The themes from this DB’s readings are vast and when listed out, almost seemingly disconnected. Although each author discussed issues of race, culture, and sexuality in great detail, other issues seemed to drive them: acceptance by society and friends and most prominently parent-child relationships greatly influenced each of these men’s lives and the struggles with either their race or sexuality. I want to go through each of their stories individually (sort of like what Lauren did, I think) to address how culture, sexuality and family dynamics impacted their lives individually. By writing down their stories shamelessly, each of these authors have provided a glimpse into the lives of those many of us (myself included) would not be able to comprehend fully. I, for one, was shocked by how Johnny Lee’s parents responded to his homosexuality and was also introduced to the delicate problems of being multiracial that I had never thought of before.
Anthony R. Luckett, Multihued
Anthony’s story is all about boundaries. He mentions the way people see him as “Korean” by describing the “38 parallels I’ve seen folks draw on me...” and reveals his “Black” categorization by talking about “treading the Mason-Dixon poverty line” “alone.” (Luckett, 861) Luckett’s story was a sad one in that he never had a solid family or group. He writes that “now Jazz is my mother and Hip Hop my sample of what daddies be like.” (Luckett, 861) Luckett struggles with accepting and embracing his multiracial background because I’m sure he wanted so badly to belong to something but felt that he was never able to. A particularly illuminating example he gives is when he describes how ashamed and confused he felt when his mother was speaking to him in Korean on the subway. Although his mother meant it as an affectionate action, he could only imagine his fellow passengers questioning why a boy who was obviously not fully Korean could be spoken to in that language. Luckett’s story is an example of what it means to be multiracial, obviously, and the challenges that involves, but it is also more than that. His struggle to reconcile his constant abandonment culminated in an understanding that his mother was actually doing whatever she could to save him, but not before the issues he had with his parents spilled over into his relationships with members of the opposite sex. In attempting to embrace some sort of cultural identity, Luckett initially failed to do either justice. His mother taught him that he needed to handle his cultural expression differently when she told him “You don’t always have to wear your culture out like that” (Luckett, 866) in response to his cornrows. I thought Luckett’s piece was beautifully well-written and very insightful.
Anthony R. Luckett, Multihued
Anthony’s story is all about boundaries. He mentions the way people see him as “Korean” by describing the “38 parallels I’ve seen folks draw on me...” and reveals his “Black” categorization by talking about “treading the Mason-Dixon poverty line” “alone.” (Luckett, 861) Luckett’s story was a sad one in that he never had a solid family or group. He writes that “now Jazz is my mother and Hip Hop my sample of what daddies be like.” (Luckett, 861) Luckett struggles with accepting and embracing his multiracial background because I’m sure he wanted so badly to belong to something but felt that he was never able to. A particularly illuminating example he gives is when he describes how ashamed and confused he felt when his mother was speaking to him in Korean on the subway. Although his mother meant it as an affectionate action, he could only imagine his fellow passengers questioning why a boy who was obviously not fully Korean could be spoken to in that language. Luckett’s story is an example of what it means to be multiracial, obviously, and the challenges that involves, but it is also more than that. His struggle to reconcile his constant abandonment culminated in an understanding that his mother was actually doing whatever she could to save him, but not before the issues he had with his parents spilled over into his relationships with members of the opposite sex. In attempting to embrace some sort of cultural identity, Luckett initially failed to do either justice. His mother taught him that he needed to handle his cultural expression differently when she told him “You don’t always have to wear your culture out like that” (Luckett, 866) in response to his cornrows. I thought Luckett’s piece was beautifully well-written and very insightful.
This video is about the two sets of twins who were born black and white. The related videos on YouTube surprised me because they were for other "defects" or "abnormalities" like "animals without heads" as if the thought of a family so obviously of mixed race was so unnatural.
Johnny Lee, No Such Thing...
http://glothelegend.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/protestors-anti-gay.jpg
Vincent Ng, Farewell My Tung-Tew
Vincent’s reading reminded me a lot of our class discussion on Cholly from The Bluest Eye because he tried so hard to understand what made his father the man he was. Vincent obviously has issues with his father and went so far as to have negative feelings about his culture because of it: “to me,” he says, “the notion of being Chinese encompassed everything bad about living with my father.” (Ng, 883) Vincent doesn’t stop there, however, and explains that his father is merely a product of his upbringing, growing up with a physically abusive father. Vincent also talks about how his views of his culture affected his sexuality. He talks about how “being a Honger meant having no confidence, interpersonal skills, or leadership abilities.” (Ng, 883) Eventually, Ng is able to overcome his difficulties though a liberal acceptance or approaching new ideas or experiences as they are with as little discrimination as he can muster.
http://www.understandthetimes.org/inthenews/109_ec.shtml
Vincent used the theater to help understand his issues in the same way that he tried to understand his father.
Johnny Lee, No Such Thing...
Johnny Lee’s first sentence is a deep insight into how culture affected his life. “The church is an integral part of being Korean, at least in my family,” he says. (Lee, 869) Johnny’s experience with his Korean culture is at once global—with his parents following Korean customs and practices very diligently—and personal in that much of Johnny’s experience is shaped by his parent’s and family’s personal opinions. As stated above, I was incredibly surprised by the extent to which Johnny’s parents rejected his homosexuality. Even Johnny says, “it is very easy, as an outside observer, to react with amazement and anger at what my parents have done.” (Lee, 879) I’m not totally naïve and understand that people wholeheartedly denounce homosexuality or believe that it can be “cured” by doctors or therapists, but it was still very much a shock. I was impressed by Johnny’s strength in keeping true to himself in the face of so much discrimination but also impressed (no that isn’t the right word...saddened) by the force of that discrimination and how much it can cause people to fracture their relationships, even the relationships within their own family.
I was surprised to the extent some people let hatred rule their lives.
http://glothelegend.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/protestors-anti-gay.jpg
Vincent Ng, Farewell My Tung-Tew
Vincent’s reading reminded me a lot of our class discussion on Cholly from The Bluest Eye because he tried so hard to understand what made his father the man he was. Vincent obviously has issues with his father and went so far as to have negative feelings about his culture because of it: “to me,” he says, “the notion of being Chinese encompassed everything bad about living with my father.” (Ng, 883) Vincent doesn’t stop there, however, and explains that his father is merely a product of his upbringing, growing up with a physically abusive father. Vincent also talks about how his views of his culture affected his sexuality. He talks about how “being a Honger meant having no confidence, interpersonal skills, or leadership abilities.” (Ng, 883) Eventually, Ng is able to overcome his difficulties though a liberal acceptance or approaching new ideas or experiences as they are with as little discrimination as he can muster.
http://www.understandthetimes.org/inthenews/109_ec.shtml
Vincent used the theater to help understand his issues in the same way that he tried to understand his father.
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