I am wondering whether or not we can say that the people in Up the Yangtze were represented or simply displayed? The idea that I am proposing might seem a little bit trivial, but I think it's relatively important to determine what that film means for our concept of representation.
So in the film, the tourists are displayed as simpletons- they are vague, air-headed, rude, demanding, and kind of annoying. The entire concept of "American" seems to be laughable to the "natives." When they are in a work meeting and are discussing the inappropriate things to call Americans, fat and pale are mentioned. I can't help but wonder if that was stereotyping at its finest?
I also take issue with the fact that all of the natives are forced to change their names on the ship. They say at one point in the film that it is so they are more appealing to the Americans (and presumably other non-natives). I find that this does two harmful things: For one, it strips the natives of their identity and replaces it with a stereotyped and misrepresented American ideal. Second, it presents this idea of what Americans want that is not representative of all Americans.
Also, there are only two native teens followed in the film. The representative sample is so small, one cannot help but question the accuracy. Do these two teenagers represent China? Poverty? Depravity? Desperation? Opportunity? Hard work? Vehemence? I think that this is sooo unclear within the film. As an audience member, I guess I just want to know what I am supposed to be getting from these teens.
I see several issues with the representation in the film, and as I discussed in my last SCD, I am wondering what it means that representations are sometimes not representative?
1 comment:
I'm glad you said something about the cruise ship workers having to change their names to American names. This made me thin of Johnson's idea of "the inevitable 'Winona'" (386). "She is never dignified by being permitted to own a surname" (386). Similarly it seems that the workers seem to be stripped of dignity from the get go by being forced to change their name. Making themselves more accessible to Americans and the American culture seems counterproductive if Americans are there to experience the Chinese culture. Yet somehow these expectations have been created, and so the cruise ship workers sell a certain image that they know the Americans will buy. But, for what? Do they expect an American to be so "grateful for services rendered" that equal compensation will be bestowed on that worker (387)?
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