journal entry (5/22)

Film: Kelly Loves Tony

The second part of the film makes the contrasting views Tony and Kelly have more apparent. Tony does not see the importance of school when Kelly already has a family to prioritize. However, kelly still believes school is important and wants to continue her education. The ifl shows the difficulties of balancing her life as she is a wife, student, mother and daughter in law. I thought it was interesting when she compared her life to constantly having ten loads of dirty laundry. It shows how many responsibilities she has and how difficult it was to manage them. She does not have the help, and it makes it even harder that she does not feel comfortable living with her in-laws and cannot speak up. It was also frustrating to see the lack of communication between Kelly and Tony. They both have different views and beliefs and thus it is harder for them to see things in each others perspectives.

Asian American Auto/Biographies: The Gendered Limits of Consumer Citizenship in Important- Robyn Magalit Rodriguez and Vernadette Gonzalez

The article discusses the import culture. The highly publicized car shows, racing events, media, and internet make up the import scene. Cars are essential in shaping american economy and the cultural imagination. Cars help our grow the market and capital as we are able to incorporate the working class. I thought it was interesting how ars are now a significant cultural icon in our country. The author even notes how cars also form critical aspects of individual identities. This is very true and apparent in society today. People constantly look at what kind of cars other people drive as they are on the road. There is a natural tendency to make assumptions and association with the person’s wealth, job, and life style based on the car people drive. And like the author notes, lifestyle and politics are signaled by the types of cars we drive. I am not too interested or have much knowledge of cars but it was interesting to read about the history and impact of the car culture. Import cars not only take in the Japanese technology, but it also accompanied by hip hop soundtracks associated with African American rap culture, and the asian american masculinity that is borrowed from the more established macho Latino and hypersexualized cultural cues. I thought it was also interesting how the authors discusses how customizing japanese cars is an ethnic statement and practice in which ideologies of national culture are negotiated. They talk about  concepts of masculinity and citizenry. There is a imagination of masculinity associated with car cultures and the significant symbols of this american male citizenry are cars and young woman.