Better Luck Tomorrow and Asian American Male Masculinity

     In Better Luck Tomorrow, Ben starts off illustrating the typical "model minority" that has been depicted in mainstream media, but with the introduction of Han, Virgil, and Daric, they completely obliterate the criteria of the political term. This film brilliantly tampers with the audience's expectations of Asian American representation, especially with Asian American male masculinity. We expect to see stereotypical behaviors such as obedience, obsession with grades, perfect behavior, etc. but instead, we see Ben and his friends enter the realm of criminality, drug use, and even murder, all while upholding the perception of "model minorities". Even though they create fear among their observers, they are still able to hold onto the Asian stereotypes (eg. still get good grades, lack of consequences). 

    In Margaret Hillenbrand's "Of Myth and Men:  Better Luck Tomorrow and the Mainstreaming of Asian American Cinema", she brings up gook vs geek and how these two terms are unsuitable terms for these characters. Audience members searching for a label will find it quite difficult, given that Ben and his friends are neither gooks (those who turn to crime) and geeks (those that are intellectually successful). The movie displays the conflict between gook vs geek and establishes that these characters can be both "good" and "bad" Asians at the same time, even in the same instance. An example Hillenbrand mentions is Ben's first introduction to "crime" by doing cheat sheets for money. While it's still a crime, it embodies a geek-like purpose. 

    While although the film made me uncomfortable to watch, I understood Justin Lin's purpose of portraying Asian Americans in a completely different way compared to other Asian American films. I personally have not spent much time observing how Asian American males are perceived or portrayed, so I really appreciated this assignment. I've been able to look at the Asian American men in my life and compare them to other men I know. The main difference I've noticed pertains to the use of one's voice. Asian American men in my life (eg. my father and brother) tend to use their voice for factual purposes rather than express emotions or complaints, while as for other men in my life do not have a problem speaking their mind. This observation ties into my recent realization that I have never seen Asian Americans protest in mass settings before. Either I have just not been paying attention, or there's a cultural/social belief behind that.