A Counterpoint To Why Growing Up Asian American is Better Today

By Johnny C | Tuesday, June 12, 2012 | 8 Comments

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world A Counterpoint To Why Growing Up Asian American is Better Today

There is no question that being Asian American now is a lot better than it ever has been before, something one of our fellow contributors has recently pointed out. However, as our faces become more prevalent in entertainment (even without the new media stars), something tells me that there’s something we’re still hungry for.

If in the 1980s and 1990s, the struggle was to get people to stop asking “Where are you from?” and “Your English is good!” and to recognize Asian Americans as being home-bred and no different from anyone and everyone else, the day is approaching that it will be almost ancient history. No longer do we have to think real hard about what an Asian American movie or book is (well, we still do, but Google searches and Wikipedia make it easier), because there’s more of a presence now than there was back in the day.

Every time I go to the film festivals in Los Angeles and San Diego, I’m caught in a mix of emotions: one part appreciation and excitement to see perspectives from different Asian groups in North America and filmmakers across the Pacific, the other part perplexed and confused upon observing the crowd.

There are more stories being told about Asian America (albeit few and growing, and with many more on YouTube); there is more presence in mainstream entertainment and it’s more than token girlfriends and a few extras. In a room with whites, Latins, blacks, and Asians, we are happy when the day arrives that we won’t be assumed to be the foreigners in the room while the others are not. In going to these film festivals and observing events and attitudes amongst the youth and their communities, I get the feeling that they aren’t looking to be recognized as fellow Americans, but distinguished and exclusive.

Hey, I don’t have problems with nationalist pride for anyone, but we shouldn’t lose sight of being part of the bigger picture, which is expanding and being inclusive. I’ve heard more than a few voices at every festival from friends who weren’t Asian who felt out of place and unwelcome trying to check out a few good films. That’s right: they weren’t going there because it was distinctly Asian, they were going because they heard what was there was good. There is a lot of good stuff coming out, there are a lot of young and passionate individuals, but at times, there is an inward-looking energy that can be felt from driving by such events and seeing very few non-Asians.

In order to further integrate into mainstream society and entertainment, yes, there are challenges, but there are also self-imposed limitations. Case in point: a Korean American friend in New York played Paul McCartney in an obscure play because he was just that good. He was also the only Asian who auditioned for any of the roles, which surprised him because people were looking for Asian-specific roles–that’s typecasting without even being cast.

We need to break out of our own mental prisons, and we need to have doors open for everyone to come in and feel welcome, not excluded. Yes, these are our stories, but we need to find a way to make them stories everyone can find pieces of themselves in our stories as well. Stories can and should still be distinctively Asian American, but they should emphasize the American part and let blacks, whites, and Latins find a part of themselves in there too.

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http://profile.yahoo.com/RUMKEZNXOYB4WZIEXMFEZ3XN7A Brian

It’s not clear why you think Asian Americans are being exclusive, you didn’t provide any evidence at all. There are many reasons why not many non-Asians are at Asian American events, as long as non-Asians are not banned from these events then it’s not Asian Americans being exclusive. This applies to all subcultural events, do you expect a lot of Asians at an Italian American event? The answer is no, for both expectation and actual attendance.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2527712 John ‘Johnny C’ Chuidian

Hi Brian, the point of the article isn’t that non-Asians are excluded,
it’s that the people I’ve encountered many times felt unwelcome there,
and the general sentiment I got was that it wasn’t expansive. Anyway,
this article is just an observation and opinion (namely mine), but thank
you for pointing out what you’ve noticed.
LTE2

If you are told people feel unwelcome, then there is a problem and it should be addressed. It’s just good marketing.
.
Nice essay but I tend to think the forces of separatism are working hard.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ahmed-Sanchez-De-La-Cruz-Kim/58700922 Ahmed Sanchez De La Cruz Kim

Yeah, that’s kind of true. In a lot of the ethnic-centric events, Asian or non-Asian, a lot of people do need help in the hospitality and customer service “department”. Sometimes, the people who have to do that simply don’t know how to or haven’t develop their skills enough. You don’t have to be a genuine friend to make people feel welcome, but if that’s your job, they should do it professionally. A lot of times it’s easier to deal with people you’re comfortable around (sometimes, it’s the opposite for some folks), but that’s no excuse.

Ok, with that being said, I want to point that one, the inclusive-exclusive issue is something we can’t get rid of entirely. It’s complicated, but let’s just say it’s a part of human nature. The least we can do is to pretend to be inclusive, but realistically, you can’t expect everyone who attends those events to do that. Second, for anyone to feel unwelcome, there’s several reasons why people may feel that way (real, perceived or true misunderstanding), and like if it’s serious, you have to get it clear up.

Finally, the American identity is a work in progress. People have said that for a long time, that Americans shouldn’t have a hyphen next to it (like no Asian-American, Irish-American, African-American, etc.) or that we should emphasize more American. But like think about it, the American part is very hard to define. Differences, in geography, food, education, religion, citizenship, language, ideologies, etc. They all help to kind of describe what is American, but like it doesn’t have to absolutely conform to those terms. People talk about diversity among visible minorities, but there’s a lot of diversity among whites or whoever is in the mainstream (in some places, it’s not white people). So we can’t really use race or ethnicity to label what is American. You can be as inclusive, exclusive or reclusive and still be an American. Or for that matter, as social or anti-social you can be, within reason. You can be law-abiding or the worst criminal in history, and still be an American. I have a friend who thinks that the only real common identity Americans have is work. Overall, I think we shouldn’t get too hang up over trying to be as “American” as we can be, cause there’s really no right way to do it.
Nick F

The main reason white people feel unwelcome in Asian film festivals is because white people aren’t used to being in places where they are the minority. It makes them uncomfortable to be in an environment where the people are mostly non-white, regardless of how welcoming the non-whites are.
http://profile.yahoo.com/35GBK224NOJEUUE53W2WLLW43Y poop

I don’t think we need to feel bad that these White people felt uncomfortable. Sometimes you need to just have YOUR events, YOUR parties and have YOUR fun with your community.

At some point you have to say, “okay, lets move on” but I don’t think we’re at that point yet. With technology nowadays, great work will get around and discovered. Lets not focus on individuals. Fuck individuals.
http://profile.yahoo.com/RUMKEZNXOYB4WZIEXMFEZ3XN7A Brian

That demand to be addressed needs to be supported by specifics and reasons beyond just a vague complaint. That’s what’s lacking in the essay.

I see LTE2 that you’re working hard to fan the flames of antagonism.
LTE2

A brief article with a few casual observations doesn’t warrant a multitude of foot notes, photo documentation and sworn affidavits.

As for antagonism, some women like that in a guy.

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