Slanted View

Who's That Drifting Behind You?
by Nathaniel Jue

Asian can't drive. We've all seen it and heard it hundreds of times while on the road or even as pedestrians. Asian drivers are always crashing. We drive too slowly. Don't know how to merge. And we obviously can't read signs. We are complete idiots when we're behind the steering wheel. Maybe it's because all those Totoro and Hello Kitty ornaments hanging from our rearview mirrors, creating ten more blind spots than normal. It seems whenever you see a fender-bender, an Asian driver is in the middle of the road rage. Or if you see a middle finger being flashed, an Asian driver is on the receiving end of it. The stereotype we all know about Asians' driving skills is no accident... unlike most of our driving outcomes. If you see a bumper sticker that says, "I Brake For Asian Drivers," it's the truth.

But it's a sham to automatically say that all Asians are bad drivers. After all, it's not like we don't know our way around cars. Perhaps you have heard of a little something called Honda or Toyota? What about Mitsubishi? Yokohama tires anyone? I guess we can build them, but we can't operate them. Maybe now, however, we can smash the preconception of our abilities with the Asian driving spectacle called "drifting". Yeah, that's right!

Admittedly, I have no idea what the heck drifting is. I've never really heard of it and I don't know how to do it. It sounds more like someone dozing off or daydreaming behind the wheel and starts drifting into the next lane, than it does an actual driving skill or technique. However, in reality it is the emphasis of the latest installment of the street racing movie series, The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift. Tokyo, apparently, is one of the cities where drifting first hit the streets. Over time, drifting has evolved into a stylistic racing maneuver where the driver intentionally skids into an extremely acute turn. The driver is therefore not only demonstrating his sharp steering ability, but continuing to drive at considerably high velocities, alongside several other cars, too. It's a stunt that exhibits a driver's true capacity to maintain control of the vehicle while simultaneously appearing to be not in control. And yes, apparently Asians were one of the first to execute this feat. If only America could implement that into the DMV's driving tests...

With the release of Tokyo Drift, Hollywood has now officially caught up to the souped-up street car scene that is prevalent in Asian neighborhoods. In major metropolitan areas, you'll often see several lowered, winged and fluorescent Civics and Acuras herding down the expressways. Decorated in tinted windows, sticker graffiti and deep-bass mufflers. Adorned with Christmas headlights, Starship Enterprise dashboards and pillowy anime paraphernalia. This import car scene has grown into an Asian byproduct of wealth, ostentatious art and inherent auto mechanic aptitude, and is now so common that it is not foreign to American film audiences.

In the past decade, this community, affectionately referred to as "rice rockets", has taken to the highways with their four-wheeled spaceships, proving that they are not just a trend or merging fancy. This niche of drivers has created and become a thriving religion, as huddled cults flock to import car shows on the weekends, to awe and adore various automotive demigods named Subaru and Mazda. The masses may be stared at because of the flamboyance of their cars, but these Asian rocketeers continue to thrive and caravan through town, after hours of studying for the SATs. At night, they congregate in remote side streets to challenge each other to racing duels, a true testament to both one's automotive mechanic ability, as well as one's driving ability.

My curiosity in the movie, Tokyo Drift, does not stem from the wonderful cinematic precedent of the first two movies, nor the opportunity to see Bow Wow stick his head out of the window with his tongue flailing about. Simply, I am positive that director Justin Lin depicts a superb representation of this part of Asian culture. Lin, previously known for his anti-Asian-stereotype film debut, Better Luck Tomorrow, hones in on the exhibition that is drifting, and the excitement and Asian influence of street racing. Apparently there is a counter to the wide-held myth that Asians can't drive. While we may not be able to make safe unprotected left turns, we can certainly pull off 100-mph, thirty-five degree left turns. Hey, maybe this is proof that Asians are good drivers!

Yes, Tokyo Drift is indeed another patented "West meets East" cliché, where the confrontational Americans are exposed to and challenged by the equally-confrontational Japanese locals (think Days of Thunder meets Karate Kid II). The run-of-the-mill storyline varies due to the import racer theme; but at least we can see how it plays out on the streets of the twenty-first century. If only there was a Mr. Miyagi role as the old sage mechanic ("Downshift, upshift, downshift, upshift").

Still, while the opinion of Asian drivers is unfavorable at best, movie producers are at least willing to explore the fact that the driving and racing world does include Asians, with or without deserved drivers' licenses. Moreover, the innovations and impact of Asians in the import racing scene is also worth noting. For me, however, Tokyo Drift, is simply a rebuttal to the looks I get on the road whenever I am double-parked; or the muffled snickers of passengers in taxis with Asian drivers; or the exasperated curses I hear from drivers and bystanders every time I see an Asian lady slowly executing a ten-point turn. Hey, she may not be able to parallel park (she may not even be able to perpendicular park), but she might be able to barrel down Lombard Street in San Francisco going 80 miles per hour. Catch my drift? So watch out, there are Asians on the roads!

Nathaniel Jue has been writing ever since he won first place in his fourth grade essay contest. However, he has been ranting for the past 26 years.