Monday, February 20, 2012
Jeremy Lin
This article about Jeremy Lin is interesting. The author basically says he wishes there could be an Asian-American role model who didn't fit the Asian-American stereotype. A pro basketball player definitely has potential, but Jeremy Lin is not enough of a badass off the court as this author would like.
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Keeping the Asian-American community on your side seems like a tough line to walk. I can understand the desire to have an Asian-American male in the media who is badass and swaggering and testosterone-filled, to counter the Neutered Asian Male stereotype. But the community would be quick to disown a celebrity who took it the slightest bit too far (or maybe at all, for the older generation).
ReplyDeleteI disagree. I think there are so few Asian-American celebrities that it would be tough to disown one, and that some people, like the author, would actually like to have some diversity on display among Asian-Americans. Wouldn't it be kind of cool to have, say, an Asian-American Kim Kardashian, or an Asian-American Eminem?
ReplyDeleteSure, it would be cool. And I agree that diversity is important to showcase in any community. But like you said, there are very few Asian-American celebrities right now -- my point was that it must be hard for those few to bear the burden of having to decide how to represent their community, and walk the line of being the face of your people/a good role model/cool/etc. If Jeremy Lin, for example, suddenly gained a reputation as a womanizer and a drug user, I think the Asian-American community (especially people of our parents' generation) would be very quick to condemn him as irresponsible for his effect on the Asian-American image. I mean, if the ONLY Asian-American woman in the media was a Chinese Kim Kardashian, for example, I don't think the Chinese community would rush to embrace her as their own.
ReplyDeleteI guess I see the "Asian-American community" as really belonging to our generation. I mean, I don't think my parents think of being "Asian-American" as part of their identity. Of course, I know that there are some people, especially on the west coast, who have been in this country for more generations. But even so, the term "Asian-American," and the idea of it encompassing this entire group of people, is fairly modern. And the stereotype of the studious, hard-working Asian-American is so strong that I agree with the author of the article that a Chinese Kim Kardashian could actually be a good step toward questioning that stereotype. The Chinese community, especially older people, might not like it, but why would Chinese Kim Kardashian care? She's hot and rich. :)
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