We are the Other

We are the Other - 38th Street & Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, by Wing Young Huie, May 28th, 2012

              

 Denotation:         
    

        At first glance, this picture shows a corner store in rough shape. The bright yellow sign indicates that it was a restaurant that sold wings and other food products, albeit without success. In this downtown Minneapolis area, the rundown joint matches its surroundings. The barbershop across the street has old maroon awnings, the adjacent "Urban Outlet"  is selling used furniture, and both don't seem to have any more business than the restaurant. On the sign, there is a cartoon china-man, to the right, the word "Wings" followed by another word, obscured by torn paper. The inside of the store is empty and the window of the store is adorned with graffiti. The only inhabitants of the sidewalk are a lone pedestrian woman waiting for the bus, and a bright blue dumpster. 

Connotation:

Analysing the content of this photo, we can glean even more information. The most notable feature is the china-man caricature prominently displayed on the store's sign. Distinctly yellow, buck toothed, and cross-eyed, this drawing reflects an old stereotypical American view of Chinese people and culture. This outdated depiction could've been a factor in the restaurant’s demise; this view of Chinese people is now generally considered callous and insensitive.  The font and coloring of this sign furthers the stereotype. Based on the run-down nature of this area, we can assume that it is a low-income place, possibly near government subsidized housing, and this restaurant's old clientele may have consisted of marginalized minorities. The shutting down of this store may indicate future economic decline in the area.

Attwood Vs. Huie:

In order to understand Wing Young Huie's representation of "othering" in this photo, it is important to understand the motivation behind the Chinese stereotype presented. Throughout history, U.S. and Chinese interactions have been tense. In 1882, The Chinese exclusion act was passed, prohibiting Chinese immigration in the U.S. In 1899, The Boxer rebellion in China made American view the Chinese as blood-thirsty savages. These events, and those more recent, coupled with disparities in ideology and culture, led to skewed views of the Chinese for the better part of the 19th century. This view is seen throughout past American media. Not only are these depictions overly exaggerated, but they misrepresent many aspects of Chinese culture. However, recently, these representations are more accurate and thought-out, crude stereotypes like this satirical china-man are frowned upon. 

Young Huie emphasizes this stereotype, "othering", with color and framing within the picture. The sign of the corner restaurant is prominently placed, it almost acts like a title for the photo, running along the top of the frame. The bright yellow color instantly attracts the eye of the viewer, and is one of the few bright elements of the street. The angle of the shot puts the mustard yellow china-man closer to the camera than most of the store and street, and the lack of traffic allows the audience to focus on the storefront. 

In The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood also represents "othering", using some of the tactics used by Young Huie. Like Huie, Atwood uses color in her book to represent difference and division. Each class of Gileadean society is indicated by color, the handmaids must wear red, the wives blue, Marthas green, etc., this allows passerby's to quickly group and assign stereotypes to individuals. This categorization by color reflects racism and the stereotypes attributed to those who are white, black, yellow, and red. However, Atwood also represents "othering" in different ways. While the extent of othering presented by Huie is social alienation, the othering presented in The Handmaid's Tale results in more tangible alienation to labor camps, and possible death. Anyone woman who refuses to become a handmaid is sent to the “colonies” and anyone who openly practices things that are contrary to the regime’s ideology is killed or exiled. While this othering is extreme due to the nature of the oppressive regime, the alienation presented by Huie can be equally detrimental in demoralizing a group of people. While we have improved since the time when this depiction of a Chinese person was the norm, the journey away from “othering” and towards inclusiveness and global understanding is still a daunting task.