more asians in serenity

POSTED BY: jebusyoon
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 06:32
VIEWED: 15723
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JEBUSYOON

Thursday, October 6, 2005 6:47 AM

finally, someone that agrees. yes, tam is a chinese surname, but the actors didn't look even remotely asian. nor did their parents in the tv show. i was about to say how i found it odd that i was the only one wrestling with this thought and everyone saying, "it's ok, who cares if everyone's white?", but thank you for wanting a blend. i guess... im just complaining... as most americans do, and im sorry for that. i just wanted to have some company. you know, that ol' cliché, "misery desires company" or something like that. i forget, hey, i was born in this country, but i still don't understand it.

i love serenity.

jebus, are you looking around the room and saying that you love them?

i love serenity.

GIANTEVILHEAD

Thursday, October 6, 2005 7:15 AM

Well, Summer Glau does have some Asian features.

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

THEPLAGUE

Thursday, October 6, 2005 1:13 PM

This was definitely something I noticed too, and found kinda disappointing in terms of "universe continuity" (for lack of a better term).

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Are these our lives? NNNOOOOOO!!!

KIZYR

Thursday, October 6, 2005 2:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jebusyoon:
think of what you're saying man... asians not speaking... english? i think that's a very bad stereotype you just made. anywho, seeing how they're under one government, you'd think they'd make some type of universal language... no pun intended.

You really are taking that the wrong way. Think in worldwide terms... There are a lot more Asians who don't speak English as a first (or primary) language than those who do. Since, well, there are plenty more Asians than Asian-Americans (or Europeans, Australians, etc.).

I always figured that there would be a much larger Chinese population the more you got onto the core planets. Since the core planets aren't really a favored destination for Serenity, we don't see much of them. Other Earth-that-Was nationalities could be elsewhere, who knows.

I mean, it's not as silly as everyone in the future police department in Time Trax being white. KF

~Kaiser Farooque

ZOE: Preacher, don’t the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?
BOOK: Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps...

SONG

Thursday, October 6, 2005 2:57 PM

I quite agree with the original complaint here -- there are in fact quality Asian American actors aplenty, and a conscious effort could have been made to fill more roles with them -- perhaps not the main ensemble, but the guest roles and bit parts. And I think doing so would give a bit more credibility to the basic premise that Chinese culture and language were one of the few to survive Earth-that-Was.

However -- it is possible that the great "mixing" or triumph of Chinese civilization happened on Earth-that-Was well before things went belly-up there. Chinese is clearly meant to be a lingua franca. Arguably, China sent its own people off to some other galaxy/solar system, and the mostly-white folks who ended up in the Firefly 'verse brought Chinese writing and speech with them because it was a useful way to communicate in large mixed groups -- just as French once was in the diplomatic world, and just as English is now.

The other thought that occurred to me is that while it might make logical sense to cast more Asians in Alliance/Blue Sky roles, or as Companions -- as these are the three institutions most clearly holding legitimate "civilized" status ... it wouldn't play well at all -- very bad taste to perpetuate the stereotypes of Asian men as ruthless, inscrutable, power-hungry and Asian women as submissive or seductive.

Anyway, it's a very interesting question, and I'm glad you raised it.

-----
"Is it time to go to sleep again?"
"No, mei-mei. It's time to wake up."

BELASERA

Thursday, October 6, 2005 6:19 PM

Well, you could always cast Asian women in the blue sun/ alliance roles.
And was that a male companion I saw in the movie? The one with the lack of shirt, yum.

"I'll be in my bunk."

SONG

Monday, October 10, 2005 4:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jebusyoon:
... for a world that's melted the asian and western culture so well, why aren't there more asians?

Here's a blog-review that makes your point, emphatically. A good read.

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archives/2005/10/inscrutability.htm
l

-----
"Is it time to go to sleep again?"
"No, mei-mei. It's time to wake up."

JEBUSYOON

Monday, October 10, 2005 6:14 PM

hahaha, that's what i was trying to say, but im a math graduate in davis, and can't use english as well as that lovely lady placed it. thanks claire

she also brought up a good point on how black people were portrayed as savage killers, (the assasin, bounty hunter and possibly sheperd book)

KIZYR

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jebusyoon:
she also brought up a good point on how black people were portrayed as savage killers, (the assasin, bounty hunter and possibly sheperd book)

I definitely disagree with that... The two prominent black people in Firefly are Shepherd Book and Zoe. One comes off almost all the time as an extremely compassionate and forgiving man--perhaps with a past he's trying to make up for, but compassionate nonetheless. The other comes off as a fierce warrior in love with a nutty pilot.

Jubal Early and the Operative were side characters, and villians. But it could just as easily be said that all Russians, or all short guys with Cockney accents, are portrayed as bad guys.

On another note... I still stand by my original statement. I honestly don't think it's that big a deal. Sure, I'd like there to be more Asians (and South Asians, in particular) in film and TV, but that doesn't get me all worked up whenever I see a cast without any Asians in it. Even when it comes to Firefly. KF

~Kaiser Farooque

ZOE: Preacher, don’t the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?
BOOK: Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps...

JEBUSYOON

Friday, October 14, 2005 7:49 PM

i guess what im really angry is at the lack of response. i mean, the minorities are right, there is a new kind of rasism, and it's not your blatent, "you're different skin color" rasisim. it's this passive, who cares rasisim. i don't know if i said that correctly, but that's what peeved me off. not that joss didnt' employ asians, but just the blase response he had when he didn't have any. like, "oh, we dont' have asians? oh well." and every other fan trying to defend him by altering the universe so it could fit a non-asian human society. so my anger is toward not the people, but their blindness, their ignorance, and a sense, my ignorance as well. i've ignored this problem, saying to myself, all these different races should chill, but i think this outrage is needed to open our eyes. i hope that made sense...

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