Finally, Asian Americans as Real People!

 

A "shopping experience" that I've not touched on in the Consumer Maven is the subject of entertainment, particularly what is brought to the masses.  Because most ethnic subcultures tend to live in urban and metropolitan areas, the perceptions of minorities by the general population is strongly influenced by what the media shows.  Because the entertainment media has been very slow to include Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latinos as they live and breathe as 'real' people with 'real problems, emotions and experiences and growth' (just like 'everyone else'), I find it even more important that they take responsibility in how minorities here are portrayed.  African Americans, who have also long fought the way they have been portrayed, have been finally getting better programming options.  These have not necessarily come from the major networks themselves, who seem to be a few beats behind and continue to do the 'same old' same old.  Those options have been opened up by African Americans themselves, many of those shows being on the CW.  It's been refreshing to see how successful African Americans are sharing their success in improving the quality of entertainment programming for all Americans.  Personally I've been a fan of the shows that the Waynans have produced, and I look forward to more diversity as that door gets opened wider and wider.

    

     In that spirit, I want to share that I just saw Eric Byler's film short entitled, "My Life Disoriented."  Eric Byler, whose ancestry is half Chinese, brings a unique perspective.  Though short, it has to be his best work to date. I was very disappointed that PBS in Chicago (WTTW) rescheduled the air date for 2:30 am, but thankful that I could record it. The film centers on an Asian American family that has to relocate from San Francisco to Bakersfield, where there are far fewer Asian Americans. Byler and writer Clair Yorita Lee address issues head on that Asian Americans across the country face, and issues that ALL teenagers experience.  The film deals with how we face our issues, grow from them, find a sense of who we are, develop our concience and our sense of conciousness, and learn who we are in this world and who we want to be.  Byler's film covers all the important emotive areas that shape our lives from teenagers to adults.

     It is also with great relief that Byler, along with his generation of Asian American film makers, are bringing to the American public films that are rooted in reality. For most Caucasians, they see themselves reflected back in the entertainment media and have done so since television first aired entertainment, and since they can probably remember seeing a film. For Asian Americans, it is an entirely different and wondorous experience to finally see people who they can relate to visually, but are also not forced stereotypes with accents and boilerplate situations.  I was excited to see this on television, even if it was at the UnGodly hour of 2:30 am. 

     Perhaps someday, a major network will also grow up and carry a series the likes of Byler's "My Life Disoriented." For now, we can only hope many, many people of all races and ancestry see this fabulous film short. For those who don't have Asian American friends, this may be their only shot at really 'seeing' and experiencing Asian Amercians in all their complexities, their family situations and their mixed race relatives, who for once are also given a voice.

My thanks to my good friend, Cultural Edge for sharing her comments with me.  For a clip of the film check out My Life Disoriented on YouTube.