When I read Crazy Rich Asians I didn't know that it will turn into a movie and that too a famous one. Throughout the movie, I was fascinated and bewildered by the brash avatar of Asianness and the racial slur against 'starving kids in America' to ' macaroni and old age homes'. I am glad that this movie is the answer to all the racism subjected on non-white people in Hollywood till date. I want to be part of this reverse Ku klux clan even though I observe that the palace guard in the movie was a dark skinned Sardarji.
Its almost like if some white person asked me if I have watched Indian Jones and the temple of doom or Slumdog Millionaire, I would respond and ask if they have watched Crazy Rich Asians. If as an Indian I am so thrilled about this movie then I can only imagine how thrilled an Asian would be. However, what I cannot ignore is that the female protagonist has to be an "NYU professor in Economics" and the male protagonist has to be a rich suit clad business man - both white symbols of success. At one side, I see white culture being trashed and the other side - the yearning to be white and accepted as a white.
Since the last century, we have seen that everyone wants to experience the dream of "Anglo-Saxon supremacy". In America, we have seen the Irish and Italians looking down on African-Americans just to be accepted into the circle of being white. The Jews followed suit and lately even Arab and Iranians are trying to be racist to prove their whiteness. The desperation to be white is extremely apparent in Central and South American cultures. The only people who haven't shown outrageous desire of being white are the Asians, Indians (if accents and hair coloring doesn't count :) and the Africans, although being light-skinned is still a way of self-acceptance in these cultures.
Its sad that in this world of still predominant "Anglo-Saxon supremacy" the only way of being accepted is to fight them or join them. Crazy Rich Asians has definitely taken the latter stance.
Its almost like if some white person asked me if I have watched Indian Jones and the temple of doom or Slumdog Millionaire, I would respond and ask if they have watched Crazy Rich Asians. If as an Indian I am so thrilled about this movie then I can only imagine how thrilled an Asian would be. However, what I cannot ignore is that the female protagonist has to be an "NYU professor in Economics" and the male protagonist has to be a rich suit clad business man - both white symbols of success. At one side, I see white culture being trashed and the other side - the yearning to be white and accepted as a white.
Since the last century, we have seen that everyone wants to experience the dream of "Anglo-Saxon supremacy". In America, we have seen the Irish and Italians looking down on African-Americans just to be accepted into the circle of being white. The Jews followed suit and lately even Arab and Iranians are trying to be racist to prove their whiteness. The desperation to be white is extremely apparent in Central and South American cultures. The only people who haven't shown outrageous desire of being white are the Asians, Indians (if accents and hair coloring doesn't count :) and the Africans, although being light-skinned is still a way of self-acceptance in these cultures.
Its sad that in this world of still predominant "Anglo-Saxon supremacy" the only way of being accepted is to fight them or join them. Crazy Rich Asians has definitely taken the latter stance.
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