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When do you ‘count’? The issue with #Yellowstone and Mixed Race People

September 1, 2017 //
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The Fairy Princess is mixed race. We sometimes refer to that as Hapa in the Asian American/Pacific Islander community. Hapa comes from the Native Hawaiian language and it began as Hapa Haole – which meant, “half-foreign’.

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Hapa does not refer to the content of anyone’s Asian or Pacific Islander heritage – and that is something that sometimes gets confused – but refers to the thing that makes them different, the ‘other’ that is oftimes considered a marker of losing one’s heritage if you are of Pacific Islander or Asian heritage. Or honestly, any kind of ethnic diversity, once you mix ‘the other’ into it, people start to lose their minds over it.

The mixing.

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Nowhere in the history of Asian or Pacific Islander peoples have people particularly welcomed these ‘half breed’ children. Though the Native Hawaiians were the most welcoming and Hapa (again, shorthand for Hapa Haole), was not a slur. Which explains why mixed race people particularly of Pacific Islander or Asian descent enjoy using this term, and why it’s usage had expanded into the general lexicon of American language.

Not ‘co-opted‘ – it’s usage is commonplace now, that is an entirely different thing. If we all stopped using words from other languages, we would all have to go back to hand signals and grunting.

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Oscar Hammerstein wrote a whole show about the horror with which mixed raced children are viewed called SOUTH PACIFIC, if you are interested. There are plenty of derogatory names for them, which TFP will not go into – and in general, unless these kids happen to be super smoking hot like Miss Universe Brook Lee,

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who yes, hails from Hawaii, most ‘pureblood‘ people do not welcome Hapas.

(Happy Harry Potter’s Kid goes to Hogwart’s Day, btw)

It is an ‘actual thing.“, as the kids say.

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TFP, she is ‘half-other’. Her heritage is Irish, Chinese, and Welsh – as well as being of dual nationality – Australian and American. She is married to a Korean of Chinese descent American, and thus her child is Korean, Chinese, Irish, and Welsh.

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That someone is of mixed heritage is important because being of mixed heritage, is enough to get one publicly flayed for not being ‘enough.’

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This is not solely the view of people within Pacific Islander or Asian American groups- this is a cross cultural problem within EVERY  group.

If there is one thing that unites us all, it is that the mixing of ethnic heritages (we are not talking Irish/English, or French/Norwegian) that results in different skin tones has never been welcomed by any group.

Ever.

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Here is the issue this week- very well considered by ReAppropriate – there is a Native American Actor named Adam Beach.

You have likely seen him in films and on television – he is quite a good actor. TFP has always enjoyed his performances, and he is an advocate in his community as well as being a commercially employed Hollywood actor.

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All to his credit.

Mr. Beach is a leader in his community, and so – people listen when he talks, or posts on social media.

This past week, Mr. Beach took issue with a mixed race Actress named Kelsey Asbille, being hired to play a role of a Native American.

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Mr. Beach identifies Ms. Asbille as Asian American, or rather mixed race Asian American – aka Asian and Caucasian.

The issue is, that Ms. Asbille identifies herself as Asian, Native American, and Caucasian in an interview with The New York Times, and has played Native American before in the film, WIND RIVER.

Here is the direct quote from the article “What’s so Hard about Casting Indian Actors in Indian Roles?” in regards to her playing the role in WIND RIVER:

Kelsey Asbille, who plays Natalie, the young Indian woman who is raped and murdered in “Wind River,” is of Taiwanese, British and Eastern Band Cherokee descent. Although she did not grow up in an indigenous community, she said she had an “intense connection” to Natalie and what she stood for, adding, “This role, more than any other, it’s in my blood.”

In the film WIND RIVER – a film where concerted effort was made to cast authentically – Ms. Asbille passed the test. That film, incidentally, won Taylor Sheridan a Best Director trophy in Cannes.

Then she got another role, a role Mr. Beach felt should go to someone who has been more active in the NA community. This role involves portraying a young wife of Native Heritage who lives on a Reservation in a project called YELLOWSTONE.

Now, the Writer/Director of YELLOWSTONE is Taylor Sheridan, the man who cast her in  WIND RIVER, she is not the main star of the series. The main star is Kevin Costner. She will play the wife of his youngest son.

Did she read for this role, or was it offered? We are not her agents and we do not really know, but it is likely that if the Actor/Director relationship worked well the first time, she had a bit of a head start over other NA Actresses who may have gone in. Again, the Director believes that she has NA heritage. He is accepting of her mixed heritage, as he should be.

Interestingly quoted in that same NY Times article, is Professor Carla Pratt who stated:

“Being Indian is more of a political and cultural identity than racial,” explained Carla Pratt, a professor at Penn State University and a justice of the Supreme Court of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. “We do have a reluctance to accept someone who doesn’t fit that stereotypical image.”

Which explains why Mr. Beach is very ‘dug in’ in his opinion about her playing the role.

In other words, while the Census and the Director would perhaps consider Ms. Asbille to ‘count’, Mr. Beach would not – because he is concerned with both community awareness and participation, as much as he is concerned about acting.

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That this ‘controversy’ is really a thinly disguised purity test is not a surprise to TFP.

No one has ever truly welcomed racial mixing, and even as our world continues to evolve, those of us on the front lines will continue to take the hits. This, even as it is acknowledged that racial mixing will continue and it will be a larger segment of the population of America moving forward.

Lest we forget, Chloe Bennet recently had to respond to people who criticized her for changing her surname from her Father’s last name to his first name, because of what she called out as the bias of Hollywood.

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Keanu Reeves, Dwayne Johnson, Moon Bloodgood,  Nancy Kwan, Merle Dandridge, and every other person of mixed race descent  have all had to explain their right to tell stories that they were entitled to tell based on Family History.

Imagine if you were under as much scrutiny as a mixed race Actor or Actress- eternally justifying your existence – having to constantly avow your ‘loyalty’ to every faction to which you do and should lay claim.

“But I make my own (insert traditional dish)”

“I practice traditional dance every day”

“I have tattoos that show my pride in my heritage.”

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You would be as exhausted as TFP is- and that is not something she would wish on anyone. Inherent in the need to justify – is also blatant sexism – women are asked to explain themselves more than men- this is common to all women.

People always want women to explain themselves more than men.

An example would be Actor Jason Momoa, who has a host of races within his heritage, and also played a mixed race Native American in his series on Netflix, FRONTIER. His being of mixed descent is a huge plot point and he is surrounded by Indigenous Actors and Actresses who also have roles of great importance within the show. He used his heritage to help get the project off the ground, and he used it as a plot point.

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TFP recalls absolutely no one questioning his ‘right’ to self identify as Native American.

Of course, Jason Momoa is JASON MOMOA!!

No one is going to ‘check’ Drogo.

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No one.

But a young gal in her twenties…they will come for her.

Because, men.

The issue to TFP is the bias that is shown towards people of mixed heritage on a regular basis.

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If we audition and happen to do the best that day, it is never ‘unchallenged‘ unless there is a qualifier, a reason that ‘purebloods‘ can accept for our casting. ‘She is fluent…’ or ‘They are an expert in…’ there has to be what TFP laughingly refers to as ‘plausible inclusivity’ when we are cast.

When the truth is – we all get called in, we all look a variety of ways within our ‘grouping’, we all read, someone reads ‘the best’.

They get the job as long as the physicality of the actress fits the role and casting finds them credible.

Bias, for mixed people is everywhere – there is honestly very little winning.

For example, on her personal Social Media page, TFP had people discussing the fact that Major Ben Daimio, who has been identifed as a mixed race person both by Ed Skrein and in press reports was ‘probably not mixed race’ and ‘they didn’t care, but probably not“- because it is hard for people to embrace mixed race people if they come from a homogenus background.

ON HER OWN SOCIAL MEDIA WALL.

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(She still loves them, but come ON!)

That is bias against the concept of mixed race people – even if it comes from well respected and talented people.

It is still bias. 

It is ingrained in our various cultures that Mixed People signal the end of culture, when that is usually very far from the truth. Mixed Race people, TFP has found, in general, try harder to get those cultural representations correct- we have a lot to ‘prove’, that is the load we carry, every day.

That Ms. Asbille is proud to represent for Native Americans is not something that has been taken into consideration – what is important is that she participate in activities that the Native American Acting Community, and Mr. Beach deem worthy.

TFP imagines that he has a list.

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Mr. Beach said that Native American actresses should not have to wake up and be slapped in the face by Ms. Asbille’s casting. 

Mr. Beach never envisioned what Ms. Asbille’s morning was, as a mixed raced person, to wake up to being personally attacked on the internet, being slapped in the face by the reasoning that she was not ‘enough’ to ‘count’.

Of course, he is the counter of all things.

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However if the ‘greater’ NA Community is against ‘blood purity’ aka “Genetic Marker” tests – then the issue should be moot, especially as the IPCB – Indigenous People’s Council on Biocolonialism has this on their front page:

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Here is a ‘still’ from the film WIND RIVER –

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Ms. Asbille did not say she was 100% Native American – she says she has heritage from Eastern Band Cherokee. TFP does think she looks like she has ‘more’ in her DNA than Asian and Caucasian. 

To TFP, she looks ‘extra’ .

TFP is familiar with these issues, and what mixed race NA people could look like. The range of what appearance ‘could be’ is vast- it involves every sort of eye shape and color, skin tone, and hair shade and texture. She is familiar with this because her Father represented two Tribes.

 Her Father, who was not Native American ( he was Irish American) but who was a Tribal Judge and a lawyer for both the Abernaki tribe in Vermont, and the Schagticoke Tribe in Connecticut before he passed, made her aware of some of the issues facing the Tribes in question. She would drive him up to the Rez, talk to the Chief….

TFP is perhaps more aware of some of the issues facing the NA population than, say, the average person –  she is not an expert – but she is familiar – and this is what it comes down to:

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The first Europeans who settled in America visited enacted tragedies upon the Native Americans.

This is not up for debate – they did it.

They raped. They murdered. They deliberately stole the children from Tribes, and sent them to schools where they were not allowed to speak their native language and they cut their hair. 

They deliberately removed them from their traditional lands and placed them on lands where nothing would grow. They spread contagion and death through smallpox deliberately. 

They sent them on the Trail of Tears that killed thousands. They used the Native American populations in ways that are unspeakable.

This was all deliberate.

The repercussions of what was done to NA Tribes is with us today and will honestly never be fixed unless America looks hard at itself and takes massive steps to improve the situations that keep NA people from thriving within modern America.

It was done by the White people and it was done as part of a concerted Government Effort because historically, White People like to take things that other people have.

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Thus, many Native Americans – not all Native Americans, but many, will have strands of alternate DNA within their genes. In the 2010 Census, it was shown that nearly half of all Native Americans and Indigenous Alaskans claim to be of mixed race.

This does not negate their cultural identification or love of being Native American.

What it means is that their ancestors survived.

They did what they had to do. They may have fallen in love, they may have used what they had to escape what was worse. They may have had no choice in the matter. 

They were strong and proud and people of mixed heritage are living testaments to their strength and will to survive. They are , to a certain extent, definitive comment that walks and breathes that shows America no matter what happens- Native Americans are stronger than anything thrown at them by racist and sexist America.

They survived. Again, to reference what the Professor said above, Native American Identity is equally political and community driven, as it is racial.

There is the issue of tribal cards and what it means being part of a tribe – now, the rules of joining and substantiating a claim of heritage are strict. This does not account, on many levels for the sustained attack that the Native American population has had thrust on it. Many people left and did not look back.

Both for personal and for socio-economic reasons.

The fact that they left, does not negate their being Native American.

It does, in many cases affect their heirs attaining ‘tribal status’ or to being able to obtain a ‘card’. While there are issues with the ‘card’ system, it is the system we have currently in the United States and adjustments are being made constantly.

So if there is no ‘genetic marker’ test desired by the larger NA community – then what is the issue with Mr. Beach?

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Well, like most actors – he wanted one of his friends to get the role.

TFP totally understands this inclination, everyone likes people they know to succeed.

 The point of representing the community through various types of activities is a valid one – but it is ‘sticky’ because sometimes people are not ‘joiners’, and sometimes younger actors really are just focused on their careers and not attending different events.

Community Awareness tends to grow as one ages, in TFP‘s observation.

Again, if Ms. Asbille is not in any way NA, TFP will jump right on that bandwagon and implore her to not take the role, as Mr. Skein did not take the role of Major Ben.

But what if she is Native American? 

What does the NA Community do with her then? 

No one is allowed to ‘swab’ anyone else to prove something – but let’s say she chooses to do it as a way to prove herself – because again, mixed race people continually must prove themselves – and it is totally and completely legit and she is definitively NA.

Where does it end?

Do they invite her participation at a greater level? Do they ‘court’ her as a potential Activist?

TFP is sure that that would be the greater end game to play. To involve her. Perhaps she will not like it and choose not to continue to participate, and it will make her not respond to Native American castings. Perhaps she will become involved on that community level.

However, as she and Chloe Bennet have stated – what they do as people, change their names, or color their hair – that does not negate what is in their blood, and Ms. Asbille will likely continue to represent as Native American. Certain people will again take issue – because she is mixed race.

The cycle begins again.

The optics of People of Color attacking other People of Color as to their ‘worthiness’ and what percentage they have in their DNA are bad. The writing of this blog or any blog  will not ameliorate this situation. 

However TFP felt this should be addressed.

Yes, there have been issues in the past with Elizabeth Warren and Johnny Depp – and those kinds of issues will play out again and again. Ms. Asbille is not taking on a role that was mired in trope as Mr. Depp did, she is taking on a role of a modern NA woman that will ostensibly be written as a nuanced piece, it is not the same as Mr. Depp’s playing Tonto, and it should not be compared as such.

(BTW TFP was in the Diversity Showcases for FOX and due to a scheduling issue with her scene partner – they had to go up on the night of the Native American showcase, so she is well aware that there are many and varied Native American talents out there, and she wishes there were more projects out there to showcase them.

Yes – the scheduling snaffoo was explained, as was the fact that we were not trying to represent as NA – and our scene was up last – to prevent any misunderstanding in that regard.

Anyway, she is fully aware of the greatness of the NA Acting community, and she wanted to acknowledge that. She is FULLY supportive of Native American heritaged people being cast as Native American)

Here is what TFP thinks- as a mixed raced person herself –  and one whose Family is mixed in multiple ways-

(her extended family includes people who are of Australian Aboriginal heritage, Asian heritage, Brazilian heritage, French Canadian heritage, African American heritage, White European heritage) 

When a Person of Color claims a certain heritage – she is inclined to believe them.

There is no real benefit to lying about heritage when you are mixed race – because to most people, you are not enough. Of anything. The more mixed you are, the more upset they seem to get.

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Mixed raced people are Sisyphus going up the hill, again and again, only to have that giant boulder come crashing down on them, with the words “DOESN’T COUNT” emblazoned on the side of it.

People in this country like things to be clear cut. They like definitive answers and bright colors. They like things to be to be in absolutes. Good guy, bad woman. Locker room banter versus her emails. No shades of gray.

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When you are dealing with mixed race people – things are not simple. They are messy. They are complicated. There are constant ‘tests’ from people who try and define what exactly you are. – so the question TFP leaves you with is –

When do we stop asking mixed raced people to prove how much they count?

When do we let them just be?

It’s a valid question.

Look, certain people have asked that the AAPI community turn on Ms. Asbille because they equate it to Ed Skrein being cast as Major Ben Daimio. 

Many have. It is in their purview. TFP cannot tell people what to do -but this is not the same situation as HELLBOY.

This is not a Caucasian playing a mixed raced Asian. This is a person of multiple heritages who – unless proved otherwise – should be believed. 

Let her do her job.

If it comes out she is not NA – that is something else entirely – if she embarrasses the NA community – again, that is something else entirely. However TFP does not think she is out to do that, she thinks Ms. Asbille will do her job.

Dismantling bias against people of mixed race is hard – people look at us and feel we are the reason that they are losing their culture. That the complexity of our ancestors survival which is written in our features threatens their way of life – and in such a way that we cannot be accepted for the many things that we are.

It is time for that to end- if we learn nothing from #Charlottesville and #HurricaneHarvey about the importance of sticking together and supporting one another, that would be a shame.

Representation is important and vital – but the judging of it, of one another, the quantifying and quizzing of mixed race people has had it’s time.

It is now upon mixed race people to reclaim it.

 

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Categories Diversity

Tomorrow, Tomorrow @Anneakikomeyers should apologize to @Chineke4Change tomorrow, it’s only a day away…

August 20, 2015 //
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The Fairy Princess was having a good week – she moderated a very successful live reading for the Asian American Film Lab‘s Unfinished Works series, featuring a script by Jennifert Betit-Yen, and one by Alice Cox, both of which – The Opposite of a Fairy Tale and The Plains, were well acted and well attended, as well as Live-streamed.

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Photo credit: Peyton Worley

She was able to view the phenomenal talents of Lesli Margerita before she leaves the Broadway show MATILDA for the new Broadway version of DAMES AT SEA

Trevor Nunn decided to respond to ‘critics’, and it was all things “get off my privileged lawn‘ and ‘after all I have done for you lot‘ and…in general, super fun, especially when Danny Lee Wynter in The Guardian asked – “If Trevor Nunn is staying true to history, where are the pox ridden actors?”

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Or when Jonathan Owen at The Independent wrote

Critics have questioned the verisimilitude of the production which amalgamate Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy and Richard III and is sponsored by Norway’s largest financial service group DNB, Norwegian actor Kare Conradi was chosen to play Edward IV and two British actresses, Joely Richardson and Imogen Daines, play the French characters Margaret of Angjou and Joan of Arc

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Critics have, tis true.

Nice one, England, standing up for Diversity on your stages!

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In more good news on American stages her AVENUE Q buddy, Natalie Venetia Belcon is returning to Broadway in MATILDA – she will be spectacular (here she is singing HAPPY TIMES from The Music of Alex Wyse at NYTB @ The Duplex)

Broadway vet J. Bernard Calloway is in this NBC Pilot you may view online and vote for called “The Bar Mitzvah Club”

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ABC Family is renewing a show with Rex J. Lee…GO REX!

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Amy Hill’s character on UnReal stepped up and demanded more screen time in the fauxreality reality show about a reality show…which is great because she is SO gifted and TFP was like, “Are they actually going to USE her and all her gifts or…?” and it looks like that is where it is heading, so that is a WIN for Amy AND the fans of the show!

unreal-107What TFP is saying is that, in general, in showbiz is diversifying, and in general, everyone gets – especially Asian Americans – how important diversity is on our stages and on our screens…well, everyone except perhaps fellow Hapa, Anne Akiko Meyers, the famed violinist – and here we go….

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In a nutshell, British double bassist, Chi-chi Nwanoku and his Chineke Foundation, have formed Europe’s first professional all Black orchestra!

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Not only have they formed it, but there is a premiere date of Sept 13, 2015 at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall where the 60 plus members of the ensemble will be led by Tai Murray and conducted by Wayne Marshall. The foundation is attempting to “champion change and celebrate diversity in classical music”, as well as to be a catalyst of change in the industry.

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Now, here is the thing that many Asian American artists who work in classical music, both as performers and behind the scenes do not often acknowledge – people expect there to be Asian and Asian Americans in classical music!

John Q. Public who attends classical music events regularly, he/she expects to see Asians and Asian Americans on the stage!

There is such great representation of Asian and API talent in the classical world that if TFP is feeling sad, she strolls past Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall and almost always, there is an Asian or API performer coming soon to a fancy concert hall near you that did not fail their parental expectations.

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There are a ton of examples from Conductors,

Conductor Alan Gilbert of the NY Philharmonic

Conductor Alan Gilbert of the NY Philharmonic

Seiji Ozawa, former Music Director of The Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for 29 years

Seiji Ozawa, former Music Director of The Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for 29 years

Tomomi Nishimoto - Artistic Dir/Principal Conductor of IlluminArt Philharmonic Orchestra

Tomomi Nishimoto – Artistic Dir/Principal Conductor of IlluminArt Philharmonic Orchestra

to Instrumentalists

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to singers – check out Yin Huang in the movie version of Madame Butterfly

one could literally go on and on- and in fact, you will seemingly find more Asians and APIs in classical music regularly performing and being lauded than in ANY OTHER PART OF THE AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY!

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People expect Asians and APIs in Classical music.

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Quite similar, in fact, to the way that people who view classical music expect to see Caucasians performing. Asian and Asian American performers are actually sought out when they have talent in classical music – which, again, is TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY IN ALL OTHER MEDIUMS.

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One might even venture to say that Asians and API classical musicians of a certain level have a great deal of privilege.

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Which is why it is so sad to TFP that Violinist, Anne Akiko Meyers, a woman who has released 32 albums and was the top selling traditional classical instrumental soloist of Billboard’s charts in 2014, could be such a brat.

She posted on her FB page something about fellow People of Color that was ‘questionable’ at best, and at the worst could be considered….

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TFP leaves it for the reader to decide- but it is not good.

First of all, just from a mixed raced perspective, Ms. Meyers, you need to check yourself.

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because if your parents had been married prior to 1967 in the United States of America, they would have been subject to the type of Bon mots that you so casually threw out and soooo much more, because America has not always been welcoming to what was termed “Mixed Marriages”.

Your website says you were born in 1970 and raised in San Diego, your Mom is Japanese and her Dad is American – they would not have been considered married at all. They could even have been arrested had they gone to a state where it was not legal for people of different skin tone to marry.

In point of fact, America has had a huge problem with Japanese people and no matter how insular it was in San Diego in the 70’s, TFP is fairly certain your Mom would have been victim to a bit of that good ol’ recovering from World War 2 kind of thinking – particularly given that it is a military area. It would not have been easy.

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California repealed anti-miscengenation laws in 1948, ahead of the curve by almost 2 decades, but it could have put a crimp in their travel plans, no? Plus the day to day kind of stuff that she, and probably you yourself would have felt or seen could have made things uncomfortable…. on occasion.

Which makes it more annoying that you grew up and decided to turn around and judge people based on skin tone!

TFP knows a little something something about growing up as a Hapa kid, you cannot tell her it was all wine and roses.

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In the sea of PoC, we all gots ta swim together Hunty, or no one is going to make it to dry land.

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Second, according to your website, ahem –

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“I regularly support classical music organizations around the world. Please support your local orchestra, concert society, chamber music festival, or radio station. Long Live Music!”

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That is what you, Ms. Meyers, wrote for us all to do – support classical music organizations? And in order to support classical music, a realm in which you live and breathe the fanciest of air wafting from your amazingly fancy violin on lifetime loan…

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you saw a news item about classical music and wrote- supportively –

“I wonder if you have to be black to be invited to solo with this orchestra? #reversediscrimination”

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IS THAT SUPPORTIVE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC?

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One supposes you were trying to make some sort of joke.

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The only thing that is hilarious about this is that you hashtagged #reversediscrimination .

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Only White People use that!

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Hold up – REVERSE DISCRIMINATION – what say you? Aahmer?

There is no reversing discrimination, not even when it is shown by a very talented, pretty Eurasian lady on social media!

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You looked at THIS photo which, btw, contains mixed raced people, aka people who, once upon a time, would have had parents whose marriages were also outlawed in this country…..

All-Black-Chineke-Orchestra-Coverand then you mocked them from your seat of faux-alabaster privilege. Their orchestra has NOTHING to do with you or your 32 albums or your being named a top Billboard classical artist in 2014…you were, to put it mildly – offensive.

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On the heels of all the violence that has been plaguing the United States, on the graves of the People of Color whose cries go unheard and who wind up wrongfully incarcerated or worse…you took a moment from the Chineke Orchestra- a moment that should have been a celebration heard around the world, and you shat on it.

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Then when people tried to comment on your website, you took their comments down – which does not negate what you have done.

It compounds it.

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From where TFP is sitting, it means that you feel you are above acknowledging that with actions come consequences. Just because you do not like what people have to say, does not mean that they are wrong. They called you on it. You are responsible for your own gaffs – take it.

Own it.

You messed up. Even though you have a fancy violin and a Julliard education- you messed up.

What you should have done is written a statement and apologized. Here, TFP will write it for you.

To the Chineke! Orchestra,

I am writing to apologize to you for my social media outburst.  I took what was supposed to be a proud moment for all of us in Classical Music, a celebration of Diversity that has been slow in coming and should be lauded – particularly by those of mixed race who enjoy privilege and success in our field and know how rare it is – and I tarnished it. As a Mother, I try to teach my daughters to not judge people according to the color of their skin and it is shaming to know that I failed to realize that i did exactly that on social media. I will endeavor to do much better, and I wish you every success at Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Play Wagner if it makes it more comfortable to write, but write something!

Give your kids a good example. Ms. Meyers everyone has already noticed.

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Chineke Orchestra – TFP wishes you much, much success – and to negate Ms. Meyers comments – TFP suggests this – if you are a person of Mixed race heritage or a person of any kind at all – please buy a ticket and go see the performance because #BlackLivesMatter – in Art and in Life.

Let’s stand together – not because we are keeping invisible score cards of rights and wrongs, but because standing together is the right thing do to.

Compassion is infinite.

Expressing concern about an issue is not taking it away from other things.

Another person’s success does not pull down our own.

(Jeez writing about Hapas behaving badly is depressing….embarrassing too. Cuz, TFP is one as well, just ick. )

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For exhibiting discrimination on social media and then compounding it by disallowing people to comment on it, TFP fines you 30 whacks with the wand – Ms. Meyers, get it together!

Also – KISS MY FAN, TAN, FANNIE

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Categories Diversity

Not More or Less, just sadly Equal #PrayForCharleston

June 22, 2015 //
0

The Fairy Princess and all of us know that a terrible thing happened in South Carolina. She is not going to mention the name of the domestic terrorist who committed this hate crime, because she feels that part of the reason this sociopath would do this terrible thing is because he wanted to be famous.

She would like, however to extend her sympathies and prayers to the victims of this crime and their families – both their immediate families and their Congregational Family.

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She did want to address one part of the ‘manifesto’ he wrote about why he did what he did -about Asians and racism, and then she will not mention anything about this terrorist personally, she will only ever talk about the Victims of this tragedy – however in a manifesto he wrote – the terrorist shared his thoughts on East Asians and TFP did have some thoughts.

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This is his quote:

East Asians

I have great respent for the East Asian races. Even if we were to go extinct they could carry something on. They are by nature very racist and could be great allies of the White race. I am not opposed at all to allies with the Northeast Asian races.

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Yes, he spelled respect incorrectly.

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However, to his point – are East Asians racist?

Of course they are. Everyone is racist.

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Everyone. Even if you are Liberal, even if you are Conservative. No matter what your skin tone.

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Those that say they are not are part of the problem.

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We do not live in a post racial society. We live in a society where people divide and judge based on skin color.

This is wrong.

Flat out, it’s wrong.

We have to talk about racism and we have to acknowledge that it is there – and that countless murders have occurred because of it. Throughout history the one things humans have become really good at is establishing an non-realistic sense of superiority based on religion and skin tone, and slaughtering anyone else who disagrees.

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There is NO racial superiority anywhere, Folks – that is the truth.

There is only circumstances under which one is born that lead to success or failure, and everyone judges that their own way. Some say it is based on salary earned, others in personal or artistic satisfaction, or the amount of children one has, or financial security, or home ownership, athletic prowess – and in all these things, success is garnered by personal hard work that began in childhood.

Some people have a childhood filled with plenty, some with nothing. Some have a childhood filled with abuse. Some have a childhood that lacks compassion, or trust. Some children have been forced to become soldiers. Some children have been raped. Some children have access to clean water and education, and many more do not. Quite a lot of people in this world have quite a lot to overcome to gain anything close to what the world views as ‘success’ – and yet still, there are small miracles of accomplishment every day.

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Learning to read. Feeding oneself and ones’ family. Starting a micro-business. Smiling. Saving an animal from a shelter. Stopping abuse. Showing kindness. Being generous of spirit even though you are exhausted from the process of living. Defining wealth in the number of friends and family, no matter what the finances are…this is a miracle too.

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These things are all accomplishments. Race can and does play a part in every single one of them. Race can influence our access, it can deny our growth as people. None of us are immune or impervious to things that we are taught, as children, about race.

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As a parent, TFP is trying to show her child, her Asian heritaged child, that one should acknowledge everyone. One should be kind. One should treat others as they expect to be treated. Mostly, as a parent, TFP hopes to teach her child that race SHOULD NOT play a part in how he lives his life – in his friendships, in his loves, in his work environment, in his world. To deal with people as individuals, and not as part of a group that is to be ignored or welcomed based on appearance.

This is what she is attempting – only time will tell if she will succeed.

But she would ask ALL parents, regardless of race, gender, and regardless of who they love, to join her in this. To try. To talk to their kids about racism, even if they are confident it is not practiced in their own home or amongst their personal relationships.

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You still have to guide them. You still have to talk to them about racism.

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We cannot deny racism. It exists.

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Everyone has it, like a terrible DNA in our bloodstreams – even if you think you do not have it – you DO.

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We can choose to combat it every day. We can try to not pass this dreaded fear of others along, so that it does not turn to hate.

So that it does not turn to violence.

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Does TFP think that East Asians are more or less racist than anyone else?

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Sadly, in this one area, we are all equal.

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Categories Diversity

Let Tilda Him-a-lay-yah – The Doc is not the only thing STRANGE about this casting….

May 29, 2015 //
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In light of the recent and stupid comments by MARVEL and Tilda Swinton, in regards to casting of the new Dr. Strange Film – TFP is reissuing her post from last year, when casting was announced.

Ahem:

The Fairy Princess is in a bad damn mood. First, because she went to a routine trip to the dentist and was like “Hey, this tooth kinda hurts”, and twenty minutes later, she had no tooth – because it needed to be removed. Her Dentist was lovely and no reflection on his profession but she was thinking of two things while in the chair…

Steve Martin

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And The Wild West.

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Original caption: USA: Cody’s Original Wild West Show. 1883-1900 USA

And when she says the Wild West she was actually thinking “Thank goodness I don’t live in the Wild West where they would have tied a string to the tooth and the other end to a saddle of a horse and then slap the horse to giddyap and yank it out that way”

TFP is not a rational thinker in the Dentist chair. She is thankful for modern dentistry, and her Dentist is great. However the recovery of a tooth removal is painful and so she has been lying like a lump on the bed taking painkillers and when she came across THIS bit of brilliant Hollywood Casting and it cut through the meds, it pissed her off so badly she started typing in a haze.

It seems that in the new “Doctor Strange” film that Marvel is producing there is a character called “The Ancient One‘ who lives in a monastery in Tibet.

Technically, and according to the Marvel page on The Ancient One “The youth who would eventually be The Ancient One was born over five hundred years ago in Kamar-Taj, a villiage in a hidden land in the Himalaya Mountains in the area now known as Tibet.” Ah TIBET….mystical land nestled deep in Asia…

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Ah, what’s that you say? You did not know, dear reader, that Tibet is in Asia?

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Let’s get a map (TFP loves a good map)

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See, there it is, plain as day – right next to China…oh heck, let us get another map to make that a bit clearer…

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As one can see…Tibet is located just between China and India, with Nepal kinda wedged in there between.

(Sorry, TFP cannot think of Nepal without Eddie Murphy in Golden Child, apologies to Nepal)

Specifically the village he was born in lies nestled in the Himalaya Mountains. Now, among other things, the Himalaya Mountains are of huge religious import – and that’s important to remember because in TFP’s readings of Marvel Comics (oh yes she reads them on occasion) they like to try and tie in bits of ‘reality’ to make the story lines set on Earth work – not surprising, it helps the reader get into the world of the comic more, however in the Himalaya Mountains, you are not only setting a story there – it is an actual place that is sacred.

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Yep, it’s sacred.

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Why, you ask?

Oh because it is the birthplace of Buddism in Bhutan. Yep – at Paro Taktsang…., not just for that reason, there are lots of monasteries in the Himalayas and of course, in case it needs more cred (it doesn’t), this guy lives there:

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His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama lives in Tibet. Although he has had to flee to India, so he may not be in Tibet now, but he is supposed to be in Tibet…anyway it’s CHINA’s fault if he is not, but he is supposed to be there. BAD CHINA!

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(Yes, TFP knows that is kimchi and kimchi is Korean. You can stop with trying to pull apart her logic now, read on.)

The Himalayas are a pretty cool place, and stories have been set there since Westerners have heard whispers of a far off place in the heavens where one could touch the clouds and never age. Perhaps it even inspired the advent of Plastic Surgery…who knows?

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MARVEL is adept and trying to intertwine premise and concept with (in certain comics) actual places, one could see by their rendering of The Ancient One, and even by the photo above of one of the World’s most revered leaders of religion and peace, there’s a general ‘look’ to those who dwell in Tibet.

Let’s look at some photos:

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   It’s an Asian look, is it not? The People of Tibet? The People who would be born in the Himaylaya Mountain Region have a distinctly Asian appearance because…well...they are Asian, although they are their own thing, well, THIS article says it better than TFP:

The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is now occupied by the People’s Republic of China. They number 5.4 million. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The Khampas of Tibet are originally from Mongolia. Tibetans speak the Tibetan language, which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan languages and has many mutually unintelligible dialects. The traditional, or mythological, explanation of the Tibetan people’s origin is that they are the descendants of the monkey Pha Trelgen Changchup Sempa and rock ogress Ma Drag Sinmo. Most Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism, though some observe the indigenous Bön and others are Muslims.

So their roots are in Asia – as they are situated between China and India, essentially, I mean, we SEE you Nepal

– but you are kinda in the same situation, an Asian indigenous peoples. Asian being at the root of all of it – East Asian, South Asian, Asian makes up what the peoples of those lands – China, India, Nepal, and Tibet, look like.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT CAUCASIANS OR ANY OTHER KINDS OF FOLKS CANNOT PRACTICE RELIGIONS THAT HAVE THEIR ORIGINS IN TIBET!

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ANYONE CAN PRACTICE ANY RELIGION THAT APPEALS TO THEM.

RELIGION IS NOT ABOUT SKIN COLOR, DON’T GET IT TWISTED!

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A RELIGION’S PLACE OF ORIGIN is different from the RELIGION, even Richard Gere would agree with that.

Debating over who owns Buddhism or any other religion is not what this is about – what this is about is what is going on with the Dr. Strange casting.

TFP wants to be clear – Tibet is a real and actual place, and the trouble with setting things in a real and actual place – even if you make up the village in which someone is supposed to have been born in –  is that there is an obligation there to embrace the people that live there by representing them in as honest a way as Hollywood can.

That is an obligation that all creatives share – the ability to truly embrace the many influences we have and acknowledge where they came from and what they have shown us that have driven us to inspiration. Created a character based on the Tibetian way of life? That is beautiful – show us that beauty then. SHOW US why MARVEL Comics even allowed the inclusion of Tibet in the Dr. Strange canon of tales!

SHOW US TIBET!

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Why would you create a character from Tibet and then do everything in your power to make it appear that Tibet has somehow been invaded hundreds of years ago (according to their myth) by Caucasians who have graciously deigned to grant the Tibetian people the aid of their strength and wisdom?

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Now, when the casting of The Ancient One first came up, people in the business of show made guesses as to who was in the mix – that’s what it’s called – in the mix, like you can put a bunch of actors business cards in a bowl, swirl it up, blindly pull one out and cast a movie, you can’t do that…or maybe you CAN….(sometimes, that might be better – looking at you, ALOHA)

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Some thought maybe Chow Young Fat, and TFP would agree that he is perhaps more what she was thinking when they announced The Ancient One was going to be in this film. He is Chinese, and according to the map, as we have all seen – China is right next to Tibet.

They share a region and a border, and they violate this and do all sorts of terrible things, but again, Mr. Fat could be from the region of Tibet. Because the people of Tibet, again, just so we are all clear, are Asian.

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They are their ‘own thing‘ but, their thing is an Asian thing.

Everyone on the same page, yes?

The same page that is probably a scroll with calligraphy that is measured in worth by the beauty of the brushstrokes? The page that may or may not be several hundred years old and written by a monk high up in the Himalayas because THAT is where Tibetan monasteries kinda live?

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Right, that page. That 1,000 year old page. Also in the mix for The Ancient One, were Morgan Freeman and Bill Nighy.

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This was troubling to TFP because as she has said before, you cannot sub in one minority in place of another.

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Representation is always an issue in feature films, which are, let’s face it, home of the aging but apparently always sexually attractive to women of all ages but his co-star is always 30 years young Caucasian Man. 

“Diversity” aka “Normality” is not really what Hollywoodland is selling. Ever.

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She understands that to some, Morgan Freeman and his incredible voice could be credible as a “mystic’ being with ancient knowledge, and of course Mr. Nighy has played supernatural mystical beings before so she understand the reasoning, and that would ALL be ‘for our consideration‘ except for the tricky fact that THE ANCIENT ONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A NATIVE OF TIBET.

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Tibet the real and actual place, remember? So in TFP‘s opinion, of those three,  it ‘had‘ to go to Mr. Fat – because…well, not only is he a giant international film star with dozens of films and high visibility, he could easily be believed by the audience to be an Ancient being from a Tibetian Monastery who shares wisdom and other things with Dr. Strange. – Besides, everyone knows that Asian people age well, so if he’s 500 years give or take and only looks 50 or so?

Par for the course. (that was a joke)

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MARVEL thought they would throw us all for a loop and change the role of The Ancient One to a female – totally fine. Ancient Asian Women are just as easily residing in a monastery in Tibet – why not? In fact, had the role been changed to a woman, but kept the basic premise of ‘native of Tibet‘ going, everyone would have cheered, TFP would have been first in line.

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That was not to be, because everyone knows (ahem) that when you change a male role to a female role, the only thing one can possibly do is give the role meant for a Tibetian Mystic to a …..VEDDY VEDDY TALL BRITISH WOMAN!

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TFP’s head swung around so fast, it knocked the anesthesia right out of her bloody jaw.

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What’s that, you say? Tilda Swinton? Tilda, the Snow Queen Swinton?

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Tilda the Irish, English, Scottish heritaged woman is now going to portray a female monk of Tibet who is 500 years old?

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Does aging that long wash out your skin, cause extreme bone growth and drain the pigment from your eyes and hair? Are we now to believe that Tilda is the Tibetian version of a “White Walker” and can only be stopped from this absolute travesty of cinematic White Washing by something called Dragon Glass? Or by taking away her ‘back end’ recouping?

Does Tilda Swinton think she would make a fetching and convincing Tibetian Ancient One?

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Now some may argue that it is positive to re-imagine a role with a female, that was originally written for a male – and that IS true. Not as simple though, because you are swapping one underrepresented group in a role that was written for them with a group that while underrepresented as a whole, has more than the first group. Oh let’s cut to the chase – there are more Caucasian Women on our big screens than Asian Men, ok?

TFP  supposes that MARVEL is going to hit us all with some immediately created back story about Caucasian travelers in Tibet over 500 years ago, one of whom who happened to be pregnant and gave birth to a tall Caucasian daughter who they instantly turned over to the Monks because the Parents conveniently for the story die in an avalanche leaving the child to the mercy of the monks who raise her as their own….

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But not acknowledging the real and actual place that is Tibet when you are casting, is horrific in terms of Asian or Asian American representation on the big screen. Asian and Asian Americans who, in point of fact, buy comic books because as we all know, APIs have the HIGHEST disposable income of any particular ‘group’ within the United States of America.

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Bar none.

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We have, here in America, Actresses that are fully capable of embracing this role and of course, Internationally, there are even more Asian Actresses that are fully capable of portraying a native of Tibet – some even have a fan base to rival Chow Young Fat!

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Instead of appealing to an International Audience, which is financially viable, the good Execs at MARVEL have white washed this role because as everyone knows….Asian people cannot be super heroes because, well NO GOOD REASON, just that they wanted Tilda Swinton and thought no one would notice.

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How could they get it so right with AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. and so wrong with Dr. Strange? Isn’t it the same company?

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Honestly, it was probably some executive that has noticed her past performances and thought, “She could totes be some mystic’ without recalling that the Mystic is a native of Tibet. (TFP definitely thinks ‘totes’ was in the thought and the casting memo)

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TFP cries FOUL on MARVEL Comics, and honestly FOUL on Tilda Swinton, because you see, Ms. Swinton is an advocate of all sorts of causes, one being EDUCATION, and in supporting EDUCATION, one imagines that she herself sees the value in learning, and in the course of learning, one reads and is taught to read maps.

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In reading maps, one begins conversations about the peoples who dwell on the places represented by those maps and it enhances the quality of one’s education to culturally broaden oneself, does it not? And by reading those maps herself, or even if she is only raising money to help others learn to do it, she very VEDDY easily could have learned WHERE Tibet is and WHAT it’s Indigenous peoples look like, and being a rather lefty moral person, upon learning that, she would refuse the role.

Only, she didn’t, did she?

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It cannot just be APIs railing against the dying of the light of representation, at SOME point, Caucasian Actors and Actresses have to take responsibility for accepting these roles – PARTICULARLY those who are ALREADY film stars and can obtain work WITHOUT having to take away a role from an ethnic minority.

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Ethnic Minorities are vastly, vastly underrepresented on our Hollywood film-scape, and ETHNIC WOMEN? Seriously, how many times does one have to point at zero to see that in major Hollywood Action and Comic Films, the number of Asian women represented is easily counted on one hand?

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TFP awards 30 slaps of the wand to MARVEL Comics and an EQUAL number to Tilda Swinton (whose work she has always admired, but who now, she will find tainted) who should have known better.

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IN FACT – and here is a secret Hollywood bomb, she now feels much more kindly to Meryl Streep who sat down exactly next to TFP in a deserted screening of MICHAEL CLAYTON on a Wednesday at The Grove, not a chair between them though the theater sat about 300, and laughed and laughed at Ms. Swinton’s performance with…wait for it…Jill Clayburgh. (and some man).

TFP didn’t like Meryl Streep for a long time because of that, but she has CHANGED HER MIND!

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CARRY ON WITH YOUR BAD SELF MERYL STREEP AND KEEP FOUNDING THOSE WRITING PROGRAMS!

TILDA…TFP has no words left for you and MARVEL COMICS EXCEPT

KISS MY FAN TAN FANNIE

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Categories Diversity

Hip Hop Hoo…wait, what’d he say?

May 5, 2015 //
3

The Fairy Princess had a good day, thus far – her child has decided to become a “Potty Pirate‘!

Before he is 21 years old!

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Parents of Toddlers will understand this.

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But enough about poop – let’s talk about Mr. Eddie Huang.

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TFP has been an active observer of Mr. Eddie Huang for a long time now – what with his book, his restaurant, and the television show that was inspired by his book.

The American Dream, right?

ABC kid moved from D.C. to Orlando, grows up in abusive household, identifies with Hip Hop music, goes to college,  becomes a Lawyer, stops being a lawyer, opens a restaurant, becomes famous chef, does food based shows, writes a book, book becomes TV show. There is even a clothing line in there somewhere.

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Recently though, Mr. Eddie Huang seems to be in  the midst of self-imploding and TFP is observing that as well.

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with, truth be told, a bit of sadness.

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Mr. Eddie Huang seems bent on becoming the most hated Asian American male in America, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop him. He hates Fresh Off The Boat on ABC because it does not include Domestic Violence. Well, OK, but Bruthaman, you sold it to ABC as a sitcom on a Family Block Night – most situation comedies do not include beating of the children.

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He talks about Hip Hop Culture and finding within it salvation, but then denigrates Black women who ask for clarification on some of his talking points.

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All in all, he seems to be having a self-admitted crisis, as shown in this article from Papermag:

Huang: Let me ask you this though, how have you dealt with acceptance and success? Because I have only recently been going through it, and I feel like acceptance is kind of the worst shit because you spent your whole life being the underdog.

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As TFP is reading the situation, he wants to be rich and successful, but he does not want to be seen as rich and successful, because being rich and successful means….um…. he can no longer enjoy Hip Hop?

tumblr_mi6bkiOVpc1s5gauno1_500He wants to talk and he wants people to listen to what he says, but then when they listen to what he says and they find it confusing or objectionable he is not responsible for what he said because he was not being a role model, he is an outsider!

HE DOES NOT CARE WHAT YOU THINK, WORLD, IF YOU DISAGREE WITH HIM YOU ARE A HATER!

And with “Haters’, one is able to

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However, Mr. Huang is de facto a ‘celebrity’ now, so people pay attention to what is is saying, even while what he is saying is geared, essentially to promote his ‘brand’ of Bad Ass Hip Hop Restauranteur. And when you stay stupid sh*t as a ‘celebrity’, people pay attention.

So, TFP thought perhaps she should say a few things….

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Mr. Eddie Huang, you are not the only API to ever like Hip Hop…

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Love of Hip Hop comes in all forms

In fact before TFP fell in love with Musical Theater, she was ALL about the Hip Hop

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However, loving a music and a culture is no reason to be all

7742074_origTFP knows who you are. She gets your ‘brand’.

 You are a guy who grew up in Orlando with Immigrant Parents who became a lawyer.

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You always liked Hip Hop, and identified with that music.

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You left the law and focused on creating great food.

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That won you awards and attention and some food tv shows…

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After which you wrote a book and sold the book to ABC.

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And whilst on that journey you went from wearing a suit every day to

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Very impressive to be sure – to realize that you could parlay your love and identification with Hip Hop into a branding machine. It’s made you quite a public speaker and a fortune.

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But Mr. Huang, it’s time to stop being a douchebag.

Sometimes SILENCE is a good thing. Let’s role play –

REPORTER: Mr. Huang, how do you really feel?

FICTIONAL ZEN EDDIE HUANG: I feel really good, and…I have no comment.

You see? Easier than making pre-fab Ramen noodles on a hot plate!

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Here’s the problems, as far as TFP can see them:

1. You are trying to sink the first API family show on television in 20 years. Not OK.

2. You are dressing down, in print, the Executives and Writers who believed enough in your story to take a chance on it – even though chances of professional failure were high. Not Ok.

3. You co-opt, in the name of love, a style and a swagger, but then you treat the people whose struggle it comes from with disregard.  Especially the women. Not Ok.

If TFP‘s Korean American Husband acted like that, we would have had a visit from his Momz pretty damn quick.

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TFP is not ok with this laundry you are airing.

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TFP thinks you are struggling with the success of the show – and that is ok, very natural to have ‘Buyer’s Remorse”.

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But save that for therapy.

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TFP is thinking you need a Publicist.

APIs have the HIGHEST disposable income in America today – and you are a man that they have gotten behind.  What happens when the consumers of your brand find it too hard to support you?

No one likes a guy who is rude to women. No one likes a guy that takes what most consider an opportunity for many, and trashes it for personal reasons. TFP remembers when you took on Bill O’Reilly, which is hilarious because in some regards, you are using some of his egregious habits – loudly proclaiming your right to ignore criticism, carrying on about oversensitive people and their reactions to your voice. Who does that sound like?

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One supposes either way you ‘win’, if they show stays on, you get to keep cashing that check (oh yes, Children, he gets paid),  and if it gets taken off the air, while you lose a check, your swagger with the Hip Hop crowd gets even bigger, because you blew up your own ‘haus’.

One question, is the Hip Hop crowd going to step up when all the APIs go away because you took down their first chance to watch an API family on TV in 20 years?

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Are you fully prepared to take down a whole bunch of people with you in the name of your ‘swagger’?

Including three kids that look up to you?

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You keep going this way, not even Olivia Pope could save you. (Her show is based on a real person too!)

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And the rest of us? The APIs? We’ll all be

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So, do YOU, Mr. Eddie Huang, of course DO YOU, no one is telling you NOT to…but Dude, do what you need to to make “doing you’ a bit happier, cuz Homes….you a bit too fortunate to be this angry.

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TFP out.

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Categories Diversity

Taking the train….

December 14, 2014 //
2

The Fairy Princess is having media overload – the rest of the country is suffering from it as well. There have been countless examples of inequality based on skin tone, which have been met with many articles, forums, news conferences, and marches.

All of this discussion is good. Even when it is uncomfortable. Even when the facts are hideous to face, it is good to have to talk about them. It is good to look underneath our society at the ‘mold’ that grows insidiously while unchecked.

However, all of it is having a toll – 0n everyone. On the men whose lives have been cut short and then dishonored by the lack of justice, on their grieving families, and on the population of our country.

The Fairy Princess blogs consistently on the issue of representation, and what it means for the world.

Entertainment is sometimes the first place that people who live in a homogeneous area get to see people who look different. It may be the first place that they ‘fall in love’ with a character who would walk a different path than they do, and it may help bridge that gap between ‘them’ and ‘us’.

The reason to need more diversity on television and on stage and on film is to share the thought that #alllivesmatter by showing us windows into people who may not look like us, but who share humanity as we all do.

The Fairy Princess wanted to share a story that happened to her – it is a personal story – but it has been on her mind over and over again, in the last few weeks, because it is a story of ‘us’, and she likes to think it shows the possibility of humanity.

Two and a half years ago, in late May, The Fairy Princess was exceptionally pregnant. She was ‘due’ at any minute, and thus, her husband decided to take her to see a Broadway show. We saw “Once”, with the original company, it was in previews at the time, and it was absolutely fabulous.

The Fairy Princess and her husband boarded a commuter train and they sat in the end seat. The end seats are for groups, so they have front and rear facing seats for conversation. Late evening trains are not generally crowded, so using TFP’s big preggers belly as a plus one, we were three in the seats.

The Fairy Princess‘s husband is a six foot tall Korean American who holds a black belt with multiple stripes in Tae Kwon Do and who used to play football in high school. (This becomes relevant later).

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Two Caucasian individuals, male and female, entered the train and sat directly facing us. They were inebriated. They were in their 20’s. The female was definitely worse for the drink, and was muttering under her breath while staring directly at TFP’s and her husband.

She muttered things about ‘those people‘ and ‘stealing our jobs‘, and such, and TFP suggested to her husband that we move seats, because…well….

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And if one is about to give birth, one really does not ‘have time for that’.

However, TFP’s husband has this stubborn streak, and he knew that when this couple entered the car, he was already seated, so they had no idea that he, if he rose, would actually tower over them by a few inches, and of course…if one holds a black belt, one takes very little notice of drunk people. Also, he has this sense of humor that is not easily defined, and he said “I want to see how this goes”.

TFP kind of hates when his sense of humor makes her sit opposite people who are drunken muttering, but when one is pregnant, it is kind of daunting to get up and down out of seats, so she thought….

 

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The rest of the passengers boarded and the train pulled out.

Now, this train was, obviously, in New York, and was coming from New York City. New York City is, de facto, a diverse place – people of all colors, genders, and sexual preferences. The average New Yorker walking around or taking the subway sees so much diversity, that no one seems to blink an eye at sharing space with someone who does not resemble them exactly.

Except this drunk young woman.

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Who loudly started to proclaim whilst staring at TFP‘s husband that he ‘should go back where he came from” (That would be Virginia, my dear), and that he and his kind ‘came over here to take our f**king jobs” (Actually, as we do not recognize you and he works in the Performing Arts, rest assured, your job is safe from him, good lady), and TFP was getting ready to say something. TFP was “getting her Irish up‘, as they say in her family, and it was not going to be pretty. (Plus, let’s been honest, she had just seen “Once’, so her “Irish” was pretty close to the forefront of her being that night)

However, another voice spoke up.

A gentleman from the seat across from us, also looking directly at this young woman’s face. He said “You should shut your mouth.” To which, of course, she responded. He said “You should shut your mouth. You have no idea where they came from, and you have no idea if they took your job or not, you are just being racist.”

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He continued with some other pointed barbs – not using profanity – and as TFP looked over, she did think that perhaps he was one of her ‘tribe’, but some Eurasians are hard to pin down, but TFP knew one thing – he was one of her “Menz”.

The person sticking up for her husband, was Gay. He was a Gay man who saw, to him, what appeared to be a drunk Caucasian insulting an Asian man (he didn’t know about TFP’s husband’s sense of humor), and he said something.

At this point, the argument was getting loud, but everyone remained seated.

Until the drunk girl’s companion called that lovely man seated opposite us, “a Faggot“.

Which was NOT ok.

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He also stood, this drunk man and threatened him with physical harm.

Which was when The Fairy Princess grabbed her giant belly and jumped in the aisle and told him to ‘sit the f*ck down”.

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Then this drunk Caucasian man started yelling about Unions and jobs and all, and this was his giant mistake (other than being an admirer of this female he was traveling with), because if you have read this blog before, then you may know that TFP’s relative, Mike Quill, started the TWU (The Transit Workers Union).

“The judge can drop dead in his black robes, and we would not call off the strike. Personally, I don’t care if I rot in jail!” - Mike Quill

“The judge can drop dead in his black robes, and we would not call off the strike. Personally, I don’t care if I rot in jail!” – Mike Quill

TFP gave this drunk man a giant lecture on what Unions are supposed to stand for, and that he would not even have a Union except for her relation, and furthermore, non-discrimination on the basis of race or sexual preference is a tenant of Union by-laws!

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The Fairy Princess knows a lot about Unions.

Upon which, this drunk man threatened to come over and punch her.

Whereupon, TFP told him that she would knock him into next week if he came anywhere near  and gestured to her husband to stand.

However her husband had a big smile on his face, and pointed behind TFP and she glanced behind her where, unbeknownst to her, a GIANT African American Man was standing behind her, backing her up. He gave her the ‘go ahead‘ nod, so she knew it was going to be ok.

TFP looked, and half the car of passengers, who had been watching to see what was going to happen, many of whom were people of color, stood up.

They stood up, and they told this guy to sit down.

At which point there was a lot of yelling, and then the Conductor came through the car.

The Conductor was Caucasian.

He wanted to know what was going on.

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The Conductor looked around, asked a few questions, and then told these two drunks who were harassing everyone to get off his train, and as we were pulling into a stop (which was nowhere near where they wanted to go), he threw them off, telling them to sober up, mind their manners, and learn how to behave because that stuff that they were doing was not going to fly on his train.

Upon which, the car burst into spontaneous applause, and The Conductor took a bow.

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Then we all had a good laugh, and it turned out that one of the women in the car’s hair was all messed up because she had been to a club dancing, and the fellow who first responded to these people was a stylist and he offered to fix it for her if she came into his salon in the morning. She made an appointment with him immediately.

Everyone started laughing and chatting.

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It turned out the reason he had said something was because his Mom was Hawaiian Japanese and his Dad was Caucasian, and he had seen people talk badly to his Mother when he was a kid, and he could not do anything about it. However now, he speaks up all the time, because he is an adult.

That is what happened that day on the train – we, the adults,  all stood for one another.

We all had eachother’s back.

We united against something that on the surface seems trivial, but pulled back and exposed seems ugly and sordid.

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TFP asked her husband later, why he did not jump up earlier, and he told her “You didn’t need me, you didn’t see it, but everyone was there for you. You didn’t even look around to see, but they all had your back, so I just watched the show.”

TFP may have mentioned that she does not always appreciate her husband’s humor.

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He did follow with “I would have jumped up and clocked him if I had to, but you know if I hit someone…they are not getting up.”

Which, upon reflection, it was probably for the best that he had not had to get up.

Tae-Kwon-DoThe Fairy Princess would like to believe that America can be like that train car.  That we can come together, regardless of experience or skin tone, regardless of politics, regardless of privilege.

The Fairy Princess was feeling media exhausted this morning, because she read about another school shooting. The Fairy Princess read about rape, and incest, and sexism, and political badgering, and environmental destruction, and captive orcas and deaths caused by lack of empathy for people whose skin color is different, and that was all before 9 A.M.

She was very, very sad.

But then she remembered this story, and she felt slightly better. She remembered that nod from that guy, that ‘go ahead, I’m here” nod that said she would be ok no matter what happened – and that, my friends, gives her hope.

Sometimes that is what you have to cling to, to get through the day.

Let’s all work towards that, shall we?

 

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Categories Diversity

Dear #ThatAsianKid from #Playbill ‘s #AskJohnny

December 1, 2014 //
1

The Fairy Princess has not been blogging much, she’s been paying attention to world events that are too sad to reiterate here, though she has, of course, written at length, sadly,  in the past.

Image by Banksy

Image by Banksy

She hopes she never has to write about the slaughtering of young men again, she is hoping America will figure out how to come together and end senseless violence towards one another.

She hopes. Always, there is hope.

She also noted that two television shows starring Asian Americans were cancelled in the last weeks – SELFIE, starring, of course, the fantastic John Cho…

 

And TBS cancelled Sullivan and Son, with the always hilarious Jodi Long….

 

However….in every cloud there is a silver lining, so the saying goes, and here is one – HULU is going to be broadcasting the rest of the season of SELFIE, which means if you fell in love with John Cho as Henry, you are going to get some manner of resolution. And who knows? If the numbers are fantastic, maybe they will pick it up again – stranger things have happened.

Oh COME ON Rex Lee, The Entourage Movie happened!

Oh COME ON Rex Lee, The Entourage Movie happened!

Also, with Pilot season approaching in January, and perhaps sooner, it is likely that those Actors will book another show, The Fairy Princess is hoping the odds will be ever in their favor.

However, as TFP went about her day, she found a letter addressed to Playbill.com ‘s advice column, aka “Hey Johnny”. Every week “Hey Johnny’ is answered by a different person, so TFP is going to retype the letter here in case you have missed it.

Hey Johnny,

I go to a high school with a really great arts program (we do three shows a year) but I’ve noticed a problem. Our (white) director keeps making slightly racist comments towards the Asian students (during Avenue Q he referred to our Christmas Eve as “that Asian girl”). Even though a good number of Asian students auditioned for our next show, he didn’t even let most of them into the ensemble. We’re planning to do Miss Saigon in the spring and he’s been heavily implying that he’s going to cast white student in the leads, because that’s what they did last time they did it. It’s been like this all four years, and it’s really been making me and the other Asian students feel awful, and we’ve been doubting if we have a future in the theatre. I’ve tried to keep positive for us, but even I’ve fallen into a gloom. Please, what should we do?

Signed,

That Asian Kid

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Now, whoever answered that letter, that week, did a wonderful job responding to That Asian Kid, but did not seem to be Asian American. Who cares? Totally fine!  The response was thoughtful and caring, and one does not need to share a skin tone to have empathy or give encouragement or wisdom.

However, The Fairy Princess thought that That Asian Kid  and his classmates could use some words from someone who has ALSO been, ahem, That Asian Kid.

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Dear That Asian Kid,

That Director is out of line. The Fairy Princess could use many other words, but if she was in the room with him, this would be the mildest thing she could come up with:

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Here is what you are going to do, and you have to be brave. You have to be ok with whatever happens, because you are challenging the status quo and that is always, always difficult. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

Either way, it is ok, the Asian Americans of “The Broadway” have got your back.

The House of Xmas Eves...

The House of Xmas Eves…these are but of a  few of us

 

1. Gather a brief written (typed and signed) statement from any student, but particularly of course, the Asian American students, who have been addressed by only their race, or who have been recipients of racial toned remarks from this Director. I would imagine if he has said things to the Asian students, he has likely said things to the African American and Latino students as well, so ask around.

2. After you have these statements, you are to ask those who wrote them if they are willing to go to the Principal and present them with you. Some will, some won’t. I agree with “Hey Johnny”, that a multicultural group is best, do what you can. I would encourage you to take someone on the Student Council, and if you can, a member of the PTA to present these circumstances to your Principal. This is too big just for the ‘kids’, you need a Parent with some clout to back you up.

3. When you present to the Principal, tell he or she that should this issue not be dealt with in some manner, you are going to present the same statements at a local town government meeting, where minutes are recorded – so that it is on record that your school is choosing to ignore issues of microagression towards Asian Americans and racial bias.

That is what you are dealing with – microagressions from this Director.

You should outline your issues in one ‘master letter’, and you should also present in that letter, your concerns about the casting of the upcoming MISS SAIGON.

That should get the ball rolling…to say the least.

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Now, in terms of Casting, what you are dealing with, with this Director is called “White Washing”.

White Washing is very prevalent in our Society, and you are not the first to have suffered from it, and you will not be the last. It sucks. What it means is they take characters or stories that are linked to an ethnic group, and when they Cast the musical or the film or the television show – they cast Caucasian Actors.

That Asian Kid, this is Mickey Rooney as Mr. Miyagi in the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's - awful, ain't it?

Jonathan Pryce, The Engineer from the Original Bway Cast of MISS SAIGON

Jonathan Pryce, The Engineer from the Original Bway Cast of MISS SAIGON

Actor Lambert Wilson as The King of Siam in a French Production of King & I

Actor Lambert Wilson as The King of Siam in a French Production of King & I

 

However, casting a Caucasian Actress as Kim in MISS SAIGON would be a serious breach of theatrical ethics, as well as horribly bad historical rewriting. The part of Kim is, as everyone knows,  a young woman coming of age in Vietnam.

 

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Even though Cameron MacIntosh did allow Mr. Pryce to play the Engineer (a character that is written as a Eurasian man), he drew the line at casting a Caucasian woman to play the part of Kim. Which gave us our only female Asian TONY Winner, in point of fact. Casting a non-Asian Kim is not acceptable – ever. And over time, casting a Non-Asian Performer as The Engineer has become a theatrical no-no, which is wonderful progress.

Which brings us to “Yellowface“, which is what will happen in your school if Kim is cast as a Caucasian.

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Yellowface is not acceptable in our mainstream and certainly not in a high school production. If your Principal does not understand this, explain to her/him that to Asian Americans, it is the same as blackface.

Yeah, this is totally offensive and I hate posting it, but if you have never seen it, you need a visual. An awful and offensive visual. Apologies.

This is totally offensive  but if you have never seen it, you need a visual. An awful and offensive visual. Apologies.

(The Fairy Princess is choosing not to comment on why a high school would be doing MISS SAIGON, but…

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she has some thoughts about the appropriateness of it.)

The simple truth is that this Director should not even have suggested MISS SAIGON if he felt that he would be unable to cast Kim or The Engineer with Asian American students. Not in this day and age, and if that has been his intention, then he should be released from his duties as an Educator.

Would he cast DREAMGIRLS with a non-African American cast? No. He likely would not dare, and it would be the same thing.

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Meaning that even if you truly love a show, you cannot take an ethnic based story and erase the ethnic faces from that story. It is illogical and ignorant. A point which, btw, you should make both to your Principal and that Director.

Whatever happens with that, TFP wishes you much luck with it, and hopes you have success. You may not, because it is high school, and because no one likes to rock the boat, and they will call you ‘oversensitive’ or accuse you of ‘making it up’ – those things can happen.

But….TFP thinks you may prevail if you all come at it with purpose. (Which is that little thing that lights a fire under your ass)

Finally, That Asian Kid, TFP wants to let you know that you are not the only Asian Kid that has ever had a dream of being on the stage and perhaps eventually, Broadway.

For example, this guy:

BD Wong, TONY Winner

BD Wong, TONY Winner

And this guy:

R.I.P. Kevin Gray

R.I.P. Kevin Gray

And not only did they make it to Broadway, some sang in Six Languages….

Drama Desk Winner, Deborah S. Graig

Drama Desk Winner, Deborah S. Graig

Or became renown solo entertainers and do copious amounts of television roles….

America's Gaysian Sweetheart, Alec Mapa

America’s Gaysian Sweetheart, Alec Mapa

Or work, work, work in every medium….

OBIE Winner and Drama Desk Nominee, Francis Jue

OBIE Winner and Drama Desk Nominee, Francis Jue

Some go from one show to the next…..

Mr & Mrs. Ferdinand Marcos as played by Jose Llana & Ruthie Ann Miles - Ruthie Ann is the new Lady Thiang in the King and I revival starring Ken Watanabe

Mr & Mrs. Ferdinand Marcos as played by Jose Llana & Ruthie Ann Miles – Ruthie Ann is the new Lady Thiang in the King and I revival starring Ken Watanabe

Some were the headliners in their show and went West to try out Hollywoodland

Manu Narayan, star of Bombay Dreams, pictured in award winning production of Glengarry Glenn Ross

Manu Narayan, star of Bombay Dreams, pictured in award winning production of Glengarry Glenn Ross

Some have not been to Broadway yet, but are on their way…

Actress Vanessa Hudgens is currently starring in GIGI, the musical, which has announced it's intention to go to Broadway

Actress Vanessa Hudgens is currently starring in GIGI, the musical, which has announced it’s intention to go to Broadway

Or working on new musicals they hope will head to Broadway

The Cast of Allegiance from The Old Globe - they had hella nominations, y'all

The Cast of Allegiance from The Old Globe – they had hella nominations, y’all

Or got started in musicals and made it to Portland….

Reggie Lee from NBC's GRIMM, who has also been in a ton of feature films

Reggie Lee from NBC’s GRIMM, who has also been in a ton of feature films

Or started on Broadway and then got eaten by Hannibal

Hettienne Park was 'discovered' by Creator of Hannibal, Bryan Fuller, in a play on Broadway

Hettienne Park was ‘discovered’ by Creator of Hannibal, Bryan Fuller, in a play on Broadway

Some are singing their tushes off in the Broadway show IF/Then

IF/Then Cast Members Marc DelaCruz, Pearl Sun, and Charles Hagerty

IF/Then Cast Members Marc DelaCruz, Pearl Sun, and Charles Hagerty

Some have had long, extensive Broadway careers like Joseph Anthony Foronda….

Joseph Anthony Foronda as The Engineer , Ken Shim as Tam, and Jacqueline Nguyen in MISS SAIGON at La Mirada

Joseph Anthony Foronda as The Engineer , Ken Shim as Tam, and Jacqueline Nguyen in MISS SAIGON at La Mirada

And Alvin Ing…

 

Like Lainie Sakakura, who also choreographs….

 

And of course, you would know this guy from GLEE…

 

Some are in new Broadway Shows like Raymond J. Lee….

The Flying Elvises from HONEYMOON IN VEGAS

The Flying Elvises from HONEYMOON IN VEGAS

Or cool shows that have ‘buzz’

That is Orville Mendoza with the cast of FOUND

That is Orville Mendoza with the cast of FOUND

The Fairy Princess’s point is, oh dear That Asian Kid, is that we have all felt, at one point or another, just as you are feeling now, frustrated, indignant, and powerless because someone somewhere has referred to us only by ethnicity, or categorized us only by ethnicity, or tried to limit what we could do because of our ethnicity – and, That Asian Kid….they failed.

We are ok.

Yes, there could and should be more of us working, particularly in television which is supposed to ‘reflect the American scene’, but there has been progress, and we are OK.

Asian Americans are not being silent about casting and representation.

We protest when things are wrong –

Yes, that is Tamlyn Tomita rallying at East West Players

Yes, that is Tamlyn Tomita rallying at East West Players

We are voices of change.

Cindy Cheung & Christine Toy Johnson at La Jolla's talkback...they look so pissed off I feel like I need to go practice piano and bring home an A plus. TIGER ACTRESSES! RRROOOOWWRRR

Cindy Cheung & Christine Toy Johnson
at La Jolla’s talkback…

We give speeches…

 

Those of us who are ‘coming before you’ are working on a lot of stuff.

Actor/Producer Pun Bandhu at the RepresentAsian Conference

Actor/Producer Pun Bandhu at the RepresentAsian Conference

So you worry about school.

We got this.

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Do NOT give up because of this Director, That Asian Kid,  he is ONE guy and eventually, high school ends, and you graduate. You get to leave. And when you go to college, you can study whatever you want.

Happy Dance!

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Finally, as someone who was in AVENUE Q, to clarify – the point of  “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist” is not to identify everyone by their ethnicity, it’s really to show that whatever prejudices we have, we are all the same underneath.

SM Beverly Jenkins, our Original Mistress of the Puppets - Singer/Songwriter Phoebe Kreutz, John Tartaglia, Erin Quill, and Carmen Ruby Floyd - all part of the Original Broadway Company

SM Beverly Jenkins, our Original Mistress of the Puppets – Singer/Songwriter Phoebe Kreutz, John Tartaglia, Erin Quill, and Carmen Ruby Floyd – all part of the Original Broadway Company

The point of the show is ‘when you help others, you are really helping yourself”, whether it is opening a school for Monsters, or speaking up when something is as far out of line as this situation seems to be from your letter.

The Fairy Princess wishes you and your fellow students much luck in surviving the rest of high school, she was not particularly fond of high school when she went through it herself, but as we say at the Q…

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Break a leg, That Asian Kid – and if he still gives you a problem, tell him to

KISS YOUR FAN TAN FANNIE…

 

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Categories Diversity

Congrats to the British East Asians…#TheOrphanOfZhaoRedux

October 27, 2014 //
1

The Fairy Princess once twittered that if Producers wanted to keep her from blogging, they should just keep her employed – and that is what has been happening. That, and, of course, a toddler who likes to break at least one major item a day and does not want to nap – ever. Apologies.

However, in the midst of this oddly timed employment, for which she is quite grateful, she did happen to catch the British East Asian’s answer to The Royal Shakespeare Company’s elimination of Asian faces in their production of The Orphan Of Zhao – done successfully here in the States with an Asian American Cast, in a joint production from A.C.T. in San Francisco, and La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. (I still have my eye on you, La Jolla….)

To borrow some of the British parlance, The Fairy Princess found their video answer to this casting debacle, absolutely smashing, and hopes that Gregory Doran and the rest of the RSC will see it and be absolutely gobsmacked at the British East Asian talent that is RIGHT THERE in his own backyard.

And thus she wanted to share this wonderful video entitled “The Orphan of Zhao Redux” and give you all a chance to see the marvelous work that happens when creative minds attack a problem and try to open eyes and minds.

Mind, it is nine minutes – but it is absolutely worth it, and if you get a minute, perhaps you will Tweet to the RSC (@TheRSC) that you have seen it, and that you wished that they would host more productions where they feature the astonishing talent of the British East Asians…particularly when the show in question is set in CHINA...or any other local where one would expect to find Asian faces.

Or even…wait for it…put them in shows where they are not defined by their race, but by their acting!

Just a thought…mull that one over.

Congratulations to my fellow Actors, and all who put this together, you were all ‘in it to win it‘, and you certainly have.

In a world where people throw things willy nilly up on the internet, with no production value or thought, The Fairy Princess was moved to see how this video speaks to the issues raised by the Casting of The Orphan of Zhao at the RSC.

She also was thrilled to meet some of the brilliant people behind this video on a recent trip to London, and hopes to get over there more, and check in with everyone – the energy of this group is fantastic.

Well Done!

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Categories Diversity

Can He See? An Innocent Question about my Son’s Eyes

June 28, 2014 //
3

The Fairy Princess has a two year old – most people who read my blog know that. She blogs, generally, about diversity in theater and representation on television – and Diversity is an ongoing conversation.

The reason the conversation about Diversity is ongoing is because the world is not run by, this is a generalization and The Fairy Princess knows that, however it is a generalization for a reason – not because this is intended to be a rallying cry – the world is not run by People of Color.

Unless you work for Shonda Rhimes.

Are there People of Color everywhere?

Yes.

However The Fairy Princess and her Family reside in the United States. She is also a Member of the UK Commonwealth by Citizenship, so in HER world – barring The President of the United States – the world is run by white people.

White, straight people.

Caucasian Cisgendered People who enjoy a greater sense of Privilege.

Now, The Fairy Princess‘s Father was a Caucasian Cisgendered male – so she has nothing against people who identify themselves that way – unless in impacts the way in which she lives, or  the way her family lives -changes their ability to walk about the world doing whatever it is one does all day – with us, it is generally auditions, drink coffee, creative meetings, physical health maintenance and making sure that my child lives the fullest life for his age group that any child can live. Your regular creative nightmare.

Today, she took her child to the local pool. Her child, whose heritage is Korean, Chinese, Irish and Welsh, is one who, by appearance, looks 100% Asian. He is gorgeous. The Fairy Princess has been told this by People who work in Entertainment, so of course it must be true because People in Entertainment are always honest.

Ahem.

Personal attractiveness aside, she will say, her kid has an amazing personality and a love of life that reminds her every day that we should all strive to be as full of the wonder of the world as we can.

Anyway, today she took him to the local pool – he looked very cute. He was running around enjoying himself, with Mommy only a few steps away because…well…there was water and he was in the pool, capice?

Everyone who looked at him enjoying himself and laughing, smiled.

Even the very cute little 5, possibly 6 year old girl who was near him in the water. It is a wading pool, and kids younger than 8 generally stay in this area.

As this lovely little Caucasian girl with the long lovely brown hair looked at him, she smiled. She looked up at me and she smiled. She looked at The Fairy Princess‘s son, who was laughing and splashing, and smiled again. Then she looked at The Fairy Princess and asked her a question.

“Can he see?”

The Fairy Princess took a second, because well…she had to watch her son, and also, she wanted to take stock of the situation in full, to see if she understood it correctly. Which is when the question was expanded.

“Can he open his eyes?”

Because The Fairy Princess‘s son has beautiful and expressive Asian shaped eyes. Asian eyes tend to be smaller in appearance than Caucasian eyes, but they are not. They are the same sized eye that everyone has –  generally, Asians have an epicanthic fold – which is just skin, Folks, it’s just skin. The eyeballs are the same size as anyone else.

Yes, we can see.

This is why Diversity on our television screens and on our stages and forty feet high in the movies matters.

This little girl, it seems, has has no interaction with Asian Americans, and her question was simply her trying to understand something that she had never seen. So she asked a question that, had The Fairy Princess‘s son been older and more aware, probably would have hurt his feelings. It might have made him, had he been older and more able to understand, question his own worthiness. It might have, had he been older and more able to understand, might have made him shut down and feel isolated.

The Fairy Princess never wants that to happen to her son, so she has surrounded him, since birth, with people who all walk different paths. He is awash in the love and kindness of so many, that it gives him a confidence and an armor to go out into the world where he will, no doubt, hear this kind of question again – only not given so innocently.

The next time he hears it, it could be to belittle him, or used as a tool to make him leave a situation. The next time he hears it, it could be the prelude to violence – the thought of which keeps The Fairy Princess up at night, because no matter how safe you feel in America, a Person of Color – like any woman walking around the world anywhere, has to keep an awareness of personal safety that straight, white, cisgendered males do not.

This little girl was not, herself, being racist. She was trying to understand because in her daily life, and in the life her Parents have allowed her to enjoy – she does not, it is clear, encounter People of Color. No one has explained to her that the world is large, and that people come in all shapes and shades, and that love can be all manner of things to all manner of people. No one has shared with her the notion that there are questions that are inappropriate, or that just because someone looks different to you or acts different to you, it is not your ‘right’ to demand an answer for their existence.

This little girl and her question are why we need, at a young age, to be exposed to different peoples. Not just racially – there are people with disabilities, and people who love people of the same sex. There are people who come from cultures where facial tattoos are a right of passage, or people who have lost limbs to war. There are people who began life as one type of person and have found that they are another type of person. There are people who have weight issues, or people who have scars…there are so many different types of people in the world.

They all deserve to walk about the planet without having answers demanded of them, with no notice, from someone who only knows one type of world – even if the person asking is only five. Or six.

The Fairy Princess‘s answer to this little girl, who smiled so innocently while asking was brief, “Yes, he can see.”

The Fairy Princess‘s look at this little girl’s Mother, bikini clad in a Lily Pulitzer transparent cover up, standing outside the water but able to hear every word her daughter asked, said a bit more.

Ahem.

The little girl’s Mother pulled her out of the pool rather quickly, and, one hopes, took her home to give her a talk on the Diversity of the planet, perhaps she popped in a DVD of Disney’s Mulan or something to explain it further. Hopefully, this little girl’s Mother now realizes that what she is giving her child – confidence, charm, inquisitiveness – perhaps needs to be expanded by visiting museums, and venturing to other areas like New York City. Perhaps she will realize that she is doing her child, and my child, a disservice by presenting only one world view.

Perhaps she will not.

However, if our television screens continue to diversify, if our films continue to show different types of people, if our stages start to represent our entire populations – that little girl will have exposure to other peoples. No one will be ‘foreign’ to her, she will have seen a world that encompasses many things.

As she grows, if she sees Diversity, her questions will hopefully focus less on appearance and more on…oh, science or art or music or the environment or…there is so much more to focus on, when we all can just accept one another without demanding answers for another person’s existence, for when we stop asking why someone looks the way they look. Perhaps if she can stop with the questionable questions, she will be able to set about finding answers – to things like world peace, conservation, global warming, sex trafficking…that little girl seemed very bright, The Fairy Princess bets she could do it.

That is why Diversity matters, because lack of Diversity makes the conversation stop and focus only on one aspect, and there is so much more to see and do, than ask if Asian people can open their eyes.

The Fairy Princess hopes that, in hearing her child ask an Asian American child if they could see, that little girl’s Mother learned a lesson today too.

Because the next time, that Mother might get more than a look from The Fairy Princess, she might get an earful too.

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Categories Diversity

Accent-uate the Positive

June 10, 2014 //
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The Fairy Princess had an audition and she was required to use an Accent.

If you have been reading along, you might guess that The Fairy Princess has a problem with this, and the answer is – within parameters, The Fairy Princess does not have a problem using an accent of any kind.

Yes, some people just flat out refuse to do them, due to personal mores (which is fine), but The Fairy Princess comes from a family built by immigration and the accents she heard growing up – Irish, Australian, Chinese – and by marriage – Korean -, and through friendships – too numerous and international to be counted – means that she is well aware that accents exist on the planet, and it would be completely ridiculous not to acknowledge that when one is acting.

In her own opinion.

This post is not really for Actors, who kind of ‘get’ what the job is, but it is more for the “Activists’ out there, who I have noticed, seem to lose their mind when an Actor of Color has to use an accent.

So The Fairy Princess is going to share her very simple rules for when a Minority Actor or Actress should/can use an accent without getting flack for it from the general public, bloggers, and those who share their every thought on social media.

You know – people like me. 🙂

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THE FAIRY PRINCESS’S EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR USING AN ACCENT

1. If the character is an immigrant.

Asian Americans will not like this first one, but the truth is, though the API population is growing rapidly, we still get most of our population numbers from immigration. It would be ludicrous to assume that someone arriving in America is going to get off the plane speaking “The Queen’s English”, one or two – likely, every single one? Not possible.

Immigrants have accents because they have not assimilated to the new country – and this is not just an Asian accent thing, immigrants from Australia, Britain, Ireland, Wales – they all have accents to American ears – accents are not ‘owned’ by any particular group. We all have them – look at New York vs. Chicago  – Fuggitaboudit!

2. If the character comes from a region where a specific dialect is well known and expected

Examples would be, of course, the American Deep South, or Australia, or Norway. Or a particular city within the USA that has well known regional flavor…or Canada. There are lots of regional accents out there, and if a play is set in a particular city, one would expect to hear them.

3. If the character and the play are set in a historic time and the entire cast is using an accent –

Well, for example, Shakespeare – even Americans sound vaguely British-y when they do Shakespeare, perhaps it is psychological or perhaps it just sounds better that way, who knows – but it is hard to say “Out damn spot!” without trying to Dame Dench it.

Judi Dench

Those are my top 3 reasons of why an Actor would choose to do them, but having said that, The Fairy Princess has rules, for herself (but she is sharing now), of what she expects of herself when doing an accent as part of her work, so here are 4-6….

4. It must be authentic.

If the character is Korean – then the accent must mimic someone from Korea who has just learned English – likewise for Hispanic, Cyrillic, Celtic, just ANY accent – it has to be authentic. If you are supposed to be from Japan, you cannot sound like you are from the Philippines.

By being authentic, you are being respectful. Which brings me to my next personal rule:

5. It must respectful.

The Actor should not allow the accent to wear them, they should ‘wear’ the accent. In practice, Actors often need to find something about a character to like, in order to do the character justice. If the accent is being used for comedy, that is fine- but have the joke be funny by performance, not by accent alone. It is a fine, fine line – yes, but the benefits are that one does not feel that one has taken a bath in sewage after every performance.

6. It must serve the play, television show, or film

Having an accent ‘just to have one’ does not really, to The Fairy Princess, have a point to it. Given that the world is getting more diverse, one expects to hear more accents on our screens and stages – or that is the dream, in my mind. The accent has to be given to the character for a reason other than to play into stereotype or to serve as a foil for debasing the character who has it.

Those are The Fairy Princess’s rules for personal use of an accent – but there are a few exceptions and we are going to go into them right now:

7. Caucasians do not get to use accents to mock the Immigrant character.

We have seen it in film,image14

television,

The Cast of How I Met Your Mother

The Cast of How I Met Your Mother

and Broadway,

Revival of The Mystery Of Edwin Drood with Andy Karl and Jessie Mueller

Revival of The Mystery Of Edwin Drood with Andy Karl and Jessie Mueller

– it is not what is supposed to happen in this day and age.

Let’s all agree to be better than that.

Otherwise what good are theater conferences and diversity panels? None at all if you are going to turn around and give us a tv show or musical without employing Actors who can take the stage/screen without browning, yellowing, or blacking their faces.

8. Other Minorities, likewise, should be judicious with assuming that because we ‘share’ minority status, that it’s ‘allowed’ to put on accents of other races.

Not so much, Folks – not so much.

Just because you are not Caucasian does not mean you get a free pass. Because you are not Caucasian means you know what it feels like when you are mocked by a stereotype that you do not embody – so let’s be kind to one another.

If, for plot’s sake, your character has an accent because it fit the ‘regional’ requirements listed above, that is, of course, different kettle of fish. Plot points are plot points.

Are there exceptions to any and all of these rules?

There are to most rules, but these, not really.

Accents are part of the costume that we Actors wear, and they will always be a part of the profession – unless we decide to get dull and boring and lose all sense of reality and humor – some are already there.

Ahem.

However, it is not the accent that makes the performance, it is the execution by the actor and the intention behind the employment OF an accent within a role.

If you hate the accent, so be it – turn the channel. But let us not flay actors who are gainfully employed by taking away their tools to do their job – if they are playing an immigrant, they WILL have an accent – and uber sensitivity is NOT going to help the great strides being taken by both Networks and Actors in breaking down the doors that have been closed to diversity.

The Cast of Fresh Off The Boat

The Cast of Fresh Off The Boat

Got it?

Yeah, I thought you did.

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