Friday, November 20, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Big Dicks, Asian Men response
After reading this piece, I felt more confused about the intention and vision of what the author was trying to convey. I tried doing searches, but due to Google search's popular hits, I found nothing but gay porn sites and other similar delicacies.
So I am left to decide on this play by myself. Me against Big Dicks, Asian Men. The dialogue between suspects and Sargeant seems to be about a crime and identity issues. In the end, Suspect #3 goes on a tangent/monologue about the reason he speaks with an English accent. He concludes that being an Asian man can be sexy.
As a collection of Asian American work, I find this script to be adequate for student consumption, but personally, it doesn't suit my tastes. I found it very strange. It brings up awkward conversations of turn-ons and flirting of different cultures.
This is a trailer of Bruce Lee's Dragon.
So I am left to decide on this play by myself. Me against Big Dicks, Asian Men. The dialogue between suspects and Sargeant seems to be about a crime and identity issues. In the end, Suspect #3 goes on a tangent/monologue about the reason he speaks with an English accent. He concludes that being an Asian man can be sexy.
As a collection of Asian American work, I find this script to be adequate for student consumption, but personally, it doesn't suit my tastes. I found it very strange. It brings up awkward conversations of turn-ons and flirting of different cultures.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Raunchy Asian Women response
The best one I found, but only 20 views? No one knows, yet!
This was a story. This was a real story. I admire Diana's honesty in life.
This was a story. This was a real story. I admire Diana's honesty in life.
Safe Space response
"Okay, people. Let's focus...The white-dominated gay mainstream doesn't understand our rich culture. Straight South Asians think we're making them look bad. We are minorities wherever we go."
I feel that I would like to work to achieve more solidarity within the API queer community, but Safe Space shows the complications in which this could not happen. There are many disparities within the queer community, let alone the API community, so I think working at this could prove to be very difficult. I admire the character of Safe Space, Vikram, for attempting to start a support group for queer South Asians, because he can self identify with these two identities, but the script definitely shows what kind of attitude is needed for creating this "safe space" he is trying to achieve.
I was in a club similar to this one portrayed in Safe Space. It was called APIQ, or Asian Pacific Islander Queers. Though it was not exclusive to only the API queer community, many people perceived the club as such. Being part of this club, I have seem many people discouraged to be involved with the mission and goal statements of the club because of the name or those that represent the club. As for Vikram, his mission and goal for GAYWAD was very concrete and could have definitely serve useful, but Vikram was the only one to represent this group. With his outspoken and forward personality, Vikram by himself was not able to sustain the group and keep solidarity within the different peoples willing to come out to the single GAYWAD meeting. I think it is very important to take into account these two factors when trying to start a club or group.
Some have gone far enough to criticize those of API decent for creating exclusive queer groups or clubs. I think I can rant more on this, but I believe the mission statement of UC Davis APIQ can argue for itself:
Although the needs of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered & Intersex (LGBTI) community throughout the United States are being made more apparent through time, it remains largely unaware that the LGBT community can be further subdivided demographically. Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, Latin@/Chican@, African American and/or Native Americans who identify as Queer may face issues that are unique to their cultural/ethnic background. Asian Pacific Islander Queers @UC Davis hopes to serve the UC Davis Community (as well as the surrounding areas) in hopes to bring attention to the needs and issues that API Queers Face. We serve to...
Support fellow APIQs through open discussion of prevalent issues facing APIQs, provide access and reference to advice and counseling services, and provide a friendly network where APIQs can relate with peers.
Increasing the awareness for the cultural context of API-LGBT issues through quarterly workshops open to the general public, quarterly open sessions of our group meetings, and social events open to the general public.
Even within the API and APIQ community, many groups remain underserved largely due to unfair and prejudiced beliefs about who is and who is not API. APIQ aims to address this disservice by actively outreaching to and retaining traditionally underrepresented API groups. APIQ hopes to provide a space for all people who ethnically and/or culturally identify as APIQ. These groups include, but are not limited to, Indian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Middle-Eastern, multiracial people of Asian descent, and those who have been adopted or raised by an Asian family.
Wednesday
Another M. Butterfly review day.
This day, the class was instructed to get into the acting groups. I was placed in one of the large groups in the class. We did Act 3, Scene 1 which was the court scene between the Judge and Song. The actors were chosen: Fatima being Judge and Zan being Song. We were given a very limited amount of time.
This scene raised many questions about the intentions and thoughts of Gallimard. Near the end of the scene, Song says, "One, because when he finally met his fantasy woman, he wanted more than anything to believe that she was, in fact, a woman. And second, I am an Oriental. And being an Oriental, I could never be completely a man." From this, I questioned whether or not Gallimard knew Song was a man, and if so, then concluding to his logic, Song wasn't even entirely a man because he was Asian.
Being towards the end of the script, I thought that this scene built a lot of tension to the final outcome of the story.
This day, the class was instructed to get into the acting groups. I was placed in one of the large groups in the class. We did Act 3, Scene 1 which was the court scene between the Judge and Song. The actors were chosen: Fatima being Judge and Zan being Song. We were given a very limited amount of time.
This scene raised many questions about the intentions and thoughts of Gallimard. Near the end of the scene, Song says, "One, because when he finally met his fantasy woman, he wanted more than anything to believe that she was, in fact, a woman. And second, I am an Oriental. And being an Oriental, I could never be completely a man." From this, I questioned whether or not Gallimard knew Song was a man, and if so, then concluding to his logic, Song wasn't even entirely a man because he was Asian.
Being towards the end of the script, I thought that this scene built a lot of tension to the final outcome of the story.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Gender Stereotypes Activity
As a part of M. Butterfly, we did an activity about gender roles and mannerisms.
I felt unsure of the objective of the activity. Thaison proposed a very valid statement: "These are gender stereotypes." I was surprised that Marshall left the statement at that. I felt very uncomfortable with how the activity ended with the ideas that gender roles and mannerisms were very black and white, rather, the two being very fluid in essence.
Gender roles are a product of cultural socialization and political socialization. An important factor to remember with political socialization is that an important factor is family. This is especially important because being Asian American (not hyphened) has someone being acculturated in both societies, American society and Asian family. Family is a crucial factor in how one percieves the world, but a person spends most of their time outside of the home: school, work, etc.
Taking in account of the causes and realities of gender roles of Asian Americans, I feel that it is crucial to remain aware that what is defined as male or female remains determinant on ones' socialization. The activity of perpetuating certain gender roles was very exclusive. Song Liling is a example of how one could be genderqueer, identifying as a woman and man at the same time, yet she had compositions of a female and male mannerisms. The activity, if having been seen by a more broader audience, would have been offensive, leaving some in question of their own identity. Though this activity initially announced a very valid issue and kept interest of the room with humor, I thought the follow-through and lesson that was to be taught was left out of instruction. The criticism does not stem to the instructors per se because either instructor keeps an open-mind in learning about the queer community, but I would like to see more sensitivity when discussing topics of gender and sexual orientation.
I felt unsure of the objective of the activity. Thaison proposed a very valid statement: "These are gender stereotypes." I was surprised that Marshall left the statement at that. I felt very uncomfortable with how the activity ended with the ideas that gender roles and mannerisms were very black and white, rather, the two being very fluid in essence.
Gender roles are a product of cultural socialization and political socialization. An important factor to remember with political socialization is that an important factor is family. This is especially important because being Asian American (not hyphened) has someone being acculturated in both societies, American society and Asian family. Family is a crucial factor in how one percieves the world, but a person spends most of their time outside of the home: school, work, etc.
Taking in account of the causes and realities of gender roles of Asian Americans, I feel that it is crucial to remain aware that what is defined as male or female remains determinant on ones' socialization. The activity of perpetuating certain gender roles was very exclusive. Song Liling is a example of how one could be genderqueer, identifying as a woman and man at the same time, yet she had compositions of a female and male mannerisms. The activity, if having been seen by a more broader audience, would have been offensive, leaving some in question of their own identity. Though this activity initially announced a very valid issue and kept interest of the room with humor, I thought the follow-through and lesson that was to be taught was left out of instruction. The criticism does not stem to the instructors per se because either instructor keeps an open-mind in learning about the queer community, but I would like to see more sensitivity when discussing topics of gender and sexual orientation.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday
Today, I went into to sit in class. I was still tired from yesterday, the day I missed class.
Ms. Patton wanted to act out and generalize many scenes from the play. I was paired up with Cherry and given Act One Scene Thirteen. This scene was about Gallimard going to Song's flat. He just received a promotion at work and felt empowered, so he went to Song's flat unannounced. Song was obviously disturbed that he was there because Gallimard had been avoiding her a couple weeks prior. Soon the scene ends with them fooling around. It showed the stereotype of Song being the Asian submissive woman, and Gallimard was the dominant White man, who practically forced the two to have some kind of intercourse.
I didn't feel nervous acting it out, but I felt that I didn't want to give it my all. Cherry was shy, so I tried not to pressure her into reciting the lines also. But the class wanted us to do it, so we did it.
I think this scene portrayed Gallimard and Song's lies in each line. Line after line, they kept lying about things from Gallimard's delusional personality to Song's gender. I think this scene is very ironic in how it ended.
Ms. Patton wanted to act out and generalize many scenes from the play. I was paired up with Cherry and given Act One Scene Thirteen. This scene was about Gallimard going to Song's flat. He just received a promotion at work and felt empowered, so he went to Song's flat unannounced. Song was obviously disturbed that he was there because Gallimard had been avoiding her a couple weeks prior. Soon the scene ends with them fooling around. It showed the stereotype of Song being the Asian submissive woman, and Gallimard was the dominant White man, who practically forced the two to have some kind of intercourse.
I didn't feel nervous acting it out, but I felt that I didn't want to give it my all. Cherry was shy, so I tried not to pressure her into reciting the lines also. But the class wanted us to do it, so we did it.
I think this scene portrayed Gallimard and Song's lies in each line. Line after line, they kept lying about things from Gallimard's delusional personality to Song's gender. I think this scene is very ironic in how it ended.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
M. Butterfly: Scene V
I found this scene very sexually degrading to women. When Gallimard was dreaming about the girl across from his window stripping down and showing her nudity, I felt that this play was not very modest about people. It was definitely delusional how Gallimard believed that the woman wanted to be naked and show herself when he states, "No, she must... like it." I started not liking this character after this scene.
Gallimard reminded me of this PSA.
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