assignment

Be a Man!

This week we will be continuing our discussion of binary gender popular culture phenomena.  The topic we will be covering is the import car culture.  The history of Asian American men engaging in this act mirrors the young American men of the 1950's and 1960's.  What defines car ownership, "muscle" and a community built around the import car culture are all centered around the notions of masculinity.  We will cover what it means to exude masculinity, hypermasculinity, the roots of car culture in America, and the reclamation of manhood by Asian Americans.  

As we saw in the pageant lecture, the culture of Asian American beauty pageants mimicked the American beauty pageants.  Celebrating femininity and beauty were the hallmarks of the pageants, helping to build economy in their communities.  The Asian American popular culture trend of import cars will also mirror American car culture with the rise in economy, the thrill of freedom (and speed) and the representation of masculinity.  In this week's discussion we will be utilizing the terms heteronormativity, hegemony, culture and subcultures to frame and understand the development transformation of the feminine to masculine Asian American man. 

The chart below breaks down heternormativity and the binary (only two) ways that social identities present themselves. 

As a part of a heteronormative (relating to behavior consistent with traditional male or female gender roles) society, Asian American men were framed as feminine from an early stage to ensure their lack of sexual threat towards white women in society.  As previously discussed in our media and film lecture, the Chinese laundry man was seen as effeminate, operating businesses regarded as "women's work".  The images of Chinese men back in the late 1800's (an example of an ad below) were like many anti-immigrant images of the time.  Featuring menacing faces with exaggerated features and a single braid (the queue or braid was a social and political tie back to China's Qing dynasty) that to the American public signified femininity. 

  Nearly a hundred years later Asian American men still made no gains in mainstream media as sexually attractive.  In the 1980's American film and society scripted yet another asexual image of Asian Americans.  Whether it be the 1980's Model Minority Whiz Kids in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) or the Asian foreign exchange student (Links to an external site.) as comic relief, Asian men were making no headway in the departments of wooing women into their lives. Their white counterparts were the epitome of beauty and masculinity but their whiteness did not define masculinity.  Other men of color (African American and Chicano/Latinos) were viewed as masculine and even hypermasculine, exuding magnified male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. 

What does it mean then when Asian Americans look to adapt parts of masculine traits from other cultures who exude hypermasculinity?  Would it be seen cultural appropriation, taking parts of a culture without showing the understanding and respect for it's roots?  How can Asian American men be seen as masculine if the roots of Asian men in America have not ties to the definition of masculinity?  And at what cost is achieving success in embodying masculinity (what happens to women in the import car culture)?  In the next tab we will figure out how culture, counter culture, sub culture and the diffusion of culture exist in a society and adapt those terms to the ways Asian American men become contributors to the import car culture.  

Appropriately owned 

View the ten minute Crash Course video below to gain a better understanding of the terms:

· culture

· subculture

· counterculture

Also think about the differences between cultural diffusion as a means of transferring culture and cultural appropriation as an adaptation of cultural traits without permission or knowledge of it's roots.  

Cultural appropriation is something that has been seen in American popular culture for many years.  Marginalized communities have been ostracized for cultural attributes ("foreign" styles of dress, hair, religion and language) and historically have been forced to shed them to assimilate.  But when those in the dominant society grant these cultural customs, practices or traits as beautiful or find some spiritual connection then these attributes are seen as acceptable.  The power that the dominant society has to take ownership of culture while disregarding the importance or significance of it's roots is problematic.  As the photo collage highlights below, mainstream popular culture takes no issue with cultural appropriation.  It's commonly excused as a show of appreciation by the mainstream culture of marginalized cultures such as Asian, African American and Native American but at what cost?  Is it a truly "cultural appreciation" of the culture and ancestral roots or just a trend that was spurred and spread through popular culture?  The images below show attributes of hair, dress and makeup that have ancestral roots (religion, dress) or acts of counter culture (hip hop) that carry a great weight of importance by said culture.  

These acts of appropriation are seen as offensive mainly because of who the perpetrator is (mainstream hegemonic popular culture) and whose culture is being exploited.  The argument is in who is exercising the adaptation of the culture, which is usually the dominant culture taking from the marginalized.  Even to utilize the term "dominant" echos the power dynamics that is in play with the use of culture in an exploitative manner.  The power dynamic is critical to understanding the harm in this practice, since it's usually at the cost of marginalized communities.  In the case that we cover this week (and we will see in the future) what happens when one marginalized community takes aspects of another marginalized community to form something of their own?  Would it still be deemed as appropriation?  

As stated above and with lectures prior, Asian American men hold no masculine traits (except of course brother Bruce).  So when Asian American men adapt symbols of masculinity (thrill of danger, strength and confidence) is it seen as appropriation or can we argue that the performance of masculinity through car racing an act of hybrid culture-a mixture of cultures in the creation of a new?  By looking at the roots of the American car culture and subcultures created by the Latino and African American communities we can then better understand the relationship to the Asian American import car culture.  

An All American Symbol

Man drives, explores, rebels! 

Post WWII American car ownership meant more than just a mode of transportation.  It was a direct symbol of patriotism, pouring American money into a nation that needed to recover from the losses of war.  Purchasing power helped to support a nationalistic drive to build and by things that were "All American".  Manliness was show through economics as suburbanization, home ownership and the traditional family home began to flourish.  As a traditional family, the man (head of the household) would commute to the city (from the newly designed desirable suburbs) to earn the family's income in his American car.  What developed out of this push for car ownership were the businesses in the car industry that supported the local and national economy.  There was nothing more American than buying an American car to drive to work, across country for vacations or to just cruise with your main squeeze on a Friday night.      

All parts of the American car industry fueled the economy, employing entire cities and states and build a sense of community as part of the American fabric.  Businesses including: 

· Body shops

· Carwashes

· Tire shops

· Parts shops

· Repair shops

· Sales lots

· Production and manufacturing 

The community and pride that was build in the car industry was strong for several decades and the Americana feel was reinforced through television ads.  The clip below is of a 1952 Chevrolet commercial with actress and singer Dinah Shore singing their famous jingle.  The ad extends the notion that the American car also acted as a symbol for freedom and a manifested destiny to explore the United States.  Pay attention to the lyrics and the lifestyle that is presented through ownership of the American car, the Chevrolet.  

Part of car culture was also the "rite of passage" of earning a driver's license at the age of 16.  Being young and free with friends built a teen car culture that has lasted for decades (though it has been on the decline for the past few).  Beyond the leisurely cruise down the strip was the car races as depicted in mainstream media that amplified heteronormative gender expressions of masculinity.  Speed, danger, ego and the victorious racer were now on the big screen as prime examples of manhood.  The film Grease has a race scene that shows the clean cut protagonist go up against antagonist and takes their gritty expression of manhood to the extreme.  While viewing the clip pay attention to the expressions of masculinity and femininity (and if you wanted to dig deeper the representation of color as protagonist and antagonist).  

  The problem with these images of the early days in car culture is that the opportunity to view oneself as part of suburbia or teens racing down a dried out river was obsolete.  As we have previously discussed, Asian Americans were not going to see themselves on the big screen (in any positive light for many years) pre-1965 and could not fathom being part of this culture, let alone expressing masculinity.  What happens post 1965 changes everything through population growth, exposure to other communities of culture and the accessibility to disposable income.  The import car culture that sprouted in the 1990's made it to the big screen in the 2000's (though problematic in representation) would not have come into fruition without several major economic downturns and gains in the 1980s. 

The Impact of Imports 

Imported persons and cars 

The 1965 immigration act (which will be discussed in detail in future lectures) opened up the door to the Eastern hemisphere, which was previously closed since 1924.  A nation that was hoping to advance technologically, medically and scientifically actively recruited professions from Asia to fill labor shortages in the United States. Asians took full advantage of American recruitment efforts of professional work visas through the 1965 immigration act.  They migrated, moved up the socioeconomic ladder, settled and repopulated.  They embodied the American Dream and the spirit of the 1950's, home ownership, car ownership and suburbia.  They formed an American identity that differed from earlier Asian Americans as physical laborers with limited English skill and education.  They were able to live provide comfortable lifestyles for their families, including their American born children.  

As this middle class suburban Asian American community was on the rise, there was the decline of the American car industry.  In the 1980's the United States was facing an oil embargo, a recession, high national unemployment rates and a depressed Midwest where American car manufacturing was king.  Unfortunate for the industry but an advantage for consumers, imported cars from Asia began to rise.  The more fuel efficient affordable cars not only entered into American driveways but Asian American driveways that often could afford more than one car per household.  The children of these professionals had access to their own cars, a privilege that not every Asian American had.  The dispensable income, the freedom that the car brought helped to created a community for these young people, especially when it came to the enhancement of the cars. 

Race and class 

Though the young Asian Americans began to build a community based on race, there was also the barrier of class.  In the import car scene it was not enough to just own a car.  What differentiated this community from other car scenes was the modifications of the cars.  In order to modify their cars to their liking they had to have the money to do so.  This means that although this creates a space of inclusion, it inadvertently also excluded those who could not afford to participate.  This meant that the family had to either afford the car for the child or the child would have their own money, earned through working.  Either avenue to car ownership granted access or created a barrier to the car culture.

Early car enthusiasts enjoyed the community found through the import car culture.  It also was a space that presented masculine Asian American men, a break from the unattractive nerds of the 1980's.  Part of this was through the adaptation of hip hop culture in dress, music and vernacular.  The representatives of hip hop were seen as hypermasculine, often in a negative light but used as model for the Asian American male to embody masculine traits.  Hip hop culture has roots in African American and Latino communities that sprouted out of rebellion, a counterculture that has evolved over the years.  What connected the communities of early 1970's and 1980's hip hop culture was the class struggle that was rampant in their communities.  This differed from the Asian American experience (where the class connection lacked) which would then call into question the authenticity of Asian Americans adaptation of hip hop culture (we will examine this further in our future Hip Hop lecture).

Car culture in the African American and Latino communities were similar in terms of a communal space for young people and an expression of their cultures.  In the 1970's young people in Los Angeles California took American cars and modified them, lowering the car and focused on moving low and slow so onlookers get a good view of their car.  The low rider culture found mainstream appeal with exposure by West Coast rap artists (particularly ganster rap) featuring the cars in their videos as part of the hip hop lifestyle.  Hybridizing these subcultures felt natural since they came out of similar communities, struggles and socioeconomic classes.  In this case class was the connector and racial differences did not matter.  

Rappers used low riders, rapped about gangster life and presented a tough exterior.  Aspects of this  hypermasculine culture were adapted by Asian Americans despite their lack of ability to relate to their struggles.  Mimicking other subcultures who were exuding characteristics of hypermasculinity helped to erode the geeky image that plagued some of these youths who could not identify with the stereotype.  This would break the prior image of the Asian American male and grant them more social capital amongst other communities of color and of course, their female counterparts.  

Asian American import cars were seen as a a hybrid culture of sorts, blending parts of Asian identity (imported Asian cars), hip hop culture (dress, music, vernacular), racing (early American teen car culture) and modification of cars (low rider culture).  It has evolved today into a bit of a difference scene, less "gangster" and more about aesthetics.  The import car scene also gained acceptance into the mainstream with a series of films, conventions and magazines.  Though participants in this culture do not actively gesticulate masculinity the inception of the culture was a period that shifted the perception of the Asian American man.