Karate Kid Part Deux

I don’t have a problem that they are remaking a movie from my childhood days. That’s certainly nothing new, but It’s surprising to me that this level of cultural insensitivity can be allowed to pass this day in age. I mean, it’s 20fucking10! We’re in the future! And looking at the comment threads on the YouTube trailer and other articles regarding the remake, it’s clear I am not the only one with issues against these Hollywood racists.

“Uh oh, me needs tew maykee uh angwee fon caw~”

Apparently part of the reasoning behind keeping the original title is a claim that Karate originates from Chinese Kung-fu. OK, true, the Japanese in general DO have ancestral links to China. But if Karate is the same as Kung-fu, then Baseball is the same as Cricket (there’s an old SAT analogy question there somewhere) and no ignorant patriotic American would allow that to ever happen. There would riots in the streets and effigies of Mr. Bean burning on crosses.

The trailer for the Karate Kid remake actually doesn’t make it seem that bad of a movie. I like Will Smith enough to give his son a chance and I’ve always been a fan of Jackie Chan movies. I still wouldn’t pay $11 to see it in the theaters (no movie under $400M budget really merits a theatrical viewing, IMHO) But if I was some little ignorant American boy, I’m sure I would enjoy the movie very much so, albeit thoroughly misled to believing all East Asian countries ARE interchangeably the same. Thank you Hollywood for dragging racism back 60 years.

- Rom