Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Let's celebrate! Go out and hug an Asian!

No, wait. Don't. Asians hate hugs. Seriously, it creeps most of us out. Celebrate by NOT hugging!

Zen Conversation with My Daughter

Mother and Daughter, walking hand in hand into the elementary school on a sunny morning. A scene of serenity and perfection.

Daughter: Mama, this headband hurts my head.
Mama: Take it off. I’ll hold it for you. You don’t have to wear it.
D: I want to wear it.

pause

D: It hurts really bad! (tear works starts)
M: I know it hurts. You can choose to wear it or choose to take it off. It is your choice. You must make that decision yourself.

I went all ZEN-ASS on a six-year-old. About a headband. Sweet.

Disney's Prince Charming

Finally a Black Disney princess will be in theaters this Christmas in The Princess and the Frog. Way to go Disney! It’s about time black girls have a princess they can identify with. Lord knows my daughters have benefited from having Mulan around. They don’t have to pick between the blonde and the brunette princess dolls.

Every detail of The Princess and the Frog will be closely scrutinized from lyrics, to casting, to Princess Tiana’s vocabulary, clothing, hair, and of course her love interest. There will be heated debates for years. Sure, Disney can’t make a movie that makes everyone happy, but that doesn’t mean the discussion should stop there. The Princess and the Frog offers a spring board for a wide public discourse on race, dating, and modern America.

Back to the kiss-lacking frog. Prince Naveen is supposed to look olive skin and neutral. Whatever. That’s a white guy.

Here are some arguments which present themselves immediately:

a) He should be a black prince. The message is that a black prince is not good enough. Tiana is seen as dating out or dating up. (I don’t know, a frog might be considered dating down.)

b) What is this combination telling our little black boys? Who can they identify with as far as Disney characters are concern. The villain? Yes, this movie’s villain is black. Can’t make the villain white either. A black couple fighting a white villain is too reminiscent of American slave history. Fighting against The Man.

c) If Prince Naveen was black, then will we be enforcing that blacks only love blacks? Actually, when I was first told of this project, my immediate reaction was “A black princess? There will be two black people in the whole movie and they of course will end up together.” In that case, I would have to roll my eyes. Disney’s stupid High School Musical has the one black couple in the high school. Hip hop dancing by Corbin Token Bleu. So dumb.

d) From the positive angle: Mix race couple in a Disney film, cool! Way to show that love can cross the color line. There were Pocahontas and John Smith, but let’s not go there now.

Why is race a big deal? Shouldn’t we be happy with a black princess and let the small stuff go? I don’t know if you’ve met many 5 year old girls, but they cling on to Disney princesses. They identify with the princess. They reenact the scenes, put basement live shows of the dance numbers, beg their parents to recreate the hairstyles, and memorize every song before the movie is even out. They will do this over and over and over again. Maybe even 15 and 25 year olds will also be singing the theme songs and dreaming of a frog prince marriage proposal. Maybe . . . Just saying. Fact is, like it or not, Disney princesses will integrate into our lives and fantasies, therefore worth our attention and discussion. There is no one correct path Disney can take with this story that will satisfy all. Naveen can speak Ebonics, that’ll make people happy right?

Should Prince Charming be white? Should he be black? I just don’t see why we’re stopping here. I am actually a little miffed that the prince choice is being polarized into a black-white issue. Asian Americans have difficulties getting a foothold on racial equality discussions. All too often, controversies are split down to black vs. white. Us yellows get marginalized from the platform.

Why not make the prince an API? Set in 1920’s there are numerous Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino immigrants in the US. Heck, by that time period there are even second generation Asian Americans. But why stop there? Princess Tiana can find love in an Asian American woman? This is not just a black man or white man issue.

Thanks for the tip, Thew!

Asian Magic

One of my favorite blog, Disgrasian, posted this link to Rotten Tomatoes' insightful guide of Asian Magic. Everything makes more sense now. Why didn't someone tell me before? I already knew all Asians do kung-fu and cook chop suey out of cat entrails, but magic....dude, that's where it's at!

RIP Princess Taiping

Hold the phone. 15th century replica Chinese junk set out to prove Chinese could have made a Pacific crossing with Ming dynasty technology. The ship effing gets hit by a freighter, splits in two, a day shy of completion? Can that really happen? Conspiracy, I say!

Interracial Dating and Marriage. Post #2

I remember hearing somewhere that yes, people are dating outside their race more frequently now. We've moved forward on our level of acceptance. But they still don't end up marrying that way. People are willing to try outside their comfort zone in dating, but to make the commitment to marry another race is another block we have not overcome yet. You know you've been curious, wondering what it'll be like to fuck a hot Asian chick. (Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?) Dream about a big black man carrying you off into the field for some hot summer loving. Want to know if the stereotypes are true?

At one point or another you've caught Yellow Fever and Jungle Fever. Admit it. You know it. I know it. You can deny it, but ya'll know who you are out there.

Who's in charge?

I was asked to give feedback to a children's game. I gave my two cents about the board colors, textures, and cute pictures....and then some. I told the people that I thought they went about "diversity" totally wrong. The game featured "ethnic" children happily playing the game together, listening to instructions by a white man. They were trying to be all inclusive by showing the little white boys and girls and little black boys and girls play together. But who's THE MAN? Who do they all still have to listen to? Some middle age white guy. Of course the authoritative figure was a white male. I didn’t expect them to change, but I thought it was worth bringing it to their attention. A POC as the leader. How's that for forward thinking, uh?

The staff politely thanked us and I can't decide is she was slightly embarrassed or truly confused at my comment. I knew I wasn't going to change a whole system with one short comment, but I had to say it out loud.

You know I should give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they already tested versions of the game featuring a POC directing the kids and it just did not test well with groups. Maybe the version with the big black guy scared the shit out of small children. And none of the kids paid attention and started picking their noses to the version with the Asian man. I'm sure they had their reasons for choosing a comfortable standard white man to be the GOD of the game.

Thanks, Brenda!