For this assignment I chose to write about the 2010 version of the Karate Kid. In this film, Tre (played by Jaden Smith) moves to Beijing from Detroit with his mother. Tre initially has a very difficult time adjusting to the new culture and is the victim of significant bullying. One day after being bullied, he is rescued by Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) who teaches him how karate and acts as a father figure of sorts. Mr. Han helps Tre to adjust culturally and teaches him many life lessons in respect, discipline, and control.
I really like this film, and I think that it does a great job addressing the ‘othering’ that one may experience when they migrate. The injustice that Tre is experiencing here is not necessarily systemic, as he is experiencing injustice at the personal level that may contribute to a larger system of injustice. He is bullied because of his differences; when he moved to Beijing he did not yet speak Mandarin, and he did not yet have the skills valued by the people living there (this film specifically explores karate). His values and ideology also contrasted to those of the people living in Beijing. All of this resulted in the injustice that Tre experienced.
When speaking of the migrating group in this film (Tre and his mother), it is interesting to see the way that the film perpetuated this idea that Tre should have to conform directly to the standards of the non-migrating group. Tre was, in general, not accepted when he initially moved to Beijing. He experienced ‘othering’ as a result of his cultural differences. Throughout the film, Tre learns to fit in and begins to become more and more like the non-migrating group. He is taught the skills and ideology of the non-migrating group by Mr. Han, and by the end of the film he is accepted into his new home. In this way, the film is suggesting that the migrating group should shed parts of themselves and conform to the culture of the non-migrating group.