08.20.02 Xena-phobia On Channel 29, Xena would come on sometime after the X-Files. Sunday used to be my TV day, y'all. Simpsons AND the X-files, on the same channel, within the same time block. Can I get a what what! Anyway, I remember watching the X-files, then leaving the TV to do its thang while I fixed myself a late dinner. When I return to the TV, there were some Asians on the screen! "Huh?" I muttered aloud. Turns out that I caught a Xena episode where she journeys to the mystical land of Xin or Chin or something like that, generic Asian sounding place that is supposed to signify Ancient China (to the white male writer's minds). Xena was talking to an Asian female character, whose husband was the official ruler of Yim or Chim or whatever kingdom it was - and apparently the husband was dead. The woman didn't tell anyone he was dead and was calling the shots. "That is the only way a woman can lead here," she said. Yeah, I know, it's Xena. Garbage television, so why deconstruct it? It brought up some issues that mirror popular perception. First, it's ironic that Xena's (white male) writers and creators, who directly ripped off Hong Kong cinema action aesthetics for Xena, were trying to make some type of political statement about Asian patriarchy - especially since the pop Asian cinema that they were ripping off portrayed female heroines long before Americans did. Brigitte Lin, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Chung, Anita Mui, and many others were high flying heroes in Asia before Xena. In fact, I once read an interview with Cynthia Rothrock, who claimed that she tried to make it in American film as an action star and no one was interested because she's a woman. So where did she go to get her break in films? Asia. After she made it there, she came back here and was able to make some bad martial arts b-movies. Global misconceptions will occur. For instance, there were a lot of idiots who thought Hong Kong films ripped off "The Matrix". But the issues illuminated in Xena bring up some disturbing questions about portrayal and acceptance. In the many reviews I read about Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, many American critics applauded it for being revolutionary, because there were finally some female martial artists in an Asian action film. Kinda funny, since the actress who played Jade Fox is a legendary martial arts actress in Asia, known long before CTHD. But the critics assumed that Asian cinema must be a mirror of their white imperialist notions of Asia: backwards, uncivilized, patriarchal. Back when I first started talking about this, some white women were quick to attack me. Since there aren't a lot of kick ass female heroines on American TV, Xena represented a campy white female hero that white women and some 'indiscriminating' women of color could relate to. Me criticizing Xena was like sacrilege. When I suggested that Xena's action aesthetics were directly ripped off from Asia, and that the episode I saw had racist Orientalist portrayals in it, the white women immediately dismissed me as a sexist. Hmmm… Here's a show where white men create a fictional Greco-Roman heroine, sends her to some ancient Asian civilization where she meets an Asian woman who must resort to deception in order to lead. When I was young, Greek Mythology fascinated me. I read every book I could find on the subject. While there was a fair share of female goddesses, there were very few female heroines; many of the women were damsels in distress, monsters, or victims. In Asian cultures, there are historical figures and legends (not created by white dudes) of Asian female revolutionaries (i.e. Hai Ba Trung) and heroines (i.e. Fa Mu Lan, Tomoe Gozen). Of course, this doesn't mean that patriarchy didn't/does not exist in Asian culture. The question is, why are we willing to portray and accept a modernized fictional Greek heroine created by white American men, yet we can't envision a modernized Asian female character in Asian culture? Especially since Asian female heroines DO actually exist in Asian culture?! This is a common colonialist belief, held even by many Asians, that Asian culture and people exist in some strange time warp where women are still silenced and getting their feet bound (while we're talking about foot binding, what about that tight leather corset Xena wears, and how does she fight in that shit?). The problem is that white men are adhering to the same old tired Orientalist view of Asian peoples and culture, where we are monolithic chauvinists measuring women's worth by belches. And sadly, whitewashed assimilationist Asians support these portrayals, justifying them by bringing up Asian culture's sexism. Again, don't get it twisted, I'm not saying that Asian sexism doesn't exist, I'm saying that Asian culture isn't the only culture with a history of sexism and oppression, and the work against sexism here in the U.S. is far from over. And it becomes problematic when whites and whitewashed Asians use Orientalist gender politics to condemn all of Asia, Asian culture, and Asian men. Especially since, if we used the same logic, we could turn the lens around and condemn all white men and white culture for their patriarchy and oppression. But whites and whitewashed Asians aren't doing that, are they? And we live in a system where Orientalist notions and subconscious "white equals right" philosophies are the most widespread and supported. Oh well, I've decided not to watch TV anymore anyway, I see more than enough white people around every day as it is. Until the world turns upside down, I'll be checking out Asian films and rooting for the kick ass Asian women therein.

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