July 18, 2012 • 66 notes
[Image: A Firefly/Serenity merchandise travel poster featuring an a woman with heavy eye makeup hiding her face behind a silk fan, with a dragon and Asian architecture in the background.  The poster reads “Experience the Beauty of Shinon” with traditional Chinese [approximate translation: “experience the radiance of the ocean”] underneath.] Shouldn’t it be a priority, if you’re trying to tell a believable story about a Sino-American future, to include Asian characters? Isn’t it marginalizing to fantasize about a “mixed Asian” world completely absent of Asian people, especially when you live and work in a city that’s almost 1/8th Asian? If you were to write a scifi show about a merged African and North American empire, do you think it would be acceptable to avoid giving a single spoken line to a black actor? Would you ever tell a story that purported to have major elements of American gay culture, without having a single gay  character in-frame for more than 3 seconds? What about a show that claimed some feminist themes, but cast only men, with women barely seen and never heard? At San Diego Comic-Con International 2012, a Racebending.com staffer asked Joss Whedon about having (and casting) Asian or Asian American characters in Firefly.  Learn more at our website:  Frustrations of an Asian American Whedonite.

[Image: A Firefly/Serenity merchandise travel poster featuring an a woman with heavy eye makeup hiding her face behind a silk fan, with a dragon and Asian architecture in the background.  The poster reads “Experience the Beauty of Shinon” with traditional Chinese [approximate translation: “experience the radiance of the ocean”] underneath.]

Shouldn’t it be a priority, if you’re trying to tell a believable story about a Sino-American future, to include Asian characters?

Isn’t it marginalizing to fantasize about a “mixed Asian” world completely absent of Asian people, especially when you live and work in a city that’s almost 1/8th Asian?

If you were to write a scifi show about a merged African and North American empire, do you think it would be acceptable to avoid giving a single spoken line to a black actor?

Would you ever tell a story that purported to have major elements of American gay culture, without having a single gay  character in-frame for more than 3 seconds? What about a show that claimed some feminist themes, but cast only men, with women barely seen and never heard?

At San Diego Comic-Con International 2012, a Racebending.com staffer asked Joss Whedon about having (and casting) Asian or Asian American characters in Firefly.  Learn more at our website:  Frustrations of an Asian American Whedonite.

#joss whedon #firefly #serenity #do people really have this poster up on their wall? #racebending #whitewashing
July 18, 2012 • 257 notes • racialicious

My question was as follows:

“One of the things I loved about Firefly was the exploration of the fusion of Asian and American cultures. Many Asian Americans go through a similar journey. I was wondering, if you were to explore that again in the future, if you would be willing to include Asian or Asian American performers?”

If you’re surprised by my question, go back and watch Firefly again. Or read this xkcd comic, because Randall Munroe is apparently working on a relevant xkcd for every possible topic in the world, like Wikipedia in webcomic form. I’ve watched the show several times and I’m fairly certain that there isn’t more than 15 seconds of footage with an Asian person on screen.

We’re virtually faceless, and completely voiceless, in a universe that is supposed to represent a Sino-American future.

And the answer was:

“Yeah, absolutely. It’s not a mission statement, in terms of who I’m casting for a particular thing. It was a mission statement of the show to say that cultures inevitably blend, even if it happens through conquest and violence.”

This was a very nice, neutral answer. Joss gave a genuine, heartfelt response, and I appreciate that.

But the answer still frustrated. Because it was clear that the notion of cultural integration was more important than the practice. That the grand vision of a mixed Asian/American tomorrow was more important than the inclusion of Asian faces and voices today.

I wanted to grab the mic again.

Here we see the intersection of both gendered and racial representation in media. Joss holds one to be a dear cause, to be integrated into the themes and characters of his stories.

The other? Does not register as a priority.

Mike Le, “Frustrations Of An Asian American Whedonite,” Racebending 7/17/12. (via racialicious)
#firefly #serenity #racebending #whitewashing
July 18, 2012 • 766 notes

To the people saying that there are no Asians in Firefly because it is supposed to be inspired by the “Old West.”

There were still more Asians in the Old West than in Firefly.

#Firefly #Serenity
July 17, 2012 • 46 notes

At the 10 year anniversary reunion panel at San Diego Comic-Con International 2012, Racebending.com staffer Mike asked Joss Whedon about having (and casting) Asian or Asian American characters in Firefly. 

You can read the essay Mike wrote with his thoughts on the dialogue on our website:  Frustrations of an Asian American Whedonite.

#racebending #firefly #inclusion #whitewashing #serenity #joss whedon