How can one win if those white boys and girls in the Western world nowadays are completely warped by a narrative of "Shangri-la" and Tibet esoterica, spiritualism, and mysticism being spun by its fiction writers and Hollywood producers ?
Richard Gere can. But not those of us now straddled between the Eastern and Western world, working our damn hardest to provide some rationality in the dialogue between China and the West on the issue of TIBET.
Consider the following from Japan Times about a new spin in a fictionized, embellished fictional product about mysterious and mystical TIBET.
The book is THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. New York: Warner Books, 2007, 388 pp., $25.99 (cloth) . Read a book review from Japan Times online.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20080420a2.html
These are the kinds of literature which move and cause passion in the WEST among our "Cannabis mau mau protesters" and our "Gucci activists" from Hollywood to push China and those Chinese demons to give the world a "FREE TIBET."
You can't win if those minds are perverted and ignorant. And their "window" on and about CHINA is based on fiction by English and European writers who don't have a clue about Chinese civilization and especially about TIBET in the past and in its basic, fundamental reality.
But pass on the popcorn, because I also enjoy American fiction by American writers. But from my perch at Spatium Trientis, I ain't going to read it without some circumspection, knowing that there is a vast difference between fiction and reality.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Two Rational Aussie Voices in the din of China Bashing and Demonization over Tibet - Thanks, Mates ! Xie Xie !
Two articles on Tibet from the Australian point of view.
(I) A Personal Reflection On Hypocrisy Over Tibet
By JOHN V. WHITBECK
I have been watching with growing amazement and
concern the assaults on the bizarrely
quasi-religious Olympic Torch as it has staggered
through London, Paris and San Francisco, as well
as the self-righteous pronouncements by certain
European "leaders" (and even by the European
Parliament, the UN Secretary-General and John
McCain) that they will not be attending the
opening ceremony of the Olympics or are seriously
considering not attending or urging others not to
attend unless China bows to their "human rights" demands.
Have they even been invited? Who needs them? Why,
aside from the obvious intention to give offense, should the Chinese care?
I should make clear from the start that I am
profoundly sympathetic to Tibet and Tibetans. I
have had the privilege of meeting His Holiness
the Dalai Lama on two occasions, most recently
when we both spoke at the same human rights
conference in Sweden, and the white kata which he
hung around my neck on the first occasion is
proudly displayed in my study. In person, he
exudes a quiet, modest charisma and aura of human
saintliness that is captivating even to an
atheist -- unlike any other person whom I have
ever met. I wish that he could return to the
Potala Palace and his Norbulingka summer
residence and that his people could enjoy the
broad cultural and administrative autonomy which he seeks for them.
Furthermore, when I traveled in Tibet in 1981 (at
a time when I had already visited all but one of
the world's then existing countries), I found it,
far and away, the most fascinating place which I
had ever visited. It took my breath away in every sense.
Having said that, the current anti-Chinese frenzy
in the West, pursued in the guise of pro-Tibetan
(and, to a lesser extent, pro-Darfuri) human
rights activism, and the Western media's coverage of it reek of hypocrisy.
As best I can tell, the recent violence occurred
when some ethnic Tibetans, understandably fed up
with the ever-increasing presence and domination
of Han Chinese in traditional Tibetan areas,
exploded in frustration, burned some Han Chinese
shops and killed some Han Chinese civilians.
What, in such circumstances, would one expect the
Chinese authorities to do? When, by way of
example, some African-Americans in Watts and
other poor areas of Los Angeles exploded in
frustration, burned some white- and Korean-owned
stores and attacked some non-blacks, did the
American police run away? As I recall, they
sought to restore order. So have the Chinese
authorities. (As a practical matter, the most
brutal images of repressive police action against
ethnic Tibetan protestors have not come from
China but from other countries, most notably Nepal.)
Can anyone seriously argue that Chinese treatment
of Tibetans, who have not been subject to either
genocide or ethnic cleansing and of whom the vast
majority continue to live on their ancestral
lands, compares unfavorably with the treatment
accorded to the Native Americans by the European
settlers of North America or the treatment
accorded (and continuing to be accorded) to the
indigenous Palestinians by the Zionist settlers
of Palestine? Can anyone seriously argue that it
is even in the same league of evil and injustice?
With more than 50 recognized ethnic minorities
comprising roughly six percent of China's immense
population, Chinese government policy has always
aimed at cultural integration of all Chinese
citizens rather than at multiculturalism.
Inevitably, some peoples are deeply attached to
their own distinct cultures and do not wish to be
integrated into another one. If Chinese treatment
of certain ethnic minorities justly merits
criticism, most serious observers would argue
that repressive measures against the Uighurs of
Xinjiang have been more severe than repressive measures against Tibetans.
However, although there are many more Uighurs
than Tibetans, one hears very little about
Uighurs in the West. They are Muslims. Uighur
nationalist movements are on America's list of
"terrorst" groups, and four Uighurs swept up in
Afghanistan were incarcerated at Guantanamo for
years, even long after being exonerated as
potential threats to America, before finally
being dumped in Albania, because no other country would provide them asylum.
Furthermore, how reasonable is it to hold China
responsible for the human suffering resulting
from multiple separatist insurgencies and
governmental counterinsurgency measures in the
Darfur region of Sudan (because China invests in
Sudan's oil industry?) while not holding America
and its Western collaborators responsible for the
far worse human suffering resulting from
America's invasions and occupations of
Afghanistan and Iraq and America's unconditional
financial and diplomatic support for Israel's occupation of Palestine?
If the Chinese feel that the current anti-Chinese
frenzy in the West has its roots in jealousy at
China's 12% annual economic growth rate and its
increasing success in all aspects of world
affairs, seasoned with ample doses of racism and
hypocrisy, this would not be an irrational appreciation of the situation.
At least with respect to its role in world
affairs, China has proven a rather gentle and
benign dragon in recent decades, focused on
improving the economic conditions and quality of
life of its people rather than on military
aggression or full-spectrum domination of mankind
and the planet, even while its strength and
potential power have been growing exponentially.
Seeking personal emotional satisfaction or
domestic political advantage by gratuitously
sticking pins in the Chinese dragon is unlikely
to prove a wise course of action.
The world has enough problems already.
John V. Whitbeck, an international lawyer,
is author of "The World According to Whitbeck".
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(II)The Hypocrisy and Danger of Anti-China Demonstrations
By Floyd Rudmin
The Chinese Context
The Chinese government is responsible for the
well-being and security of one-fourth of
humanity. Race riots and rebellion cannot be
tolerated, not even when done by Buddhist monks.
Chinese Civilization was already old when the
Egyptians began building pyramids. But the last
200 years have not gone well, what with two Opium
Wars forcing China to import drugs, and Europeans
seizing coastal ports as a step to complete
colonial control, then the Boxer Rebellion, the
collapse of the Manchu Dynasty, civil war, a
brutal invasion and occupation by Japan, more
civil war, then Communist consolidation and
transformation of society, then Mao's Cultural
Revolution. Such events caused tens of millions
of people to die. Thus, China's recent history
has good reasons why social order is a higher
priority than individual rights. Race riots and rebellion cannot be tolerated.
Considering this context, China's treatment of
its minorities has been exemplary compared to
what the Western world has done to its minorities.
After thousands of years of Chinese dominance,
there still are more than 50 minorities in China.
After a few hundred years of European dominance
in North and South America, the original minority
cultures have been exterminated, damaged, or diminished.
Chinese currency carries five languages: Chinese,
Mongolian, Tibetan, Uigur, and Zhuang. In
comparison, Canadian currency carries English and
French, but no Cree or Inuktitut. If the USA were
as considerate of ethnic minorities as is China,
then the greenback would be written in English, Spanish, Cherokee and Hawaiian.
In China, ethnic minorities begin their primary
schooling in their own language, in a school
administered by one of their own community.
Chinese language instruction is not introduced
until age 10 or later. This is in sharp contrast
to a history of coerced linguistic assimilation
in most Western nations. The Australian
government recently apologized to the Aboriginal
minority for taking children from their families,
forcing them to speak English, beating them if
they spoke their mother tongue. China has no need
to make such apology to Tibetans or to other minorities.
China's one-child-policy seems oppressive to
Westerners, but it has not applied to minorities,
only to the Han Chinese. Tibetans can have as
many children as they choose. If Han people have
more than one child, they are punished.
There is a similar preference given to minorities
when it comes to admission to universities. For
example, Tibetan students enter China's elite
Peking University with lower exam scores than Han Chinese students.
China is not a perfect nation, but on matters of
minority rights, it has been better than most
Western nations. And China achieved this in the
historical context of restoring itself and
recovering from 200 years of continual crisis and foreign invasion.
Historical Claims
National boundaries are not natural. They all
arise from history, and all history is
disputable. Arguments and evidence can always be
found to challenge a boundary. China has long
claimed Tibet as part of its territory, though
that has been hard to enforce during the past 200
years. The Dalai Lama does not dispute China's
claim to Tibet. The recent race riots in
Tibet and the anti-Olympics demonstrations will
not cause China to shrink itself and abandon part
of its territory. Rioters and demonstrators know that.
Foreign governments promoting Tibet separatism
and demonstrators demanding Tibet independence
should look closer to home. Canadians can
campaign for Québec libre. Americans can support
separatists in Puerto Rico, Vermont, Texas,
California, Hawaii, Guam, and Alaska. Brits can
work for a free Wales, and Scotland for the
Scots. French can help free Tahitians, New
Caledonians, Corsicans, and the Basques.
Spaniards can also back the Basques, or the
Catalonians. Italians can help Sicilian
separatists or the Northern League. Danes can
free the Faeroe Islands. Poles can back
Cashubians. Japanese can help Okinawan
separatists, and Filipinos can help the Moros.
Thai can promote Patanni independence;
Indonesians can promote Acehnese independence.
New Zealanders can leave the islands to the
Maori; Australians can vacate Papua. Sri Lankans
can help Tamil separatists; Indians can help Sikh separatists.
Nearly every nation has a separatist movement of
some kind. There is no need to go to Tibet, to
the top of the world, to promote ethnic
separatism. China is not promoting separatism in
other nations and does not appreciate other
nations promoting separatism in China. The people
most oppressed, most needing a nation of their
own, are the Palestinians. There is a worthy
project to promote and to demonstrate about.
(I) A Personal Reflection On Hypocrisy Over Tibet
By JOHN V. WHITBECK
I have been watching with growing amazement and
concern the assaults on the bizarrely
quasi-religious Olympic Torch as it has staggered
through London, Paris and San Francisco, as well
as the self-righteous pronouncements by certain
European "leaders" (and even by the European
Parliament, the UN Secretary-General and John
McCain) that they will not be attending the
opening ceremony of the Olympics or are seriously
considering not attending or urging others not to
attend unless China bows to their "human rights" demands.
Have they even been invited? Who needs them? Why,
aside from the obvious intention to give offense, should the Chinese care?
I should make clear from the start that I am
profoundly sympathetic to Tibet and Tibetans. I
have had the privilege of meeting His Holiness
the Dalai Lama on two occasions, most recently
when we both spoke at the same human rights
conference in Sweden, and the white kata which he
hung around my neck on the first occasion is
proudly displayed in my study. In person, he
exudes a quiet, modest charisma and aura of human
saintliness that is captivating even to an
atheist -- unlike any other person whom I have
ever met. I wish that he could return to the
Potala Palace and his Norbulingka summer
residence and that his people could enjoy the
broad cultural and administrative autonomy which he seeks for them.
Furthermore, when I traveled in Tibet in 1981 (at
a time when I had already visited all but one of
the world's then existing countries), I found it,
far and away, the most fascinating place which I
had ever visited. It took my breath away in every sense.
Having said that, the current anti-Chinese frenzy
in the West, pursued in the guise of pro-Tibetan
(and, to a lesser extent, pro-Darfuri) human
rights activism, and the Western media's coverage of it reek of hypocrisy.
As best I can tell, the recent violence occurred
when some ethnic Tibetans, understandably fed up
with the ever-increasing presence and domination
of Han Chinese in traditional Tibetan areas,
exploded in frustration, burned some Han Chinese
shops and killed some Han Chinese civilians.
What, in such circumstances, would one expect the
Chinese authorities to do? When, by way of
example, some African-Americans in Watts and
other poor areas of Los Angeles exploded in
frustration, burned some white- and Korean-owned
stores and attacked some non-blacks, did the
American police run away? As I recall, they
sought to restore order. So have the Chinese
authorities. (As a practical matter, the most
brutal images of repressive police action against
ethnic Tibetan protestors have not come from
China but from other countries, most notably Nepal.)
Can anyone seriously argue that Chinese treatment
of Tibetans, who have not been subject to either
genocide or ethnic cleansing and of whom the vast
majority continue to live on their ancestral
lands, compares unfavorably with the treatment
accorded to the Native Americans by the European
settlers of North America or the treatment
accorded (and continuing to be accorded) to the
indigenous Palestinians by the Zionist settlers
of Palestine? Can anyone seriously argue that it
is even in the same league of evil and injustice?
With more than 50 recognized ethnic minorities
comprising roughly six percent of China's immense
population, Chinese government policy has always
aimed at cultural integration of all Chinese
citizens rather than at multiculturalism.
Inevitably, some peoples are deeply attached to
their own distinct cultures and do not wish to be
integrated into another one. If Chinese treatment
of certain ethnic minorities justly merits
criticism, most serious observers would argue
that repressive measures against the Uighurs of
Xinjiang have been more severe than repressive measures against Tibetans.
However, although there are many more Uighurs
than Tibetans, one hears very little about
Uighurs in the West. They are Muslims. Uighur
nationalist movements are on America's list of
"terrorst" groups, and four Uighurs swept up in
Afghanistan were incarcerated at Guantanamo for
years, even long after being exonerated as
potential threats to America, before finally
being dumped in Albania, because no other country would provide them asylum.
Furthermore, how reasonable is it to hold China
responsible for the human suffering resulting
from multiple separatist insurgencies and
governmental counterinsurgency measures in the
Darfur region of Sudan (because China invests in
Sudan's oil industry?) while not holding America
and its Western collaborators responsible for the
far worse human suffering resulting from
America's invasions and occupations of
Afghanistan and Iraq and America's unconditional
financial and diplomatic support for Israel's occupation of Palestine?
If the Chinese feel that the current anti-Chinese
frenzy in the West has its roots in jealousy at
China's 12% annual economic growth rate and its
increasing success in all aspects of world
affairs, seasoned with ample doses of racism and
hypocrisy, this would not be an irrational appreciation of the situation.
At least with respect to its role in world
affairs, China has proven a rather gentle and
benign dragon in recent decades, focused on
improving the economic conditions and quality of
life of its people rather than on military
aggression or full-spectrum domination of mankind
and the planet, even while its strength and
potential power have been growing exponentially.
Seeking personal emotional satisfaction or
domestic political advantage by gratuitously
sticking pins in the Chinese dragon is unlikely
to prove a wise course of action.
The world has enough problems already.
John V. Whitbeck, an international lawyer,
is author of "The World According to Whitbeck".
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(II)The Hypocrisy and Danger of Anti-China Demonstrations
By Floyd Rudmin
The Chinese Context
The Chinese government is responsible for the
well-being and security of one-fourth of
humanity. Race riots and rebellion cannot be
tolerated, not even when done by Buddhist monks.
Chinese Civilization was already old when the
Egyptians began building pyramids. But the last
200 years have not gone well, what with two Opium
Wars forcing China to import drugs, and Europeans
seizing coastal ports as a step to complete
colonial control, then the Boxer Rebellion, the
collapse of the Manchu Dynasty, civil war, a
brutal invasion and occupation by Japan, more
civil war, then Communist consolidation and
transformation of society, then Mao's Cultural
Revolution. Such events caused tens of millions
of people to die. Thus, China's recent history
has good reasons why social order is a higher
priority than individual rights. Race riots and rebellion cannot be tolerated.
Considering this context, China's treatment of
its minorities has been exemplary compared to
what the Western world has done to its minorities.
After thousands of years of Chinese dominance,
there still are more than 50 minorities in China.
After a few hundred years of European dominance
in North and South America, the original minority
cultures have been exterminated, damaged, or diminished.
Chinese currency carries five languages: Chinese,
Mongolian, Tibetan, Uigur, and Zhuang. In
comparison, Canadian currency carries English and
French, but no Cree or Inuktitut. If the USA were
as considerate of ethnic minorities as is China,
then the greenback would be written in English, Spanish, Cherokee and Hawaiian.
In China, ethnic minorities begin their primary
schooling in their own language, in a school
administered by one of their own community.
Chinese language instruction is not introduced
until age 10 or later. This is in sharp contrast
to a history of coerced linguistic assimilation
in most Western nations. The Australian
government recently apologized to the Aboriginal
minority for taking children from their families,
forcing them to speak English, beating them if
they spoke their mother tongue. China has no need
to make such apology to Tibetans or to other minorities.
China's one-child-policy seems oppressive to
Westerners, but it has not applied to minorities,
only to the Han Chinese. Tibetans can have as
many children as they choose. If Han people have
more than one child, they are punished.
There is a similar preference given to minorities
when it comes to admission to universities. For
example, Tibetan students enter China's elite
Peking University with lower exam scores than Han Chinese students.
China is not a perfect nation, but on matters of
minority rights, it has been better than most
Western nations. And China achieved this in the
historical context of restoring itself and
recovering from 200 years of continual crisis and foreign invasion.
Historical Claims
National boundaries are not natural. They all
arise from history, and all history is
disputable. Arguments and evidence can always be
found to challenge a boundary. China has long
claimed Tibet as part of its territory, though
that has been hard to enforce during the past 200
years. The Dalai Lama does not dispute China's
claim to Tibet. The recent race riots in
Tibet and the anti-Olympics demonstrations will
not cause China to shrink itself and abandon part
of its territory. Rioters and demonstrators know that.
Foreign governments promoting Tibet separatism
and demonstrators demanding Tibet independence
should look closer to home. Canadians can
campaign for Québec libre. Americans can support
separatists in Puerto Rico, Vermont, Texas,
California, Hawaii, Guam, and Alaska. Brits can
work for a free Wales, and Scotland for the
Scots. French can help free Tahitians, New
Caledonians, Corsicans, and the Basques.
Spaniards can also back the Basques, or the
Catalonians. Italians can help Sicilian
separatists or the Northern League. Danes can
free the Faeroe Islands. Poles can back
Cashubians. Japanese can help Okinawan
separatists, and Filipinos can help the Moros.
Thai can promote Patanni independence;
Indonesians can promote Acehnese independence.
New Zealanders can leave the islands to the
Maori; Australians can vacate Papua. Sri Lankans
can help Tamil separatists; Indians can help Sikh separatists.
Nearly every nation has a separatist movement of
some kind. There is no need to go to Tibet, to
the top of the world, to promote ethnic
separatism. China is not promoting separatism in
other nations and does not appreciate other
nations promoting separatism in China. The people
most oppressed, most needing a nation of their
own, are the Palestinians. There is a worthy
project to promote and to demonstrate about.
XIE XIE (Thank You) Aussie Chinese for your show of support in Canbrerra in the spirit of May 4th w/red flags drowning out Team Tibet-Dolly-Shangri-la
Over 10,000 Aussie Chinese learned from London, Paris, and San Francisco, and succeeded in protecting the torch.
"Xie Xie."
"Jia You ! Jia You"
According to Reuters news, "....thousands of Chinese chanting "One China" packed the start and finish of the torch relay in the Australian capital.
"This is a magnificent day for us today to show that Australia can have a peaceful rally. Watching overseas protests, I felt shamed that they can behave like that," Wellington Lee from the Victorian (state) Chinese Association told Reuters.
The massive turn-out of over 10,000 who mobilized in Canbrerra and all over Australia in support the Olympics torch relay drowned out TEAM TIBET-DOLLY-SHANGRI-LA.
And more from Canbrerra and the news about the the Aussie leg of the torch relay, click on:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/apr/24/chinese-flags-dominate-australian-part-of-relay/
Here are some photos of the Canbrerra torch in a sea of Red Flags protecting the torch:
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/2008/04/24/1208743097806.html
On to the next torch relay stop. And to our Japanese friends, we say:
" Be Respectful; and don't be like the Western boors -- vulgar, uncivil, and full of hubris."
"And don't "Bash China" and "Demonize the Chinese people."
"Don't be like the French and Parisians."
" And Absolutely don't be like San Franciscans - dumb, ignorant, and don't even know where TIBET is on the map, yet screaming "Free Tibet" Click on YouTube below on Ground Zero in San Francisco with the Pro-Tibet protest San Francisco "dummies."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ17W0M9K7Q
"Learn from the Aussies."
"Thank you, Premier Kevin Rudd, the only Western leader who speaks Chinese."
"Xie Xie."
"Jia You ! Jia You"
According to Reuters news, "....thousands of Chinese chanting "One China" packed the start and finish of the torch relay in the Australian capital.
"This is a magnificent day for us today to show that Australia can have a peaceful rally. Watching overseas protests, I felt shamed that they can behave like that," Wellington Lee from the Victorian (state) Chinese Association told Reuters.
The massive turn-out of over 10,000 who mobilized in Canbrerra and all over Australia in support the Olympics torch relay drowned out TEAM TIBET-DOLLY-SHANGRI-LA.
Thanks to net mobilization and the spirit of May 4th, 1919.http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-olympics-torch.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
And more from Canbrerra and the news about the the Aussie leg of the torch relay, click on:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/apr/24/chinese-flags-dominate-australian-part-of-relay/
Here are some photos of the Canbrerra torch in a sea of Red Flags protecting the torch:
http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/2008/04/24/1208743097806.html
On to the next torch relay stop. And to our Japanese friends, we say:
" Be Respectful; and don't be like the Western boors -- vulgar, uncivil, and full of hubris."
"And don't "Bash China" and "Demonize the Chinese people."
"Don't be like the French and Parisians."
" And Absolutely don't be like San Franciscans - dumb, ignorant, and don't even know where TIBET is on the map, yet screaming "Free Tibet" Click on YouTube below on Ground Zero in San Francisco with the Pro-Tibet protest San Francisco "dummies."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ17W0M9K7Q
"Learn from the Aussies."
"Thank you, Premier Kevin Rudd, the only Western leader who speaks Chinese."
The Ultimate Hollywood Insult-the Movie "21" based on a true story of MIT Asian brainiacs beating the odds in Las Vegas Casinos casting a White Actor
Asian and Asian American actors and the directors and producers who rely on Hollywood Tinseltown to nurture and provide the opportunity for their talents should think about a new strategy in the new world of globalization.
The playing field has been leveled out. The earth is now flat. My take is: "Take our marbles and go play somewhere else where your talents are better appreciated."
"Don't waste any more time in racist, White-supremacist Hollywood and Tinseltown." The Black actors and entertainers have penetrated, but their yellow fellow actors have yet to go beyond barely visible roles as extras, sidekicks, voiceless, yello Thug # 2, "China dolls" menial roles. And it appears that our yellow movie directors who have successfully "whitestream" have not pushed hard enough to expand the euro-cultural warp-zone. I give up.
Many should consider going EAST instead of sticking it out with Hollywood.
The last insult, the movie "21", based on the real life story of Jeff Ma, who with his team of MIT brainiacs succeeded in beating the odds in Las Vegas, saw a switcheroo using a White actor, Jim Sturgess, as the star of the movie. Apparently, Sony Studios, darn Japanese owners, are too much into that "honorary whitehood" stuff that they forgot Sony is Japanese.
A movie about "Math, MIT, and gambling" and they won't allow an Asian play the real heavy role, based on a true real life story of Jeff Ma, an Asian American? All under the pretext of "bankability" because movies with Asian actors don't sell ?
Give us a break ! And we will show you Hollywood dudes our tiny penises ! What a crock of chow fun and egg rolls !
For a sampling of some Asian men angry about the racist casting excluding the real life characters of the story ensemble, visit :http://www.angryasianman.com/2008/03/racist-casting-and-21.html
Here we are in 2008, and Asians are still taking this bullshit from Hollywood Tinseltown.
Listen ! Jet Li and Jackie Chan just starred in their latest - THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM.
According to movie critics, it takes the last 40 years of Chinese martial arts cinema and condenses it into a streamlined fantasy story, light on depth yet overshadowed by many strengths including fierce screen fighting from action director Yuen Wo-ping, a phenomenal action and comedy pairing of Jet Li and Jackie Chan and gorgeous cinematography from Peter Pau. The film is also a lavish visual showcase for two of Asia’s most beautiful women of the moment, Liu Yifei and Li Bingbing.
My advice from Spatium Trientis, to my fellow Asians now working in and trying into Hollywood, as extras in menial roles as Thug # 2, China dolls, and chop chop kung phooey villains, Go East. Go Asia. Go China. Don't waste time attempting to break down those racist doors in LA LA land.
South Korea has a vibrant movie industry. China's resurgent art and film community in place gaining momentum.
Forget Hollywood and Tinseltown. Go Asia, head East, and you won't regret it.
The rich vein of story plots, the stunning locations, the fascinating stories and cultures in Asia's rich history and cultural narratives have yet to be plombed, explored and shown in films.
Ang Lee has not even begun to make his best films yet. And after Zhang Yi Mou, there is more to come from China's new generation of artists and film professionals.
This is the Asia-Pacific Century. And to many of us straddled between East and West, we see the future. And it is there.
Go East, Young Man. Go East Young Woman. You will find that your talents are much better appreciated in the non-Western world. And the synergy of mixing East and West where you are in the creative "Driver's Seat" will be much more exhilirating.
Many Asian-Americans who have left and gone over to Asia have done fabulously well. Remember the World of globalization is upon us. Have suitcase, will travel.
The playing field has been leveled out. The earth is now flat. My take is: "Take our marbles and go play somewhere else where your talents are better appreciated."
"Don't waste any more time in racist, White-supremacist Hollywood and Tinseltown." The Black actors and entertainers have penetrated, but their yellow fellow actors have yet to go beyond barely visible roles as extras, sidekicks, voiceless, yello Thug # 2, "China dolls" menial roles. And it appears that our yellow movie directors who have successfully "whitestream" have not pushed hard enough to expand the euro-cultural warp-zone. I give up.
Many should consider going EAST instead of sticking it out with Hollywood.
The last insult, the movie "21", based on the real life story of Jeff Ma, who with his team of MIT brainiacs succeeded in beating the odds in Las Vegas, saw a switcheroo using a White actor, Jim Sturgess, as the star of the movie. Apparently, Sony Studios, darn Japanese owners, are too much into that "honorary whitehood" stuff that they forgot Sony is Japanese.
A movie about "Math, MIT, and gambling" and they won't allow an Asian play the real heavy role, based on a true real life story of Jeff Ma, an Asian American? All under the pretext of "bankability" because movies with Asian actors don't sell ?
Give us a break ! And we will show you Hollywood dudes our tiny penises ! What a crock of chow fun and egg rolls !
For a sampling of some Asian men angry about the racist casting excluding the real life characters of the story ensemble, visit :http://www.angryasianman.com/2008/03/racist-casting-and-21.html
Here we are in 2008, and Asians are still taking this bullshit from Hollywood Tinseltown.
Listen ! Jet Li and Jackie Chan just starred in their latest - THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM.
According to movie critics, it takes the last 40 years of Chinese martial arts cinema and condenses it into a streamlined fantasy story, light on depth yet overshadowed by many strengths including fierce screen fighting from action director Yuen Wo-ping, a phenomenal action and comedy pairing of Jet Li and Jackie Chan and gorgeous cinematography from Peter Pau. The film is also a lavish visual showcase for two of Asia’s most beautiful women of the moment, Liu Yifei and Li Bingbing.
My advice from Spatium Trientis, to my fellow Asians now working in and trying into Hollywood, as extras in menial roles as Thug # 2, China dolls, and chop chop kung phooey villains, Go East. Go Asia. Go China. Don't waste time attempting to break down those racist doors in LA LA land.
South Korea has a vibrant movie industry. China's resurgent art and film community in place gaining momentum.
Forget Hollywood and Tinseltown. Go Asia, head East, and you won't regret it.
The rich vein of story plots, the stunning locations, the fascinating stories and cultures in Asia's rich history and cultural narratives have yet to be plombed, explored and shown in films.
Ang Lee has not even begun to make his best films yet. And after Zhang Yi Mou, there is more to come from China's new generation of artists and film professionals.
This is the Asia-Pacific Century. And to many of us straddled between East and West, we see the future. And it is there.
Go East, Young Man. Go East Young Woman. You will find that your talents are much better appreciated in the non-Western world. And the synergy of mixing East and West where you are in the creative "Driver's Seat" will be much more exhilirating.
Many Asian-Americans who have left and gone over to Asia have done fabulously well. Remember the World of globalization is upon us. Have suitcase, will travel.
Hollywood "Yellow Faces" - why Asian roles are often marginalized, demeaned and dehumanized by Tinseltown decision makers.
This Friday, April 25, at the release of the new movie, "Harold and Kumar - Escape from Guantanamo Bay", the spoof and satire by two Asian anti-heros on their second slapstick adventure in America and Europe, mistaken as a North Korean spy, with Korean-American actor John Cho playing Harold and Indo-American actor Sal Penn playing Kumar, it is a "must see" for all who wants an allegorical but absolutely hilarious spoof on the "climate of paranoia" and Islamophia and fear of the "yellow peril" in America.
It is social commentary done with humor and satire. And I do sincerely hope that our Johnnies, Suzies, and Janes see the nuances and deep meanings behind the characters Harold and Kumar. I hope they see what I see and vicariously learn about America through the hilarious experience of Harold and Kumar, without the heavy stuff.
Does Hollywood Tinseltown see what we Asian intellectuals and artists see ? Do they hear what we hear ? I hope they do, and reflect in a thoughtful on the seriousness of the new world of media and media arbitrage.
It is no longer a "white man's game." And the best films are now not being dominated by Hollywood.
Consider that Korean filmmaking is resurging. And China's 4th generation of film makers are also gaining momentum. With the banality and close-mindedness of Hollywood, pretty soon, Tinseltown will be left biting the dust in the new world of globalization.
Hand in hand with seeing "Harold and Kumar," both the 1st film, "White Castle," and the second one, "Guantanamo Bay," it is recommended that you pick up a copy of Harold Issac's book, " Scratches on Our Minds: American Views of China and India," (Paperback)
by Harold Robert Isaacs (Author)
By doing both films and reading Mr. Isaac's book, you will get a grip on why America can't understand China, India, and Asia-Pacific in general, and why most Americans are blinded by their own "cultural blinders," on things "Chinese, Indian, or other Asian-Pacific Islander."
There's also a very good think piece by an Indo-American, Sandip Roy, who specially wrote an analysis of the history of Asians seen and portrayed in Hollywood, and how Asian actors and actresses have been relegated to banal roles playing Thug # 2, China Dolls, Kung Phoeey chop-chop movies.
Sandip Roy's writing about how Hollywood treats Asians and Asian themes in their schlock may be accessed by clicking on your web address the following link:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/23/DDQT1096PL.DTL&type=movies
It is social commentary done with humor and satire. And I do sincerely hope that our Johnnies, Suzies, and Janes see the nuances and deep meanings behind the characters Harold and Kumar. I hope they see what I see and vicariously learn about America through the hilarious experience of Harold and Kumar, without the heavy stuff.
Does Hollywood Tinseltown see what we Asian intellectuals and artists see ? Do they hear what we hear ? I hope they do, and reflect in a thoughtful on the seriousness of the new world of media and media arbitrage.
It is no longer a "white man's game." And the best films are now not being dominated by Hollywood.
Consider that Korean filmmaking is resurging. And China's 4th generation of film makers are also gaining momentum. With the banality and close-mindedness of Hollywood, pretty soon, Tinseltown will be left biting the dust in the new world of globalization.
Hand in hand with seeing "Harold and Kumar," both the 1st film, "White Castle," and the second one, "Guantanamo Bay," it is recommended that you pick up a copy of Harold Issac's book, " Scratches on Our Minds: American Views of China and India," (Paperback)
by Harold Robert Isaacs (Author)
By doing both films and reading Mr. Isaac's book, you will get a grip on why America can't understand China, India, and Asia-Pacific in general, and why most Americans are blinded by their own "cultural blinders," on things "Chinese, Indian, or other Asian-Pacific Islander."
There's also a very good think piece by an Indo-American, Sandip Roy, who specially wrote an analysis of the history of Asians seen and portrayed in Hollywood, and how Asian actors and actresses have been relegated to banal roles playing Thug # 2, China Dolls, Kung Phoeey chop-chop movies.
Sandip Roy's writing about how Hollywood treats Asians and Asian themes in their schlock may be accessed by clicking on your web address the following link:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/23/DDQT1096PL.DTL&type=movies
Hollywood Tinseltown ! "The Yellow and Brown Hordes are coming ! and Harold and Kumar are leading the charge against White Castle - YOU !"
From my perch at Spatium Trientis (Latin for "Third Space"), I have as a human being, an American of ethnic Chinese roots and ancestry, always followed American movies.
I was not only a movie buff, but I see movies, Western or non-Western, as a microcosm of how life's narratives are portrayed in the world of films. And through films, we see part of ourselves as seen by others.
Lately, my friends from Asia-Pacific have been following "Harold and Kumar in White Castle," a cinematic satire about the banal and farcical American culture through the eyes of two Asian anti-heros, Harold (played by Korean-American actor John Cho), and Indo-American actor Kal Penn), obsessed with hamburgers and fries.
It was a DVD release success, now spreading like "wildfire" with a cult following of youthful film afficionados not just in the East but also here in the West. Harold, playing the role of the quintessenial amd stereotypical " straight guy workaholic" Asian, and Kumar, "the slacker" were hilarious. It is not just their misadventures but what they experienced in Americana which made most of us Asians who saw the movie fell out of our chairs, in stitches.
No thanks to the major Hollywood white moguls, mired in their "White-Black" paradigm and mindsets, completely oblivious and marginalizing the yellow and brown narratives around the world.
We who are straddled between East and West, who have been almost completely "invisible" in Hollywood Tinseltown, are finally smashing through those God damn doors of those white moguls who control the gates to Hollywood Tinseltown.
Eat your Mo Goo Gai Pen out, Hollywood Tinseltown.
The yellow and brown hordes are coming ! and Harold and Kumar are leading the charge of the non-white brigades. And these time, Kumar, mistaken for a Muslim terrorist, ahem, "Muslofascist," and Harold, mistaken for a "North Korean spy," are onto their next adventure, escaping from U.S. anti-terror security forces guarding Guantanamo, Mother, Apple Pie, and America ! watch a trailer by surfing on YouTube. http://www.haroldandkumar.com/
For once, we Asians persistently portrayed as asexual "little penises," Thug No. 2, chow-mien, chop-suey chop-chop caricatures in American films are breaking out and smashing through those brain-dead and creative cemeteries we call Hollywood film-making.
Steven Spielberg, you can shove it.
George Clooney, take care of your dirty socks, and stop doing your "Gucci" activism on behalf of Darfur, when you can't even play football with a proper helmet on.
And Richard Gere, next time you go to India and try to paw a Bollywood female star, make sure you wear gloves because of the disease you may carry and spread in India ! You are lucky that Indians in India did not lynch you the last time you think you are the "Great White Sahib" out to civilize the South Asian continent.
And Mia Farrow, don't lash out against China simply because Woody Allen married your adopted Korean daughter.
And for Pete's sake, Julia Roberts, stop having any more babies if you are going to be consistent about making the world sustainable and environmentally safe for humanity.
Hollywood Tinseltown sucks, to this Chinese-American who has had sand kicked in his face, and mistaken for William Hung, the floor mat of "American Idol."
We Asians and Asian-Americans now have Harold and Kumar. And after leading the charge to White Castle; they are now headed to Guantanamo, and escaping from your evil den suffused with Western "Islamophia" and all the perversity of "one justice system for white people, and one justice for colored people."
"Harold and Kumar escapes from Guantanamo," our ant-Asian heroes, are going with their charge against Hollywood Tinseltown with their "yellow" and "brown" hordes cheering them off ..... LOL, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, butt out ! Click on for a preview of this Friday's (April 25) release at your theaters :
Guantanamo ? Abu Graib ? Where's Tibet ? Johnny hipsters and cupcake Suzie probably ain't got a clue !
All said, I have to give the San Francisco Chronicle, my local San Francisco paper, a flicker of hope. At least it appears that they have a sensitive Culture Critic in Peter Hartlaub.
Mr. Hartlaub, at least through the paper's entertainment page, entitled "Datebook," had the decency to publish an interview of John Cho, our anti-hero, our "Harold," at today's issue of the paper. The hyperlink to Mr. Hartlaub's interview with "Harold," i.e. actor John Cho is at following link:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/23/DD5C107D35.DTL
I was not only a movie buff, but I see movies, Western or non-Western, as a microcosm of how life's narratives are portrayed in the world of films. And through films, we see part of ourselves as seen by others.
Lately, my friends from Asia-Pacific have been following "Harold and Kumar in White Castle," a cinematic satire about the banal and farcical American culture through the eyes of two Asian anti-heros, Harold (played by Korean-American actor John Cho), and Indo-American actor Kal Penn), obsessed with hamburgers and fries.
It was a DVD release success, now spreading like "wildfire" with a cult following of youthful film afficionados not just in the East but also here in the West. Harold, playing the role of the quintessenial amd stereotypical " straight guy workaholic" Asian, and Kumar, "the slacker" were hilarious. It is not just their misadventures but what they experienced in Americana which made most of us Asians who saw the movie fell out of our chairs, in stitches.
No thanks to the major Hollywood white moguls, mired in their "White-Black" paradigm and mindsets, completely oblivious and marginalizing the yellow and brown narratives around the world.
We who are straddled between East and West, who have been almost completely "invisible" in Hollywood Tinseltown, are finally smashing through those God damn doors of those white moguls who control the gates to Hollywood Tinseltown.
Eat your Mo Goo Gai Pen out, Hollywood Tinseltown.
The yellow and brown hordes are coming ! and Harold and Kumar are leading the charge of the non-white brigades. And these time, Kumar, mistaken for a Muslim terrorist, ahem, "Muslofascist," and Harold, mistaken for a "North Korean spy," are onto their next adventure, escaping from U.S. anti-terror security forces guarding Guantanamo, Mother, Apple Pie, and America ! watch a trailer by surfing on YouTube. http://www.haroldandkumar.com/
For once, we Asians persistently portrayed as asexual "little penises," Thug No. 2, chow-mien, chop-suey chop-chop caricatures in American films are breaking out and smashing through those brain-dead and creative cemeteries we call Hollywood film-making.
Steven Spielberg, you can shove it.
George Clooney, take care of your dirty socks, and stop doing your "Gucci" activism on behalf of Darfur, when you can't even play football with a proper helmet on.
And Richard Gere, next time you go to India and try to paw a Bollywood female star, make sure you wear gloves because of the disease you may carry and spread in India ! You are lucky that Indians in India did not lynch you the last time you think you are the "Great White Sahib" out to civilize the South Asian continent.
And Mia Farrow, don't lash out against China simply because Woody Allen married your adopted Korean daughter.
And for Pete's sake, Julia Roberts, stop having any more babies if you are going to be consistent about making the world sustainable and environmentally safe for humanity.
Hollywood Tinseltown sucks, to this Chinese-American who has had sand kicked in his face, and mistaken for William Hung, the floor mat of "American Idol."
We Asians and Asian-Americans now have Harold and Kumar. And after leading the charge to White Castle; they are now headed to Guantanamo, and escaping from your evil den suffused with Western "Islamophia" and all the perversity of "one justice system for white people, and one justice for colored people."
"Harold and Kumar escapes from Guantanamo," our ant-Asian heroes, are going with their charge against Hollywood Tinseltown with their "yellow" and "brown" hordes cheering them off ..... LOL, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, butt out ! Click on for a preview of this Friday's (April 25) release at your theaters :
Guantanamo ? Abu Graib ? Where's Tibet ? Johnny hipsters and cupcake Suzie probably ain't got a clue !
All said, I have to give the San Francisco Chronicle, my local San Francisco paper, a flicker of hope. At least it appears that they have a sensitive Culture Critic in Peter Hartlaub.
Mr. Hartlaub, at least through the paper's entertainment page, entitled "Datebook," had the decency to publish an interview of John Cho, our anti-hero, our "Harold," at today's issue of the paper. The hyperlink to Mr. Hartlaub's interview with "Harold," i.e. actor John Cho is at following link:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/23/DD5C107D35.DTL
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Showtime in Aussie Land - Olympics relay arrives in Canbrerra - Ambush point for China bashers !
Sina.com reports that the torch has arrived in Canbrerra, after Indonesia and Malaysia, where TEAM TIBET-SHANGRI-LA-DALAI LAMA can't use the occasion as a platform for their Mai Mau, because Western news media isn't that omnipresent in the non-Western world with their scripted "protest lenses."
But here we come ....... Canbrerra. Showtime. The Mau Mau begins tomorrow. Take a good night's sleep, mate. And put out the Bar-B.
But here we come ....... Canbrerra. Showtime. The Mau Mau begins tomorrow. Take a good night's sleep, mate. And put out the Bar-B.
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