Role Models

[AngryABCGirl]

I think one thing Asian Americans lack growing up were many role models, whether it be in our own families or at large with the media environment. Or we might have role models in our families and communities, but maybe we didn't have role models who were either Asian American like us or didn't have an Asian role model in a career or field we were pursuing.

For me me my parents were my strongest role models, very strong outspoken and vehemently proud and confident people who are very big on social responsibility. I looked up to my peers who were older than me during school and some of my Asian American professors in college, although I did find a huge lack of them in my primary major, International Relations. My professors played a pivotal part in being my first adult Asian American role models who could understand a lot of my mentality that my parents don't and cultivating an ethnic consciousness and gave me direction on how to better the world.

I think I also come of age in a way when Asian American film was starting with Better Luck Tomorrow and then a slew of films after and now many more being made. I have a feeling it's going to be very different for a lot of Asian Americans who are about to go through there teen years in comparison to a lot of us on the board because there have been a lot more positive Asian role in the media, like Yul and Becky.

Who were your role models growing up? Who did you wish you have?

[AngryABCGirl]

To add to this, how can we be and establish better role models for young Asian Ams?

[moser]

OT: Ha ha, I have that bag too!

I didn't have role models growing up; if I did, it was to learn from their mistakes. What I did (and sort of still) looked too were Asian (specifically Chinese and HK) films, such as classic John Woo, Zhang Yimou and Jet Li films.

Re: better establishing better role models - I guess it would be to be ourselves, and to encourage young Asian Ams to be themselves also. On one end, for example, it seems as if many Asian Ams don't do what they want because it would meet disapproval. On the other end, some people seem to go through a phase of not doing what they're good at and like because it would reinforce some stereotype (ex. "I really like physics, but I don't want to be seen as an 'Asian science phenom.'")

[epmd]

my childhood role models were: optimus prime, leader of the autobots. Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe cause he was cool. MR. T especially on the A-Team, cause he could kick azz. Eddie Murphy cause he was funny as sh+t, Richard Pryor cause he was funny but also weird (never understood drug problems back then), teenage role models were gangsta rappers like Geto Boys, NWA, ice-t cause they were bad azz. i also liked michael jordon cause i loved his air jordon clothes and sneakers. i never read novels or watched any soapy dramas.

[AngryABCGirl]

OT: Ha ha, I have that bag too!

I didn't have role models growing up; if I did, it was to learn from their mistakes. What I did (and sort of still) looked too were Asian (specifically Chinese and HK) films, such as classic John Woo, Zhang Yimou and Jet Li films.

Re: better establishing better role models - I guess it would be to be ourselves, and to encourage young Asian Ams to be themselves also. On one end, for example, it seems as if many Asian Ams don't do what they want because it would meet disapproval. On the other end, some people seem to go through a phase of not doing what they're good at and like because it would reinforce some stereotype (ex. "I really like physics, but I don't want to be seen as an 'Asian science phenom.'")

I think my movie hero was Maggie Cheung ever since I saw Comrades an Almost Love Story (甜蜜蜜) long long long time ago. She played a lot of strong female roles.

[Banana]

Optimus Prime.

[TB4000]

Optimus Prime was jewish.

[SunWuKong]

IR rant and reply to IR rant has been deleted.

yes, Banana, now you see why i've been dumping IR threads into one gigantic thread, and why i don't take the topic seriously anymore.

[Banana]

Eh, I understood why a long time ago. I tried to make my argument a legit gripe but there is always some clownshoe that makes it seem over the top which causes it to be ignored.

[tripostrophe]

If we're talking APIAs, I don't think I had anyone as a kid. But then again, I was pretty (color)blind at the time, so I might have missed some -- like Shelby Woo. I do wish Jake Long, Juniper Lee, (maybe) Brenda Song, Jackie Chan Adventures etc. had been around in my time. I think this is the most important age to build up a base for a child's racial self-identity, and there needs to be much better representations. I think raising general awareness and committing to the community, working with youth in culture-related activities and events is a good start.

And definitely holding actors, actresses, and networks/producers accountable for their actions and portrayals. I understand how it's easier, and sometimes even smarter to dumb things down for children, but there's still a lot of stereotypes being used that should be unacceptable. So write thoughtful letters as parents I guess. And I'd make sure to watch what my children watch, to make sure they aren't getting any destructive messages -- taking it a step further, making sure what they're watching builds them up, even if it means doing a bit more legwork to find shows (e.g. from Asia) that they can easily relate to and learn from.

And actors/actresses both a) claiming their identity, and b) not fucking it all up for the rest of us.

[tripostrophe]

Do you suppose a child would object to, or even recognize it if they were shown shows/cartoons from earlier times?

[SunWuKong]

If we're talking APIAs, I don't think I had anyone as a kid. But then again, I was pretty (color)blind at the time, so I might have missed some -- like Shelby Woo

Shelby Woo was a long time ago! i was already grown by then, but i did catch a few episodes of this show because the chick was cute.

[cloudzero]

all the actors in china are pretty physically and mentally gifted, but none of them really stand out for me. as for guys in my life, they are all either smoking or gambling. so as a boy i don't really have any guy role models. maybe when AA males go mainstream i can have more choices on who to look up to. if i have to pick a female, it would lisa ling. she has no accent, yet she still have her natural long black hair and had recently married an asian. very rarely you see an AA woman who is so involved in the american media and still have so much of her attached to her asian background. she was recently on a talk show talking about sex slaves in india. so she doesn't only worry about her own race but others as well. she doesn't take her stardom for granted like so many other AA women. oh and shes gorgeous without over-the-top decorations, or "enhancements"

[AngryABCGirl]

Yuri Kochiyama, Grace Lee Boggs, KW Lee (also a journalist and profilic writer, imagine old angry Korean man who could kick your ass) who worked in POC organization causes are role models for not just Asian Americans but anyone interested in making changes and differences and crossing racial barriers. I got to see Yuri Kochiyama once in a wheelchair attending a rally in SF, still kicking in her old age figuratively. I also met this Korean adoptee woman in Sacramento named Grace Lee, who survived a violent upbringing in a conservative jewish household, who took part in a documentary called the Grace Lee Project (will make thread in Arts and Entertainment folder later) who took in her friend and her children to hide from her abusive husband, who had to go into hiding herself because of the danger is a huge personal hero to me.

[DragonKnight]

As a kid growing up, I once asked my dad who is a Filipino hero (I got tired of Superman personally). My dad told me the story of Lapu-Lapu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapu-Lapu).

Lapu-Lapu (Kaliph Pulaka) (c.1491 – 1547) was the earliest known indigenous Visayan Muslim chieftain, and datu (king) of Mactan in the Philippines. He is known as the first native of the archipelago to have resisted Spanish colonization. He is now regarded as the first National hero of the Philippines.

On the morning of March 17, 1521, Lapu-Lapu and the men of Mactan, armed with spears and kampilan, faced Spanish soldiers led by Portuguese captain Ferdinand Magellan. In what would later be known as the Battle of Mactan, Magellan and several of his men were killed.

In his honor, the Cebuano people have erected a statue and church in Mactan Island and also renamed the town of Opon in Cebu to Lapu-Lapu City.

[buttermilkwise]

As a kid growing up, I once asked my dad who is a Filipino hero (I got tired of Superman personally). My dad told me the story of Lapu-Lapu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapu-Lapu).

Found amusing related to lapu-lapu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5hCczfGYv0&mode=related&search=