Freaks: The Long Connection Between Monsters And The Disabled In Fiction

“I expected this reception. All men hate the wretched. How, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty toward me, and I will do mine toward you and the rest of mankind. If you will comply with my conditions, I will leave them and you at peace, but if you refuse I will glut the maw of death, until it be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends.

Everybody Is Kung Fu Fighting… But Should They Be?

So if you’ve been paying attention to entertainment news recently, you probably saw that Marvel Studios has finally announced its first project with an Asian lead. The film, Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings, will be released in 2021 and will star Awkwafina, Tony Leung and Simu Liu as the title character. This is a big deal. It’s what Asian American filmgoers have been demanding for years; a big Hollywood blockbuster with an Asian lead, an Asian director, and even an Asian screenwriter. It’s perfect. Or is it? See, I’m very happy that we, as Asian Americans, are getting a big superhero film of this nature. But the more I looked into the movie, the more confused, and concerned, I became.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before…

You’re watching a movie or TV show, two characters are talking, and one of them says something offensive. The other person tells them to not say that, and then winds up saying something even more offensive.

Here are just a few examples of what I’m talking about:

FROM THE BOONDOCKS:

“Don’t say that something’s gay. It’s offensive to fags.”

FROM CRASH:

“Don’t be ignorant. They’re probably Thai or Cambodian. Totally different kinds of Chinks.”

FROM THE BIG LEBOWSKI:

“Also, dude, Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian American, please.”

“Walter, this isn’t a guy who built the railroads here. This is a guy—“

“What the f*** are you talking about?”

“Walter, he peed on my rug!”

“He peed on the Dude’s rug.”

“Donnie, you’re out of your element. Dude, the Chinaman is not the issue here!”

My Thoughts On Mother’s Day

So it’s Mother’s Day. It’s the one time of year that we actually look up from our phones and acknowledge that our moms did a lot for us and say thank you. And you know what? I don’t like it.

Brightburn, And The Troubling Trend Of “Evil Superman” Stories

So, in case you guys haven’t seen the trailer for Brightburn, the upcoming James Gunn sci-fi/horror flick, here’s the rundown. It’s basically “evil Superman.” No, they never say the name Superman in the trailer. But the story is about a little boy who lands on Earth, is raised by a kindly couple in the countryside, exhibits powers as he grows up, and wears a red cape. Except here, he kills people instead of saving them.

Is Constance Wu A Trailblazer?

So I follow Constance Wu on Instagram, and I saw a video she posted recently where she was talking about how, soon, she’d be shooting the 100th episode of Fresh Off The Boat. That was a big deal for her because, one, that’s the most episodes of anything she’s ever shot, and two, it will officially mark the longest run for any show with a majority Asian cast in US TV history.

Why Do People Hate Rose Tico?

Is Crazy Rich Asians Good For Representation?

I read an article in The Atlantic recently. It was by Mark Tseng-Putterman, and titled “One Way That Crazy Rich Asians Is A Step Backward.” What it argued, essentially, was that, despite the films groundbreaking nature, it also took care to represent its Asian characters according to White norms. Those norms being things like having Western names, going to Western universities, wearing Western-style clothes, and being wealthy and materialistic. To Mr. Tseng-Putterman, the fact that the Asian characters in the movie were all so well off and Westernized made them un-relatable, and not at all emblematic of the experiences shared by the vast majority of Asian Americans. Now, normally, I wouldn’t give an op-ed piece like this much thought. Every time a movie about a certain group or issue comes out, even if the intentions of the filmmakers are clearly good, there will inevitably be detractors. There were women who thought that Wonder Woman wasn’t Feminist enough. There were Black people who thought that Black Panther perpetuated Western stereotypes of Africans as being warlike and tribal. So, of course, Crazy Rich Asians will have its fair share of Asian detractors. But two things happened, the publishing of Kelly Marie Tran’s New York Times piece, and the release of Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, that got me thinking about the article and its questions of Asian representation more seriously. So I decided to address them, and, hopefully, figure out what, if any, solutions can be found.

Will Asian-Americans Ever Get A “Black Panther?”

Greetings Loved Ones! Liu Is The Name, And Views Are My Game.

Who Gets A Chance In Hollywood?

It’s Friday, March 2^nd. Exactly one week from this date, A Wrinkle In Time will hit theaters. And, regardless of how the film turns out, this will mark a momentous occasion in film history. Not only will it be the first time Madeline L’Engle’s classic sci-fi book is adapted for the big-screen, it will also mark the first time in history that a Black woman, Ava Duvernay, helms a picture with a $100 million budget. 50 years ago, or even 20 years ago, such a thing would be inconceivable. Now, though, female filmmakers and filmmakers of color are being put in charge of high-profile projects all the time. Hell, filmmakers in general are being given more chances to helm blockbusters than ever before. Don’t believe me? Well then ask yourself, what do Mark Webb, Collin Trevorrow, John Watts, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Patty Jenkins, and Ryan Coogler all have in common? Each of them only directed a handful of low-budget indies before being given the reigns to giant tentpole films. In the case of Jenkins and Trevorrow, they literally only directed one feature film beforehand. Now, being a young, up-and-coming screenwriter, I’m very happy that this kind of thing is happening. It means that the chances of me being able to make the movies that I love are greater. At the same time, however, it got me thinking. Who gets those chances?