Why Other?

Firecracker Paper (Marrero, Louisiana) by Wing Young Huie (2001-2002)

Often capturing candids of society and the world around him, Wing Young Huie has become a well known photographer whose pictures often provide a new perspective on society and the interactions among different social groups.

In the image above, Firecracker Paper, Huie photographs an image of a young boy amongst the debris of the firecracker paper. The red tones of the paper, as well as the orange and yellow of the concrete bring warmth into the photograph, then the contrast of the young boy's black jacket puts emphasis on his figure on the right side of the photo. At first glance, this picture seems like a candid snapshot after a celebration of Asian culture, since red is used to symbolize happiness and prosperity. However, as you look closer you can see that this photograph represents more than what is shown. 

As part of his Looking for Asian America (2001-2002) series, Huie embarked on a journey across America to find Asian diversity across 39 states. This photo is just one of many that represents the lack of Asian representation in this melting pot of a country. Thus, making Asian Americans to become a part of a certain group whose culture has been influenced by their heritage and yet is counteracted by the American values that they grow up with. This ethnocentrism has created the new subculture of being Asian American, but due to its lack of adoption among others who are not Asian, has fallen into the minority and classifies them into a different group, an other. 

With the same concept of "othering," Margaret Atwood also presents the idea in her novel, The Handmaid's Tale. To call something or someone, "other,"  it indicates that the object or person is distinctly different from what is considered as normal. More specifically in the novel, Atwood presents the Handmaids as the others though the use of their red clothing to symbolize their role in society, as a way to physically indicate the othering of this specific social group. In the household, Handmaids are supposed to be hidden individuals, yet the red color puts direct emphasis on them and utilizes the irony to further represent the othering these women experience. 

Unlike Atwood, in this series, Huie demonstrates othering from a more conceptual and thematic approach as these photographs represent the discovery of the Asian American culture and how it differentiates those who accept it as their own. Due to America's predominantly white society, Asian Americans are heavily influenced by American ideals and still respect their own, which creates a new sense of identity among those who are impacted by this effect. The identity that surrounds these individuals allows them to be able to easily adapt to environment that surrounds them due to their nature of being able to understand and respect the cultures they come into contact with. Yet, this culture leads to those who fall within it to be considered as "others" since they do not fall into a specific social group, which is demonstrated through Huie's photograph and his series.