The same patterns of opposite binaries appear in my other classes as well, especially in my Criminology course. And repetitively I have read about the negative impact of this way of thinking. Whether it is prosecution vs. defense, interrogator vs. suspect, police vs. public, this mentality of "us vs. them" can bloom into dangerous practices. Some view attorneys as sharks, ones who will do anything to lie and cheat to win a case, but the act of viewing them as different than us, as liars and cheaters, can actually push them to do exactly that. Similar thing occurs with the police. Society can take these binaries to make their own structures of power, as a means to alienate a certain group of people, differentiating between the "us" and "them". And this is especially displayed in much of the media and content we consume today.

Rachel presents herself as the intelligent, lower-socioeconomic Chinese woman from a culturally Western background, while Eleanor presents herself as the sophisticated, higher-socioeconomic Chinese woman from a culturally Eastern background. They embody different cultural principles that are suppose oppose to each other. While Rachel had the support and independence to pursue her career as a economics professor, Eleanor had to give up her dreams as a law student to focus solely on her family (due to social pressure from her mother-in-law). Even then, Eleanor was still not considered adequate enough to marry into the Young family, and by the end was blamed by her mother-in-law for Nick's relationship with Rachel. Thus, Eleanor harshly assumes that Rachel does not have what it takes to be Nick's partner based on their differing beliefs.

At least in my experience, I can relate to Eleanor's emphasis on family in Asian culture. When I was younger, I was told to show utmost respect to my elders, and it is expected that I will take care of my parents, grandparents, and sibling when I get older. Socially, I refer to my parent's friends as "Aunties" or "Uncles". I can not question the advice that my grandparents give (no matter how superstitious it is), and I am taught to not disagree with them when we are talking. Everytime there is an important holiday, it must be celebrated with a huge family get-together with all the relatives in the area (which was definitely a huge nightmare during the pandemic). Everything I do reflects on my parents and the family as a whole. I see that many Asian American families are likely to have their family living under one roof, even if the children are old enough to financially afford it. But compared to what Eleanor had to deal with (and countless other people), I believe my own experience with family as an Asian American is probably pretty tame.

The first time I watched this movie, I was with my friends, sitting in the theatre surrounded by other people. The younger me never really realized these subtle nuances within the movie, and my mind was probably impressed and consumed with all the extravagance and pomp. Afterwards, we all certainly found ourselves relating to Rachel as a character, but what pulled us away from the movie was the perfect ending, with all the loose ends tied neatly on top. When we realized that we all felt the same way about it, we discussed a different ending for the movie. An ending where Eleanor refuses to accept Racel and Rachel leaves Nick, returning back to America with her mom alone. Though it would certainly be sad, perhaps it would have been a better representation of what happens in real life. One where "us" and "them" were separated and apart. It sounds really pessimistic, or bittersweet, but perhaps it would have been a more prominent ending to the movie.