Bruce Lee experienced racism from Americans and Asians

The Dragon enters

Bruce Lee is remembered for his martial arts skills and his film Enter the Dragon which premiered after his untimely death. Lee is a legend around the world but experienced racism on two continents during his brief life. He was born on November 27, 1940, in San Francisco to Cantonese parents who were based in Hong Kong.

Lee was known as a martial artist, martial arts instructor, actor, producer, screenwriter, director, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy that draws from various combat disciplines. Jeet Kune Do is often credited with paving the way for modern-day mixed martial arts (MMA).

Bruce Lee the enigma

I recently watched a televised documentary where Lee's widow Linda Lee Cadwell spoke candidly about the issues her former spouse endured and it was enlightening Although the media, critics, and other martial artists consider Bruce to have been a 20th Century pop icon and the most influential martial artist of all-time he was not always treated as such.

Lee is said to have bridged the gap between East and West and yet at times, he was vilified on both coasts. Bruce is credited with promoting "Hong Kong action cinema" and changing the way Asians were presented in American films and on television. Even so, he experienced rejection and intolerance. in the entertainment industry.

Linda said celebrities like James Cobern and Steve McQueen as well as big-time movie executives enjoyed spending time with her husband and being seen in his presence but there was another side to his life where he was not treated fairly.

Racism rear's its ugly head

The television series Kung Fu ran for 60 episodes for three years from 1973 until 1975 on ABC. David Carradine a white male starred in the lead role as Cain but this part had been written specifically for Bruce Lee but ABC execs were afraid mainstream white audiences would not accept an Asian in the role. Let's process this for a moment.

Martial arts came from Asia but a Chinese man who excelled in the field was rejected for the very role that was created with him in mind. As had been done for years on TV and in film a white male was given the role and Lee was crushed. Linda Lee revealed that Bruce missed a number of opportunities because of his ethnicity and said he was also judged for marrying her, a white woman.

Bruce Lee was stuck in the middle

Linda shared that Asians did not like the fact that Bruce married outside of his race and a white woman and he was told so on many occasions. She also stated that laws against interracial marriage in some states applied to her union with Bruce and not only affected Caucasians who wed African Americans.

Lee's widow revealed that at times she would be disrespected when she went into Asian-owned shops by Chinese women who discussed her in their native language. They were not aware she spoke the language and understood everything they were saying.

She added that when Bruce would return to Hong Kong some men would tease him and call him an American and say he was not really Chinese. It seems he was too Asian for Hollywood and too Western for his parent's native land. Bruce tried hard to be himself but did not seem to fit anywhere.

The Green Hornet days

Bruce won the role of Kato on the television series The Green Hornet which ran on ABC from September 9, 1966, until March 17, 1967. The network repeated the 26 episodes for another year after the series was canceled. Initially, Kato did not have a speaking role and was simply a silent sidekick and driver to the Hornet AKA Bruce Reid who was portrayed by Van Johnson.

After much discussion, it was decided that Kato should be given dialogue and he then seemed more of a friend and confidant than a sidekick. Bruce displayed his martial arts skills in the series and fans loved him but declining ratings led to the show being canceled and Lee was devastated. Bruce Lee passed away in Hong Kong at age 32 on July 20, 1973.

He had been experiencing headaches and was given pain meds, and fell asleep. When no one could wake him he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. It’s a tragedy that Lee is now considered an icon five decades after his death but was so disrespected while he lived.

How sad that what is referred to as the Old Boy network in Hollywood was so fearful and uncertain of mainstream America. They took away a golden opportunity for Bruce to show the world his skills in Kung Fu. What a travesty Lee could not be respected for being himself and entertain people worldwide.

Instead, Bruce Lee experienced racism in both lands that loved. He was considered too Americanized and with a Caucasian wife was not fully embraced by Asians. He was also too Chinese to be offered certain roles in Hollywood and it's all so disheartening.