wow, i haven't read the blogs for a while and it's been very interesting reading everything. i must admit, when i see a white/asian couple instead of thinking the white guy has an asian fetish i tend to think that asian girl is "white washed". especially when you see that one asian girl with a whole bunch of white people. i should stop thinking that way though, i know.
well, did anyone watch the last samurai? i thought it was a great movie, it's probably similiar to "dances with wolves" new wave, but entertaining nonetheless. i cried through half the movie too. but, there's an email going around talking about how WB was asking for pretty asian girls to send a photo to get picked to wear japanese costumes to the premiere after party. it kind of relates to what we're blogging about so i'm pasting the forward here. it's long so if you don't want to read it, that's cool. =)

"Hi everyone,
Here is the original posting from the "Last Samurai" casting call party
followed by 3 different responses. ( I think the third response is
especially entertaining to read.) To receive extra credit, remember to
Blind Carbon Copy me or email me completely separately your response
to Cheryl Rave

(This was sent out on the UCLA listserve)
************************************************************

CASTING CALL

Casting beautiful Asian women for Warner Bros.' The Last Samurai
Premiere After-party to be held in Westwood on Dec 1st.. Women will be
dressed as village women from the film's wardrobe department and
mingle
'in character' through the party, helping to create the ambience of
ancient Japan, circa 1870's. There is no pay, but a chance to be part
of this year's biggest Hollywood premiere with a guest list including
Tom Crui! se and the rest of The Last Samurai's fantastic cast!!

If interested please forward a picture and information ASAP to:

Cheryl Rave
Entertainment Producer
Warner Bros. Special Events
(818)954-3549 phone
(818)954-3011 fax
Cheryl.Rave@Warnerbros.com


-------------------------------------------------

RESPONSE #1


FROM: Wyn Ngo
DATE: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 13:30:52 -0800 (PST)
TO: [Cheryl.Rave@Warnerbros.com]
SUBJECT: "Last Samurai" Whore Recruiting

Miss Cheryl,

If you were promoting a film that depicted historical African slavery
would you dare consider luring in black people who'd be "in character"
as the party's "negro servants". Perhaps you might do the same with a
film about Jews where the after-party would have starved Nazi camp
prisoners celebrating themselves "in character". Would you dare walk
that ground amongst the blacks & Jews in Hollywood? (But Asians are
always fair ! game? IF YOU THINK THIS THEN YOU'RE WALKING A VERY
DATED PATH SOON TO BE PAVED.)

You are playing upon WHITE MEN'S racist novelty / fetish for ASIA
WOMEN as docile import sex-furniture. (How convenient that you'd
exclude ASIAN MEN as a COCK-BLOCKING presence amongst the white
men at the party who rule Hollywood. Really hard for white fat-cats to
leisurely hit on Asian "Geisha servants" when the ASIAN MALE
"WARRIORS" ironically depicted in your film would stare them down
during the party.)

AN INSULT AT TODAY'S ASIAN-AMERICANS LIVING NEXT DOOR TO YOU:
(Particularly for Japanese Americans.)
The recklessness of your advertisement reflects the very dynamic of
racial power differential you practice in bias for white-dominated
Hollywood. (Where Asians and only the chosen "subservient" women
are for the good ol' boys of the white country club to smack on the
ass.)

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
Are you this culturally st! upid despite your formal education which I
imagine is culturally bias to white social power differential. Learn how
to

live in California amongst TODAY'S Asian Americans who will be the
future employers of your white children (spawned from your white male
husband) after they go to college with them. Bare in mind that TODAY'S
Asian American showbiz executives and creative authorities are on the
rise in Hollywood. WE WILL NOT FORGET THE PEOPLE WHO STEPPED ON
US ALONG OUR WAY UP THE LADDER.

So if you do not respect us out of deeper intelligence then perhaps
you ought to apply your business sense.

TODAY'S Asian AMERICANS are a proactive force in America with a
higher education mixed with sophisticated social awareness of a dual
cultural identity. This includes life experiences of RACIAL tension
inherent with the American upbringing. As new incoming generations
of AMERICANS WHO ARE ASIAN enter the higher status of the Am! erican
society they bring with them a vigilant pride fed by their multi-
cultural sensibility.

So be careful that if not just for yourself your children will not not
keep up with us. They may inherited from you a dated sense of racial
social perspective that elevated their parents' social position "back in
the
day" but now serves only to alienate them in the racial future of
America.
PAY ATTENTION TO WHO WE REALLY ARE. As we are paying close
attention to HOW YOU PORTRAY "WHO WE ARE".

-Wyn Ngo
(An Asian American MALE in showbiz.)


-------------------------------------------------

RESPONSE #2


Dear Ms. Rave,

I am writing this letter in opposition to the casting call you recently
sent
out on UCLA's listserv. I have seen the preview for The Last Samurai and
was incredibly disturbed by the romance between Tom Cruise and the
female Asian woman. Granted, I have not yet seen the movie so I do! n't
know how the relationship arose and how/if it ended at the conclusion
of the movie, but the very idea of a white man going into an Asian
country and sleeping with an Asian women is sufficient to spark my
anger.

Historically in America, Asian women have been depicted as sex toys,
commodified, exoticized, and hypersexualized in film, literature, and
other mediums of art. Historically, white men have invaded Asian
countries (such as Korea) with the facade that they are "helping" that
country rise out of its third/second world status. Instead, white men
have raped Asian women and robbed them of their dignity and honor.
Hollywood is following suit by depicting Asians and Asian Americans as
objects of commodification and hyper- or hyposexualization. Our
women are too sexy and our men are not sexy enough. Our cultures are
trivial and can be lumped together.

One example is when Pierce Brosnan [had sex] in a Buddhis! t temple in
007. If the producers of that film had done their research properly,
they
would have known that any type of profanity or indecency in a Buddhist
temple is completely unacceptable and downright appalling in Asian
cultures. Another example is in Mulan. Apparently she was a Chinese
girl, yet she was wearing a traditional Japanese kimono. This reflects
the
little regard that Hollywood producers have for Asian cultures.
Hollywood clumps us all together and it does not matter whether we are
wearing kimonos or hanboks or saris. Each Asian country is a distinct
country with its own history, cultures, values, food, and honor system.

However, that is not to say that when one Asian community is attacked,
the other Asian communities do not rise to their defense. Having seen
the preview for The Last Samurai, I fear that again Japanese women will
be depicted as sex objects for white men - Tom Cruise sleeps with a
Japanese wom! an. Regardless of how that relationship arose, the
perpetuation of sexual imperialism by white man to Asian women is
absolutely unacceptable.

Your casting call requested "beautiful Asian women." Again, apparently
we all look alike too, correct? During World War II and Japanese
Internment, Korean and Chinese Americans had to wear pins that said
"Korean, Not Japanese" so that the police officers - white people -
could
differentiate between who to take and who not to take to camp. In this
case, you don't care. Any beautiful Asian will do. Any Asian woman can
dress up in village clothing to scamper about among Hollywood's
toughest white men. I wonder why your casting call did not call for
handsome Asian men? Are they not also part of the scenery in an 1870s
traditional Japanese village? It is my understanding that Asian women
(oooh, forgive me if I make generalizations, but as long as you're doing
it, why can't I?) were no! t allowed outside their homes. It was
considered

indecent for women to be outdoors among society. So if you really
wanted to recreate a traditional Japanese village, you may want to
change your casting call for ONLY men instead.

I also oppose the fact that you called the 1870s "ancient Japan." In the
1870s in America, Reconstruction was in full swing. The 17th and 18th
centuries In England saw the continual rise of the Industrial
Revolution.
Is that your definition of "ancient"? Asian countries are responsible
for
many renovative inventions; for example, the printing press was
invented in Korea long before Guttenberg. Asian countries are NOT
backwards, are NOT primitive, are NOT "ancient." (i added this after i
sent it to her)

The fact that you asked for "beautiful" women also raises questions.
Whose defintion of "beautiful" are you using? Your western one or my
Asian one? What purpose would the women serve? Were you als! o going
to ask them to speak in "Ching chong cho" language to really get into
character? Should they bat their eyes and appear docile, demure, servile
and submissive? Would you like them to shuffle their feet? According to
the character in your film, should the Asian women who respond to your
casting call also sleep with Tom Cruise and the other white men who will
be at the party?

You sold us the "American Dream" and we took the bait. We came to
America. We built your damn railroads. We did your damn laundry. We
sold you cigarettes in liquor stores. We fed you Chinese noodles and
sushi. We grew your damn sugar and pineapples. We cleaned your
houses while you worked in a real white collar job. We slept with you
because you told us America and American men were better.

You did not offer any pay for this job of dressing up and mingling with
Hollywood's finest. Apparently you consider it a privilege to
participate
in t! his party. You think we do not have anything better to do than get
dressed up in costume to meet Tom Cruise. Think again. Did you not see
Asians rallying against Proposition 54 in the election last month? Do
you
not see Asians with the highest enrollment in top-notch universities?
We're your doctors. We're your lawyers. We're your judges and police
officers and governors and politicians. We're your teachers and your
librarians and your Hollywood filmmakers and producers. We're your
classmates and neighbors and friends.

We are NOT free labor. We are NOT your servants. We are NOT objects of
commodification or exotification or oppression. We are NOT your sex
toys.

So in response to your casting call... NO, we are NOT interested in the
role to play "beautiful Asian women." And get it right: Asian AMERICAN
women.

Sarah Park*
UCLA Asian American Studies Masters Program
3230 Campbell Hall, Box 951546
Los A! ngeles, CA 90095
spark@ucla.edu

-------------------------------------------------

RESPONSE #3

Dear Ms. Rave:

I read the "casting call" for the premiere of "The Last Samurai." I also
read Mr. Wyn Ngo's letter castigating your advertisement.

I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Ngo's criticisms of your action.
However, since I do not know who you are, what type of person you are,
what kind of political and cultural sensitivities you may possess, or
how open you would be to feedback from Asian Americans, I don't know
what I could say to you that would be persuasive and meaningful.

Are you the type of person who would read the letter . . .

* and immediately realize the serious mistake you made and
acknowledge how insensitive it was,

* or try to cut the losses and issue an "apology" even though you
don't mean it and deep down think people are being too thin-skinned,

* or say, "Tough shit. This is Holly! wood and I'm a Tinseltown
hack. I need to make the party FUN for the guests,"

* or you couldn't give a shit about Asian Americans because you
don't like slant-eyed slopes anyway. "So, call me racist. I'm proud to
be one!"

Whatever your response, I think you ought to make it clear, unequivocal,
immediate and widespread.

I can assure you your casting call and Mr. Ngo's letter are already
circulating broadly through the world wide web, and across the country.
Already, in the eyes of MOST in the Asian American communities, Cheryl
Rave joins the ranks of Senator Trent Lott, Rep. Howard Coble, baseball
executive Bill Singer, baseball player John Rocker, golfer Jan
Stephenson, Al Campanis, Jimmy the Greek, and on and on. In deed, not
good company! Most of them were dismissed or forced to resign from
their
jobs and/or became interminable targets of protest and embarrassment.

I hope you have the courage and the wisdom to see ! the error of your
ways, take it to heart and do something to correct the immediate
situation and to do good for human kind in the long run.

Mike Murase
mmurase@comcast.net"