What does it mean to be Asian
enough?
Black hair.
Off-white skin.
It is in my name.
The home where I was raised.
No shoes indoors.
Bags of rice in the cupboard
And on the counter
And in the cooker.
I don’t speak mother/father’s
language
But I do speak her culture.
Respect your elders.
Everything in moderation.
In America, Asian culture
has been stir fried, pickled, and
packed into a take out box.
So it is digestible
Just a taste
To help you feel
Cultured.
My
grandmother
left
Thailand to clean American
hotel rooms and save money to
bring my mother to America.
My great-grandfather pulled
sugar cane back when it was still
Kingdom of Hawai’i.
Saving pennies.
Cutting coupons.
Turning off the lights.
Never wasting food.
When my mother emigrated
from Thailand, at age 12, she
learned English from her peers.
My grandfather enlisted in
the army to prove his loyalty to
the country he called home.
She/He paid her/his way
through college.
And became a doctor.
And sent my father to law
school.
My
mother/father
always
wanted to be a musician.
But it takes a few generations
for those kinds of dreams
To become reality.
When I walk into the audition
room
Am I Asian enough?
Definition lies somewhere in
between.
Perception is theirs.
Identity is mine.
“2,000
years
of
revenge,
vendetta and murder. Welcome
to Beirut.”
This is what the beautiful
cultural center that is Beirut,
Lebanon is reduced to in Jon
Hamm’s new movie, “Beirut,”
due for release in April. Taking
place during the Lebanese civil
war in 1982, the trailer follows
a white man (who is also a U.S.
diplomat) who fled Lebanon in
1972 after his family is killed
and returns ten years later to
negotiate for a friend’s life.
There are many problems
with this film, and I didn’t even
have to watch the movie to be
angered by them; the trailer,
released January 11th, itself
was enough. For starters, it
portrays Beirut as a ravaged,
war-torn, deserted wasteland.
Even during the civil war,
which was caused by Israeli
invasions,
Lebanon
never
looked this bad. Furthermore,
the movie is not even shot in
Lebanon — it is shot in Morocco
– and features approximately
zero actual Lebanese actors.
Personally, I find it insulting
that
thousands
of
people
will pay to view the depicted
somber setting of Lebanon
with a starkly suspenseful plot
following a white protagonist
and the portrayal of the United
States and Israel as the heroic
dynamic duo. The fake accents
are laughable, the plot is cliché
and the white victim/savior
complex is beyond overplayed.
We’ve
seen
it
countless
times — a story portraying us
as
uncivilized,
destructive,
barbaric and in need of saving.
Our countries and cultures are
misrepresented, our customs
are mocked and our religions
are scoffed at. Only certain
movies
featuring
Arab
or
Muslim people are eaten up
by mainstream media, and it
is very evident they are the
ones that feature the infamous
white
savior.
“American
Sniper,”
another
popular
white-savior film, tugs at the
heartstrings
of
uneducated
American sympathizers who
view soldiers as heroes and
foreigners as terrorists. But
who’s to blame when minorities
are repeatedly portrayed as
such in mainstream media? For
many, the only knowledge they
have about Arabs is what they
see on the big screen, and this
perpetuates an ignorance about
our cultures that breeds hatred.
As someone whose parents
are
Lebanese
immigrants,
and someone who has spent
many summers in Beirut, I feel
indignant at this one-sided
portrayal. When I think of
Beirut, I think of long stretches
of white sand and the cool water
of the Mediterranean Sea. I
think of my grandmother’s
cheetah-printed couches and
the
countless
neighborhood
cats that my cousins and I
claimed as our own. I still
remember vividly when our
favorite cat, Lolita, gave birth
in our backyard. It is where
my mother grew up, in a small
southern
suburb
of
Beirut
that now hosts around 30,000
Syrian and Lebanese refugees.
I think of downtown Beirut and
its vibrant energy and how it’s
nothing like the war-torn, ash-
filled trash it was made out to
be in this trailer. Yes, war is a
part of Lebanon’s history, but it
is not the entirety of it.
The reason for my mention
of these personal experiences
with
Beirut
is
to
prove
that,
to
many
people,
the
wrongful
misrepresentation
and exploitation of a country
produces
strong
personal
responses.
Until
you
have
experienced a culture, and
truly felt its love, its beauty,
its pain and its suffering,
generalizing it and reducing
it to “2,000 years of revenge,
vendetta and murder” is not
only
erroneous;
it’s
lazy.
What about the hundreds of
thousands of Lebanese people
who died during the war?
What about the million, about a
quarter of the population, who
were displaced as a result? Are
they not more deserving of a
storyline than a hypothetical
white man who supposedly
saved them all? I am not alone
when I say white people need
to stop portraying themselves
as heroes all the time. White
saviorism is rampant and has
been since the beginning of
time, and minorities and people
of color keep being depicted
as savages who need saving,
when
honestly,
it’s
usually
white Americans from whom
we need saving. Certain parts
of our culture are chosen to
be celebrated — our food, our
music, our city life — while
other
parts
are
discarded,
put on a screen and distorted,
and twisted into a way that
benefits the filmmakers and
misrepresents us entirely.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t
see the film (well, I sort of am).
But, at least, keep in mind that
what you are shown on a screen
is often not the reality of a
country or its people.
On my way back to the
University of Michigan, I tried
studying
for
my
biostatistics
exam that was waiting for me the
upcoming week.
Likelihood.
Significance.
Confidence.
All-important
statistical concepts I should have
been reviewing, yet my mind
could not help but associate them
with the adventurous weekend I
had in the San Francisco Bay Area
from January 25-28 with what
are now my newfound families:
the Empowering Pilipino Youth
through Collaboration and the
National Federation of Filipino
American Associations.
What was the likelihood that
I would meet so many amazing,
inspiring people?
Who would have thought one
weekend would be so significant
to me?
How is it possible to have
gained so much self-confidence to
become a better leader?
I don’t really mind if I don’t
have answers to all the questions
left in my head. What matters to
me is that I am extremely grateful
to have had an opportunity to
represent the Midwest youth
and to learn from so many bright
Filipinx American leaders around
the nation.
NaFFAA is a non-partisan
and
non-profit
organization
committed to amplifying the voice
of Filipinx Americans through the
development of leadership, civic
engagement and advocacy. As
the largest national affiliation of
Filipinx-American
institutions,
NaFFAA has implemented the
EPYC ambassadors program to
connect the younger generation
of Filipinx Americans to the older
generation of Filipinx Americans
through
the
strengthening
of
personal
and
professional
development.
As EPYC ambassadors, we
were fortunate enough to explore
Google (thanks to the Filipino
Google Network) and ABS-CBN,
a Philippine news and media
enterprise, on Friday to talk with
seasoned experts of the tech and
media industry. Conversations
were centered around Filipinx-
American identity and its impact
on careers. Each person was more
than happy to give advice to us
younger
Filipinx
Americans.
After, we attended the NaFFAA
Leadership
Summit
Welcome
Reception
at
the
Philippine
Consulate.
Several
NaFFAA
and Filipinx Americans leaders
delivered
inspiring
speeches:
Calls to action to empower and
connect our community.
Saturday came, and the day
was
dedicated
to
leadership
development. While the Board of
Governors convened, the EPYC
ambassadors and I gathered to
discuss crucial topics concerning
leadership and advocacy, such
as workshop building, conflict
resolution and coalition building.
We also had a chance to sit into the
Board of Governors meeting, talk
to the rest of NaFFAA leadership
to present the concerns of younger
generations in our prospective
regions, and reveal each of
our EPYC Capstone Projects.
Overall, I felt so thankful to
have a chance to connect to the
Filipino-American community
among different generations and
regions. It’s important to me that
we, as a community, are united.
My favorite part throughout
this
incredible
experience
was simply existing in such
a
welcoming
space.
Prior
to the weekend, the EPYC
ambassadors had never been in
one room together. Most of us
had only spoken to each other
via our monthly webinar and the
occasional Facebook message.
But, when I first walked into
the house we stayed at, I was
immediately met with kindness
and a sense of familiarity.
Throughout the weekend, we
had deep conversations about
our lives as Filipinx-American
student leaders, but also about
our lives as humans in general.
I
felt
so
comfortable
being
open — as if I knew my fellow
ambassadors for all my life. It was
sad to have the weekend end, but
I left knowing that the bond we
made will bring us back together
again.
To Brendan Flores, our favorite
“kuya,” and countless others who
are a part of NaFFAA leadership,
thank you so much for the
opportunity. I hope to work more
closely with you all!
To the EPYC coaches and Jason
and Leezel, I can’t thank you all
enough for all the work you do for
us ambassadors. Your guidance
has given me new direction
to become a better leader and
advocate. The dedication you have
to uplift the Filipino-American
youth motivates me to do the
same.
To
my
fellow
EPYC
ambassadors — my colleagues and
new friends — I wrote this on the
airplane back to the University,
and I have the biggest smile on my
face. Of course it’s sad to have our
first encounter be cut so short, but
I know that we’ll see each other
soon, and I can’t wait for that
time to come! My Midwest heart
is so full as you all have inspired
me. What a wonderful feeling it
is to have gained a new family
of bold, selfless individuals like
yourselves.
As I have to go back to studying,
I do not dare be a statistician.
I couldn’t have imagined the
likelihood to have the chance
like this to be so empowered. But
even more so now, what I do dare
to be is Filipino American with
ambition.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Monday, February 12, 2018 — 3A
I have always been an avid
watcher of television. I was
raised on Nickelodeon, Cartoon
Network and Disney Channel and
learned everything I needed to
know from those three channels.
All of which helped me become
the stunning individual I am
today. To this day, I still love
watching television but I honestly
have to ask, WHERE HAVE ALL
THE BLACK SHOWS GONE?
Black television used to be a
STAPLE of American television
in the ’90s. The number of popular
Black television programs is more
than I can count on one hand.
“Family Matters,” “Sister, Sister,”
“Living Single,” “Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air,” “Martin,” “A Different
World,” “Moesha,” “Kenan and
Kel” and so many more. If you
were Black in the ’90s you were
never at a loss for television
options. And more than that, they
were GOOD! They were funny,
the characters were endearing,
they taught good lessons and
they were something that I
would definitely look forward to
watching weekly if I were a teen
during that time.
One of the most notable
factors about all of these shows
too though, is that on the shows,
Black people were portrayed as
people. They weren’t portrayed
as caricatures or stereotypes;
they weren’t token characters
that
were
just
best
friends
to whoever the main white
character was. They had lives
and stories and experiences and
were portrayed as real people
as they should be because Black
people ARE real people. These
shows were relatable to more
than just Black audiences because
the experiences the characters
faced were things that an average
person could relate to.
The ’90s must have been an
amazing time to be an upcoming
Black actor or actress because of
the plethora of role models you
had to look up to in the media.
Nowadays, Black TV shows and
role models are harder to find.
Yes, ABC did come out with
“Black-ish” in 2014, and it is a
good show, but as a Black person
I can say I was a bit disappointed
when it came out. “Black-ish”
is written for the wider ABC
audience that isn’t necessarily
Black, not an audience that is
Black. That means a show about
Black people for white people, not
a show about Black people FOR
Black people.
Of course, there still have been
some masterpieces in the past
couple years, for example, “Dear
White People” and “Insecure.”
I remember I watched “Dear
White People” all in one night
because once I started watching
I couldn’t stop. I was shocked by
how relatable it was; how funny,
raw and accurate it was about
what it’s like to be a Black person
in this day and age, especially in
college. “Insecure” is also great
because other than just Issa Rae
in general, it has an all Black cast
and it’s funny, real, relatable and
tells the truth about the hardships
you have to face as a Black woman
in today’s day and age.
We obviously have a long way
to go before we get back to the
reign of black TV we had in the
’90s, so, for now, I’ll just keep
watching reruns of “The Fresh
Prince” until I can create my own
hit Black sitcom.
Asian
Enough
THANI BRANT &
ERICA ITO
MiC Contributors
Then and now: where are all the Black shows?
A take on “Beirut” from someone who has been there
CHRISTIAN PANEDA
Senior MiC Editor
EFE OSAGIE
Assistant MiC Editor
MAYA MOKH
Assistant MiC Editor
The parameters of empowerment
Provided by the author
Provided by the author
Provided by the author
Provided by the author
Video online:
visit
MichiganDaily.
com/section/MiC