Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Blu's Hanging Controversy
I must say that I agree with the revocation of Blu's Hanging's 1997 Fiction Award from the Association for Asian-American Studies. As an organization that supports unity among the Asian-American community, awarding a novel that paints a negative portrait of almost all of the non-Japanese characters certainly does not support its goals. As Augisto Espritie writes in his letter of protest to the board, Blu's Hanging is not Yamanaka's first instance of unfavorable depictions of Filipinos and others, and by awarding Blu's Hanging the fiction award, the AAAS is condoning this portrayal.
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I don't think the novel portrays any nationality positively. Look at the role of Poppy, Aunt Betty, and Lila Beth. They are Japanese and in no way are any of their actions a positive representation of Japanese-Americans.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the AAAS had a right to not give the award to Yamanaka because they are a private organization with certain goals and they felt that her work would conflict with those goals. However, do you not personally feel that her work was simply a reflection of her experience and was made more truthful in that sense? Do you feel that she was wrong to betray the "negative" characters as Filipino?
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