Wise Old Man or Kung Fu Master 

When we see a wise old man in some kind of action film or show they tend to know a lot of Kung Fu or martial art of some kind. Some examples are Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid or Jackie Chan in the new version of the Karate kid. Another example is Bruce lee master in enter the dragon and so many more. I would consider these characteristics stereotypical and a wrong image for wise old men.  Because not all wise old man know martial art or Kung Fu and the ones that do know martial art in a film or show normally tend to be Asian and only Asian. Just take a look at Caucasian wise old man, when they are introduce in film or shows they have nothing to do with martial art, instead they are seen as a leader and mentors. Some examples can include Obi-Wan Keno-bi from Star Wars he is introduces as Jedi and not martial artists also Gandalf and Merlin they have noting to do with martial artists, rather they are show as magician, heroes and wise men that people ask for advice.

For some reason this is what people like an enjoy watching. I mean if they didn't directors and writer wouldn't keep including the wise old man stereotype in their creations. The film Norbit includes a wise old man, but the wise old is played by Eddie Murphy. Director Brian Robbins didn't even get an actor with some Asian background to play an Asian character, but rather let Eddie Murphy place the role of the wise old man and show the stereotypes associated with the wise old man and Asians. This goes back to Asian wise old men know martial arts, Eddie Murphy never show any sings of martial because he is not Asian but if they have some random Asian guy play Norbits father rather then Eddie Murphy i am pretty sure he would know martial arts or Kung Fu of some kind. Some final word that i would like leave about this work, is that older actor that are Asian just get stuck with only one role in the media which is as a wise old man that knows martial arts. It also depends on the way you look, for example old wise old man that look Indian also get seen not as martial artist but rather as Gurus.

Dragon Up!

                                                                

When it comes to dragons and magical creatures Luong Lao Shi (Grandpa) is the man to ask for help. In the Disney Channel animated series American Dragon: Jake Long, Grandpa is known to be a "Dragon Master." Throughout the series he is the one to train Jake Long his grandson to become a great American Dragon. Stereo-typically, masters tend to be calm yet when a task is done wrong they would explode with anger Grandpa is the same. When training, the task has to be done correctly if not there will be consequences like cleaning the house.

Grandpa believes in strict teaching and staying on task is the most important. The concept of the series is very creative where not only does it show family importance but also learning experiences where it is always best to follow a mentor's advice than being stubborn and going your own way.

The way Grandpa is drawn and presented shows the stereotypical Wise Old Man with the gray hair,gray bushy brows, gray beard, and the mustache. One thing thing that is also easy to notice would have to be his speech the accent and the tone his voice makes when he is angry or when he is mentoring his grandson. Like other stereotypical wise old men, he would occasionally burst with anger and would ramble in either Cantonese or Mandarin.

The concept of the series is very interesting because it does not only show family importance and values but also it contains action and adventure where Grandpa turns into a dragon to assist Jake when he needs help saving magical creatures.The design of his character shows that even if he is short he is still most powerful. Aside from being the stereotypical "master" he is also characterized to be a bad driver.

To be a wise old man or not to be?

The stereotype of the wise old man is in different places such as carton and movies.  Although most shows or films show the wise old man as the leader and some that is charge of nation or people, Avatar that Last Airbender changes that image for the better. The reason for this is that Iroh has the option to be a wise old man with out being a main character. Iroh crowned prince and first born son of the fire lord Azulon. Iroh had the potential to be a great leader or a wise old man but due to the death of his only son, Iroh retired and focused on his nephew and tried teach him than he can make his own destiny. Iroh is a perfect example and the has characteristic of a stereotypical wise old man but creators of Avatar the Last Airbender  Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko decided to take this character in a different direction rather than reusing the typical Asian wise old man.

This is what writer and direct need to do more often. Rather than adding more fuel to the Asian wise old man stereo types by constantly recycling this cliche stereotype, they should be more creative and create a new image for old wise old man rather than some old guy that speaks broken English, wears funny looking robe, or speaks as if he is a future cookie. Sure Iroh has some of these characteristic himself but he not seen as the wise old man. Iroh is more of compassionate, caring and someone that knows differences between good and bad such as when Iroh helps the hero of the story even though he is the enemy and knowing that there will be serious consequences for his actions such as him being branded as a traitor and hunted down by his own people. Basically this mean that Iroh is not like any other old wise man that has been introduce before, he is something new and the direction that old Asian wise old man should take.

work cited 

Dante DiMartino, Michael, writ. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Writ. Bryan Konietzko. (2005–2008). Film. 28 Feb 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417299/>.

Dirty Old Man

Dirty Old Man

Master Roshi, most frequently known as Turtle Hermit, is a perverted martial arts instructor that lives on a small island and the inventor of the Kamehameha technique. Master Roshi is an example of the wise old man stereotype. He does not have the same personality as the rest of the other wise old men stereotype.  Master Roshi is humble, knows martial arts, although don't be fooled by his appearance. In one of the episodes of Dragon Ball Krillin, the second martial arts student, asks Master Roshi to teach him martial arts and hands him a bag full of adult magazines. Master Roshi is thrilled and with no hesitation agrees. In the Dragon Ball series Master Roshi teaches his pupils martial arts and teaches his lessons in a more meaningful and serious manner, however that doesn't stop him from being a perverted old man. The next serious, Dragon Ball Z, Master Roshi is mostly seen gawking women in an immoral behavior. Master Roshi's hobby is looking at adult magazines and trying to flirt with women dramatically younger than him. Master Roshi's personality partially breaks the wise old man stereotype because most of the time he is always seen in episodes relaxing, watching adult TV, and is always joking around. Master Roshi's personality can negatively and humorously affect the Asian American wise old man stereotype because people can begin to assume that old Asian men are unethical. In addition, people can also lose respect for the wise old men. Dragon Ball originated from Japan meaning that other ethnic groups could become ignorant and believe that Japan's TV shows that the Master Roshi is an example of an Asian wise old man. This can adversely impact the Asian culture because Master Roshi's personality can easily become a major representation to viewers that are unaware of what Asians actually are leading to ignorant thoughts toward the ethnic group. For the audience members, Master Roshi is a wise old man that should not be looked up to because he lacks morals. 

The Great Deku Tree and Navi

THE GREAT DEKU TREE AND NAVI  

"The time has come to test thy courage... I have been cursed... I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task?" (Legend of Zelda 1998). 

The Great Deku Tree plays a small roll as the mentor for the main character, Link. In this Japan oriented video game that has impacted video gamers including myself since 1998 The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time had introduced The Great Deku Tree as the "Wise Old Man" in the story.The physical appearance of The Great Deku Tree resembles the image of an Asian wise old man, for example in movies such as The Karate Kid's Mr Miyagi, Kung Fu Panda's Master Shifu, and Ninja turtles' Master Splinter. All these Sensei's traits have a couple of things in common such as their ways of guidance to success, they are all humble, and not to mention they all have the bushy eye brows and excessive facial hair. In the game, The Great Deku Tree is the guardian for all the age-less children also known as the Kokiri race. The Great Deku trees role durring the game is to send fairies to the age-less children to help guide them with advise. In a way, the fairies also play an important role that relates to the wise old man stereotype. Most importantly Navi, Link's usher that is a female, helps Link overcome obstacles, solve puzzles, and reminds him of his missions. The Great Deku Tree and Navi both resemble the wise old man stereotype because both guide Link on his journey to save the world. In my opinion, this is a positive encouragement towards the stereotype because having someone's guidance can help a person become more contemplative, tactful, and composed. The Great Deku Tree and Navi both add on to the idea of the Wise old man because they resemble the image that the media has created towards the wise old man stereotype. 

The 14th Dalai Lama

“If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big. But the moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction. When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens. At this point, your own problems, even big problems, will not be so significant. The result? Big increase in peace of mind. So, if you think only of yourself, only your own happiness, the result is actually less happiness. You get more anxiety, more fear.” ― Dalai Lama XIV, The Wisdom of Forgiveness

A wise old man is not always a man who is a master at Kung Ku just like what the media shows through films.But, there is an old wise man who is filled with wisdom that he will share to the rest of the world to spread and will continue to remind everyone.

Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama. He travels abroad to speak about understanding each other and respecting each others views and opinions. The Dalai Lama was award a Nobel Peace Prize  in 1989.

The Dalai Lama is a very inspirational wise old man because he is not the stereotypical "Wise Old Man" the media usually portrays by being the "Kung Fu" master but an inspirational person who brings peace and shares words of wisdom to everyone and by him travelling around the world shows how amazing he is as a person and knows the meaning of peace.

He is not the usual wise old man shown by media where they have long beards,mustaches, and are calm but have a hot headed side to them. Judging from this clip he seems to be down to earth and it is clearly seen that he is a welcoming person.

Works Cited:

"Dalai Lama XIV > Quotes." GoodReads. 22 Feb. 2013

       http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/570218.Dalai_Lama_XIV

Mahatma Gandhi

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in Harmony"- Mahatma Gandhi


A Wise Mentor is anyone who give you advice and leads you in the right path. We as humans have the idea that mentors are only those who come out in movies and teach Kung Fu. “An archetype found frequently in dreams, myths , and stories is the mentor usually a positive figure who aids or trains the hero” ( Spiritual Emercency). In all the movies we have watched we have always seen an “Old Wise Man” for example Yoda. Or Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the most popular one Mr. Miyagi. All these example of the Wise Old Man have helped the hero through out his journey.

Wise Old Men are not only found in films but also in the present.  Gandhi is one of those Wise Men who are found in reality. Mahatma was not given to him when he was born it was given to him by the Indian people when they had discovered when they had a Mahatma in their presence meaning great soul. He taught his people to fight for what they believed in just like those Wise Old Men in movies taught the hero. One of his greatest quotes was “ You must be the change You wish to see in the World” - Mahatma Gandhi

My own opinion is that the hero should not be the main role and the one who is in the spotlight. I believe that the mentor is the one who created the hero of the movie or the hero in real life, meaning without the mentor there would be no hero because the mentor is the one who leads him through the path of life. Hollywood should analyze and be aware that the mentor is the main character not the Caucasian male they put as the protagonist.

Works Cited

Hoover, PJ. "Wise Old Man- Characters and Cliches." The Enchanted Inkpot. N.p., 21 Sept. 2009. Web.   <http://enchantedinkpot.livejournal.com/28133.html>.

"Spiritual Emergency." : The Major Archetypes. N.p., 10 Jan. 2006. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. <http://spiritualemergency.blogspot.com/2006/01/major-archetypes.html>.

Wise Old Man again....

A wise old man/mentor is described by Carl Jung as a classic figure or profound philosopher distinguished for his wisdom and sound judgment. They tend to be, as the name suggests knowledgeable elderly men that people respect, look up to and, see as a father figure. In most case when media involves wise old men they normally get killed or dies so that the main character evolves in to the hero of the story. I’m my opinion thank to Cartoon shows and such my interpretation of a wise old man consist of an old man that is Asian and talks as if he is a fortunes  cookie.

An example of this is Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda (2008). Master Oogway is an Elderly turtle that was the head master of the jade palace, a place where they trained all greet warriors. In the film master Oogway was the creator of Kung Fu and was the Founder of the town where the movie takes place, Oogway was wise and everyone looked up to him especially the main character. Master Oogway the wise old man chooses the most unlikely of heroes to be the dragon warrior the greatest title and honor anyone could receive and he gives it to an overweight Kung-Fu loving panda. In the movie Po (the dragon warrior) turn out to be a force to wrecking with which suggested that master Oogway the wise old man was correct with his decision, but yet every character doubted Oogway. It was not until master Oogway used his last word before he died to evolve Po into the hero of the movie.

Taking a look at most media representation of a wise old man they tend to Asian and regardless their ages they can kick some serious butt. Some examples The Karate kid 1-4, Uncle of Jackie Chan Adventures. Regardless some see these as a typical Hollywood stereo type that audiences enjoy watching. The problem with this is that as more people get used to these stereotypes director and writers get the confidence to constantly milk the stereotype and the cycle continues with director recycling the stereotype over and over again , which just add more fuel to the stereotypes already in place on wise old men.

Work cited
Cowgil , Charles. "Carl Jung." muskingum.edu. Muskingum College, n.d. Web. 27 Feb 2013.                                         <http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/index.htm>.
Osborne, Mark, dir. Kung Fu Panda. Dir. John Stevenson. 2008. Film. 27 Feb 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441773/>.