Some Thoughts on the New Karate Kid: A Rose By Any Other Name? You Decide.

Yesterday, I was pointed to a fairly scathing editorial about the new Karate Kid movie, written by Grandmaster Taejoon Lee.

Master Lee is clearly upset about the title of the film because it does not respect and honor the traditions and history of the art that is actually depicted in the film, namely, kung-fu. "There’s no excuse for us today to call something that’s Japanese as Chinese or vice-versa," Master Lee writes.

I think I understand Master Lee's outrage. As an American of African descent (and a few other things mixed in along the way, to be sure), I'd probably be a little offended at being lumped in with Haitians or Jamaicans or Sudanese simply because I am black. I'm an American, dammit!

And as a martial arts instructor, I believe I have a serious responsibility to make sure that my students understand and appreciate the cultural background and underpinnings of my chosen art, karate.

If I were of the hair-splitting type (hey, sometimes I am), I would be quick to point out that karate is NOT a Japanese art in the first place. Karate is an indigenous Okinawan art, one that was heavily influenced by Chinese martial systems, and an art that was eventually embraced and further refined and developed by the Japanese.

The makers of the new Karate Kid make it pretty clear that young Dre is learning kung-fu, and NOT karate. In one scene in which Dre is watching an instructional video on TV, they took some real steps to make the cultural distinction between karate (Okinawan) and kung fu (Chinese) — but whether those steps were enough is a matter of opinion. It's also pretty obvious that the name, "Karate Kid" was kept for reasons of marketing, branding, and nostalgia.



Still, some people are clearly offended. So, is the new Karate Kid just a rose by any other name? Does the name matter? I guess it all depends on your point of view. I'm not offended enough to boycott the movie, but after reading Master Lee's article, I'm a little more sensitive to the surrounding issues of culture and race that the movie brings up.