Some big media people have been calling Pixar's "Turning Red" 'alienating' and 'narrow' because it is Chinese.
I'm white as a sheet, and I just searched "Turning Red" specifically Because it is Chinese!
I have not watched a new movie in years. I am as white as John Wayne. And I just searched "Turning Red" specifically because it is Chinese!
"Turning Red" is not 'narrow' or 'alienating' because its main character and the culture of most of the movie's characters is Chinese!
A lot of us who are not even Asian love Chinese culture!
And what the main character goes through in a movie like that is of universal appeal no matter what ethnicity she is!
But I wasn't interested at all in a story of a young person who turns into a giant red bearlike animal when she gets upset.
*(I have Tourette's Syndrome. I've been there. It's a fine subject for a movie. I'm just not that interested in watching a quiet drama right now.)
I searched the movie because I love Chinese culture!
Don't let anyone tell you that a story featuring a Chinese family is 'limiting'- a lot of us love Chinese culture!
And the same goes for any other culture!
Ethiopian, Jamaican, Indian, Iranian, Japanese, Mexican... there are a lot of people out there who are as 'white' as I am who will watch the movie or read the story specifically because it represents this beautiful culture!
Chopin's music is as Polish as "Turning Red" is Chinese- did that stop a lot of Americans, western Europeans and a lot of other people who are not Polish from loving Chopin?
A lot of people are more interested in Chopin and Sibelius and Grieg specifically because they are Polish, Finnish and Norwegian!
Why would it be any different for Chinese, Mexican, or Iranian cultures?
A lot of us who are not even Asian will watch a movie specifically because it has Chinese culture in it- because we love Chinese culture!
Wake up and small the coffee- east Asian pop culture is very popular among young people in America!
Ang Lee movies, Kung Fu movies, Japanese Anime, Korean television shows and music...
And, beyond east Asia, Bollywood movies, music and dance from India!
A movie that reflects these cultures is not of narrow appeal to people who are not descended from that culture!
A lot of us who are as 'white' as John Wayne will watch "Turning Red" specifically because it is Chinese because we love Chinese culture!
God loves you! And so do a lot of other people- like me!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson
P.S. One more thing- I was not that interested in a movie in "Turning Red"'s genre- I'm not that interested in watching a quiet drama right now, I'm simply doing other things right now (specifically, writing stuff like from out of Tolkien from real life!). But I find it to be a fine idea for a movie. The main character turning into a giant red bearlike creature is a good metaphor for all kinds of things that might affect us, especially as teenagers. I have Tourette's Syndrome, I've been there. I turn into a giant red bearlike creature (metaphorically speaking) when something sets me off too! If the movie can help people through things like that- and we all have been there, we all have had strong emotions get the better of us- than that's wonderful! I myself am used to it. I've had Tourette's Syndrome for decades. I have a lot of practice! But other people could sure use a movie like that! (Not just women! We all have strong emotions!) (I know my Tourette's Syndrome is not as positive as what the main character is going through in "Turning Red"... oh well- I'm fine anyway!) (It does have its positive side, though... nothing near as spectacularly positive as puberty, but like any hardship it has made me stronger!)
And getting it out in the open that these kinds of emotional issues are something that every teenage girl goes through much more than most boys ever have to is a wonderful thing! Let's get it out in the open! Make it a bonding experience! Let's not be afraid of our emotions! And let's not be afraid of what normal, healthy bodies go through! Emotions should be shared! Let it go! And it's purfectly normal to have our bodies affect our emotions- what do you think being tired or hungry is? Let it go! Get it out in the open so we can help each other! Thank you, Pixar!
(This page was not intended as a comment on the main plotline of the movie, just the idea of a movie with a Chinese family- but I thought I should say something!)