David Carradine’s Legacy of Shame

[Dusty Ayres]

David Carradine was found dead yesterday in a hotel room in Bangkok. The circumstances of his death are outrageously sensationalistic. I won’t go into any detail other than to remark that these circumstances have helped ensure a steady barrage of media coverage. Just now, tuning into NPR in my car, I heard part of a David Carradine interview, replayed to commemorate the occasion of his death. He was a famous and much-loved actor. Tributes to Carradine are pouring in. In discussion threads devoted to Carradine, you’ll find many nostalgic accounts of childhood evenings spent watching his TV show, Kung Fu.
Some Asian-Americans, such as myself, may find these tributes quite upsetting.
I remind myself that David Carradine was an actor. He was doing a job for money. It’s difficult to draw a work/life dividing line when it comes to celebrity actors, but the line does exist. And I cannot presume to judge the moral worth of David Carradine’s life. He was a human being whose life is just as worthy of respect, just as precious, as the life of any other human being.
But I can judge his career. Fuck David Carradine’s godawful racist career!
For many Asian-Americans, tributes to Carradine’s career feel like a cold and bitter insult. Bruce Lee was originally considered for the lead in Kung Fu, but the producers decided America was not ready for an Asian man as a heroic lead. David Carradine was chosen instead. His character, Kwai Chang Caine, was supposed to be half-Chinese and half-white. All the rest of the characters reacted to him as if he were Asian, when he was quite obviously 100% white. This confused the hell out of me when I first saw the show. Once I realized he was supposed to be Asian, it made me angry.

David Carradine’s Legacy of Shame

 

[Lonemagpie]

Wasn't Carradine's decision to "make" Kwai Chang Caine western - that's the producers, the suits.

So you want to say "fuck you" to somebody, say it to the suits.

 

[The Evil Dead]

Yeah, that's like killing the messenger. He didn't really do anything wrong and a man's gotta eat.

"Get outta here Bruce Lee! I'm playing Caine! Go on, get!"

 

[Christopher]

It's in very poor taste to react to a human being's death by using it as an opportunity to vilify the person in service of one's own agenda. Kung Fu was a product of its time, and it was a major step forward for American television to have a show whose protagonist was supposed to be Asian even if the actor wasn't, and which exposed American audiences to Asian philosophy. Equality is achieved one step at a time, and it's misguided to condemn early steps because they didn't go as far as the later efforts they made possible.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Re: David Carradine’s Legacy of Shame

That series opened my eyes to a lot of Eastern philosophy, at least that there was more to things than "hiya!", I enjoyed the show a lot as a youngster. Kung Fu and Star Trek are the two shows that probably opened my young mind up to new ideas the most of any television shows so I just can't throw it into the garbage.

I understand the reservations to Carradine playing the character but Caine was half-Chinese after all (which is why he was in America...). Maybe it would have been a big opportunity for Bruce Lee but maybe it would have been a complete bust, who knows? Probably never would have gotten Enter the Dragon without it so it isn't all bad.

 

[Keith1701]

R.I.P. I do not believe that he killed himself, I believe that he was murdered. If so I hope they find who killed him and put them under the jail. No one deserves to be killed that is just cruel.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Kung Fu was a fantastic show. Not only did it introduce Asian philosophy, traditions and aesthetics to a lot of people in the mainstream, but it was a show that condemned racism. Every episode was a statement against racism, just by virtue of its characters and situation. It was about a loving and peaceful man changing an intolerant and violent world one person at a time.

As far as casting, there were many wonderful Asian actors on the show. Keye Luke and Philip Ahn, just to name two. There were many others.

The suits who made the decision to cast an exotic Caucasian in place of an Asian may have been idiots, or they may have been right. The show may have lasted only half a season with Bruce Lee, either because he was Asian or because he didn't exude the serenity that David Carradine did. I don't know. Times have changed. But times have changed because of things like Kung Fu and people like David Carradine. He deserves no vilification for making the world a better place.

 

[Aragorn]

Good Will Riker, is that you?

And on a side note, Galaxy Quest played on this aspect. Tony Shalhoub as Tech Sergeant CHEN? If I remember, he was even squinting on the "archival footage" of the original series.

 

[Teelie]

I do agree it's in poor taste to use his death as a platform to promote such angry and devisive rhetoric. Considering the site name, I'm not surprised it's self-serving though.

 

[Aragorn]

It's unfortunate Steven Seagal's Genghis Khan biopic never got made, because if it had, no one would be complaining about the Kung Fu casting anymore.

 

[ToddPence]

IIRC, Bruce Lee was also supposed to originally be the lead in "Longstreet", a 1970's detective show, but wound up being reduced to having a recurring role.

 

[captcalhoun]

John Wayne playing Ghenghis Khan's more shameful...

 

[doubleohfive]

Good Will Riker, is that you?

I had the same reaction when I realized this wasn't about the circumstances under which Carradine was found.

And on a side note, Galaxy Quest played on this aspect. Tony Shalhoub as Tech Sergeant CHEN? If I remember, he was even squinting on the "archival footage" of the original series.

And Shalhoub is Lebanese. Linda Park is Korean yet played a Japanese woman. Patrick Stewart is British and played a Frenchman. Pierce Brosnan is Irish and played an Englishman.

Will the racism ever end?

 

[Teelie]

Will the racism ever end?

Yeah when people stop realizing we're not different races. To coin that corny phrase, aren't we the human race?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

It's in very poor taste to react to a human being's death by using it as an opportunity to vilify the person in service of one's own agenda. Kung Fu was a product of its time, and it was a major step forward for American television to have a show whose protagonist was supposed to be Asian even if the actor wasn't, and which exposed American audiences to Asian philosophy. Equality is achieved one step at a time, and it's misguided to condemn early steps because they didn't go as far as the later efforts they made possible.

Exactly.

 

[doubleohfive]

I guess to me, its always been that people look at race one of two ways.

You're either intolerant or accepting. There's a difference between the two, and really no in between.

 

[Captaindemotion]

It sucked that Bruce Lee couldn't get a job on tv because he was Chinese but to blame Carradine for this is ridiculous. It was the network's fault - it's not like Carradine went to them and said 'hey, you can't hire him, hire me instead!'

As has been pointed out, it was only a few years after it was deemed acceptable to cast John Wayne as Ghengis Khan. At least Kung Fu the series allowed a Chinese character (back when the term 'Chinaman' was acceptable) to be the heroic lead. Plus it did a lot to make Chinese martial arts and philosophy popular and Carradine had the decency to learn all about both and become a great exponent of them.

Personally, I think he has a legacy to be proud of.

 

[Christopher]

Re: David Carradine’s Legacy of Shame

I guess to me, its always been that people look at race one of two ways.

You're either intolerant or accepting. There's a difference between the two, and really no in between.

Oh, not true. There's a wide range of middle ground. We all have prejudices; anyone who claims not to is lying to oneself. You can't live within a society without unconsciously osmosing its prejudices and preconceptions. Overcoming prejudice requires ongoing effort and thought, and we all achieve it to a greater or lesser degree. There are countless people who have no particular animosity toward other ethnic groups, toward women, toward gays, etc., but who still make a lot of unconscious assumptions that lead them to discriminate or judge such groups unfairly without realizing it.

The way to overcome intolerance is understanding, and understanding becomes impossible if you reduce the issue to a simplistic caricature, or if you automatically condemn anyone whose dedication to inclusion is less than perfect.


On Bruce Lee vs. David Carradine: Let's face it, Lee wasn't especially fluent in English, and probably wouldn't have succeeded as a series lead for that reason alone. He would've been great with the fights, not so much with the character and expounding the philosophy.

On the Lebanese Tony Shalhoub as Tech Sergeant Chen: Note also that Shalhoub's character called himself Fred Kwan, but I believe that was a stage name.

 

[doubleohfive]

I guess to me, its always been that people look at race one of two ways.

You're either intolerant or accepting. There's a difference between the two, and really no in between.

Oh, not true. There's a wide range of middle ground. We all have prejudices; anyone who claims not to is lying to oneself. You can't live within a society without unconsciously osmosing its prejudices and preconceptions. Overcoming prejudice requires ongoing effort and thought, and we all achieve it to a greater or lesser degree. There are countless people who have no particular animosity toward other ethnic groups, toward women, toward gays, etc., but who still make a lot of unconscious assumptions that lead them to discriminate or judge such groups unfairly without realizing it.

The way to overcome intolerance is understanding, and understanding becomes impossible if you reduce the issue to a simplistic caricature, or if you automatically condemn anyone whose dedication to inclusion is less than perfect.

I suppose you're right. I guess for me, I've always tried to go the route of "acceptance" versus anything else. I don't think I'm prejudiced, racist, or sexist in any way but I see the point you're making.

However, as you said, it's about choice whether consciously or sub-consciously. You either choose to accept people for who they are or you don't. That's what I was talking about.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

It's in very poor taste to react to a human being's death by using it as an opportunity to vilify the person in service of one's own agenda. Kung Fu was a product of its time, and it was a major step forward for American television to have a show whose protagonist was supposed to be Asian even if the actor wasn't, and which exposed American audiences to Asian philosophy. Equality is achieved one step at a time, and it's misguided to condemn early steps because they didn't go as far as the later efforts they made possible.

Exactly.

+1

The fact is that he was an actor by profession. And actors have to act if they want to eat. Only a douchebag would blame Carradine for the fact that the system was what it was back then. There was a job and he took it. End of story.