be a dumbass! The fine folks at Blacklava have created a new "SARS" t-shirt. Check it out www.blacklava.net.
06.03.03
So.. have you heard of Jade? The latest Asian musical ingenue they're trying to push here in the States, I suppose. The music's okay, if you like that sort of thing. What interests me is that her website describes her as a "mysterious songstress, like the exotic precious stone of the same name." Not quite the best way to sell something to me. I think I'll pass. Anyway, see for yourself: www.jademusic.com. Oh, and be sure to check out the video for "Victim of Love," in which she amply thrusts out her chest and rubs up against a bunch of dudes in the forest. It's a sight. (Thanks Kirby)
06.03.03
Stephen Chow was scheduled to be to be on the Jimmy Kimmel Live (boo) last night to promote the U.S. release of Shaolin Soccer... however, he was mysteriously missing from the broadcast. He was listed on the show's website, and also appeared in various promos for the show throughout the day. So what happened? Where was he? I should also add that I ain't such a huge fan of Jimmy Kimmel anyway (and late night talk shows in general). (Thanks Jose)
06.02.03
More Charlie's Angels: Animated Adventures: Chapter Four: Jet Set Angels. I actually saw the full trailer for Full Throttle last week, and I have to admit... it's got my interest. What can I say? I'm into Lucy.
06.02.03
You've heard of "Driving While Black." You may even have heard of "Flying While Arab." But have you heard of "Coughing While Asian"? Blame it on SARS. No, blame it on America's culture of panic: Epidemic of Fear
06.02.03
Author le thi diem has published her first novel, The Gangster We Are All Looking For: Refuge in her writing
06.02.03
Mike writes in and tells me about the premiere of Meow TV on the Oxygen network. The show consists of humorous sketches and joke commercials involving cats, for cats. (What?) One of the commercials parodied albums sold on television—cats singing makeout songs. At the very end of the commercial, where they post the prices and address to order from, the very last line on the screen read "NOT VALID IN CHINA OR SOUTH KOREA." A freakin' cheap shot, for a joke that probably wasn't all that funny in the first place. That's racist!
06.01.03
This weekend on Ebert and Roeper, they named their three top movies of the year (so far). Roeper named Better Luck Tomorrow as his third pick.
Ah, and here is the funniest/most offensive review of Better Luck Tomorrow I have ever read, from a customer at Amazon.com. A seriously impressive display of complete ignorance.
Speaking of which, I've been hearing rumors of a summer DVD release for BLT. More details as they come my way...
06.01.03
Here's an interesting article on social responsibility—for white folks. From a sports column, no less: What would Larry Bird say?
06.01.03
Hey, if you're in the LA area, check out the latest work from my close personal friend and dear favorite crazy lady Kristina Sheryl Wong. "Free?" is a part- dream, part- nightmare performance-hybrid that takes on SARS, Los Angeles, and "freedom" with a theatrical punch! Would you like to know more? Check it all out at Kristina's site: www.kristinawong.com.
06.01.03
I'm gonna live forever! Looks like NBC has resurrected Fame as a talent competition. Lots of singing, lots of dancing—and Ruben or Clay is nowhere in sight. Among the twenty-four performers who made the cut as semi-finalists, I count at least four Asian contestants: Judy Ho, Harlemm Lee, Jamisen Tiangco and Raymond Lee. Alas, Judy got sent home in the first episode... Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing Ray do his thang. I've met the guy, and he's genuinely cool. And from what I've seen so far, he's got the talent. Best of luck.
06.01.03
The radio program This American Life ran a story, "Lost In Translation," on Yao Ming's translator, Colin Pine (who has become a minor NBA star in his own right).