Essay On East Asian Culture
The extraordinary Far East, the mystery of the Orient; for ages it has spoken to the imagination of Western society. While never remotely separated, the East and West managed to distance themselves in both geographical and cultural terms. As a result of this, Western society adopted a filtered and imperfect vision of this strange culture and its people. For the last two hundred years, however, an initially gradual yet since the First World War intensifying fusion of East Asia and the West has come into existence. Naturally, this absorption of East Asia in Western Society has strongly altered the discourse on East Asian culture and its people and continues to do so. This essay will examine the role media has in this still ongoing process. By analysing the most influential casts, the East Asian as portrayed by the Yellow Peril and the East Asian American model minority, and elaborating on their origin and impact, this essay will attempt to expound the influence of media on the discourse on East Asian culture and …show more content…
Both thrive on the vision of East Asia illegitimately gaining power within the West. As is the case in America, the news and magazines continue to stereotype East Asians and East Asian Americans, destined to succeed, as they receive their strength from their background in ancient civilizations (Chen, 150-51). Furthermore, the media creates a clear Us vs. Them dichotomy, by portraying East Asian Americans as deviating outsiders, instead of Americans of one of America’s extensive heritages (Hartlep, xv-xvi). Alternatively, a new manner of approaching East Asia is uprising, promoted by East Asian export of their media to the West. Sampling of East Asian culture results in Westerners appropriating and fetishizing selected aspects, while still disregarding most (Iwabuchi 549-51). Consequently, it does little to change the general
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