I went to go watch the highly-acclaimed Banana Boys with a Japanese friend of mine yesterday. We laughed, we cried, we were moved by the depiction of five Chinese-Canadian boys just trying to find themselves and make it in the world today.
It made us wonder afterwards if we should've invited a few of our white friends to come with us, to see if it made sense to them, if it resonated as deeply for them as it did for us. We somehow felt, no, likely not; probably they would've laughed at the same sequences as we did, not from a deep personal understanding, but because it was just plain funny.
It is interesting how we can turn those things that are the deepest point of pain into humour. How racial incidents and stereotypes can be laughed at, even as we "take it, taaaake it!". And so, we chuckle to ourselves, bracing ourselves for the inevitable onslaught of reality, as we deal with the un-funny real world...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I'm trying to understand why you would wonder if it would resonate as deeply for your white friends as it did for a couple of asians. I assume the play used the Chinese-Canadian cultural experience, whether through the family dynamics or through being a visible minority in Canadian society, as the context for its events and humour. While I think many could come to understand and empathize with the experience, who could personally identify with it so deeply except a Chinese, or asian Canadian who's been through similar things? I wouldn't think such intimate understanding could otherwise be possible.
Post a Comment