This list was not ranked using high-tech statistical analysis, but rather features our opinions and feelings towards some of the board games we played before. Wing and I are just casual gamers, we are not a professional/hardcore board game reviewer. This list of board games, I believe be great for people who are new to board games or ease into the world of board games!
10) Dixit (2008)
This board game was created by Jean-Louis Roubira and looks beautiful thanks to Marie Cardouat. In this game, players take turns to be a storyteller. As the storyteller, he/she uses a sentence/lyric/a word to describe one of their 6 cards. Then, without showing the cards to other players, the storyteller puts out one card faced down. Each player selects the card in their hands that match “perfectly” the storyteller’s sentence/lyric/ a word. The storyteller shuffles all the cards and the players try to pick the storyteller’s card. It is really fun because it forces players to constantly re-evaluate the importance of cards as the game is played out.
Luck: 3/5 Strategy: 3/5 Game Design: 5/5 Players: 3-6 Rating: 3/5 Stars Read More
What is the reasoning behind the lack of Asian American actors in leading roles?
My opinion is that the movie studios have no guts to take a risk on Asian-American actors and of course systemic racism in the Entertainment industry.
Left: Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen & Jackie Chan
When I ask my Non-Asian friends as well as Asian friends, “Can you name some Asian actors in leading roles?”, they always say: “Jackie Chan” and “Jet Li” (occasionally Bruce Lee). It’s pretty sad and funny that all these Asian actors are associated with martial arts and nothing else. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Asian men were always portrayed as “Mr. Miyagi” (wise elderly person), “kung fu masters”, “nerds”, “asexual friend” and so forth. What about Asian romantic leads, got any of those?
1. a thing that someone says to cause amusement or laughter, especially a story with a funny punchline.
2. a trick played on someone for fun.
3. a person or thing that is ridiculously inadequate.
In my opinion, I think a “joke” comes from a person who initiates, through speaking or physical behaviour, some sort of thing (e.g., slapstick) intended to be funny and amusing. If the person intended for it to be a joke, then I will recognize it as a joke, whether or not it is funny. Read More
Left: Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee
My friends and I went to the Foo Fighters’ Concrete and Gold concert at the Rogers Centre (Toronto, Ontario). It was a great experience: loud music, great light displays and as always Dave Grohl can really sing LIVE! I also wanted to mention that there were other bands at the Foo Fighters’ Concrete and Gold concert: The Struts (from the UK), and The Beaches (from Toronto, Canada).
My parents escaped from the Vietnam war. My mom took refuge in Nova Scotia, Canada, and my dad took refuge in Vancouver, Canada. They met and fell in love with each other in Canada. They travelled to Toronto to find jobs (since Vancouver lacked the job opportunities in the 80s). After they settled down and got married, they conceived my younger brother and me.
Growing up in a Vietnamese-family where my parents aren’t fluent in English was tough. I wasn’t able to express my feelings and opinions to them in a way I wanted. I spoke “Vietglish” to them. “Vietglish” is essentially talking with some English words mashed with Vietnamese words to create a coherent (but most of the time non-coherent) sentences. I never took any Vietnamese language classes like some of my friends did. I learned to speak Vietnamese by having conversations with my parents/family, as well as watching TVB shows (Hong Kong TV shows) on VHS/DVDs. I know lots of Chinese/Hong Kong people will say “Wait a minute … the actress and actors on TVB shows speak Cantonese?!”. In response, I will say: “Yes, but there were lots of Vietnamese Video Stores in Toronto that have TVB shows dubbed in Vietnamese”. The Vietnamese dub was great as the voice actors/actresses that spoke Vietnamese tried to sync their voice to the Hong Kong actor/actress’s mouths LOL!
For instance: Journey to the West (1996)
Oh man, the cheesy graphics in Journey to the West was cringy (but I still love it!). And the Vietnamese dubbed actually improved during the 2000s: https://youtu.be/xXrdy1og3JI?t=23m37s
Anyways, my Vietnamese isn’t that bad in my opinion. I volunteered as a Vietnamese interpreter at a hospital to help Vietnamese patients who do not speak any English to understand their treatment. Plus, this volunteering experience was a great way to practice my Vietnamese.
Racism
Throughout my childhood, I wasn’t physically bullied; however, I did get some racist comments from kids. For instance: “Hey, Jackie Chan!”, “Bruce Lee!”, “you have a small penis!”, “Chinky”, and so forth. In order to stop that from happening I dissed them back. For example: “If I am Jackie Chan, you’re my sidekick Chris Tucker!” – 10 years old me.
The picture on the left (2008) and Picture on the right (2016) …Trying to squeeze my bicep LOL
Before I started my undergraduate studies, I felt like I had a chip on my shoulder. I felt like I needed to re-invent myself and change from a non-confident-shy guy to being more assertive and confident, someone who didn’t give a s**t of what other people think of me! I believe I’ve accomplished that over the years (from 2008 to present); however, there are times that I still care what other people think of me (e.g., my colleagues, Wing ;)).
In-between
During my first month of undergraduate studies (2009), I joined a Vietnamese Student Association at my university to learn more about my Vietnamese culture and language. I volunteered to be their site designer and was one for a moment in time. When I went to the Vietnamese club “Meet and Greet” event, I felt isolated. Perhaps, I was not confident in speaking with strangers yet (I’m still a bit awkward during this time period). However, it was just a weird feeling. All the people in the club were mostly Vietnamese-Canadian like myself, yet I felt alone. Throughout my high school and undergrad days, I always had a diverse group of friends ranging from Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, Chinese, Italians, Tibetian, African-Canadians, Indians, Sri Lankan, Caucasians and so forth, in contrast to my younger brother whose friends are mostly Vietnamese-Canadians. I felt like I didn’t fit the stereotype of Asian people hanging around with other Asian people. (And there is nothing wrong with that!) White people hang around with other white people….why isn’t that tabooed? Till this day, I believe that the reason I wasn’t comfortable with hanging out with the members of the Vietnamese Student Association was that we didn’t have anything in common in terms of interest (e.g., sports, politics, etc).
Either way, living in Toronto, Canada … I felt like I didn’t have a strong bond with my Vietnamese-Canadian community (until I reached graduate studies and started learning a little bit more about the history and the current political landscape in Vietnam). Eventually, I stopped going to the Vietnamese Student Association at my university in the middle of the first year. This was due to many factors. First, I began to realize that I had rather hang out with my university friends that I had more in common with, in terms of hobbies/interest (and even the struggles). It made me feel like I was part of a big family that cared for each other. Secondly, there was an incident during one of the first events held by the Vietnamese Student Association. We went ice skating near the waterfront, and a Vietnamese-Canadian girl randomly appeared out of nowhere and told me to my face that I couldn’t get a girl in Canada, and I should go to Vietnam to get a girlfriend. First off, I did not provoke her at all, but yet she had the audacity to say these nonsensical things to me. Secondly, that was a slap in the face to all Vietnamese girls in Vietnam. The assumption here was that Vietnamese girls born in Vietnam are not better than Vietnamese girls born in North America. I guess this particular Vietnamese-Canadian girl was projecting or something.
There was another incident with another Asian girl (not saying all Asian girls are like this) during my fourth year of undergraduate studies. I went to my friend’s birthday party at a Bier Markt in Toronto. I asked a random Asian girl on the dance floor if she would like to dance with me. In my mind, if she said “No”, it was not a big deal, since I had many successful and unsuccessful encounters with girls before (this was my fourth year of university). However, she said something that I never experienced before … she said, “Sorry, I only dance with White guys”. I was shaken for a few seconds, and on my mind, I wanted to say “F**k you, self-hating bigot!”, but I just walked back to my table. One of my male friends was looking at my interaction with this Asian girl at a distance. I felt embarrassed.
Self-hate and Internalized Racism
When I was a teenager, many of my Asian friends (including myself) have said: “I’m whitewashed”. I felt this was an example or an excuse for me to push away my culture as a kid. Today, I’m thinking about the notion of what makes people “whitewashed”? What is the criteria? I don’t think there was one.
Growing up, there were many white people who have pointed out that I was not a “typical” Asian person and I have seen other Asian-Canadians calling themselves “Whitewashed” to distinguish themselves from their Asian peers. That is totally messed up! This made me realize that my teen-self was basically that Vietnamese-Canadian girl who told me to get a girlfriend in Vietnam! We should not look down on our people, but instead, have a conversation and make friends with them! If you are an Asian-American or Asian-Canadian, go find an Asian friend who was born in Asia (vice versa), as a result, you can learn a lot from them. (Here is a good article about Internalized Racism in the Asian American Community)
Vietnamese Sizzling Crepe (Bánh Xèo)
Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls
As a teenager, I felt ashamed to eat my own traditional Vietnamese foods (e.g., spring rolls, curry, etc) or any Asian foods (e.g., my mom’s homemade sushi and wanton) at school because there were students who hated the smell (e.g., Fish Sauce, Kim-chi). Others definitely gave me a weird stare. But heck, there were even weird stares when my mom packed me Caesar Salad with bacon bits for lunch in high school. I could never win. As an adult now, I see many non-asian people appreciate and enjoy eating Vietnamese foods (e.g., Pho, Spring Roll, etc). I don’t know how to feel about this … I’m happy that Vietnamese food is becoming popular; however, I also felt it is a slap in the face to my younger self who was ashamed of eating Vietnamese food due to weird eye stares and negative comments.
It is like the recent news about the Qipao dress twitter feud (2018). I believed the feud and hatred from the Asian-Americans weren’t about the white girl (Keziah) wearing the dress. It’s about the power dynamics, resentment, and the lack of acknowledgement of Keziah’s white privilege. If a Chinese-American girl wore the Qipao to prom (assuming she wasn’t ashamed of wearing her traditional clothes due to internalized racism and whatnot), she will have weird stares or people will see her as a foreigner, exotic and/or an “other”, instead of applauding her for wearing her traditional clothes, in which Keziah had huge support for wearing the Qipao. Unfortunately, people like Keziah who argue, “it’s just a dress” and they’re “appreciating Chinese culture”, completely undermine a video of her and her friend making fun of Asian people (Click here). I understand that Kaziah and her friend were doing a “vine meme”, but it is still offensive. It is like saying people who are doing harmful “pranks” and saying “its just a prank” is not in the wrong. I wish people or the media would talk more about why some Asian-Americans defended Keziah. That would be wonderful research to think about.
Asian men and Asian woman dynamics
I heard about “Yellow Fever” through a video that Wong Fu made a long time ago, but I also believe there is “White Fever” in North America as well as the rest of the world. Not just because of the incident I had in the Bier Markt during my undergrad, but also the “eye-test” and articles talking about this phenomenon. The surge in White Male Asian Female (WMAF) relationships are no longer a rare thing, but it is a common occurrence or a phenomenon (Reference: 54% of Asian American marry out, the vast majority to white men only). I support interracial relationship, however, I do mind the mental gymnastics behind the reasoning why girls, especially Asian girls, are not dating Asian men. The most common thing I heard from girls were “You are cute for an Asian guy” or “I don’t like dating Asian guys, it is like dating my brother/cousin”.
I hate doing “Oppression Olympics”, but I felt Asian guys have always been “sh*ted” on in the mainstream media. That is why I posted an Online dating blog post to bring confidence in guys, especially Asian guys. The only movies growing up that I’ve seen an Asian-American characters being a normal or cool/kickass were in Mortal Kombat (1995) – Liu Kang played by Robin Shou and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)– Harold and Kumar played by John Cho and Kal Penn respectively, which is pretty sad and depressing when you think about it. I tried my best to look for movies I’ve seen a long time ago (the 90s) that portrayed Asian men in a positive light (List of movies that have “Asian-American” characters). I see nothing. However, I recently saw Columbus (2017), and it was great! I never thought would I care about architecture.
We need more Asian-American/Asian-Canadian actors, Asian-American directors, Asian studio producer/CEO and most importantly support from Asian American and POC communities to fight against Hollywood’s racism and their absurd excuses (some of these excuses are posted here).
Division amongst Asian-American communities
Issues about Asian and Asian American/Canadian in the mainstream media are very complex. I believe we are a divided community. For instance:
There is contention over who can play what character depending on ethnicity. However, I think that Asian actors can play ANY Asian characters. Here are some examples of what I meant by it: a Chinese-
Dong Nguyen – Vietnamese character in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt played by a Korean-American actor: Ki Hong Lee
American actor can play a Japanese’s emperor in 1800s, a Vietnamese-Canadian can play a Korean-American on a tv-show, if there is a remake for Ghost in the Shell, the main character can be played by a Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Thai actress and not just only Japanese actresses. There are a small number of Asian roles/characters being made, we shouldn’t be fighting over these things. If Robert Downey Jr. (American actor) can play Sherlock Holmes and Henry Cavill (British actor) can play Superman, why can’t Asian actors play a different Asian? If we are fighting with each other on this type of issue, there will be slow changes in Hollywood and the studios will use this as an excuse. (Don’t let them divide us!)
Asian-American celebrities with “power” and privilege have undermined Asian-American struggles (A weapon for racist people). Take, for example, Esther Ku, “a comedian” who has mostly been using old stereotypical Asian jokes for her standup over and over again. The differences between Ali Wong (a comedian) and Esther Ku is that Ali Wong’s jokes break Asian stereotypes while Esther Ku perpetuate Asian stereotypes
Another celebrity that perpetuates stereotypes that the Asian-American community kept mentioning on subreddit, Asian-American blogs, podcast and Facebook is Ken Jeong, a Korean American actor. There are lots of people who think that Ken Jeong is essentially a jester/clown for white audiences, which reflect poorly on Asian-Americans. Ken Jeong’s habit of playing caricatures brings a negative light on Asian representation, especially for Asian men. For example, in the second installment of the Hangover franchise, Ken Jeong’s character – Mr. Chow had a monkey licking his penis while he was ODed (Interview). -Sigh- I’m a bit conflicted, he was pretty funny as Señor Ben Chang on the Community (2009); however, I understand that playing the same old stereotypical character (Mr. Chow, Long Duk Dong) over and over again for many years can lead to detrimental results on young Asian men. That is why Donnie Yen, John Cho, and many other actors vowed not to take stereotypical roles.
TV shows like the BBC’s Chinese Burn (2018) perpetuate Asian stereotypes. It is ironic that this show was trying to go against Asian stereotypes, but instead, works to reinforce it! For example, the portrayal of Asian men as bigoted and impotent is damaging! Another example: one of the main characters said: “You sympathy fucker, there is no way I can touch that thing, I don’t do Chinese”. The Asian community responded on Twitter, and Facebook of their displeasure; however, the BBC Chinese Burn team removed the comments on their Facebook/Twitter page (Reference: NextShark, HKFP).
3. The lack of acknowledgement/discussion about “White men and Asian Female” power dynamics (e.g., Asian women and the alt-right: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3), could affect the Asian-American community as a whole. For instance, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018), The Last Samurai (2003),Dragonball Evolution (2009), The Social Network (2010), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and other movies/tv shows brings forth an idea that Asian women needs and/or worships white men. Heck, most of these movies (and even tv shows) do not even pass the Bechdel test, which is a tool to evaluate the portrayal of women in fictional stories (e.g., movies, tv shows, novels). These stereotypes of Asian women being white worshipping, prostitutes, and/or dragon ladies can cause huge problems such as sexual harassment and violence (Rachel Kuo – Huffpost Contributor, 2017).
Another issue is internalized racism in the Asian-American community. Natalie Tran, a famous Youtuber, once said she felt ugly in comparison to white women (Reference). Also, some Asian-American who are the self-proclaimed feminists, and/or doing virtual signalling/lip service unconsciously treat Asian men horribly, which is hypocritical (Here is an example of Asian-woman empowerment, yet discrimination against their male counterpart: Cassandra Lam). It is sad and depressing because there are many Asian women that feel the same way (Gina Choe (Model), Jenny An, Esther Ku, Lily Macapinlac (Model), Link 1, Link 2). If Asian women don’t like their “Asian” appearance, I wonder what Asian women think about their male counterparts? It is kind of scary if you think about it. For instance, what would the interaction be, between the mother and her son (mixed/hapa)? or even worse what their son or daughter, who is mixed, think of non-mixed Asians? (e.g., 2014 Isla Vista massacre: Link 1, Link 2). (To note: If readers know any examples of Asian men (e.g., celebrities, comedians, etc) having internalized racism and/or oppressing the Asian-American communities please comment below)
Sessue Hayakawa, 1918
In addition, there is a lack of Asian-American men and Asian-American women relationship in American media. Heck, Asian men are not seen as romantic leads to any women and gay men. They become desexualized and emasculated in mainstream media. The sad thing is that there was a time when Asian actors were sexy. Sessue Hayakawa, a Japanese-actor, was the first Hollywood sex symbol (Evelyn Wang, 2016).In summary, we need more strong three-dimensional female and male Asian characters in order to remove these horrible stereotypes that we were cursed with for centuries.
Here are some interesting resources to read/listen about Asian-American issues:
I went online (e.g., youtube comments, twitter comments, articles) to see everyone’s point of view and arguments about the whitewashing as well as gender-washing controversies focusing on Scarlett Johansson.
Please comment below, for instance, do I miss anything in terms of arguments from either side (e.g., Studio, Asian American Community, Scarlett’s Supports, LGBTQ Community)?
We have seen the bronze age of superhero movies such as Tim Burton’s Batman and Richard Donner’s Superman (also the non-release/cancellation of Tim Burton’s The death of superman 😉 ).
We also have seen the silver age of superhero movies such as Stephen Norrington Guillermo del Toro David S. Goyer’s Blade Trilogy, Bryan Singer’s X-men and Sam Rami’s Spiderman’s trilogy. Unfortunately, we also saw Tim Story’s Fantastic Four and Ang Lee’s Hulk.
At this moment, we are living in a golden age of superhero movies where heroes/heroines that we grew up reading are now on the big screen! I still remember getting free Marvel comic books (e.g., Spider-man) and toys, every time I go to McDonald’s in the 90s. In addition, getting my Spiderman and Dr. Otto Octavius toys taken away from me by my Kindergarten teacher.
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is one of the most innovative spectacles in today’s cinema. The interconnectedness among different movie franchises (e.g., Ironman and Thor) as well as the eagerness among comic fans and movie fans waiting for Marvel-Disney studio to announce a new superhero movie (that isn’t popular among the general population).
The general movie going audience would probably name a few superheroes such as Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, and Spiderman.
I remember when a B-list superhero aka Jon Favreau’s Ironman (2008) was released. It blew my mind with the combination of character development, story plot, and CGI! Both audience and critics love it! As a result, $140 million-budgeted film grossed $585 million worldwide! (However, Ironman 2 was “mediocre” at best in terms of story plot and villains).
Marvel/Disney Studio came out with a bang, after the first Ironman movie with B-list (e.g., Captain America, Hulk), even C-list (e.g., Thor) and D-list (e.g., Ant-man, Dr. Strange) superhero characters.
If I tell you 10 years ago, that Captain America’s Trilogy (includes: The First Avenger (2011), Winter Soldier (2014), and Civil War (2016)) was up-to-par or (some say) better than Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, you will be laughing your pants off!
Not only, did Captain America movies were great, but other movies such as James Gunn’s The Guardians of the Galaxy(2014) which includes a talking raccoon and a giant freaking tree character name Groot! You won’t believe me if I told you 5 years ago…James Gunn who directed a few porn-parody youtube videos will direct a Marvel/Disney’s Space Opera!
Another few examples were Kenneth Branagh’s Thor(2011) which make sense since Kenneth Branagh is known to act in Shakespearean plays as a flawed protagonist (e.g., hubris/pride), Peyton Reed’s Ant-man (2015) (say what?! a “Bring it on” director?), and Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange (2016) (why is a director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister making a “scary” Doctor Strange movie?). With some questionable director choices and risk by the Marvel/Disney studio, the movies were still a huge success!
Overall, MCU did well with the characters they have (MCU do not have the rights for X-men (FOX Studio), Fantastic four (FOX Studio), and Deadpool (FOX Studio)) and they stay true to the comic books. I believe they were successful because for each movie the studio use different types of movie genre. For instance, Captain America’s The Winter Soldier(2014)was a political thriller, Ant-man(2015)was a heist movie, and Doctor Strange(2016) was fantasy/magic and just plain strange.
The MCU films’ cinematography was great and not messy in terms of action sequences (I’m talking to you Michael Bay – Transformers!) and the films were most enjoyable and funny. MCU films use to have a problem developing good (and badass) villains, except for Loki. However, everything has changed when Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther (2018), Jon Watts and Enrique Segoviano’s Spider-man: Homecoming (2017)(Sony and Disney studio collaboration), Taika Waititi’s Thor’s Ragnarok (2017) as well as Russo brothers’ Avengers: Infinity War (2018) wasreleased in theatres. The one thing I love about Disney Marvel Studio is that they learned from their mistakes (e.g., villains, director choices, action sequences).
For example, inThor’s Ragnarok (2017)took away the typical story tropes and madeThor a funny and lovable character. Essentially, this movie didn’t take it too seriously unlike Thor: The Dark World (2013). Another example is Spider-man: Homecoming (2017)where Disney Marvel studio introduce a new villain instead of rehashing old villains (I’m looking at you Marc Webb’s Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014)). Also, we haven’t seen a lot of high-school Peter Parker, finally Spiderman is played by a young actor, Tom Hiddleston … I kid, Tom Holland! Lastly, this new Spiderman movie has an 80s John Hughes feel to it, who doesn’t like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)?!
Here is my ranking for the newest villains in terms of great back-story, motivation, and badassery:
1) Thanos – Josh Brolin (Philosophy: Utilitarian consequentialism vs. Deontology)
2) Killmonger – Michael B. Jordan (Basketball legend Michael Jordan’s son … joking :P)
3) The Vulture – Michael Keaton (Didn’t expect the twist huh?)
4) Hela – Cate Blanchett (Who doesn’t like an Overpowered Gothic Viking villain with a sassy attitude?)
Another note: Netflix’s tv shows such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage were great! The storyline and villains were impeccable! Iron Fist is okay, it’s not the greatest tv show ever and not the worst. These shows are also connected to the MCU as well (e.g., news headline about the Battle of New York). However, I feel the MCU/ Marvel Disney studio don’t want no part of the Netflix shows. Wing really loves Jessica Jones more than any other Defenders (and I agree).
Now onto DC Extended Universe (DCEU)! After the successful Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy something happened… Joss Whedon’s The Avengers (2012) with a budget of 220 million USD made 1.52 billion dollars! As a result, Warner Brother Studio was trying to scrap something together by the name of “Man of Steel (2013)” directed by Zack Synder. In my opinion, Man of Steel was a good superhero movie, however, there were moments of lapse such as Superman’s motivation and intention. I think having two dads with different ideologies/principles could cause some confusion for the audience. Also, the tone of the movie seems like it’s for Batman, instead of the light-hearted Superman which we use to love from the comic books. In my opinion, the “dark” tone does not equate to “realism”.
Patty Jenkins’ Wonder woman (2017) was great in comparison to other DCEU movies. I would rate it very similar to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). To be honest, the third act was very Michael Bay-like. However, it was still entertaining and kickass. I love the Wonder woman theme score, the Cello gave me goosebumps!
After Zack Synder’s Batman vs. Superman (2016), and Justice League (2017)and David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016) released in theaters the reviews were mixed. The DCEU just can’t seem to catch a break. The latest news about The Flash solo film losing both writer/director Seth Grahame-Smith as well as his replacement Dope director Rick Famuyiwa due to “creative differences.” The project is currently without a director. DCEU needs a Kevin Feige-like person in charge of the direction!
Fingers-cross that Aquaman(2018)directed by James Wan (who directed the incredible horror movies such as Conjuring and Insidious as well as Furious 7) as well as David Sandberg’s Shazam! (2019) kills it in the box office as well as critic ratings!
By the way, I can’t wait for Peyton Reed’s Antman and the Wasp (2018) and Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck’s Captain Marvel (2019)!
Please feel free to comment on your opinions about the MCU as well as the DCEU.
I have noticed Wing’s curiosity about the topic of “sex” and we sometimes debated on topics related to sex (e.g., Are strip clubs good? What would you do if your 21-year-old son/daughter becomes a porn actor/actress?).
Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com
So, what are your thoughts on “pornography” and “porn industry”?
Nguyen: I am for pornography. Pornography shouldn’t be a taboo. There are people who think porn is bad due to the objectification of women. However, sexuality and sexualization are two different words! Sexuality involves what makes you feel good and what attract to you. Sexualization is when an individual is objectified. I think our society has been using these two words interchangeably. I believe pornography is more about helping an individual explore their sexuality. Also, I consider myself a feminist (equality and equity for everyone). If an individual wants to pursue a career in the adult entertainment business, why would I ruin their dream job/hobby? If they know the consequences / risk in being part of the porn industry, why would I care what they do to their bodies? It is their life as well as their happiness. The porn industry regulates and inspects performers’ health before doing any sexual activities. I believe it is great to have many options to explore our sexuality or sexual fantasies. My point of view derives from living in a secular world where “sex positivity” as well as women’s rights are inserted in today’s society or ingrained in people’s minds.
However, I do acknowledge that there is an issue with pornography. For instance, if an individual was forced or had “no” choice/option but to pursue a pornstar career then we as a community need to find a solution to help this individual. In addition, there are different types of “Pornography” ranging from softcore to hardcore. It could be a problem for young and impressionable individuals. According to Walt Mueller, the average age to begin exposure to porn is around 11 years old (Mueller, 2013). Therefore, it may be dangerous for 11-year-old adolescents that may not understand or perhaps confuse about “sex” when watching different types of pornography.
Wing: For me, I still have a lot of mixed feelings about pornography. I was brought up in a Christian home and still uphold Christian values. For most of my life, I was taught to think that pornography is bad, shameful, and immoral. This is because sex and all sexual acts should remain within the sanctity of marriage. Also, we are taught that our bodies are holy temples of God and that engaging in sexual acts, prematurely or outside the marriage relationship, is to defile the body. Watching pornography can also lead one astray and to having sinful thoughts about other people’s bodies.
For me, I still have a very complicated relationship with pornography. Working as a sexual health information consultant at my university has helped to change my perspectives on pornography, but I still struggle to accept it personally. Professionally, I believe the legalization of and free access to porn wonderful catalysts for a more sex-positive society. I believe that we should live in an environment that is sex-positive and that no one is ashamed of their sexuality or sexual desires. I think pornography can be liberating in that it can teach us how to use our bodies to find pleasure and it can help us express ourselves beyond the imaginations of the gender binary.
However, personally, I can’t help but cringe or feel guilty when I am exposed to pornography. Don’t get me wrong, my sex drive is normal (?). But despite the sexual politics that I advocate for, I can’t bring myself to accept pornography personally. If I watch it, I feel dirty. I think it’s because I have very deep-rooted values in my faith. I do believe in the sanctity of marriage and the role of sex in it. I do believe in being exclusive and I would be devastated if my partner preferred pornography over myself. I acknowledge that much of this paragraph is not so much a response to porn as it is to the values I hold in religion. I’ve yet to debunk this and will gladly update the blog when I do.
10) Dixit (2008)
speaking or physical behaviour, some sort of thing (e.g., slapstick) intended to be funny and amusing. If the person intended for it to be a joke, then I will recognize it as a joke, whether or not it is funny. 
My parents escaped from the Vietnam war. My mom took refuge in Nova Scotia, Canada, and my dad took refuge in Vancouver, Canada. They met and fell in love with each other in Canada. They travelled to Toronto to find jobs (since Vancouver lacked the job opportunities in the 80s). After they settled down and got married, they conceived my younger brother and me.
As a teenager, I felt ashamed to eat my own traditional Vietnamese foods (e.g., spring rolls, curry, etc) or any Asian foods (e.g., my mom’s homemade sushi and wanton) at school because there were students who hated the smell (e.g., Fish Sauce, Kim-chi). Others definitely gave me a weird stare. But heck, there were even weird stares when my mom packed me Caesar Salad with bacon bits for lunch in high school. I could never win. As an adult now, I see many non-asian people appreciate and enjoy eating Vietnamese foods (e.g., Pho, Spring Roll, etc). I don’t know how to feel about this … I’m happy that Vietnamese food is becoming popular; however, I also felt it is a slap in the face to my younger self who was ashamed of eating Vietnamese food due to weird eye stares and negative comments.
At this moment, we are living in a golden age of superhero movies where heroes/heroines that we grew up reading are now on the big screen! I still remember getting free Marvel comic books (e.g., Spider-man) and toys, every time I go to McDonald’s in the 90s. In addition, getting my Spiderman and Dr. Otto Octavius toys taken away from me by my Kindergarten teacher.
Marvel/Disney Studio came out with a bang, after the first Ironman movie with B-list (e.g., Captain America, Hulk), even C-list (e.g., Thor) and D-list (e.g., Ant-man, Dr. Strange) superhero characters.
Another few examples were Kenneth Branagh’s Thor (2011) which make sense since Kenneth Branagh is known to act in Shakespearean plays as a flawed protagonist (e.g., hubris/pride), Peyton Reed’s Ant-man (2015) (say what?! a “Bring it on” director?), and Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange (2016) (why is a director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister making a “scary” Doctor Strange movie?). With some questionable director choices and risk by the Marvel/Disney studio, the movies were still a huge success!
Another note: Netflix’s tv shows such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage were great! The storyline and villains were impeccable! Iron Fist is okay, it’s not the greatest tv show ever and not the worst. These shows are also connected to the MCU as well (e.g., news headline about the Battle of New York). However, I feel the MCU/ Marvel Disney studio don’t want no part of the Netflix shows. Wing really loves Jessica Jones more than any other Defenders (and I agree).
Patty Jenkins’ Wonder woman (2017) was great in comparison to other DCEU movies. I would rate it very similar to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). To be honest, the third act was very Michael Bay-like. However, it was still entertaining and kickass. I love the Wonder woman theme score, the Cello gave me goosebumps!
