Too bad I'm in Shanghai. I really want to see David Henry Hwang's new remake of Flower Drum Song. Hwang gives his thoughts on his new work in this week's Sunday New York Times.

Hwang hits on a couple of a key theme that I feel is important as consumers and creators of "ethnic" art. That what we may consider stereotypes, were at one times breakthroughs. Like Hwang, Flower Drum Song has always felt like a guilty pleasure. I first saw it, ironically, in an Asian American Studies class, where I think the purpose was to look at how white America saw APAs in the 50s and 60s. But I actually really enjoyed it, seeing it for what it was, a real breakthrough work in that era. I even went back to read C.Y. Lee's original novella. As we move forward, we don't have to accept stereotypes, per se, but we should respect the work of those that came before us, with a firm understanding of the contexts of each artist's work. Instead of just bitchin' everyone out like Frank Chin...

Anyway, a few quotes that I liked from Hwang's piece:

• When I began writing "M. Butterfly," for example, I knew very little about opera and considered Puccini's heroine, Cio-Cio-San, to epitomize the stereotype of the submissive Asian woman. Yet by the time the show opened, I had gained new respect for Puccini's work and intentions. In his own time, the composer had done something bold and progressive by making his Japanese heroine the virtuous character and rendering her American lover as the cad or villain. One era's cultural breakthroughs may calcify and become stereotypes through time. Culture is a living thing, constantly changing and evolving; intercultural work has always existed, as artists have incorporated new influences through migration, conquest and commerce. In this light, the very notion of authenticity became much more complex and elusive.
  
  
• I have come to embrace that explanation; you cannot necessarily judge attitudes of earlier eras by today's standards. Moreover, I began to realize that one generation's breakthroughs often become the next generation's stereotypes.
  
  
• At its core, a stereotype is bad writing: a one- or two-dimensional cutout devoid of humanity, and therefore prone to demonization. Whether your characters are cooks, laundrymen, computer scientists or gangsters, if they are well written, they will exude humanity, which is ultimately the most effective weapon against stereotypes, and the most visceral measure of authenticity.