The Concept of Orientalism to Southeast Asia - Research Paper Example

Your Making of a Region: Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is an Asian subregion that is composed of countries that lie south of China, north of Australia, east of India and west of the Pacific Ocean. Politically, it is defined by a countries membership to ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The ASEAN Member states are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As a region, Southeast Asia is known to be an exotic place for Western tourists. It is underexplored and always with that “adventure” charm because of the grittiness that’s involved with the image. Then again, that image is perpetuated by Westerners. That is called Orientalism by the late intellectual, Edward Said. According to Said, Orientalism had its roots from the Age of Conquests in Europe, wherein they used their power to define the “orient” other than the “occident”. They packaged the “orientals” and other races that they conquered (i.e. the Native Americans and Africans) into something lesser to justify their acts of injustice like slavery. Orientalism means to control other people through the use of misinformation and obfuscation. These images of them being lesser humans do not really reflect up to this time. However, certain “tags” still exist when something non-Western shows up. For example, when someone says Brazil, Bossa Nova immediately comes to mind. This is a stereotype. Not all Brazilians like Bossa Nova, and most do not even like it. Or when one says China and Kung Fu comes to mind. Not everyone in China knows how to Kung Fu, but the thought still prevails. Because of the advent of technology and new media, many stereotypes have been quashed. This makes people more humble because it tells people of what they do not know about a certain culture; many people have embraced diversity: may it be cultural or racial, to be one of the most exciting facets of the global civilization that we’re having today. This also proves that there are so many things to explore and to do with regards to intercultural stereotyping and prejudice. Orientalism, therefore, is a grand step towards understanding and appreciating each culture’s unique traits and respecting it; not make it as an excuse to enslave or mock someone/ a race. If we have to apply the concept of Orientalism to Southeast Asia, what comes to mind? That is the subject the subject of this paper and more. This paper aims to analyze and to make out the perception of the Westerners with regards to the Southeast Asian region. For me and probably the rest of the Western world, Southeast Asia means tropical rainforests and Third World countries. There are sex workers and most females aim to marry a Westerner just to improve their plight. This interpretation is much like the interpretation of Latin America, it’s just that the characters involved in the Southeast Asian scenario are Asians, meaning they are rice-eaters, non-Catholics (except for Filipinos) and most probably practice martial arts or some form of it. They can’t speak English and the women turn out to be good wives. These stereotypes enable the Westerners to treat the Southeast Asians in a demeaning manner, and even act on it sometimes. This is because it is perpetuated in pop culture. For example, when one talks of Thailand, sex tourism comes to mind. Of course, this is a known fact and the Thai government even capitalized on that notion to promote certain aspects of tourism in their country. This idea is even stretched in certain movies like Ong Bak (which happens to be Thai-produced) where a transsexual is a champion boxer. Other films romanticize Southeast Asia, like in The Beach, which was based on a book by Alex Garland. Other books like Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere is an example of a revolutionary novel, in which he represents the Philippines as a character in the novel. Of course, since this is a book made by a native, it shows the “real” condition of the people living in a country colonized by the Spanish. Of course, the Spanish prevented the publication from being released to the public, thus the label of being revolutionary. The novel quashes the “orientalism” that the Spanish permeates to the European public, in which they try to present the Philippine islands into a nation of peaceful, rich and content people. In the book, the Philippines is likened to a maiden, a bastard child of a Spanish friar and a native. She is not free and is devoid of identity. The Spanish government is depicted as imperialists, not the benevolent and helpful representatives of God that they continue to present as Roman Catholic priests. Because of Jose Rizal’s attempt to debunk the orientalism that was rampant during his time, he was assassinated. There are other pieces of art and literature that continue to present Southeast Asia in identities that are not really honest depictions of reality, but more of representatives as depicted by a Western observant. There are more of these kinds of films in the Vietnam War films. Movies like Platoon and Apocalypse Now perfectly capture the essence of the American interpretation of Vietnam, as viewed by the American troops. Of course, the movies’ major message is pacifism; the directors are critics of the Vietnam War. But as art, and as art is a reflection of reality, the movies can be accurate accounts of what really goes on in the troops’ minds as they go on to explore Southeast Asia, Vietnam specifically. Vietnamese stereotypes, them being called Charlies and being deemed as communists, are shown in these movies. The natives are also portrayed as gullible, as in Apocalypse Now, where they became followers of a fallen American soldier (this is also a representative of the notion that the Asians are easily conquered). They are also portrayed as cunning people; therefore not to be trusted, since they can always betray one’s trust just to win a battle. These sentiments also echo in the film Gran Torino by Clint Eastwood. In it, Clint Eastwood plays a regular white man with Asian immigrants as neighbors. The neighbors are from Laos. Their behavior baffles Clint Eastwood: from the food, the parties, the family dynamics and rules, up to the language. Of course, as a white man who has suffered the effects of the Korean War (he is a veteran), as a man who lost the war, he dislikes the Asians. Like any other white person perhaps who has participated in the Vietnam War and felt the pains of being lost, he is subjected to heavy orientalism: many stereotypes against the Asians. In the movie, there was a scene where they were talking about “what kind of people they were”, and they were talking about forest people and mountain people. For a Western person, that would be exotic: a kind of orientalism that the Westerners permeated when they discovered those particular tribes in the mountains and the forests. The names even stuck to the natives! Now, they were orientalised by themselves as they went on to become immigrants in the United States. However, their true values and identity as Asians remained and has shone through when a crisis figured in their lives: they were resilient, respectful, congenial and honorable – this proved the White Neighbor’s prejudices wrong, and the illusions about the Asians being useless burdens of society were shattered. But there is another movie that captures orientalism quite accurately, even if it does not mean to. The movie Tropic Thunder by Ben Stiller is such, and as a comedy, it delivers more because it mocks the audience who hold the said prejudices. It is, in fact, more effective because the main goal of the movie is to satirize the notion of truth that the audience holds. The movie is about Hollywood actors: And the main point of the movie is to mock Hollywood actors’ diva ways – the method acting, the drugs, the primadonna attitude, etc. The setting is Asia (the Golden Triangle) where the actors are shooting a movie. However, since the movie-within-the-movie is a Vietnam War flick, their script and their characterizations are peppered with Asian stereotypes and not just about the people in general. For example, the terrain is unmistakably Southeast Asia. That, plus the landmines. Since this was a Western production, a native of Southeast Asia may think, “Do the Westerners really think that the forests of Southeast Asia are peppered with landmines?” There are, of course, parts of Southeast Asia that do have landmines, particularly in the areas of Cambodia and Vietnam, but other parts of Southeast Asia like Malaysia and Thailand, even Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines – they do not have landmines at all. Secondly, the Golden Triangle in the movie. Although there are indeed illegal drug manufacturers in Southeast Asia, particularly near Thailand, people who do not know the story, or at least do not read the news, may generalize that Southeast Asia is a hub for drugs. This is another orientalism. Thirdly, the antagonists in the movie are martial artists. This implies that all Asians, especially the bad people, are martial artists. This is another orientalism. Although this facet of the film can be argued as largely an feature that highlights the film’s entertainment value, one can’t separate the fact that almost all Hollywood movies with Asians tend to box the Asians with the idea that they are martial artists. In movies, Asians are always equated with martial arts. This orientalism is alive and well. Another orientalism is that the fact that the Asian rebels in the movie are fans of “retard comedy”. Although it is arguable that the fans of the “retard comedy” are the “rebels”, not really the “Asians”, the audience may think that the movie is mocking the Asians’ taste when it comes to films and all. The mockery also extends to the lack of availability of resources – even entertainment sources – for the Asians. Since Southeast Asia is largely composed of Third World countries, the audience (especially uninformed ones) might think that this is real, and may form another orientalism which involves the “taste” (in movies, in art) of the Southeast Asian. Although Tropic Thunder is a comedy, one cannot help but laugh at the jokes, even if it was targeting you as the object of its mockery. However, jokes are always half-meant. These jokes are distilled versions of the truth, and that version of the truth is the Western version. The jokes are products of their own interpretations of reality involving Southeast Asia. Is it fair for people to believe in? Maybe. But then again, it is not safe to judge when one has not experienced the real thing. Another movie that can be referenced well in this paper is Tirador by Brillante Mendoza. Like Rizal’s novel, this is also a commentary on government and society. And Mendoza is a Filipino, so he knows what he is talking about. The movie paints a grim reality of the slums and petty criminals in Quiapo, Manila at the time of election. In the movie, we see that the government officials use the plight of the poor to promote themselves to the people just because there is an impending election. The movie paints the Philippines in a gritty light: impoverished, criminal, immoral yet highly religious. While all of these facts might be true, one should also consider the movie’s audiences: would the audiences (especially foreigners) believe this? Although this may seem to shatter the old Orientalism, these kinds of movies provide a different lens to the foreign/Western audience and may be on its way to make another form of Orientalism – those that were made by the locals. Because naturally, after seeing this movie, the foreigners would have a different view on the Philippines. As a Westerner viewing films and reading books from Southeast Asia, I can’t help but form a rather complex representation of the region. Firstly, the books from Southeast Asia are always quite rebellious as they are a result of tumultuous history from their colonizers. Then they are also protective of their freedom, as well as they are passionate defenders of their country. They can be violent in defense (as in Vietnam War) or peaceful (People Power in the Philippines). They can be moral and immoral at the same time. The place is impoverished and criminal. The films about Southeast Asia are almost all about the Vietnam War and this is the biggest memory of the West from Southeast Asia, and it is full of feelings, mostly confused about whether to empathize with the Vietnamese or not. Then of course, there is Gran Torino, which perhaps echoes the world’s sentiments: at the end of the day, it does not matter where one comes from, what region you’re from, as long as you treat one another with respect and honor. Art is a reflection of reality. These are depictions of reality. They are what they seem, but what they mean is according to the viewer. For me, Southeast Asia, by these art forms, is a beautiful but still confused region. References: ASEAN Member States. ASEAN Web. Aseansec.org. Web. Retrieved November 22, 2011. Eastwood, Clint. Gran Torino. Gerber Pictures. 2008. DVD. Mendoza, Brillante. Tirador. Centerstage Productions. 2007. DVD Pinkaew, Prachya. Ong Bak. Sahamongkolfilm Co. 2003. DVD. Rizal, Jose and Augenbraum, Harold. Noli Me Tangere. New York: Penguin Classics. 2006. Print. Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978. Print. Stiller, Ben. Tropic Thunder. DreamWorks. 2008. DVD. Read More