The Goddess of Mercy

Kwan Yin

The term wise old man does not necessarily have to portray the physical appearance of a seventy-year-old man. In general, society does not have to always have that certain idea of what a wise old man is just because the media has inaccurately educated them about Asian culture.

“According to one legend, Kwan Yin, who is often referred to as the female Buddha, was a beautiful Indian princess who forsook marriage and the good life to live in a convent in order to become a truly enlightened human being, or bodhisattva”.

The name “Kwan Yin” is the meaning of a Chinese name for the goddess that is the energy of motherly compassion. She responds to the heartfelt needs and anguish of the people of earth regardless of background or belief. Specifically Yin is an example of what it means to become a wise old man however, knowing the fact that she is a female she breaks the stereotype of the wise old man. The media has inaccurately educated society by presenting the Asian wise old man simply for entertainment purposes. If they had included the wise old man stereotype with a female, society would have thought differently about the wise old man stereotype. They would have had that general understanding that it's okay for a woman to become a wise old man because the wise old woman can be equally as intelligent as the wise old man can be. The only aspect that would be different is that woman are more motherly and it relates to Kwan Yin because spiritually she will be there for anyone in need of emotional issues. She is accessible to anyone, regardless of social status, and will come to the emotional rescue of anyone who calls upon her in a time of crisis. If the media could start showing wise old women in films or TV shows, then it can alter the way society thinks about wise old men and partially eliminate the stereotype. Wise old woman also support the wise old man stereotype because a wise old woman has the same characteristics however, it is just expanding the idea of the wise old man stereotype by including females. Wise old women are similar to wise old men because both have gone through different experiences in life and have learned to overcome those experiences. They can both teach youth the difference between right and wrong and guide them to the right path. Adding females to the stereotype can positively impact the stereotype because it satisfies the female society and it shows that women can also be seen as a role model in society.

It's Not in The Apperance

Chi-Hui is a minor character in the DC animated series Teen Titans that ran from 2003-2006. Chi-Hui appeared in the episode "The Quest," where Robin (the leader of the Teen Titans) traveled to Asian to seek out for the "True Master."

In the opening scene of the episode, Robin fought a thieving martial artist named Katarou. During their fight Robin was defeated by Katarou which angered him because he is confident with his martial arts skills that someone actually defeated him. As Katarou was leaving he told Robin that he learned from the true master who Robin went off to seek. When Robin arrived somewhere in Asia he met Chi-Hui who was gardening  at that moment and asked her the location of the "True Master." She then told him to travel up the mountains and follow a trail however, little did he know he had to pass three guardians,a monkey, a bear, and a snake on the way to test his skills and determination.  

During Robin's trek through the trails as he passed each test, there would be Chi-Hui who he would bump into which he found a burden because she walked slowly and asked favors each way up. What Robin did not know was that Chi-Hui was the master that he was looking for. The moment Robin found out she was the "True Master" he was shocked and was caught off guard. With his curiosity he asked her why she never told him and responded with "You never asked."

This episode showed that there are wise old women it does not always have to be an old man. A woman can also be highly skilled in martial arts, appearance and gender should not determine a person's abilities. Throughout the episode Chi-Hui showed weakness by telling Robin how rude he was for not helping her with the buckets of water she was holding up the mountain trail but showed her true abilities as she pushed away Katarou for cheating his way up the mountain by following Robin after every challenge he faced instead of fighting his way up like Robin did. This also shows the stereotypical Asian grandma who is short, grey haired, filled with wrinkles, and speaking with a little accent. 

Siddhartha Guantanamo

 

 Siddhartha Guantanamo better know as the Buddha is an example of how not only martial artist are wise men, but also religious figures. He was born during the 6th to 4th century BC in Northern India now known as Nepal. Scholars agree that in fact Buddha did actually live, but still debate about events in his life. His father was a king who ruled over a group of people who are know as the shakyas, his mother died seven days after giving birth to him. Once born a holy man prophesied that Siddhartha would either be a military leader, a king, or a great spiritual leader. His father kept him isolated in a place in which kept him from witnessing the miseries and sufferings of the world. Even though he was isolated as a custom he did marry when he was the age of sixteen, but was still isolated for another thirteen years. In his late 20’s he went out to the world, on his journey he was distracted by a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and a ascetic. These distractions made Siddhartha leave the kingdom, his wife, and son to live an acetic life.  

“ The Buddha is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in world history, and his teachings have affected everything from a variety of other faiths, to literature to philosophy both within India and to the farthest reaches of the western world”(bib.truestory). the next forty-five years Buddha and his disciples went around spreading the Dharma which is his teaching. Everyone that he saw on his journey he would help like beggars, kings, and slave girls. The Buddha discovered how to bring happiness to the world. He taught three basic teachings nothing is lost in the universe which means the cycle continues after death. The second everything changes which is like a river sometimes it flows fast and sometimes slow, and the last one the law of cause and effect which is karma which means nothing happens to us unless we deserve it. 

Even though the Buddha is a religious figure being wise is not only about being amazing at karate is about someone who teaches us about life and how life can turn out to be your happiness. People always assume that a mentor necessarily has to know about martial arts, but people don’t think that every religious figure has something they did in their time which influenced us in the present. The significance of the Buddha is he taught us that happiness does exist in the world even with all the suffering and miseries, he did not have a long beard or knew karate like the media portrays wise mentors he was just a person who was influenced by the actions of life. 

Works Cited

"THE BASIC TEACHING OF BUDDHA." THE BASIC TEACHING OF BUDDHA. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. <http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm>.

Wise Old Man, Why Not Wise Old Woman?

There are many representations of Asian wise old men in the media such karate masters or wise old men that talk as if they were fortune cookies. But where are the Asian wise old women? In the story The Wise Old Woman by Yushiko Uchida there is a farmer and his elderly mother, she has reached and age that a young lord Higa has deemed too old to be any use. As the farmer takes his elder mother to a mountains so she can die alone, on the she takes twigs of branches to mark the way the son should go after he has abandon her in the mountains, but after seeing this the farmer had second though and decides to hide his mother in a secrete cave he dug under his house. Two years after the farmer hid his elderly under his home the young ruler Higa sent three warriors to warn the town that they have three days and night to solve three impossible riddles or there town would be wiped out. The farmer struggles to solve the riddle and even get the wisest men in his town but no one is able to solve it , until the farmer gives it to his elder mother. The farmer gives the answers to the lord Hida and tells him the truth, that his mother solved and no one in there town could do it. Lord Hida was amazed and disbands his policy that the elderly had to have to die in the mountains.

I fell that this story is a correct representation of an Asian wise old lady because old people both male and female have been through a lot in their life to get to the age they are in. They know things that younger generation do not know or understand.  Sure this can be related to every culture but it is a better representation than what Asian wise old man represents a masters or wise old men that talk as if they were fortune cookies.

Work cited

Uchida, Yoshiko. The Wise Old Woman. 1994. 1-32. Print. <http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-famous/WOMAN.HTM>.

Shaolin Monk

Even though this is a Pepsi commercial the Chinese culture is involved, like the way shoaling monks train and their everyday life. They usually wake up at 5:30 am to begin chanting and at 6:00 am to eat their breakfast, it consist of soup made of beans then they chant again after they finish they start training two hours of Kung Fu. Monks are an example of a person who is pure of spiritual energy and due high levels of Kung Fu. While in a interview a shoaling monk was asked “are there still great Kung Fu masters at the temple today, as we heard about the legends in the history of temples?” He answered “ masters are not as powerful today due to the electrical signals such as wi-fi, satellite, radio, television, and ect. As a result masters are 15 percent less powerful than in ancient times”(Stacey Nemour). Due to the media the influence of masters in this time period is not as powerful as it was in ancient times because people want to see them the way the media portrays them. He also mentioned to advance in our daily path in life we need to “ love. Don’t be selfish. Do daily acts of kindness. Be nice. Pray a lot. Practice a lot. With practice comes wisdom. Wisdom brings advancement each day. And pain brings growth. that’s how we learn” (Stacey Nemour). Monks are not only spiritual people but also very wise with the teachings of life and how to keep it balanced.

Works Cited:

Nemour, Stacey. "Inside the Life of a Shaolin Monk." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 02 Mar. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacey-nemour/shaolin-kung-fu_b_747649.html>.

Female Hero

Mothers in general are wise women they are the ones who taught us right from wrong. They give us lessons in our everyday life’s and teach us to be ourselves other than what people expect from us. This blog is about Wise old Mentors but not only Asian men or Asian mentors are wise as we all want to picture them  because of the stereotype. In our lives we all have or had a mother who taught us the way of life and what to expect from it. A wise old Mentor would not keep food on our table or maintain our home stable a mother with her wisdom and her presence is what keeps a home as a whole. As mentioned “ the mother is the one who helps fulfill the vision of her husband and puts into action cultivating the culture, warmth, order and atmosphere of the home”(proverbs). Without a mother in the home the home is destroyed and the family is broken. A wise mentor wouldn't know how to keep a home the way a mother does a mentor is just one who give life lessons when needed, but a mother reminds us what matters in life the most and how to cherish it. My mother is my example of a wise women she keeps the family in place and tries her hardest to keep us together, she teaches me life lessons every single day. Something she always tells me and makes sure I remember is be yourself not what others want you to be, without her believe me I wouldn't be the person I am and  the person I will turn out to be. 

Pizza!

In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996) Master Splinter holds a reputation of a ninja master. He not like every other wise old men, he is unique and different in his own way where he is a rat rather than a human being compared to the usual masters that are presented in media. Unlike the way wise old men are represented by media as of Chinese origin he is of Japanese origin.

The creation of him is very creative where imagination from the creators is shown by developing this character in the series. His strictness towards the four mutant turtles is rather inspiring because not only does he treat them as his students but also like his own sons by reminding them things that they did in the past such as missions that they did not accomplish.

His design shows the stereotypical "master" where they are dressed in some type of traditional clothing or rather a worn out karate gear excluding the pants.Similar to other masters portrayed by media the way he speaks is noticeable where he speaks with much patience and slowly as he is mentoring his students. And the eyebrows that are bushy and gray.

His appearance is easily noticed because he is shown to have a few scars on him, this shows how far he has gotten in life and how his life was when he was in his prime.

It is inspiring how he reminds his students to let out their anger and move on rather than telling them how much they have failed.Not only does he find them as his pupils but his new family after he lost the previous.

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.