Posted 6:58 AM by Blah blah

Naughty Dutch Women with Windmills

To Esther, about what you said below:

First, our wonderful cowriter Unica Hija works in the advertising business. Maybe she can help us understand what's going on in those naughty little copywriter minds. How EXACTLY are you trying to manipulate us, U H?

I'd like to see more of what you said, Esther: "A Dutch woman luring the same man into her windmill." Like all the Dutch women I know who come up to me, grab me by the collar, and say, "Goede dag, Raymond. Hallo! Today's a nice day, ja? So...whaddya say we go back to MY windmill for some ooh la la? I just got this nice pair of wooden high heels, ja..."

Sigh...that would be a great commercial. I'd go buy a set of bagpipes and a kilt the next day!

Second, don't have time to fully explain my view. I agree with you somewhat---but not completely. I don't feel the ad, with its stereotypes, is as big a deal as you do. Ads are all ABOUT promoting stereotypes, building an image, and making you forever link the sound of Beethoven's 5th Symphony with the smell of anti-perspirant. You know..."Da da da dummm! Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman." That's the point. Commercials aren't the place for the actor who's chasing the Bora Bora girl to look at the camera and say, "By the way, I'm gay in real life!"

It's a dumb fantasy. People don't want realism in perfume advertising. Otherwise they'd show the guy going "she totally stank!" to his buddy afterwards and the woman giving her unused bottles to her friends as birthday presents. It's not like that true-to-life Yoko Ono MOMA exhibit.

Do I wish I could see more nerdy Dilbert-like Asian guys chasing and ending up with gorgeous dumb blondes, like they do routinely in real life? SURE!

Scott said on RBJ:

"[QUOTE]Cha Sui Bao said
Actually, I heard that both Jet Li and Jackie Chan have this thing in their contract that says they don't kiss anybody in their movies. maybe they're both super loyal to their wives or something. But the handshake at the end of Replacement Killers was just plain stupid.[/QUOTE]

These are the rules for Asian men in Western movies and television:

1. Asian men cannot get it on with any non-Asian woman. (Because Asians are not writing these scripts and the non-Asian male writers/audience cannot live vicariously through an Asian male apparently.)

2. Asian men cannot be in a sexual or loving relationship with an Asian woman either. Caveat: If they are in a relationship with an Asian woman, they are usually the bad/abusive guy, and the woman eventually gets rescued by a non-Asian male, or they are related.

3. Asian men must know some form of martial arts. Period.

That said, personally, I don't miss romance in my martial arts movies. And of course, you have to know martial arts to have a GOOD martial arts movie. It's just lame that these rules apply to movies outside of martial arts films as well. (The few exceptions can be counted on the remaining fingers on a shop teacher's slow hand.)

And Jennifer Love Hewitt definitely did make out with that boy at the end of Can't Hardly Wait. Which oddly enough, would have been great in any movie but that one."

To Rasee:

Well written as usual below. I am beginning to think you are too mature and sensitive for boys your age. Next time, before you go out with a boy who can't talk to you, bring along a printout of Tiger Cafe to entertain you during those dull moments when he's telling you about his collection of ninja action figures.

Good luck to Rasee, who is auditioning to perform in a local amateur group (in Bangkok). She is a good singer.

To both: Thank you for taking the time to write such thoughtful and thought-provoking entries!

To cowriters: since our commenting system, YACCS, gets such high traffic, if you have a long response to someone's post, please just post a new entry instead of a new comment.

It takes so long for the comment window to open, I have time to sweep the floor and do my laundry while I wait. In fact, that's the ONLY way I ever get my laundry all done.