Filipino News CRazy Rich Asians 2018

Asians
will make up 33%
Celebrating our 27th year!
website: www. asia2nz.com
Vol 3 Issue 1
email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz
of Auckland’s
population
by 2021
A Kiwi-Filipino reflects on
‘Asian purity’ in Crazy Rich Asians
For weeks, the big elephant
in the room at my
house was when we would
see Crazy Rich Asians.
I had real reservations
prior to watching the
movie. Was it worth the
hype? Did Kris Aquino,
aka the ‘Queen of All
Media’ in the Philippines,
really play a cameo?
Would Crazy Rich Asians
give Asians the same feeling
as Black Panther gave
African-Americans and
Africans?
Also, the Cinderella
story is a tried-and-tested
plot. I didn’t want to
watch a film with a predictable
ending. And seeing
a movie that celebrates
the 1 percent
always makes me cringe,
because I know Asia is
also home to some of the
world’s poorest people.
But upon reflection I
realised that this would be
my only chance as a Kiwi-
Filipino to support an all-
Asian cast in a Hollywood
film. The last time a virtually
all-Asian cast graced
the big screen was 13
years ago with Memoirs
of a Geisha.
So were my initial reservations
warranted? These
are my takeaways from
the movie (caution: spoilers
ahead).
A stronger identity, or a
diluted one?
“You are like a banana.
White inside and yellow
outside.”
I moved to New
Zealand with my mum
and sisters in 2007 to
study. I’m fortunate and
privileged to have parents
who gave me full rein to
explore what I was good
at and who were able to
support me through it.
Studying abroad has
opened many doors for
me, but has also come
with its ramifications.
Dewy Sacayan graduated from the University of Auckland with a conjoint arts
and law degree. (Photo: Dewy Sacayan)
People who have lived
in Asia all their lives view
themselves as ‘real
Asians’ and those who
have migrated can get
flak for not being Asian
enough. The conflict over
Asian ‘purity’ can be seen
in the exchange between
Rachel Chu and her
boyfriend’s mother
Eleanor Young, when
Rachel talks about her
passion for her job as an
economics professor.
Eleanor is quick to dismiss
pursuing an individual’s
passions as a
Western ideal, emphasising
the point that Asians
work for the collective
good of the family.
Choosing between the
individual versus collective
mindset has always
been a real struggle for a
Kiwi-Filipino (aka
‘banana’) like me.
At home, my family’s
two-hour-long dinners
would be filled with
teachings, or pangaral, of
the importance of education
and getting a professional
title, so that you
can raise not just your
own status but your family’s
too.
When there are big
decisions to be made, be it
choosing a degree or
choosing a spouse, two
questions invariably come
up for Asians: Do I follow
my passion or do what
can bring honour to my
family? Is there a win-win
option where I can satisfy
both?
I experienced this inner
conflict when deciding
between becoming an
environmental activist or
a lawyer. (I became both.)
Seeing the dichotomy in
the mindsets of migrants
and 'real Asians' in the
film gave me the feeling
that I was authentically
represented.
The haves vs have nots
“Finish everything on
your plate. Don’t you
know there are kids starving
in America?”
From private parties in
cargo ships to gold
embellishments in houses
and a bougie paddy field
inspired wedding venue,
Crazy Rich Asians lives
up to its name.
As a young Kiwi-
Filipino living with the
modern struggles of the
unreachable property ladder,
I realised through
this film that being hardworking
is not enough to
determine your success.
You need to be in the right
social circles and have
gone to the best schools –
but it’s hard to even get
there if you’re not from a
position of privilege. This
is why the rich become
richer while the poor
remain poor.
So how can a person
who’s not from a well-todo
background climb up
the ladder?
For many Asian parents,
education is nonnegotiable.
This is
because preparation for
the future is always
today’s priority. My parents
forged their own
rags-to-riches story – paying
their own way
through study and creating
their fortune through
construction. My family
has sacrificed so much to
get us to where we are
today, including living
apart for more than a
decade. I grew up wanting
to do well in school, not
because I was pressured
to, but because I owed my
parents that much for all
the sacrifices they have
made.
Being entrepreneurial is
By DEWY SACAYAN
Dewy Sacayan is a
solicitor and environmental
activist based in
Auckland. Her background
in climate change
negotiations, policy
research and renewable
energy has brought her
around the globe.
Watching Crazy Rich
Asians gave Auckland
lawyer Dewy Sacayan the
opportunity to look into
her own culture and
reflect on her identity as
a ‘banana’ through
the big screen.
also an important step to
accumulating wealth. My
papa once told me that if
you were born poor, it is
not your fault, but if you
die poor, it is your fault. I
take this advice with a
grain of salt as the reality
is more complex than that
sounds, but it reveals how
Asians view wealth: It’s
not about being the best
in the rat race. It’s about
scrapping the rat race
and starting your own
story.
Looking into a mirror
Overall, I am pleased
that I went to see the film.
Watching Crazy Rich
Asians gave me the
opportunity to look into
my own culture through
the big screen.
The film allowed me to
laugh at the stereotypes I
live with on a daily basis,
marvel at Singapore’s
beautiful cityscapes and
visualise what Asians can
produce to a large audience.
It also showcases the
resilient Asian spirit that
has helped us live through
turmoils, disasters and
pressures of assimilation
wherever we go.
I hope that through this
film more New Zea-landers
will have a greater
understanding of the
nuances of the Asian
mindset, especially when
it comes to family, education
and traditions.
I am also hopeful that
Crazy Rich Asians will
spark a change in filmmaking
where Asians can
take on prominent roles
rather than the token
nerd or martial arts fighter.
There is a section in the
Asian population that is
hungry for representation
and to put our talents on
display.
So, did Crazy Rich
Asians manage to overcome
my initial reservations?
It surpassed them.
Dewy Sacayan is a litigation
solicitor by day and an
environmental activist by
night.
Her background in climate
change negotiations,
policy research and renewable
energy has brought
her around the globe,
working for organisations
such as the United Nations
and Tesla.
She is currently volunteering
as the Business
Sector Engagement Lead
for the Zero Carbon Act
campaign.
– Asia Media Centre