In the first part of "Kelly Loves Tony" we are yet to be exposed to the Laotian culture and how it affects Kelly, but in part II there is a drastic shift. After having her baby, Andrew, Kelly moved in with her in-laws and we start to see how much she is struggling to achieve her educational goals and maintain a family life. This is a struggle that Tony clearly cannot understand, with him not having to bear the same burden that Kelly is. Between Kelly, Tony, and Tony’s mentor there are clear lines of division of cultures. Tony’s mentor explains to Tony that Kelly is different and that some women want to be “bosses” when they grow up and some of them are the “school types” unlike Tony. There is a heartbreaking scene in the film when Kelly is explaining how she is learning to assimilate into her difficult situation, but she reveals that she is pregnant for a second time. Which is news that her family is rejoicing in, but Kelly is worried for the sake of her future, because with another baby she would have even more trouble maintaining her education. She also reveals that she didn’t even want to keep the first baby in the first place. Kelly’s situation and the indirect maltreatment of her clearly parallels the description of Laotian in our reading about Laotian daughters. Kelly’s western influences show when she is hesitant or reluctant to willingly participate in traditional Laotian culture.
In the new reading, the culture behind Import cars, a trend that is still prominent today, is explained and how it connects to a development of Asian American identity. In this reading these Asian American street racers are referred to as “rice boys” who drive modified Japanese cars called “rice cars”. I’ve had people like this at my school, they were called “ricers”. The reading explains how in the midst of the ever growing American car industry, the Japanese introduced their sleeker, cheaper, more efficient model.Not only did a rise in Japanese car sales in America hurt the American car industry but their national identity.
An innocent act which made way for racial tensions. It is noted in the reading that buying a Japanese
car, though it is more economically sound, was seen as an act of betrayal against American identity.
This reading not only shows how culture is constantly evolving, but how the new subcultures that are
influenced by past ones can develop tension and a hegemony is developed. “Rice cars” were not only
made using non-American cars, but they were modified to do the exact opposite of the American
version of “rice cars” which are called hot rods. Driving around in the rice cars amongst a sea of
American made models itself was a challenge to hegemony and orientalism. Asians, through cars,
were able to display their technological prowess and develop an identity for themselves. After years
of being obscured from the population, Asian Americans were able to showcase who they are on a
larger, yet subdued scale.
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