The upcoming production of Miss Saigon at the Ordway Theater in St Paul, MN has sparked a unique protest, reports the Daily Planet.
Members of the Vietnamese American community have launched a Tumblir project they’ve dubbed Don’t Buy Miss Saigon, Our Truths.
The group sees the Tumblir space is an expensive way for the community’s voice to be seen and heard .
” Miss Saigon is based more on colonialist stereotypes and Orientalism rather than truth and historical accuracy,” writes Bao Phi in her blog for the Daily Planet. “Through the prism of racism, these limiting and shallow representations keep getting reinforced and reproduced until they are believed to be the truth and only truth about our people and to a certain extent and by extension of racism, it presents a narrow lens through which all Asians are viewed. Miss Saigon is especially problematic as it is perhaps the most enduring and popular representation of the Vietnam War and Vietnamese people in the Western world: a big-budget ode to colonialism that romanticizes war and human trafficking.”
Each of the contribution shows the authors holding up a sign that reads “Miss Saigon Lies About Asian Women” or Miss Saigon Lies About Asian Men. The photos are followed by personal thoughts shared by each of the contributors.
“My Asian body is so much more than your two-dimensional representations,” wrote one.
” I will not let lies represent me and the experiences of our people. ” wrote another.
You can read more thoughts on Tumblir in Don’t Buy Miss Saigon, Our Truths and read more about the project in the Daily Planet.
