I read an article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday about how the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" was flopping in China. I thought that didn't sound surprising , as is it typical American fluff. The story is the usual Cinderella one: two people who could never be together by societal standards fall in love, defy the odds and confound their enemies. True love triumphs. The characters are mostly quite flat, and, with a few exceptions, you know exactly how each person is going to behave and they all stay in their lanes. Chinese viewers felt a new stereotype and dislike the portraly. I rented the movie hours later, mostly because I was curious after reading that but also partially because my sister and I were both having the kind of day which needs some fluff at the end.
I won't ruin the ending (although it's no cliffhanger to anyone ), but when it finished and I was crying a little (juuuuust a touch) and I realized something that made me respect this kind of fluff. That fact that buried in there is the thing I think makes American philosophy great, its ideals and childlike attempts to be better. Humour me for a minute.
Like most people, when I first learned our constitution I felt extremely proud. "All men are created equal" is definitely on the list of the most beautiful statements humans ever made. Then, again like most people, once I learned how hypocritical our founding fathers were - owning slaves, massacring native populations through deceit and nary a women in power to be spoken of- I felt angry, and embarrassed. The more I learned of our history and our present day reality in both foreign and national affairs, the more I had what I would even call disdain for being an American. We are loud (I am especially loud) , and bossy and arrogant and , well fake. Aren't we? How else could you explain all of the discrepancies between our philosophical foundings and our actions?
After wrestling with this for years I realized something that gave me some new footing. Philosophy is the struggle between "how to be" and "how we are", it is akin to the physical sciences in that it grapples with how to live your best life in an infinitely mysterious and unknown planet/dimension/life. Our constitution is a gorgeous piece of philosophy and it has been the impetus for some really beautiful and righteous changes. I can't speak for our 'founding fathers', but I think it's possible that they, like most parents, told and wrote idealistic stories to their children because they truly hoped their children would become better people because of it. A philosophy is not tainted by those who misuse it. This is why I also value so much of the spiritual teachings from around the world, despite how ludicrous the representatives may be acting. There is common thread that binds them all , and that thread is good despite the ways it has been misused. Because of this inherent goodness, that thread has been and will continue to be reiterated until it finally becomes who we are. It shows us how badly we want to be the "how to be".
For me, even as I rolled my wet eyes (I'm not crying, you're crying ) I thought about how much truth lie in this Cinderella tale: we haven't overcome the barriers for love by a long shot. Interacial , gender based, socio economic and age differences still remain as not only hurdles but full on wars for people who just want to have life partnerships that give them the most personal joy. As the female protagonist wisely noted, societies and families often do make it an impossible choice, creating more losers than winners. So, I would apologize to anyone who felt characterized by this and wholeheartedly admit that our popular cultural offerings often lack the depth needed to discuss how to go from "want to be" to "are". I still appreciate that we Americans keep reiterating the most basic tenets of being human besides the right to life: the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And I think that if we repeat it incessantly enough, it will eventually sink in.
** I wrote this months ago but had left it in the editor haha. I popped by to see what everyone was up to and saw it so here it is. So, no, the article I read was not from yesterday ;)