assignment

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.