By Denise Hanh Huynh, Community Voices
A scene from Miss Saigon
I am a Vietnamese American woman, born and raised in Minnesota. I am friends with some of the protesters of Miss Saigon as well as a few members of the cast and crew of the show – this includes one of my best friends. At my wedding last year, she played an original song she surprised me with many years ago; she remains the first and only person to ever write me a song. I both love and respect her more than I can say.
I emphasize this so you know I have spent a great deal of time doing my best to listen, understand, and empathize with everyone involved in the Miss Saigon controversy. I have spoken to family members, friends, and acquaintances. I have waited for more people to publicly provide reasoned and contextualized dialogue, but instead I find myself too often presented with opinions that are either too reactionary, therefore preaching only to the choir, or too ignorant, so that it pretty much amounts to trolling. I have spent a lot of time self-reflecting and self-criticizing my own assumptions and motives. I tried to stay mindful and question myself before I questioned others.
Ultimately, I decided it is important to speak up because it is not about my personal hurt, but about our Minnesota communities’ well-being. I hope my perspective contributes to honest self-reflection about any preconceived notions you hold, no matter your views.
Before I go into my experiences with the show, I want to make one thing clear: While the stereotypes inherent in Miss Saigon are palpable to me, I decided to omit many personal stories I could tell you. Stories about how these stereotypes have harmed me and my loved ones. Having observed much of the media coverage over the last couple months, I believe the majority of mainstream reporting and the Ordway have used these personal histories to create divisions in the Vietnamese, Asian American, and Minnesota communities as a whole. Intentionally or not, the media and the Ordway have used our different experiences and identities to reinforce why Miss Saigon is fine, even though the better conclusion might be to ask what it means to show one story and only one story over and over again , instead of working to show many stories that reflect our diversity.
I will center instead on what I believe is missing or minimized in the public forum thus far. That is: Detractors are not taking into context the very real economic, political, and social environment in which this show is being performed. This is why it is not productive to view the Miss Saigon controversy through a lens of individual choice, art, or free speech. These ideals are important, but they have functioned as smoke screens and misdirection, and they are not the point of my critiques.
Read the full article by Denise Hanh Huynh of Community Voices.
