Comments: "My America, or honk if you love Buddha"

Before I post some comments on the video I showed just before the break, let me remind you of a couple things coming up.
First, your interview papers are due on Thursday, Dec. 2nd. I expect to get the papers on that date, and I will be calling on each of you to give a brief overview of your interview (no more than 10 minutes). Hopefully, we can accomplish all that on that day.
Second, you should have begun reading our next book, "Yellow," which I will begin to talk about on Tuesday. I am going to try to cover at least the first four chapters. Beyond that, I cannot say how much more we will try to cover. I will also be handing back your essays on "The New Jim Crow."
Third, I will be posting a description of the final family activity soon -- making up questions for the final exam (which is scheduled for Wed. 12/15 morning of exam week).
_____________________________

"MY AMERICA, OR HONK IF YOUR LOVE BUDDHA"

Narrator/filmmaker is Renee Tajima-Pena, who is Japanese (the Pena gets tacked on at the end of the film, which we did not see, when she marries a Mexican-American).

The documentary is really a search for identity -- are Asian-Americans still an "alien nation", don't really belong? (or "perpetual foreigners," as Frank Wu suggests).

Her comment about confusing Victor Wong with the actor in "Chen is Missing" -- "maybe we all do look alike?" which is a stereotypical belief of many Americans.

Victor Wong -- why he liked the beatniks -- they were open, nonjudgmental, accepted him as "just one of the boys." His rebellion as a young man is very American. Lots of Asian-American families go through this.

Mr. Choi (NYC Chinatown) an Asian Horatio Alger (self-made man). Seems to fit the stereotype of Asians as work-a-holics.

Immigrant dilemma: come to America for freedom and equality, or "take the money and run."

Filipino enclave, New Orleans. Came in 1765. Considered themselves white. Asian formula for race-mixing is complicated, but generally looked down on mixing with blacks.

Bill and Yuri Kochiyama -- great people; active in the civil rights struggle. Yuri was interned in Arkansas, while Bill fought against the Nazis in WWII. Yuri was a friend of Malcolm X. Raised their family in Harlem.

She mentions briefly how ASian Americans benefitted from the civil rights movement. (A point Frank Wu will also make in "Yellow.")

Tom Vu, sleezy Vietnamese-American who came here as a refugee and made a killing in real estate: his success motto: "Don't Give Up."

In her own family, she notes how "all-American" her family strived to be, yet was still not accepted. Says she was raised to try to blend in. Japanese proverb: "the nail that sticks up must be pounded down." But she, like Victor Wong and others, resisted this. Says she began to feel comfortable in her own skin as she participated in protests.

Hmong (Laos) family in Duluth, MN. -- struggles at low-end work, especially difficult for the father who was a farmer and 15 year old soldier back in Laos.

Victor Wong frames his face and notes how a lot of Americans think of the Asian face as the FACE OF THE ENEMY because of the various wars in the 20th century.

Seoul Brothers (Seattle) -- "in your face" Korean Americans; not submissive by any means.

Finally, Asian debutante balls in Orange Co., CA -- in part a reaction to being locked out of white debutante balls.
__________________________________________

That's it. If you didn't see the video, you can check it out of the library. It is in VHS format.