Tuesday morning was spent learning about Evergreen’s library resources. Although I have seen presentations from Stokley before, I feel that I retain more information on how to find reliable sources each time. After that we spent a bit of time watching Asian-fusion music videos.

Tuesday afternoon was spent watching Better Luck Tomorrow, a coming of age film about a group of young Asian men. This movie brought to light some of the pressures that youth succumb to in the model minority. Although this movie had an extreme take on ways in which these students dealt with their pressure, it was a hyperbolic portrayal of the struggle to retain adolescence in a world that pushes them toward idealistic “success.” This movie caught attention because of a “negative” view on Asian Americans, although during class discussion we brought to light the fact that there really just aren’t enough depictions of Asian Americans in popular film and media to have any comparison as to what a “good” depiction might be. It was also noted that there wasn’t any distinction between country of origin, leaving a wider range for what it means to be Asian American as a whole.

On Wednesday we discussed problems with identity related to the article “The Accidental Asian.” The discussion of this article led to such questions as what it means to be Asian-American vs. simply American, and who benefits from the hyphenated term. We also discussed the othering of categorizing Americans. While many topics were brought up, the complex issues did not necessarily lead to any concise answers, because the questions were complex on a personal basis.

During Friday seminar we discussed Donald Duk. This book was about a boy coming to terms with his culture. Throughout the novel we watch Donald grow into his Chinese heritage as opposed to simply assimilating into white American culture because he’s afraid to stand out. This book brought up a few important points about erasure of the Chinese culture within America, as well as the inherent racism that Donald experiences both from outside sources and towards himself.