Merchants of Cool

I previously watched this film in a class I took a couple years ago (SOC 25: Popular Culture) so it made a lot more sense watching it the second time around. It's quite insane how much power and influence the media has on the young generation when it comes to marketing what is seen as cool or popular. Various media outlets are constantly competing with one another nowadays to highlight their message, product, etc and almost brainwash their audience as much as possible. Teenagers are increasingly relying on the media to provide them with a ready made identity on what is cool so that they can fit in and be like everyone else (or better). However, it's sad and unfortunate that the media is always telling teenagers the wrong message such as they are not thin enough, they're not pretty enough, they don't have the right friends, they are losers unless they're cool, etc. Realistically, I don't think anybody really ever feels cool enough.

Laotian Daughters

This piece was particularly interesting to me since it deeply focuses on the generational gap between first and second generation immigrant families as well as the gender roles that are especially present in Laotian (and other Asian) families. In addition, I think it covers the struggle of identity in a way that is relevant to me since I, too, have trouble figuring whether I identify as Indian, Punjabi, American, or a combination of the above. In terms of Laotian girls, the strict parental control that is present in their lives and the emotional effect that it has on them pushes them away from their Laotian culture and pulls them into assimilating into American culture. Love for family, on the other hand, pulls them away from American culture and pushes them back into their Laotian culture. Overall, social meanings of gender, generation, and ethnicity are produced, appropriated, and contested through social interactions inside and outside ethnic communities.

Heterogeneity, Hybridity, and Multiplicity

I think this article was especially important because it discusses and points out the differences in Asian groups as opposed to the ignorant notion that "all Asians are the same." Heterogeneity is used to show the differences among Asian Americans in terms of national origin, gender, class background, economic conditions, etc. In addition, Lowe uses the term hybridity to explain the history of survival within relationships of unequal power and domination. Overall, Lowe tries to use these two terms as well as multiplicity in order to shift the paradigm of Asian people being homogenous, fixed, and stable.

Indo-Chic

Bohemian style and Indo-chic later influenced Western fashion eras during the 1970’s flower power and 2000’s Coachella style. In addition, Bohemian style was intertwined with India fashion influence. In the 1970’s, many considered Bohemian style as “hippie-clothing” and was often associated with free-flowing attire. As many fashion styles changed within each decade, the Bohemian style fashion cycle returned. The adoption of indo-chic has a gray line of appropriation because many of the western influxes especially those of middle class are being to use this culture to their fashion advantage. Nonetheless, the contradiction derives between Native Indians wearing the style to western adoption of the style. If western fashion wears the style it is seen as chic, but if Indians wear the style it is seen as traditional.

Vietnam Idol

Vietnam Idol was an attempt to bring western-influenced popular culture to the market. Vietnam was trying to modernize it culture, particularly for young people between the ages 18-30. However, while doing so, they simultaneously tried to incorporate other geo-cultures like the Japan, China, and Korea. This effort was not successful because they did not see the country as its own. Vietnam, compared to the three Asian countries mentioned, was extremely poor and had different priorities and cultural beliefs. It is as of the hegemonic power tried to group the Asian groups together hoping they would collide and make a smooth transition to western popular culture. It seems as if these show business treat young people as commodities for the international market. They're training and conditioning them to compete and partake in a globalized culture to put their country in the international spotlight. However, I believe that it is important to point out and acknowledge that they're not utilizing their country's own culture, but are using a global culture controlled by the western world.

Kwon and Aoki

I find it quite interesting that the immigrant issues mentioned in Kwon's article are always brought about to the public by pan-ethnic groups. It is beneficial for small immigrant group to be represented by larger pan-ethnic groups in order to gain attention. However, I believe that sometimes these groups should not always represent smaller Asian American communities. It is important for small Asian American communities to place their stake in America and confront issues that are specific to them. Additionally, the relationship between the youth and the Cambodian immigrants in the context of holding little power in politics is somewhat similar to the first wave of Asian immigrants and their children as people unable to acquire citizenship.

The film Aoki highlights the beginning of ethnic studies in California. I thought it was interesting how the struggle was hard fought and how it put Asian American bodies on the line. In addition, I noticed how Richard Aoki's outfit was very similar to the Black Panther style. It is also worth noting that both Aoki and the Black Panthers were militant and radical in promoting pan-ethnic solidarity and resistance of police force.

Billionaires for bush & Meme Warfare

One of the things that I found very interesting about the article was memes. Memes is a very powerful tool to show the truth and spread the truth fast. However, do memes show all of the truth? Memes definitely help the truth spread quickly, but it does not show every side of the story. Also, memes are usually biased and show the popular opinion rather than the whole picture. This relates to many the memes posted on college pages on FaceBook. Many of these memes show many college students relating to each other since we are all failing together. However, another side of the story that is not often talk about is that these students are relating to each other since they are all trying to get a higher education at the institute.

"Electronic Disturbance" and "Truth is a Virus" (Week 10 Entry 1) 6/06/17

“Electronic Disturbance: An Interview” Ricardo Dominguez “Truth is a Virus: Meme Warfare and the Billionaires for Bush (or Gore)” Andrew Boyd

Electronic Disturbance talks about the power of the internet, like a virus. He also uses examples of how the Zapatista’s used electronic force in 1994. In

Truth is a Virus aside from being the title of the article it also kind of implants a thought. In a way personally this title reminds me of “ignorance is bliss” as well as Inception in which the basic idea in the movie is implanting an idea into one’s head. These two things come together in such a mantra because not only is truth implanted, but it also reminds us that once the truth spreads there really is no going back. Another thing explored, something in this generation is very familiar, are “memes.” I would personally describe memes as images that are often captioned with a different or ironic take on the situation shown in the photo. Obviously at UC Davis a common example of this is the pepper spray meme. When such images meet politics, it becomes equivalent to this 21^st century digital politic cartoon. Boyd uses Billionaires for Bush as an example. As he contemplates their use of memes he talks about the double edge of irony. In a way that’s essentially what makes memes funny. It has that literal sense but also that double entendre, in many cases a subversive implied meaning. He relates this to a virus, that has the outer shell, as well as the inner code that is injected into other cells. To complete the analogy memes have the outer shell which is the visual itself, as well as hidden implied meanings posed through methods such as sarcasm. The way memes can be rapidly spread parallels a virus, and thus this inner code, hidden truth is dispersed. Such as in Sandip Roy’s article, it is also important to acknowledge that the virtual must meet with the real structures of organization to truly be effective. Towards the end Boyd recounts “Truth cannot live on meme alone” and that memes are powerful methods and the truth throughout the years has spread through like viruses, albeit in different shapes and forms.

“Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” (Week 9 Entry 2) 6/01/17

“Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” Nam Le

            This reading was unique in that it was a short story rather than the articles we’ve been reading. Through this story several ideas are explored, and one was the generational divide faced between Nam and his father. The writer describes his job, his past, and his relationship. However, when it comes to his father he is rather vague about his relationship with his father. We get the sense that they are very distant, and he brings up a few anecdotes from the past as well as the differences they had through the years. Along with this he also talks about Linda and their relationship. Although he and his father have undergone many differences, he struggles to explain, and in part Linda is unable to understand (possibly due to their different cultures), that despite all of this he is still Nam’s father.

As he’s walking with a friend at night, his friend encourages him to write about Vietnam, to write about his people. We can kind of view this with some criticism as many people tell people of color and different backgrounds to write about their culture. As he walks with his father, who seems to simply want to spend time with him, he recalls the stories of immense struggle and hardship that his father had recounted many years ago. When he arrives home he decides that he will write about his people, specifically of his father’s hardships. When his father comes upon his story he mentions that threre are many mistakes. Curious Nam asks to hear more taking notes as his father recounts his stories. After redrafting the story, the father takes his story and burns it in the end. Nam talks about not knowing at the time, the reasons or motivation his father had in doing so and only feeling anger for what had been done, but he does state that he eventually came to know. In many examples we’ve encountered it becomes very difficult to really understand what other generations have felt. Parents of these generations because of hardship and simply wanting the best for their children hold them to high standards and pressures. On the other side of the fence, the children and their generation don’t necessarily understand the past hardships as well as feel like their parents don’t understand this new culture. It is often through these points of view that we encounter such generational divides, especially within Asian American communities.