Author Archives: Zichen Yu

Cyberspace, Y2K:

Giant Robots, Asian Punks

The author mainly talks about a new version of Asian American medias, zines and the potential influence that zines might bring to Asian American, such as new choices for life, new identifications for Asian youth and diverse cultural of aesthetic. Zines are only a kind of typical product that generated by diverse, crushed and new Asian cultural entering the American society. And as the development of internet, the form of zines is transferring into cyber version, which can produce more information and has wider influence than paper version. (pp.24) Zines have become a representative Asian American media to show a strong individual awareness as well as a rebellion spirit.

One specific example of where zines come from is that in 1960s zines also developed a new form with underground comix (most famously represented by cartoonist R.Crumb) and music fanzines to the mix. And in the late 1970s and 1980s as the birth of punk, zines began to add these components to show a rebellion spirit against the traditional cultural, to break the stubborn expression of Asian American. And as Greil Marcus firstly did this, with the introduction of punk, very quickly, pop music changed its form—and so did public discourse. (pp.12)

Two main key words is zine and fanzine. A zine (short for magazine or fanzine) is a self-published work with some original or appropriated texts and images, and usually reproduced by photocopier. Zines are not only the product of a single person, but also of a very small group and are always photocopied into some physical prints for circulation. A fanzine (blend of fan and magazine) is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share their interest. (According to Wikipedia “zine”)

In These ‘AZN’ Zines Are Here To Tell The Asian American Story written by Jasmine Ting, she collects numerous Asian American’s products of zines. Interestingly, she finds that one magazine called BANANA have changed the word “Banana” which refers to Asians who are “white inside.” Into a new self-identification for Asian Americans, which shows their fashion and aesthetic taste. This is highly agreed by Rachel Rubin, because he also mentioned that the grassroots nature of zine production and distribution also struggle with the stubborn original frame of medias. The new medias for Asian American and the reasons for them to chase after zines are to show their equality and differences from both Asians as well Americans.

Reference:

1. “These ‘AZN’ Zines Are Here To Tell The Asian American Story”, Jasmine Ting, 05 May 2012
2. “Cyberspace, Y2K: Giant Robots, Asian Punks”, RACHEL RUBIN, March 2003

This article mainly talks about the problem that Asian American media is facing, such as few jobs for the Asian American in media field. And the poor resource for Asian American medias mainly causes the lack of social attention to the Asian American community. Also, the author talks about how Asian American media creators improve their advertisement to achieve success of promoting Asian American medias.

One example that the author mentioned in the article is Hurricane Katrina News. it was one of the most important domestic news events of 2005 in the US. The storm opened a really controversial discussion about poverty and race in America. However, Asian Americans were nearly invisible in the center of medias, even though 53,000 of them were suffered from this disaster. (pp.664) Asian Americans were the main victims, but they didn’t get enough attention from American Society due to the lack of report in the newspaper. This is the most obvious event that shows Asian American’s community is not treated equally and the lack of Asian American media popularity may cause a fall of community construction.

Another example is the Angry Asian Man blog event. This event mainly shows the contemporary Asian American medias’ way to promote their popularity; E-mail listservs create micro-communities to share information and mobilize members. (pp.670) what’s more, this symbolize a great success of Asian Americans acquiring equal rights and Asian American medias effective using of internet. Throughout the history, Asian American media creators are trying to find a way to make them frequently appear in the American society, such as providing more news jobs for Asian American. But it seemed that the using of internet can be the most effective way to promote the improvement of Asian American medias.

“collective guilt” firstly appeared when the author talks that Korean student called Seung-Hui Cho killed thirty-two people and himself in April 2007.(pp.666) This is a kind of prejudice from American Society that make a connection between a race culture with self-behaviors. This is definitely an obvious word that represents the Asian American’s inequality as well as unacceptance in the American society. And another key word “ethnic minorities” fully explained where Asian Americans stay in the American society. The majority is not necessary to attract others’ attention to protect their own rights because they are already in other’s views. However, the ethnic minorities not only have less percentage population but also fewer chances to show themselves. Thus, to improve the coverage of ethnic minorities, it is necessary to promote their own medias to show themselves, just like what Asian Americans did.

In Sarah Moon Casinelli. “If we are Asian, then are we funny?”: Margaret Cho’s “All-American Girl” as the First (and Last?) Asian American Sitcom. Studies in American Humor, New Series 3, No. 17 (2008), the author provides an idea that why the Asian American medias fail to become popular in American society. She points out that Asian American medias are not only lack of reality of Asians’ life styles but lack of identity of Americans. However, the media “All-American Girl” has gone enough attention from the society to the Asian American community. But it seems that Asian Americans are still being viewed as foreigners even monsters in American society. So, I think it is necessary to promote Asian American medias but also raise social respect from positive impression in social medias or just shows how Asian Americans live not just expresses that one Asian live in America.

This article mainly talks about the Asian American’s film market and how they build a profitable film economy based on Asian American Grassroots. The film makers are using a kind of positive policy on community-focused marketing, which is clear and effective, rather than TV promotion policy. Thus, the main argument of the author is how the Asian American filmmaker use the community-focused marketing policy to extend their film market in American and gain the great success on generating large enough box offices.

The article uses the example of CAAM. (pp.5) On the day of their 20^th year celebration, a national convening was held in San Francisco and attract those in the Asian American media community to discuss the state of film condition in the America. One consequence as well as the biggest success is to establish the “APA First Weekend Club”, which can inform people when the Asian American movie shall show in the cinema. It devotes a lot of value into maximizing the box offices and extending the film market for Asian Americans. This policy was encouraged by a lot of Asian American community.

Another important example is THE DEBUT. (pp.6) Since it used an almost exclusively grassroots, self-distribution strategy, it become the first success that show the economic and effective advantage of the strategy.

One key term I want to identify is the community-focused marketing. The Asian American’s film maker initially doesn’t have any advantage in US film market. However, it is also hard for them to enter the market. So, they try a different way is the grassroot revolution. It means they promote their movie by sending emails, making some activities in community and closing the distance between movie stars with audience. It takes less money than traditional promotion like TV ads but can have a more profitable value back like more fames and box offices.

In A Look Back at the Campaign: Asian American Political and Cultural Representation written by Konrad Ng / University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, the author talks about Asian American community achievement in politic area. Barack Obama, the first “Asian American president”, won the vote by 62% Asian American population. Not only film makers but also politician realize the growing importance of Asian American community. How they make Obama won vote is to use some Asian American medias as well as YouTube to attract others by Asian American special culture, which is becoming an absolutely necessary part of American society. They are using Asian Americans’ way to acquire stages as well as rights for Asian Americans by the Asian American medias. That is similar to how they promote Asian American movies, based on community and grassroot revolution.

Meanwhile, it has become the unique and most adaptive living ways of Asian American in much more other situations. And I believe, with the development of Asian American cultural, the community-based policy will become more complete to solve the conflict with traditional promotions like paper advertisements, since it may hard for filmmakers to convey the importance of their films. (pp.7)