March 18, 1999
Last week, two people from the entertainment industry came and talked about their lives and how they got to where they are right now. The entertainment industry is very hard to succeed in if you are an Asian. Up until recently, it has been an all white industry and very few minorities were represented in television and in film.
The first speaker was Chil Kong who is both a director and an actor. He talked about how he had to overcome the expectations of his parents to be who he wanted to be. I can really agree with his comments. When I first came to Berkeley, my parents wanted me to be something that would make money. But, when I decided briefly that I wanted to be an English major, their first reaction was, “That major won’t bring in any money.” I think that it is pretty similar for all Asian parents. I do believe that if you love what you are doing and you succeed in it, it doesn’t matter what other people say about it. I feel that you will be justly rewarded in the long run. In his case, he was featured in a newspaper and his parents saw it and they feel proud of their son.
The second speaker was a part of the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors. She talked about how her life was different from his because her parents didn’t really care what kind of occupation she ended up having. I think the difference in their parent’s opinion is mainly due to the fact that the generations are different. She is a fourth generation here and he is a second generation. Since his parents are strongly tied to Asian values, plus the fact that he is the only son in the family, he has more expectations. I was happy to know that they enjoy what they are doing and there are Asian American actors out there.