I
am not an artist, but more of an expressionist. I hope that this blog will help
inform others of the present struggles that the Asian American and Pacific
Islander (AAPI) community face that are hidden from the world since their image
is distorted through stereotypes. As an avid Asian American studies student, I
am very much interested in the history and future of AAPI’s living in the
United States because to understand our present situation and role in American
society, it is important to study the past to not make the same mistakes again.
I am hoping that this blog will be educational and informative on serious
matters that concern AAPI’s but also be a beacon of hope for them as well. As a
Filipino American I know firsthand the discrimination that many AAPI’s face
having faced them myself. Ostracizing AAPIs with negative labels as chink, nerd, math lover, etc.
can cause conflict in their identity because although they are born or became
American while living here, some people still perpetuate the concept of AAPIs
as “forever foreigners”, incapable of assimilation. I hope to delve into the
ideas of AAPI identity and how intergenerational conflict, school, personal
experience, trauma, and other factors impact one’s identity in order to prove
that hegemonic structures force us to have an identity within this American
society to keep us distinct and labeled so we do not unify as one people but
rather keep to our differences and remain oppressed as minorities.
My
influences for the type of media I want to present include Wayne Wang, the
director of “Chan is Missing”, and also Deepa Mehta, the director of “Earth”. For
me, these movies displayed the true realities or histories of AAPIs and Asians
(Non-Americans) and that was an enriching experience instead of the American
media that portrays Asians and AAPIs in a false light like “Flower Drum Song”
or even hardcore action films like “Rush Hour” or “Kill Bill”. Mostly I want to
keep tabs on the new series on ABC station called, “Fresh off the Boat”, to see
their perspective and representation of whom Asian Americans are and how they
are defined.
