8 Asians

Categories:

• Areeba_1

  But wasn’t it entertaining ,and different from what we usually see in music videos?  Personally, I liked it because it is different and alot more CREATIVE than many other music videos. I also like the music, it resembles the “warrior” type of music and it gets you excited.
  Also, music vidoes don’t always have to be accurate or  precise do they?

• http://twitter.com/CinnabonMonster The Cinnabon Monster

  So if we don’t need accurate music videos, we should have music videos with people in blackface and dance around in fire…that would be creative, don’t you think?

• http://www.blasianbytch.com BlasianBytch

  Its a turducken of appropriation! 

• http://www.blasianbytch.com BlasianBytch

  I don’t thing taking images from a bunch of old movies with no extra commentary is very creative. 

• Areeba_1

  Huh, I don’t think I explained what I meant by creativity very well. By “creative” I mean that I like the fact that they incorporated the elements of many nationalities/ethnicity within the video, eg. Japanese, Thai,and Indian. It’s sort of like coming “together as ONE” concept.

• http://twitter.com/CinnabonMonster The Cinnabon Monster

  I’m sorry, it still doesn’t fly. The song is called “Princess of China” and by slapping a bunch of different Asian cultures in one is sheer laziness

• m_wei

   going with the food analogy: that sounds like one nasty tasting smoothie

• m_wei

  the only ironic thing here is you’re helping to drive up their viewership numbers for those who might not have been aware.

   it is what it is

• m_wei

   are you their publicist?

• http://twitter.com/CinnabonMonster The Cinnabon Monster

  I actually want to try it and see wtf happens

• m_wei

   I’m going to stand out of the splash zone if you do.   ^_^

• gimirzz

  Really? I could only find bits with rihanna and I think the thousand arm thing is as much part of traditional Chinese culture and dancing as it is Indian (no doubt where it originated)

  Also the other dance she does with the sleeves is clearly Chinese and not geisha…… Even the hair accessories look pretty Chinese to me…. Anyways a lot of ancient Japanese clothing were influenced by Chinese clothing and they look really similar so I *think* it was actually Chinese.

  I don’t know about the other parts cuz I haven’t watched it yet

• http://www.facebook.com/tinabot Tina Tsai

  It’s like Crouching Tiger meets House of Flying Daggers completely shameless rip off except it’s okay since Rihanna and Coldplay are in it. China, for all the heartless bootlegging you’ve done, here’s America’s REVENGE. btw, if the producers of this didn’t get copyright permissions from those films, I hope they get the pants (or objectifying Asian decor) sued off of them. ha.

• Rabindra Hayashi

  Is the tattooed  guy supposed to be Maori?

• m_wei

   are you a Chinese supremacist and is saying that China invented everything and there was no cultural diffusion in ancient times?

• http://twitter.com/CinnabonMonster The Cinnabon Monster

  dude, where the heck did you get the concept that the thousand arm thing is part of traditional chinese culture? go do some research before you speak

• http://www.facebook.com/emily.dzenowski Emily Elaine Dzenowski

  I’m going to play the devils advocate here and say I liked it. Seeing multiple Asian cultures in one video doesn’t bother me all that much. I can understand how some people might not like it though – I don’t think Rihanna was meaning to offend anyone.

• gimirzz

  I mean it’s a big part of Buddhism too and Chinese have had dances with it. So I don’t think it’s restricted to ‘India’

• gimirzz

  Huh? I’m confused, I’m just tryin to see if the particular points they mentioned were in fact non-Chinese. I finally saw the entire thing and I agree the entire vibe isn’t very ‘Chinese’ especially with the ninjas and use of samurai swords (why)

  Trying to give the video producers benefit of the doubt…. The look Rihanna

• gimirzz

  Sported wasn’t obviously Japanese either…. nor very geisha (btw Rihanna tweeting her look is gangsta goth geisha is dumb…. I’m not sure she knows what geishas look like….)

  But yes I am kind of angry they either should’ve renamed the song princess of Asia or made most of the details Chinese and not Japanese.

• http://twitter.com/nannaia Nancy Duong

   See, if they bothered to do a music video on an ACTUAL Chinese Princess, they had plenty of bad ass ones to pick: Princess Taiping (daughter of Empress Wu), Princess Pingyang (“Army of the Lady”), Princess Changping (gets her arm chopped off by her father aka the last Ming Emperor; folk legend says she becomes a nun with formidable martial arts and trains a disciple who later assassinates the Yongzheng Emperor.) But noooo… we get this claptrap of cliches. Not creative considering the possibilities that could’ve been. Plus the song lyrics could’ve been set any place, any period, so why is it named “Princess of China”? Boring!

• m_wei

   and here I thought Buddhism originated in India…

• m_wei

   benefit of the doubt for what?   unintentional misappropriation of culture at best, and racist kitsch at worst?

  no need to make apologies: if they’re going to go there, just own it.

• m_wei

  changing it to “princess of Asia” isn’t going to fundamentally change the way this video comes off as offensive.

• m_wei

   not meaning to offend anyone doesn’t mean others aren’t offended.

  let’s see Rihanna misappropriate her own background of jiving sugar plantation slaves of the West Indies and see if anyone is offended

• gimirzz

  Of course it did but its also a big part of other Asian/ east Asian cultures… So associating Buddhism with china isn’t that big a stretch.

• m_wei

   are you a historical revisionist?

• http://www.facebook.com/emily.dzenowski Emily Elaine Dzenowski

  Oh come on -_- Don’t you think thats taking it a bit far? Comparing ”jiving sugar plantation slaves” to the content of this video is a little over the top. So every time we see a non-Asian wearing some type of Asian clothing we should call it misappropriation of Asian culture?  I have seen videos from different parts of Asia where people are wearing different types of “western” style clothing, and random western people peppered throughout the video, and I wouldn’t call that misappropriation of culture.    

• Areeba_1

  I gotta admit that when I made this comment  I never fancied the thought that it would get so many replies. Anyways, you raise a valid point on why the song was named ‘Princess of China’ when then it didn’t even focus on a Chinese Princess. Now that you mention it, I would really like Hollwood to do an accurate music video on any Asian Princess. It would be interesting.

  But I have to say that when you compare it to other music videos such as Nicki Minaj’s ‘Starships’ or FUN’s ‘We are Young’ or Justin Beiber’s music videos or Rihanna’s other music videos, it seems creative/different.

  Personally I don’t see anything offensive in this music video. Some might argue that they should have hired an Asian actress. But I see this music video as harmless.

  P.S: Not that it matters, but in reality Princess Changping did get her arm cut off, but she never turned into a Nun. Instead she got married, lived a normal life, and then died. Not that it matters though because as I said before music videos don’t always have to be precise or accurate.

   I like this music video, if anyone dislikes it they are free to.

• m_wei

   so how is it that a jiving sugar plantation slaves is going too far and this video is considered not meant to offend anyone?   I should think a Barbados background is completely culturally accurate for Rihanna.

  are you even Asian?   the discussion over westernized clothing as de facto business standards is another discussion altogether from my perspective, but everything depends on context.

  you wouldn’t want somebody wearing the Confederate uniform to a NAACP meeting, so use your common sense and get through why WE ASIANS (at least the aware ones) find this offensive.

  the standard non-apology apology of “we regret you’re offended” just doesn’t cut it

• m_wei

  you can be not offended, but others have the right to dissect why it’s offensive racist kitsch.

  you try to be dismissive about it with your cavalier “if anyone dislikes it they are free too” but then you go on to completely rationalize why others shouldn’t be offended – which is just passive aggressive patronizing for others to keep quiet about it.

  thank you for not being offended and therefore the ultimate arbitrator on what’s cultural misappropriation.

• m_wei

   my bad that this “discussion” is overly focused on Rihanna,  as I don’t understand why she wanted somebody white since if she just wanted to play dress up she could’ve easily found an Asian actor for the dude

• Michael Jones

  Wait a minute….

  Did everyone forget that this is COLDPLAY’S SONG, WRITTEN BY COLDPLAY, ON COLPLAY’S ALBUM, and only FEATURES Rihanna?!

  Every single one of the critical comments thus far has been directed towards Rihanna, which is ridiculous. You should be mad at the people who wrote the song, the director of the music video, and Coldplay for writing a song called Princess of China. Rihanna had absolutely nothing to do with the things you are all supposedly so upset about.

  Maybe you are all just mad that a black women is in the video?
  God forbid you hold the white WRITER OF THE F’ing SONG accountable…SMH

• m_wei

   check the comment right below…

  I’m not brainwashed by pop-culture, so I don’t know who Coldplay is – that white dude in the video?

  Rihanna has been promoted by the Illuminati and is known more everywhere…

• Guest

  I like how the cultural background you give for black people is slavery.

• m_wei

  for Rihanna and the Barbados, is sugar plantation slavery out of context?

  I didn’t think we’re discussing Charles Drew and African-American scientists here.

  if you’re so offended by even the mere mention of CARIBBEAN sugar plantation slave history that’s rooted in reality, how are you not offended by this chinkified mockery of Chinese and Asian culture?

• http://www.facebook.com/emily.dzenowski Emily Elaine Dzenowski

  I have to agree with (Guest) below, slavery is not congruent with the real culture (before colonialism) of the people of Barbados. No I am not Asian, so we might feel differently about this topic. No I wouldn’t want anybody wearing a confederate uniform (white or black) anywhere, unless it is for a recreation of the civil war battle or some sort of historical purpose – because its offensive due to slavery. I understand why YOU find this offensive, but to compare it to slavery does not make any sense what so ever. If this video does offend the Asian community, then Rihanna owes an apology - I don’t think that is asking to much. That being said, this video does not compare to  ”somebody (black) wearing the Confederate uniform to a NAACP meeting”  I know the history of the culture of Mahayana Buddhism and the performance of the hands of Buddha which is being portrayed in this video. I can understand how this being mixed in with different aspects of Japanese, Chinese “traditional” clothing may offend some people. This video makes no sense, I get it, but it does not compare to slavery. 

• m_wei

   so you’re offended at “Song of the South” but think this travesty is just totally Asians being overly sensitive?

  and as somebody who’s familiar with Buddhism, are you saying misappropriating a religious icon for kistch isn’t offensive?

  and so having Jesus drawn up like a zombie is more offensive than this video, right?

  so I’m guessing you’re white then?   so when you don’t think it’s offensive towards Asians then it can’t be offensive, right?   but when I merely mention a parallel of sugar plantation slavery then you’re portraying me as a racist?

  am I missing something here about the power differential and constantly dismissal of Asian concerns?

• m_wei

   my bad: i know it’s full of strawman arguments

  but I’m simply tired of this white mainstream dictating what is considered offensive to Asians and to tell us “it’s a joke, so lighten up”

  even if you can’t understand why it’s offensive, then at least realize that people are offended for a reason.

• http://www.facebook.com/emily.dzenowski Emily Elaine Dzenowski

  Sigh, I am not claiming that you are racist. Just because I feel a certain way, doesn’t mean I am dictating anyone else’s views of this video (its my opinion). Just because I disagree with you doesn’t mean that I disrespect your opinion. Also I find it interesting that you would use Jesus in order to “help” me understand how its offensive to use religious icons in pop videos. So just because I am white, you assume that I am christian? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I understand why you are frustrated and you are entitled to feel that way, just as I am entitled to disagree with you, and disagreement doesn’t equal disrespect or dictation of others thoughts. 

• JohnVox

  Wait a minute!

   You are saying as an Asian, I should  value the opinion of a White person about whether Asian should be offended by some possible racial caricature by other White person as much as what other Asians are saying.   

  Nice try slipping that one by.  Sorry, you have to be an Asian to tell me to lighten up about Asian jokes, and what not. Whites or Blacks don’t get to misappropriate Asian cultural symbols (or do a yellow face), and at the same time decide what is or isn’t okay.  It doesn’t work like that in the real world.  People will laugh if you do that. 

• http://www.myspace.com/krantzstone Krantzstone

   Or Yakuza? ;P

• http://www.myspace.com/krantzstone Krantzstone

  I dislike most of all that the Asian people in the video are mere window dressing, relegated to bit parts.  I can’t even blame the Asian actors for going with it either, considering the dearth of good roles for Asians to play in anything in mainstream American culture.

  One thing to mention is that this conflation of Asian imagery and blatant misportrayal of Chinese culture (in particular, _historical_ Chinese culture, which I assume is what the video director was going for, since this doesn’t look like modern China), tends to affect Asian immigrants negatively more than Asians who were born, raised and live in their native Asian nation.  In particular, we Asian immigrants and Asian Americans/Canadians (Asian North Americans? have to deal with the deluge of well-meaning but ignorant questions which arise from these erroneous portrayals, and it can be aggravating especially when that sort of ignorance is due to the lack of true interest in the cultural distinctiveness of the various Asian cultures, but a kind of lazy, trendy appropriation  that comes from not even caring to bother to do the research necessary for authenticity.

  And to top it off, it’s often excused as ‘artistic license’ (and to be sure, this video is clearly meant to be a kind of stylized, pseudo-historical modern interpretation, which like Asian fusion cuisine which is a mish-mash of various Asian tastes and seasonings, can be interesting if done right), but the fact remains that the song is clearly titled ‘Princess of China’, and to try and fob off these stereotypical Asian imagery mixed together with no clear understanding or appreciation of the differences, is insulting.

  I try to be patient and understanding with people who ask me questions about Japan which are such ignorant stereotypes, because I realise the people asking aren’t asking out of malice, but their ignorance, no matter how well-intentioned, about the differences between various Asian nations, peoples and cultures gets old very very quickly.

  I imagine the people who live in popular tourist spots in Asia probably get sick of answering stupid questions from ignorant tourists as well.  On the one hand, I have to commend people who want to take the time, money and effort to travel the world and learn new things, but on the other hand, a lot of people just do it so they can go back home and brag to their friends about how worldly they are because they’ve visited a bunch of tourist traps in foreign countries, and the latter never seem to do their homework before actually going.

• http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Johnston/100002107361264 David Johnston

  That’s because based on the lyrics he ran to the opposite side of the world to get away from Rihanna. Apparently he keeps hallucinating her though.

• applepeachpie

  @twitter-476489805:disqus the thousand arm ‘thing’ is just like chinese guanyin goddess dance, ok? So please do research yourself first before telling other people to go research.