Ethnic Images, Issues and ‘Asian Men’
As founder of the outstanding group of writer-performers who presented “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Asian Men,” I am obliged to respond to Scott Collins’ review (“ ‘Asian Men’ Closes After Much Ado About Nothing,” Calendar, Sept. 4).
Telling one’s story on one’s own terms is an act of self-empowerment and validation, as an individual and as a member of a group. It says, “I am here and my experience, our experience in this culture, matters. “ To do so takes a stand against everything an oppressive society attempts to shove down our throats--exemplified by those voices that say, “You and your issues are of no concern to us.”
Collins’ dismissal of the group as “having nothing of consequence to say” and his belittlement of “ethnic consciousness-raising” comes from the classic position of privilege in a society that has systematically silenced those not of the dominant group. Not to belabor this response with an accounting of the historical treatment of Asian people in this country, suffice to say “enforced silence” and dehumanizing misrepresentation have been major components of our experience in the United States, along with what some have called our “model minority success.”
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Regarding Alex Luu’s monologue about a run-in with a hostile clerk in a toy store, Collins wrote: “Luu’s narrator angrily attributed this incident to anti-Asian bias. We were not supposed to question that conclusion, even though there was absolutely no evidence to back it up.” A bad review is one thing, but inaccurate reporting quite another--Collins apparently ignored the body of the monologue where Luu illustrated instance after instance of preferential treatment for other customers by the clerk.
When people have lived with such a legacy of dehumanizing portrayals of themselves; of attacks, distortion and invalidations of their experiences as human beings, they will fight back. They will find their voices and fight to be heard, to be seen as fully human, to say what needs to be said no matter how uncomfortable it may be for some. This is part of the driving vision behind the existence of this group, and I believe its popularity and success at its three presentations over the last year and a half is due not only to the uniquely talented artists themselves, but also to the great hunger that exists for images of the humanness of Asian men. Look at the (ongoing) history of portrayals of Asian men in this culture--where can such humanness be found?
It may be found in shows such as the one we discuss here. All three productions have been sell-outs, SRO situations, with incredible word of mouth throughout the entire Asian Pacific community. Shows that have “nothing of consequence to say,” as Collins described it, do not engender that sort of response. That is exactly what the work of this group manifests, with great courage, passion and wit.
Of course, this is a far cry from the Asians depicted in “Miss Saigon”--the whores, pimps and thugs that some audiences and critics may find easier to accept. That is exactly why we will continue our work in the hope of expanding the mind-set and the cultural awareness of those before whom we may perform.