There seems to be a cultural permissiveness amongst Chinese and Koreans to "marry out" of their groups and for their offspring to associate more with the Asian group and culture than with the white group and culture. I observed during my years as an art student at the Ontario College of Art and Design, and as a film student at Ryerson University, that all (without exception) the projects of the Asian students - immigrants, "Canadians" or half-Asian, focused on their Asianness. I think this fits in with my observation that some genetic Asianness will manifest itself as full cultural Asianness. Their works were often of odd, inferior quality. Even when they went for fundamentals (like pure drawing, painting or photography, without apparent ethnic undertones), there was an odd simplicity with their final products, as though they weren't able to produce layered, textured works, but could only think in simpler, more basic ideas. Thus, the Asianness in their art was clear, although in subtle and nuanced ways - i.e. its pared-down simplicity, which at first glance looks like the minimalist "sophistication" which is now part of contemporary art, and which might be the reason why they were amply praised, at least in my classes. This causes me to reflect how their contributions will fit in with our true, historic Western societies, and especially in the stability and longevity of our art, architecture and other creative institutions.
Here are a couple of incidents that triggered this post. I try to listen to people's accents, as is my habit these days, especially if they are non-white and speaking in English. Yesterday, while walking downtown, I was behind a couple (a male and a female), which from the back I assumed were both Asian. The woman, at first, sounded Chinese while the man had a distinct Canadian accent. I thought this was another, common, manifestation of the Asian presence here, where one of the couple is a Canadian-born Asian while the other is a Chinese or Korean immigrant. But I later deciphered an Iranian accent in the woman's speech, especially when I saw her middle-eastern looks. They were talking about management styles, and here is a fragment of what I heard the man say:
"The problem is, as a manager in the Western world...."Now, this unfinished sentence may not be enough to make any conclusions, but what true Westerner, living in Canada, would start a sentence like that? The expected introduction to a problem on management styles would be: "The problem with management is," or "Our problem with management is," etc. What this Asian was emphasizing was not problems with management, but problems with management in the Western world.
If this kind of conversation goes on in public, on the street, what kinds of things are being said behind closed doors? And imagine if the couple were not the multicultural hybrid that Toronto is sprouting these days, but a "real" Asian couple? Or even consisting of a weak-willed, West-hating white who clearly finds his assimilated-but-Asian partner (often,as I've said, it is a white male with an Asian female) so superior to others?
I turned my head around (and slowed down) to listen more to this conversation. What is this management style that they're critiquing? Do they have any solutions? The man started to muffle his voice, and eventually stopped talking. I wonder if he realized that this alienating conversation is subversive?
The second episode occurred when I heard a jazz melody being played on a soprano saxophone nearby at a department store. I walked towards the player sitting outside the store. The player was a poker-faced Chinese who kept playing the same tune over and over. I realized I'd seen him before doing the same with another popular jazz tune. He was in some kind of trance, just sitting there with his instrument, repeating endlessly the same, short, tune. The melody, and its simplicity, never changed. It was beguiling at first, but then I kept waiting for more - complexity, transitions, rhythmic changes. After about a minute, it just got boring. There was a woman with an expensive camera, crouched down taking photos of this man. I'm often curious what (exactly what) people are photographing, especially if it isn't some group "tourist" photo, so I often stop and watch and eventually ask. Many people are obliging, especially if they are photographers. I am too, if someone stops and asks me. The woman glanced back at me with a hostile look. That is when I realized she was Chinese. This dismissive, negative, attitude is often of an "artist" who lacks confidence (which often translates to lack of talent). So I began to wonder if the point of her photograph is to showcase the "Chinese in Toronto" or some such "ethnic" photo project that is popular in exhibitions around the city. They (the "saxophonist" and the "photographer") are well suited to each other, I thought.
There are still some superior street musicians around. I wonder if they make enough money, or if they use these street venues to practice, or if they have simply had hard lives and are just making do. There is a really talented rock drummer at the popular Eaton Square, and he sometimes brings in a young partner. His crowds are always large. And recently, a young guitarist (he looks like he's in his early teens) is there playing classical music.
Meanwhile, the crowd around the saxophone player is non-existent.