The Asianization of America

Barker’s (2001) article, “The Asianization of America” discusses the influence of Asian culture in the US in the early 21^st century, investigating whether or not Asian-Americans have finally “broken through” in US mainstream culture. Personally, I found the perspectives in the article to be fairly interesting. Barker (2001) claims that, in today’s culture, “it's not hard to imagine someone, freshly wakened from his futon and clad in a T-shirt emblazoned with Chinese calligraphy, ducking into Starbucks for a cup of chai before popping over to Blockbuster for Jet Li on DVD (para 4).” I feel Barker could have also just as easily mentioned that this person could have gone to dinner at P.F. Chang’s, and then gone home to play his Nintendo Wii. Of course, whether or not this is true integration of Asian culture is certainly debatable. All of those things are commercialized for mass appeal- our hypothetical hero likely had no idea what the symbols on his shirt meant, watched his movie in English, eaten fortune cookies (an American food) at P.F. Chang’s, and played a WWII game about the Pacific Front. None of these things imply any real understanding of Asian culture on any real level. After all, grabbing lunch at Taco Bell does not mean that you are celebrating Mexican culture (or maybe, in keeping with the lumping together of all Asian cultures, Hispanic culture as a whole).

However, as stated in Barker’s (2001) article, some Asian-Americans may feel that that a misrepresentation of Asian culture is better than no recognition of it at all. People of Asian descent have long been discriminated against in the US- from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to Japanese Internment during WWII, Asian-Americans have a history of being marginalized and cast aside. In fact, limitations on allowing people of Asian descent to become US citizens existed until the late 1940s. Perhaps, for some people, ignorance is better than being ignored.

I feel that because of this long-standing discrimination, many people still see Asian-Americans as an “other,” something foreign and different. This is echoed by Leonard (2003), in his article “Yo, Yao! What does the "Ming Dynasty" tell us about race and transnational diplomacy in the NBA?” Leonard claims that American fascination with Yao Ming focuses on his foreign-ness, as illustrated by arenas distributing fortune cookies to celebrate his arrival to the NBA, as well as commercials that focus on his difficulties with the English language. Through this, one could easily see how his arrival in the NBA was, in many ways, exploited, thus illustrating the difficulties of celebrating and embracing Asian culture in the US.

Sister Act VI

Spencer’s (2004) article “Sister Act VI: Venus and Serena Williams at Indian Wells: ‘Sincere Fictions’ and White Racism” touches on many facets of racism in today’s society, and how they tie into the controversy at Indian Wells in 2001. One of the most notable concepts that Spencer (2004) discusses is the notion of the “sincere fictions” that are created by whites to justify racist behavior or beliefs. In the article, Spencer (2004) uses Martina Hingis’ comment that the Williams sisters receive sponsorships due to their race as an example of a sincere fiction. In this, Hingis “obscures the reality that people of color have historically been excluded from tennis and that White racism continues to operate in the new millennium (Spencer, 2004 p. 128).”

This kind of racism is perhaps the most prevalent that I have seen in my experiences. It has always seemed to me that many whites (at least in my generation) operate under the belief that racism was something that happened before their lifetime, therefore, beliefs or institutions (such as Affirmative Action) that promote the advancement of non-whites are racist themselves, and do nothing to ease racial tensions. Of course, this belief system ignores the fact that people who lived under Jim Crow laws are still alive. It also ignores the vast history of white racism in this country and society. Furthermore, it ignores the blatant inequities between whites and non-whites in this country today. These sincere fictions allow people to distance themselves from the greater picture and see only what they want to see, thus perpetuating racist beliefs. If society is going to move forward and distance itself from racist constructs, driving home the importance of the history of racism as well as where it exists today is vastly important.

"Whither the NBA, Whither America?"

David Andrews’ (1999) article “Whither the NBA, Whither America?” discusses the growth of the NBA both in the US and abroad, as well as the social implications of that expansion. Andrews (1999) explains that through aggressive marketing of the NBA as an American sport, the league’s popularity is exploding, and a large fanbase is being established in foreign markets. In this, the NBA has saved itself from a fate of obscurity that seemed inevitable in the 1970s.

This expansion into other markets is certainly not something that the only the NBA has done- the MLB, NFL and NHL all feature special games overseas and have their games broadcast internationally- however, the NBA may be the most successful league in its execution. According to Andrews (1999), international revenues account for $500 million every year, and I am sure that number has risen in the years since this article was written. The influence of the league continues to grow, to the point where players such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are not just American celebrities, but global superstars.

Of course, this expansion has led to a growth of globalization of American culture. While certainly this may increase American goodwill internationally, some may see it as a threat to individual cultures across the globe. Clearly, the NBA is not the only agent of globalization of American culture- I recall hearing a story once in a political science class that told about a little boy from Japan visiting New York City with his mother. He was shocked by how foreign everything was and couldn’t seem to find his bearings. However, as soon as he saw a McDonald’s, he turned to his mother and said, “Look mom, they have Japanese food here!”

This story illustrates how pervasive globalization can be. As successful as the NBA has been recently, one has to wonder if that growth can continue. Andrews (1999) talks of other cultures’ weariness of “creeping Otherness (p. 508),” and a backlash that may come from locals against what they see as invasive forces, something that has been seen throughout history. The question must be asked whether people in other countries may eventually tire of the NBA as “Japanese food,” in favor of something more distinctive to their own culture.

The Whole World Isn't Watching

Martin & Reeves’ (2001) article “The Whole World Isn’t Watching (But We Thought They Were): The Super Bowl and US Solipsism” drives the point that the Super Bowl is not an international spectacle in the way that many in the US believe it is. Instead, the Super Bowl is a distinctly American event, holding little importance outside of our borders. In this, Martin & Reeves (2001) seem to imply that the US is ignorant to the rest of the world’s taste, and automatically assume that what is important to Americans must be important to the rest of the world.

Certainly, Martin & Reeves (2001) are not off the mark in their take that the rest of the world is lukewarm at best to the Super Bowl. Football is a distinctly American sport, and the rest of the world simply hasn’t caught on to it. I think this is due to a number of factors- football is expensive to play, it has a very complicated set of rules (and at first glance, the scoring probably wouldn’t make sense to somebody with no concept of the game), and because it is so American, it may not be seen as very chic in other countries. However, the sport has had some success abroad, including the “American Bowls” which have done very well in foreign markets. There is still hope for the sport abroad.

Still, although it is true that the NFL uses some fairly fuzzy numbers to augment the reported international viewership, I feel is it extremely unfair how Martin & Reeves (2001) seem to paint Americans as ignorant and self-centered when it comes to what the rest of the world is watching. I feel that most people know and understand the soccer is the true international sport of choice, and that football is not wildly successful overseas. Yes, the NFL has a long way to go in terms of internationalizing the sport (I can’t name a single non-North American player in the NFL), but to call Americans self-centered because many of us think there is a market for the sport outside of our borders is uncalled for.