Cultural Curiosities #1: Super Sentai

I am a total eccentric and find myself drawn to very random cultural artifacts.  One of the weird ones in the Japanese children's show phenomenon known as Super Sentai.  In America Super Sentai was adapted into Power Rangers and while that franchise continues in The States it always will be most strongly associated with the original 90s "Mighty Morphin'' incarnation and has become a bit of an icon of the decade.  In Japan the franchise dates to 1975 and has become much more of a staple of children's television than a nostalgic icon.  This is also due to the fact that since 1977 every year has had a different team and story so each generation of children has a different set of helmet wearing super heroes they identify with.  Of course, Sentai is just a small part of the large tradition of "Tokusatsu" television in Japan.  "Tokusatsu" refers to any show or movie with heavy use of special effects, the most famous being the Godzilla franchise.  There are countless shows in Japan which fall into this category and some, besides Sentai, such as Ultraman, Metal Hero, and Kamen Rider, have also had highly successful long running franchises the history of which I will explore in a later post. So why have these successful franchises only had limited success in stateside adaptations? Here are some reasons I think this is the case.

1. A Different Style of Super Hero: The American Super Hero tradition hasn't typically involved giant robots or completely face-concealing helmet-like masks.  Face concealment is de rigueur of Japanese super heroes while masked American heroes typically have a least part of their face exposed. or at least are form fitting to show some features.  Often American heroes have no mask at all.  One notable exception to this rule is Spiderman who actually played a role in the development of Super Sentai.  His extremely loose, but Marvel licensed, 1978 tokusatsu television adaptation involved a giant robot which would fight enlarged monsters, a formula which would be adopted by the Super Sentai franchise. Americans just don't expect their heroes to wear motorcycle helmets and that itself creates a cultural gap in tokusatsu's acceptance in American culture. However, it is the giant robot and monsters which have always been,and continue to be, associated with the Japanese.  It is a modern film making technique that originated in Japan so it is hard for western audiences to separate it from that.The entire formula, while influenced by American comic books, still looks and feels foreign. 
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2. Different standards of what is appropriate for children:  Tokusatsu shows can be extremely dark and do not shy away from death, violence, revenge, and flawed heroes.  1986's "Flashman" centered on five children abducted from earth in their youth and returning 10 years later to protect it from the aliens who held them captive.  An earlier season called "Battle Fever J"(1979) has an episode where the  evil organization can make its followers wishes come true with mind control.  This leads to a little girl committing suicide because one of her classmates is jealous of her class ranking and wishes to be the top student in the class.  Even one of the most recent seasons of Super Sentai,"ToQger"(2014), involves a complicated world within a group of children's imagination that reflects on reality.  All of these complex stories and consistently violent fight scenes, needless to say the Japanese are a little more comfortable with children processing some tough issues.
3. Comfort with campiness: Some American children's programming has also had dark themes as well.  What really separates Sentai is despite this darkness, you're still dealing with grown-ups running around in spandex suits fighting obviously fake monsters.  In America we have a very hard time mixing camp with drama, look at how confusing "Once Upon a Time" can be.  Super Sentai teams typically have a stylized transformation scene followed by an elaborate roll call which is often accented by pyrotechnics, posing, and plenty of sound effects.  Its dramatic to the point of humorous, but that's a line which the Japanese seem to be far more comfortable flirting with, a line which changes from season to season and adapts to changing Japanese tastes and trends. This duality is what makes tokusatsu so fun to watch, its so different from super heroes we have in American.
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There are exceptions to every argument I have posited here which I would like to explore further. However I hope this introduces you to the fun and often bizarre world of Super Sentai.

Let's Talk Stereotypes: Commercials

I adore all things kitschy and terrible, so the fact that people upload old commercials onto youtube is terrible for my productivity. One of my all time favorites is this awful Jell-o commercial depicting a "small Chinese-type baby" struggling with the "famous western delicacy" of Jell-o because he only has chopsticks.

https://youtu.be/Fp20Qli57Q8

Is this commercial racist?  I'm sure it's used as an an example of racism by teachers in classes, but I think its important to recognize the difference between stereotyping and racism.  In my mind stereotyping is built on old and narrow assumptions one group of people has about another while racism is linked to the idea that there is a genetic or cultural difference making one race superior to or more human than another. I would argue that this commercial stereotypes Chinese based on Americans limited understanding of Chinese culture.  While it is racial stereotyping it is not implying that Chinese people are inferior to Americans.  The accent is terrible but it reflects more of a narrow idea of Chinese culture and not that they are lesser people.  The only aspect that might be racist is the idea that the spoon is a western invention which the Chinese never thought of.  I know for a fact that the Chinese used spoons far before Jell-o but it certainly makes for a good punchline and I suspect none of the makers of this commercial would not have debated someone who told them that "hey, you know you missed a huge part of a complex culture."  I'm not saying its not problematic but I don't  know if it should be categorized as "racist."  That doesn't mean that all commercials are simply stereotyping races. This ad for AsianDate.com from 2014 has some far more troubling implications.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_bGjxVQS-4

My friend told me about this ad when he saw it on TV and it blows my mind that this is a real thing.  While dating sites based on race have become commonplace, this commercial is bound to make you feel creepy.  It's because it is rooted in the inherent sexualization of Asian women.  I come from a mixed race background, with my mom being Chinese and my Dad American. I don't think he  was attracted to my mother due to her mastery of the "Art of The Welcome."  There is a legacy of the "sexual oriental," largely relating to the way we portray mixed race couples(here's an interesting article on the subject https://garrisonmonti.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/female/). These women are presented as a way to "expand your world of dating" and while they are being objectified based on their sex they are also being objectified based on their race.  These are not people but exotic flowers which will spice up your dull dating life. We are born to think within a progress narrative, but what is more harmful?: an over-simplified view of a culture or an over-sexualized view of people as objects.

Who Am I? #1

Is it possible for a theater kid to not sing that question?  I don't think so. I'm not even a huge "Le Miserables" Fan and I always melodramatically sing "WHO AM I!!!!?' in my head.

Any-who...The idea behind posts with this title will be me exploring issues surrounding identity.  I feel that personal identity becomes a bigger problem when we have a society that values individual freedom while simultaneously endorsing a very utilitarian outlook on the world.  With the rise of popular sociology I feel that people are even more willing to fit into a box or put others into boxes, a big temptation for someone studying culture and society! Don't let society continue to chip away at human dignity.  I encourage everybody to take the time to reflect on their own identity. Maybe if we take time to find our own dignity beyond what we produce we can be better equipped to recognize inherent human dignity in others.

My first reflection is about my Chinese heritage.

The National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPiPgvZjNtg

Magnificent mountains and rivers, (with) bountiful and diverse goods;
Descendants of Yan and Huang, to be the heroes of East Asia.
Never abandon in desperation, nor being complacent with achievement,
Glorify our nation and work promoting Great Unity.
Pioneering work was full of hardships and (we should) commemorate those founders and martyrs,
Maintaining (their heritage) is not easy and never seek only for instant benefit.
With one heart and one soul, carrying (these virtues) from beginning to end,
Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth!

My Chinese heritage actually can be a rough subject for me.  In many ways I have totally given into the temptation to reject it, to simply be a "normal American."  I barely speak the language, still can't keep the dynasties straight, and often find myself looking down at Chinese cultural norms.
However,the physical reality is that half of me is Chinese, half of me is a child of the Yan and Huang. One of my parents, the team that brought me into the world, is Chinese.  No matter how muted or distorted my mother's point of view was due to the American context of my upbringing she still is part of who I am. I often wonder why Chinese history or patriotism can still move me even though I am so separated from that part of my identity.  My mother never tried to instill any particular national pride and I was unfamiliar with most of Chinese history until recently. The very anthem I included has had an identity crisis in its own right.  Since it belongs to the Republic of China and not the People's Republic of China this anthem isn't recognized as officially Chinese by most of the world. In fact when Taiwan(ROC) participates in the Olympics and their flag is raised modified lyrics are used  to avoid political implications. While this reality seems to negate the ideals espoused by this anthem I think you'd be hard pressed to not find comradery between Chinese people, no matter what government they live under.  The relatively recent rise of the communist government is just another part of China's history which has seen numerous political regimes.  My mother has never been to mainland China but she certainly identifies herself as Chinese.  "Being Chinese" doesn't reside in political lines (though it could be argued that with younger people in Taiwan and Hong Kong this has occurred to an extent).  In contrast, "being American" is inherently invested in our republican political system, as it could be argued that politics were the very reason The United States was founded.  So while I may identify more as "American" it does not have as strong sense of "a people" like the Chinese have developed through centuries of political change.  Even though it is only half of my heritage, I share in this tradition. No matter where I go and what I do I always will be half-Chinese and share, at least partially, in the tradition of unity among Chinese people.

The Manifesto

Graduate school has been the most difficult transition I have ever gone through in my life.  It might just be related to my insecurities and anxiety surrounding my future, but I have never felt more challenged to keep going. I've realized that I need to have an outlet to express ideas and opinions relating to and beyond my academic work.  This blog is going to be an open space for thoughts I have about various topics but mostly will be centered on my interest in cultural studies.  Hopefully people find something interesting in my opinions!