loveleslie--Well said. When BLT first came out, I jumped on the bandwagon by disagreeing with the fact that Roger Fan played a Filipino (or is it Pilipino? sorry for being ignorant) character in the movie. But then I realized, it happens a lot, not only in Asian roles. And why would we want to limit the actors' roles by only approving them to only play whatever ethnicity they are? It's actually kind of reversing what we're trying to accomplish here.
butter, I don't think a Chinese character has to necessarily be played by a Chinese actor. If Vigo Mortensen could play a Russian, or Daniel Day-Lewis could play an American, or Javier Bardem could play whatever nationality he played in No Country for Old Men (not a Spaniard, that's for sure)--these three award winners all--why can't a Japanese actor play a Chinese guy? What counts is that the actor makes you believe they are who they are playing and not who they are in real life.
Time to change that. Who shows the american how the real chinese people are, so they get rid of the stereotypical vision of china ? JRS is right, Daniel !!!!
Though I really liked Sixteen Candles as a movie, the Long Duk Dong character made me cringe for the stereotype he represented. It also bothered me that a Japanese actor was playing the role of a supposedly Chinese character though I get that Asian actors were probably a little scarce back then. What bothers me even more is that Asian actors of all races are still interchangeable in the Hollywood casting process today.
Umm...yeah, I can't stand when I see those "Long Duk Dong" characters on screen. Am I being overly sensitive that I feel this way? The bf doesn't really understand it, he just thinks it funny. He's 4th gen. Japanese American and grew up in a very white area so I don't think he identifies with the Asian race very much. Like I was telling him about how when I go to a very "white" area and I'm the only Asian around (or even if it's just a group of my friends), I feel like people stare at me/us. And he's like "that's so funny you think that way, because I don't feel it at all". I guess him being 6'3" also helps haha, I dunno. And when ignorant people say racist things to me, he doesn't understand why I get so worked up over it. He's like "who cares, no big deal", but we shouldn't be letting ignorant people treat us this way right??
Hey teabagfilm, thanks for introducing that documentary to us! I wish I had known about that sooner so that I can watch an LA screening of it!
I heard this interview and wondered why a 24-year-old comedy was being brought up as somehow representative of film making today. The segment suggested that Asian-American boys found the stereotyping less offensive when they were referred to as Bruce Lee. That's kinda funny, isn't it? But you don't get to choose. It's just something you laugh about, and then get on with reality.
As an Italian-American, I always had to live with Italian jokes growing up (believe me, they were prolific and offensive). Our representation on film was either as a loud-mouthed buffoon or a Mafioso. The Godfather was a breakthrough movie for us, even though it represented the super minority criminal element among us. At least it told a family story seriously, and showed Italian Americans as powerful and manipulating and as ruthless as the "white" politicians. Great movie.
I don't know. Daniel, you just keep working hard at your craft and carefully accept your roles. The rest of the artists in front of and behind the camera at this website should do the same.
Times are changing. Bringing up this portrayal is just empowering ancient history. Would anyone accept such a role today?
And don't forget, Hiro Nakamura becomes a Freedom Fighter in the future on "Heroes." He's tough, he's dressed in black, and he looks pretty badass. As the story progresses, he's shedding his stereotype (thankfully, that character was annoying). His buddy's not a Japanese nerd, and his dad is just as evil a guy as the rest of the Western parents in the series. I can't wait to see what they do with the Hiro character.
The problem may exist and may be it will be a long time to eliminate it. For some little affairs, maybe we can bear, but as things go further, I think one must fight for one's right.
Well, its not just Hollywood you creates this stereotype of the geeky guy. I've been watching some Hong Kong films from the early-mid 90s aimed at teens (a lot of Leslie Cheung stuff) and the hapless, socially inept (especially around the opposite sex) geek is alive and well in those films, as is the fat kid who can never get a date, the male virgin hot to lose that virginity, the cool rebel, the good girl, and so forth. Creating stereotypical characters was hardly racists in films produced by Chinese for other Chinese, was it? Yet, these films are filled with stereotypical characters. Hong Kong comedies trade even more on stereotypes for their humor. Perhaps it is just human nature to reduce people to a few notable and easily identifiable characteristics. And we must never forget that it wasn't only the non-anglo types who were picked on in American high school. I'm about as White as you can get, belonged to a middle class family, was nicer looking than average (though would have hardly made cheerleading squad), but when I was 7 the kids decided that I was fun to pick on. I was a social pariah until I went to college. The only reason they did this to me was---because they could. So, there are many reasons for social rejection, and race is only one. Because it is so obvious, it often has to bear the burden, but it is not the only factor at play here. Human nature can be very cruel. Unenlightened people (aren't kids all unenlightened?) seek out what is different, weak, scary, and separate themselves from it, drive off the offending individual. Watch how a flock of birds treats a sick flock member--and you will get the idea. Something biological is at the root of this cruelty. I don't say it is right, but you have to see it as something very deep-seated in human nature.
I heard the story too... and was even more turned off by the comments made by some people who thought that it was OK just because long duk dong was not the only stereotype in the film... But isn't that essentially the problem? It's like saying "I'm not wrong...I make fun of everyone"... Sounds like racism to me.
2007年12月11日
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