Cultural Hegemony and Orientalism

           The idea of hegemony or more specifically Said's Orientalism was brought up in class to describe the difficulty of understanding other cultures, or other topics that would show up as we progressed through the class. As outsiders looking into cultures such as those of Bali or India, we would be inevitably exhibit some form of orientalism. Orientalism, as Said states, is the notion that the West tends to view Eastern, or Oriental, culture as exotic, strange, and a resource to subjugate. 

As an Asian American who is looking back on his own life, I would tend to agree that cultural hegemony and Orientalism inevitably exists in American culture. Last week, one of my friends sent me an email about Sinfonicron’s recent production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Also being an Asian American, she was upset at the portrayal of Asians in the production. Although I hadn’t watched the musical, after watching the advert uploaded by Sinfonicron, I came to ask myself: If social taboos such as black face would be severely reprimanded in contemporary culture, why would such a portrayal of the Chinese be allowed? Is it, as my roommate would say, because Asians would not speak out about such ridicule?

Part of me has sadly accepted that yes, Asians are frequently cited as the ‘model minority’. We are commonly stereotyped as studious, good at math, nerds, and passive. I feel as though this continuing view of passivity is what perpetuates the Orientalism concept. Because we are viewed as not likely to respond to stereotypical ridicule it becomes more acceptable and easier to rationalize them – such as through a musical (which could be rationalized as a result of historical context).

Like I responded to my friend who told me about Thoroughly Modern Millie, we shouldn't blame, nor resent, Sinfonicron for producing the musical. After all, hegemony and Orientalism are not always intentional. Not everyone is aware of what might offend, or what might be viewed as harsh generalizations of a culture. After all, even I am unsure of who I am. With parents from Burma, grandparents from Indonesia/Malaysia, ancestors from China, explaining my ethnicity has always been a challenge; I’ve always stated that I was confused, but because I speak Mandarin best, I am usually pegged by other Asians as Chinese. Who am I to judge what other people think?