Cao Bois and Indians (not)

Wow! A month's passed and I haven't updated my blog. This is in really bad form and I sincerely apologize. I can't focus on this when I'm on the road and didn't want to write about the tour or music, nothing of that sort.

Anyhow, I am a devoted reality TV enthusiast and have been anxiously waiting for the new Survivor to start. This season, completing teams are initially divided by race, a "social experiment" as they've coined it. Of course, I am rooting for the Asian team, duh! Then I watched the season premiere. I felt excited, awkward, embarrassed and proud especially when the Asian team took it home at the end of the episode. Oh yeah, that was a moment to remember! Especially on the first episode!!!

I am only going to focus on the Asian "tribe" as I can't personally relate to the other teams. First of all, out of the five people, four of them are young Asian Americans born in the States. And then there's Cao Boi (pronounced "Cowboy,” so predictable and a little too gimmicky for my taste), a Vietnamese refugee who sees himself as a “hippie.” He's not much older than the rest but there’s a generational & cultural gap here. I think the other four feel that he's like their parent as he’s still “in touch” with his culture by referring to the “old country”. The four get annoyed and dismissive at Cao Boi’s stereotypical & obnoxious jokes, (“we are short and eat rice” for instance). If I was in their situation, being Asian American and trying to eliminate these stereotypes, I can see myself getting bothered and embarrassed as well. Maybe they feel that he’s debasing his own race & culture but I think he’s just being himself. But watching it on TV, you are removed from this scrutinized circumstance and his jokes are just plain funny and endearing. I can totally see a Cuban or Russian immigrant/refugee saying similar jokes. They’re funny!

Being a Vietnamese refugee myself (though I arrived to the States at a younger age than Cao Boi), I can totally understand both sides. I am short and like to eat rice but I don’t necessarily want people thinking that that’s all I am and do. Cao Boi, probably has had less academic opportunities than the other four and doesn’t really care what people think of him because he’s already endured so much adversity as a refugee and his outlook on life is less controlled and more open. He’s being himself completely and this makes him the most interesting so far. Whereas the others, while thinking that they are representing the Asian American culture in politically correct terms, come off showing that Asian Americans are distant and detached, it’s all about the books. The authenticity of the culture is askewed here; the gap is widening I’m afraid.

My favorite part of this episode is when Cao Boi gave one of his teammates, Brad, acupressure (just like my parents used to when I was little) to relieve his headache. The rest thought this was weird and probably “too Asian.” Cao Boi cured his headache yet they were still skeptical, especially when he gave Brad a mark on his forehead that signified the “bad wind” which was to be released from his body. I was insulted with their behavior and their lack of respect. I mean don’t you think that thousands of years of Eastern medicine would result in a cure for something as simple as a headache? What did the others expect? A migraine pill to fix it? C’mon here.