"Wax on, wax off," is a commonly mimicked
phrase from the classic movie, "Karate Kid." The movie centers
on a young misguided youth who finds a mentor in an older Asian man named Mr.
Miyagi. While using unconventional training techniques, such as waxing a
car, Mr. Miyagi teaches this boy karate and he ends up winning a karate
tournament. In this story, Miyagi is a symbol of ancient wisdom and
stories like the "Karate Kid" are responsible for a skewed
interpretation of Asians.
Western culture is relatively young in comparison
to its eastern counterpart, and that may be a reason why Americans are so
fascinated with it. Eastern cultural practices have been established over
centuries providing it with some sort of legitimacy and granting the people who
practice it with some sort of "ancient wisdom." According to
Iwamura, "The Oriental Monk, drawing from this network of representation,
includes within its iconic scope a wide range of religious figures (gurus,
sages, swamis, masters, teachers)." This reflects a common view that
many people share, a view that popular culture such as the "Karate
Kid" perpetuates. While these stereotypes are generally positive,
which is a shift away from previous stereotypes, they still paint Asian culture
in an accurate light. Americans view Asian spirituality with a sense of
fascination (also evident in the documentary Kumare) that skews people's
perceptions of the entire culture.
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