The Greener Grass
A Blog by Jessica Nino
Tip Of The Day: No one gets an opinion on what you like or believe besides you.<3
The Significance of #BoycottMulan
For the past month and a half, i\’ve been seeing #BoycottMulan all over my feed, so… What does that mean? And why should we do that to Mulan?
According to Google, Boycott is “an act of nonviolent, voluntary and intentional abstention from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for moral, social, political, environmental reasons,”. Basically, boycotting is refusing to contribute in any way (money, time, patience, etc.) to an organization, person, or thing, that goes against your values, beliefs, ideas, and so on.
So back to the question I posed earlier… Why would we boycott Mulan? What’s so wrong with watching the remake of a children’s movie? Viewers quickly noticed issues with the film production that included the location it was filmed in, lead roles, and casting. Below I will briefly explain issues with each, but I’d suggest you do your own research as well.
Filming Location:
The Mulan remake was filmed in Xinjiang. If that names seems familiar, you might recognize it from my last post; Xinjiang is the same location in China that has Uyghur Muslims in camps and, and commiting mass genocide. Personally, I think it was incredibly ignorant for Disney as a company to film in the same place many receive inhumane treatment day to day and have possibly suffered in for years now. It is also rumored for Disney to have filmed close to the camps. In their final credits, Disney thanks the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Public Security (one of the forces known to detain Uyghurs.)
Lead Roles:
The main actress taking on the role of Mulan supports Hong Kong Police. You may have heard from the riots how violent Hong Kong police are. Supporting the Hong Kong police supports the brutality they use to uphold their broken system and tactics.
Casting:
Although I am thankful they were inclusive enough to have all-Asian casting with an Asian film, many believe that it wasn’t that inclusive at all. Behind the actors, the designers, writers, directors (backstage crew) were not Asian. This leaves many wondering, how are you going to fulfill the duty of telling this story without having any connection, related beliefs or knowledge about it. I think when working on such culture specific projects, it is important to have people who relate or have connections to the culture as well, this further deepens the meaning behind it and makes it ‘true’.
Words from other sources to keep in mind:
“It is great to see female empowerment, but we must empower and protect ALL females,”
“It simply does not make sense to film a movie about female empowerment when less that twenty minutes away women are being raped, killed, and having their reproductive and basic human rights taken away”
-The Youth For Change (@theyouth4changeorg)
Contact me
Hi! I would love to hear your ideas, suggestions, and feedback on the content I am regularly publishing! I believe it is important I stay connected with yall and am able to positively connect and learn from yalls criticism and suggestions to help me improve as a writer. I encourage you to send me ideas and suggestions based on what you’d like to read about so that I can regularly connect with you all as well as better understand your interests, and help y’all destress, learn, and enjoy my content. -Love, J
You can contact me through the following links and medias:
Gmail: jessicanino2004@gmail.com
Twitter: 1andxnlynino
And
Instagram: jjessicaninoo (also found at the top of the page next to the title, you can reach my profile by clicking the IG icon or looking it up through the username)
The best way to reach me would be through either Email or instagram, I am constantly checking both. Don\’t be shy! Even if you don’t have suggestions, if you need a safe space, feel emotionally/mentally stressed, are feeling anxious, depressed, or just need a friend, I am always available!
FAQs
Who Am I?
My Name is Jessica & I am a blogger for the CPSB (college prep student bubble) I was given the wonderful ability to create content for you all as a way to relax or entertain/learn while you prepare for AP/college.
What Are My Interests?
My interests include painting, volleyball, discovering music, reading (mostly sci-fi or romance), writing about absolutely anything and interacting with new people! I believe having hobbies and consistently participating in them helps you mentally and physically destress, so if you haven\’t done something you enjoy today, take the time to do it :).
What Do I Intend For This Blog?
This blog was created for you as a student to get some daily reading in on something that interests you. This became a resource because AP and college can very often be stressful and a handful, my purpose is to entertain you and help you stay motivated. My writing can be seen as a brain break or relaxer to those who are interested in it. I intend to make this a very chill spot for you all and to bring weekly content on any topic imaginable you suggest/want.
What Grade Am I In & What Courses Am I Taking?
I am an incoming Junior for the 2020-21 year, and will be graduating with the class of ‘22. I am an Early College High School student, so half of my classes are highschool and the other half are college. My classes this year will include: English 4 dual credit, Geometry PAP, Environmental Systems PAP, US History, (high school). For my first semester in college I am taking College English, Texas Government, and Philosophy.
More About My Writing: How did I come up with ‘The Greener Grass’? Very often I heard the saying “the grass isn\’t always greener on the other side” I decided to name my blog after this to give it a positive connotation: it doesn’t matter what side of the “grass’’ were on, sure it may not be the greenest, but I think that by being positive & interacting we can make our grass greener. To me this means we can help each other out, we can teach and learn from each other; we will all eventually feel stress, pressure, & frustration, but together we can make the most out of it and encourage each other & grow.
Cites used, referenced and helpful related to this content: