Folks at Asian Pacific Americans for Progress (APAP) are reporting that a bunch of APA activists are upset at the Oakland Planning Commission for approving a permit for a new bar in Chinatown to be titled “Geisha”, stating that the name invokes violent and derogatory stereotypes against Asian women. The campaign is headed by Diana Pei Wu, Jenn Pae, Angelica Jongco, Xiaojing Wang, and Jen Mei Wu.
No, I’m not kidding you. Aside from the heavy cultural significance of the word, the leaders of this protest also cite that giving the bar with such a name would help support sexual harassment, mental illness, and a negative economic impact with its indirect support for the sex trade and/or pornography. Oh yeah, and don’t forget that rapist in the area who was targeting Asian women. Wait, what? These are all related?
I hate to be the one to say this, but I can’t help think these folks are overreacting in this situation, and wrongly defining the history of Japanese geisha. They were dancing and musical entertainers, and nowhere did violence and overt sexuality come to play in their formal occupation. No, geishas aren’t prostitutes. Maybe some of them were but hey, it’s the oldest job in the world. If anything, they should be focusing their outrage on two Asian American businessmen with a tired and unoriginal idea for a new bar, or at least ask why someone would want to go to a Geisha bar in the heart of Chinatown. Wrong culture, people.
Also, what does the NorCal rapist have to do with this? Did he have a geisha fetish or something and this bar is his one chance to finally hang out in the open? I don’t see the connection.
It’s good to see politically active Asian Americans keeping an eye out for their community but I’m finding it hard to support a group who base their protests on a narrow, sensational definition of a single word, especially when it directly affects two men bringing more business to Chinatown.
PS. And I will say that I used to live down the street from the Geisha House in Hollywood; while I disliked the name, never once did I experience a down turn in the civic quality of life. All of that was caused by the Hummer driving douchebags who would congregate in the neighborhood.
(h/t: spamfriedrice)
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View Comments to “Protests Against New “Geisha” Bar in Oakland”
duckwhisperer wrote:
This is a great post. I especially enjoyed the schooling about Geishas not being prostitutes because I had heard that same misinformation.
Let's focus our outrage on the important stuff.
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 4:11 pm | Permalink
angelicajongco wrote:
Hi Moye.
It seems you're not offended by the name “Geisha” for a night club — I am, and so were many of the commissioners at yesterday's meeting. The point of speaking out to the Planning Commission was to send a clear message to the owner — who had ignored previous attempts in the past year — that the name has derogatory connotations for many people, and not just Asian Americans.
It was a concept that was pretty simple for the commissioners to grasp and, while stating that they didn't have the jurisdiction to force a name change, at least 4 commissioners — all people of color, advised the owner that he should consider changing the name because it's offensive. As one commissioner commented, There used to be many bars called Sambo, and they've mostly gone out of business.
Not everyone that walks past that business is going to bring the knowledge that you may have about the historical role of a geisha. Just check out your local Halloween store for the “sexy geisha” costume. That's the image that has been perpetuated in pop culture. The people who got up to speak in front of the commission made the point that as much they wanted to support a new business in the neighborhood, the name “Geisha” in this context (not Japan, and not in a college art history course ) on the side of a nightclub in the U.S. perpetuates stereotypes of Asian American women as sexual objects. This would be a problem even in the whitest of neighborhoods, but is all the more offensive blocks from Chinatown in a city with a sizeable Asian American population. For added context, some cited to social science literature, others drew on their personal experience. These are valid forms of advocating their point of view — even if you may find some more persuasive than others.
Bottom line, these few women and men who raised this issue were able to get the commissioners–and many others in the room who had come to the hearing for other agenda items–to show this owner that this isn't the sentiment of an oversensitive few, but one that will be shared by many of his neighbors in downtown Oakland. The owner had been put on notice of this issue a year ago and had completely ignored previous attempts to resolve this matter well before the bar opened. I honestly hope for his business to succeed, but only under a different name.
On focusing on this issue … Yes, there are many other issues out there on which it's important for AAPIs to speak out. We can multitask. Many of us who were involved in this brief action are working on them. I'm sure at times when I speak my truth, someone else will dismiss it as an “overreaction.” But better that than to remain silent when something pisses me off.
Angelica
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 4:20 pm | Permalink
angelicajongco wrote:
That's exactly the point — do people really want to go out and launch an education campaign as to the historical meaning of Geisha? We do have more important things to focus on.
The reality is that you had been exposed to the same stereotype of geisha as Asian prostitute — which is the one that is much more prevalent in our society. We don't have a choice in how other people perceive a word. What if the bar was called 'Asian floozy' — and floozy has some alternative and historical meaning, like professor of literature and fine arts. I don't care, because most people are going to think of it's popular meaning. Just like most people are not reading this blog post.
So unless the name's going to be Geisha* (with an asterisk)
*Referring to the role of a Japanese woman as conveyor of beauty and art, and not the offensive stereotype of geisha as prostitute, which is not historically accurate.
I'm not going there.
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 4:33 pm | Permalink
moye wrote:
Then why not focus on spreading a better understanding of the geisha history rather than protesting a bar's name?
I think there's more harm in perpetuating the idea to everyone that geishas are somehow harmful to modern society. There's also a very different historical connotation behind an offensive name like “Sambo” and something like a Geisha. If the bar's name was set to be called “Chink”, then I'd be 100% behind the protest.
(Also, you'd be hard pressed to find a Halloween costume for women that wasn't sexy or slutty, geisha or not. Sexy kimonos can be culturally insensitive, but the entire idea behind dressing up in revealing costumes can be seen as sexist and derogatory. It's not just Asian American female specific.)
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 4:36 pm | Permalink
angelicajongco wrote:
Hey Moye.
In response to your first question, see my reply to duckwhisperer above. Talk about fruitless campaigns. That's not my burden. Plus, even under that 'historical' understaing, a geisha is still defined as a woman trained in singing and dancing to entertain a man or a group of men. Even with a historical perspective, this woman exists to provide companionship and entertainment to men. It's not that much better.
Not coming to me off the top of my head but I'm sure there are other words that may have innocuous roots and over time have developed derogatory connotations. Feel free to chime in anyone …
So if we take offensiveness on a spectrum where a word is 100% offensive and worthy of protest if it's always had derogatory connotations, and a word is not a big deal even if it offends some people but has innocuous roots — then I guess it might look like
Chink – Sambo (no way) —> —> –> geisha (fine by me).
where does dogeater fit? what about coon?
Other folks calibrate differently. Rather than split hairs, let's just acknowledge that your threshold for offending is not the same as mine.
And, yeah, there are a lot of racy costumes out there for women. But not all of them are race-specific.
Angelica
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 5:00 pm | Permalink
jozjozjoz wrote:
Is it offensive that if I had a dog, I would totally dress it like that doggie geisha*?
Should I be concerned that people might think my pooch is a prostitute?
This post is making me think twice about the theoretical costumes I'd dress my theoretical dog in!
*Once in a while… not all the time. For holidays, I would also dress my dog up as Frankenstein for Halloween and a bunny for Easter and as a reindeer for Christmas.
(No comment on the protest or about geishas. I've got cute dog costumes on my mind right now!)
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 5:01 pm | Permalink
Jenn Fang wrote:
I think the problem here is a question of interpretation: is the criticism of “Geisha” a reaction to the negative connotations of the geisha profession? Or how the term “geisha” is interpreted by American audiences.
As Moye points out, the traditional geisha was not a prostitute. Geisha would be best described as artisans, trained in music and dance and hired by wealthy men to entertain at dinner parties by playing songs, singing, and socializing. Some prostituted themselves, but the profession, as a whole, is oversimplified by the term “prostitute”.
But that’s looking at geisha from a strictly historical perspective, and not in the context of America’s sociopolitical landscape — which is the way most restaurant patrons and passersby will view the restaurant name. Here, the term “geisha” refers to an archetype that fits hand-in-hand with other images of the hypersexualized, demure Asian female “lotus blossom” prevalent in historical and contemporary American media. Asian and Asian American women are — and have been – predominantly depicted in hypersexualized and subjugated roles in American film and literature, and this directly counteracts efforts to empower Asian American women with a positive and healthy image of ourselves and our sexuality. To that end, failing to criticize a local establishment, opening in a heavily Asian American community, that draws upon and glorifies this negative stereotype of Asian women would be irresponsible.
Moreover, while the link between a bar named “geisha” and depression is not direct, dehumanizing stereotypes left unchallenged in mainstream media often lead to conflicted and unhealthy self-image problems. After all, no one questions that our society’s predilection for super-skinny images of beauty are contributing factors to high rates of anorexia and bullemia specifically amongst teenaged girls of all races.
That being said, I’m not sure I co-sign the Norcal rapist connection; mainly because I don’t think we know the specific motivations for that dude.
Either way, I think there's so much online political energy that we're not really in a lot of danger of wasting it on an (admittedly) reactionary issue like this; something like this can galvanize less active APAs to be more politically aware, whereas a more pro-active campaign to educate America at-large on APA history can also occur by funnelling the energy from an issue like this into more far-reaching activities.
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 5:11 pm | Permalink
moye wrote:
Um…I'd probably put dogeater and coon somewhere up there with chink and Sambo–along with Chinaman, Twinkie, gook, towelhead and so forth. They're all names that stemmed from an offensive (if albeit originally harmless) use and remain so today. However, I'm sure many people would agree that “geisha” (though subject to many stereotypes and misinformation) would not be thrown together in that bunch.
Trust me, I fully understand the dangerous implications behind some uses of the word “geisha” but I happen to think allowing people a better understanding of my culture over to be far from a fruitless campaign.
But what does it matter? As you stated in your comment above to duckwhisperer, most people aren't going to read this blog post (nor your words either) so I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 5:18 pm | Permalink
johnminh wrote:
Dress your dog as Yoda (or Yodog):
http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/j...
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 6:38 pm | Permalink
atlasien wrote:
I wrote about this issue here at Racialicious: Geishas and Whores
http://www.racialicious.com/2009/05/13/geishas-...
I have to ask, Moye, out of curiosity, and based on the fact that we're both Japanese-American, and both agreed on a prior post that samurai are not worth defending… why are geisha worth defending when samurai are not? They're similarly anachronistic.
I don't care about the status of real geisha in Japan. I don't care to defend them, and I don't care to attack them. They're irrelevant to my life! But I believe the geisha stereotype in America has really harmed me in many ways. So screw educating people about “real geisha”.
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 6:46 pm | Permalink
“Geisha”: Blog Wars? « reappropriate wrote:
[...] I blogged earlier this afternoon about the “Geisha” bar opening in Oakland, linking a post from APAP for some of my sources. It turns out that Moye, over at 8Asians, also read the APAP post and has a different take on the “Geisha” …. [...]
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 5:07 pm | Permalink
mariacastillostone wrote:
” two Asian American businessmen with a tired and unoriginal idea for a new bar”
And you'd think they'd know better than choose one of the most commonest names for a bar (I checked out of curiosity on google – there are quite a lot of them in London alone and one of them is a gay bar !)
Outrage should be focused on to much more important things than the overuse of unimaginative names for a public premises. Let the owners have a stab at the market and maybe they might fail, maybe they might suceed. What is their side to how they arrived at the name ?
If the public wish to have a misconception on the definition of “Geisha” then that's their own ignorance, but instead of getting all fiery and angry – make an effort to educate people – in a civilised manner.
I liked the article. As for the “sexy geisha costumes” – there are tons of them to be bought here in Japan !
Posted on 08-Oct-09 at 8:52 pm | Permalink
Philip wrote:
Were there any protests when the “Geisha” house opened in Hollywood? just wondering…
Posted on 09-Oct-09 at 12:36 am | Permalink
erika888 wrote:
Hey atlasien
I see you often on Racialicious and you're awesome.
Anyway, I agree with you — it's not about what “real geishas” are about, it's about what people think the term signifies, and the stereotypes that come with it.
I've found that the 8asians blog is pretty great in showcasing Asian-Am news, but when it comes to sociological discussions it's lacking a little bit. :
Posted on 09-Oct-09 at 12:12 pm | Permalink
ErnieAtLYD wrote:
You're more than welcome to blog for 8Asians as well. You know how to contact us. Thanks!
Posted on 09-Oct-09 at 12:53 pm | Permalink
erika888 wrote:
Sorry if I sounded trollish or overly critical : I like 8asians for the way it is; it's mostly lighthearted and I appreciate the speed at which you post new content. I just tend to either disagree or feel that some things are missing when sociological or race-related things are posted/discussed. Which happens a lot on blogs.
Thank you for the offer.
Posted on 09-Oct-09 at 12:59 pm | Permalink
Letsu Go! wrote:
Hmm … for me, naming a bar Geisha? Not an issue. Making all their waitresses wear something like that doggie geisha getup? Then we'd have a problem. Or at least the waitresses would. Now I'm a little curious what the bar owners envision for their establishment beyond the name, which made me realize we've all just given them a bunch of free publicity through this controversy.
Incidentally, I was just reading today that the Japan America Society is hosting a screening next month in Huntington Beach about geisha. I don't think they'll be any protests over that.
“'Hannari – Geisha Modern,' a selection of the U.N.'s International Film Festival, is a documentary film that captures the geisha for what they are truly meant to be — artists and entertainers who devote their lives to the traditional arts and a traditional way of life. For the very first time, the geisha are filmed in a manner that allows the audience to see, hear and to feel the true beauty of the geisha.”
http://www.jas-socal.org/jas/DesktopDefault.asp...
Posted on 09-Oct-09 at 1:35 pm | Permalink
facebook-678059145 wrote:
It's true that the historical Japanese geisha had little to do with the kind of violence the campaign is warning against. And it's also a good point that it has nothing to do with Chinese culture. And in actuality, the new bar is located in a Korean part of Oakland which is on the edge of Chinatown. More mix-up.
What the campaign IS pointing to however, is that most Americans can't tell the difference between the different Asian cultures or people. This spills over into how people individually and institutionally discriminate against, harass and/or commit violence against Asian Americans – based on oversimplified ideas and stereotypes of “Asians” as a mass group.
This has nothing to do with the historical geisha. It's about the uninformed idea of what most Americans think the geisha is, which then becomes the lens for how they see Asian and Asian American women. To see that representation, all you have to do is turn to Hollywood – the passive, submissive, exotic, servile, sexually available woman. This image also becomes a stand-in for how Hollywood has chosen to “see” Asian countries and how American (read white) men should interact with Asian women – see the older flick Sayonara for instance.
I have yet to meet an Asian American woman who has NOT been impacted by this stereotype somehow, whether in personal relationships or in the workplace.
This campaign is about the personal safety and mental well-being of Asian/Asian American women who live in the area. The bar is located on a main avenue that is used by many to get to public transportation.
This campaign is not to shut down a business, it is to change an inappropriate name. If a business opened with a name that referred to racist and sexist stereotypes of black women, I doubt it would get a permit so easily in Oakland.
For those who argue for an education campaign – this method was attempted earlier through private meetings with the male bar owner. Needless to say, this did not work. To undertake a longer-term educational campaign requires more resources. Strategically, it was better to try to nip this bar issue in the bud.
(We also had in the Bay Area an Asian Art Museum which put up a geisha exhibit in 2004 (see http://www.scotttsuchitani.com/pages/geisha/gei...) which perpetuated an Orientalist image of the geisha in the Bay Area public's mind.)
Posted on 09-Oct-09 at 3:36 pm | Permalink
Marc Renton wrote:
I tend to agree that this is a bit overblown… Would it have the same impact if a Japanese businessperson was opening a bar with the idea of implementing a “traditional style” geisha entertainment?
WHAT IF it's a “white guy” that's well versed in Japanese cultural traditions… opening a bar with a very proper “traditional theme?”
I KIND of think that just assuming these are “stupid Americans” opening a bar with the intent of a creating an “Asian prostitute theme” IN an Asian American community seems a bit odd…
AND concluding that “stupid Americans” would ONLY open up a bar with such a name strictly for the purposes of arousing salaciousness in their white clientele to be… basically, stereotyping white people.
It reminds me a bit of that controversy in New York where a public official used the term “niggardly” in a public meeting…
Just BECAUSE everyone thinks it may be a racially charged term doesn't make it so… It just makes the people who misunderstand it idiots…
And if we “ban” a term solely because some people don't understand it… Don't we essentially MAKE that term a “bad word” even if it doesn't carry with it a negative connotation in it's common usage?
Just by saying that “geisha” is somehow offensive essentially tells the world, “yes, the term geisha pretty much means whore, so don't say it.” Seems to me a good way to kill off ANY proper notion of what a geisha may truly represent… and that IS a tragedy if the profession could be considered an artistic artform in a traditional sense.
In any case… I like the site you guys have here… More so the mildly political topics you have… BUT you've also introduced me to some interesting Asian American musicians… So keep up the good work.
Oh… if it matters… I'm half-Japanese and half white… So I can say “geisha” AND “stupid Americans” and not feel the least bit guilty about it.
=)
Posted on 10-Oct-09 at 5:39 am | Permalink
facebook-587730633 wrote:
So, is it open yet or what? All this free and frenzied publicity for the place, sheesh…Moye, if you want to check it out and just see what it's all about (maybe even interview Mr. Wu the owner a tad), I'll go with.
Posted on 04-Nov-09 at 1:12 pm | Permalink
facebook-587730633 wrote:
So, is it open yet or what? All this free and frenzied publicity for the place, sheesh…Moye, if you want to check it out and just see what it's all about (maybe even interview Mr. Wu the owner a tad), I'll go with.
Posted on 04-Nov-09 at 9:12 pm | Permalink
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