If the world was fine with turkey and ham, why did we create SPAM? Such a question could be pondered with the ostentatious remake of The Karate Kid.

Jackie Chan as a comedy prop in the past

I have empathy for Jackie Chan. After basically whoring himself out to the American stereotype of Chinese culture in films such as Rush Hour and Shanghai Knights, Chan has finally gotten a mainstream role that can exist on its own in Chinese culture. He overall succeeds with a stellar acting performance void of those unnecessary one liner’s found in Rush Hour. Still, the atmosphere that exists around him is laden with puns and unconscious racial obscenities.

The film starts in a subtle Detroit atmosphere where Dre (Jaden Smith) and his mother (Tariji P. Henson) are leaving for a new life in Beijing, China. The first thing that is to be noted is the heavy use of English language. Everyone from Dre’s principle to his love interest, Meiying, speaks fluent English.

After making a pass at Meiying, Dre is approached with the vociferous Cheng. Dre tries to fight Cheng but ultimately ends up in the dirt, lacking the kung fu to best Cheng. After getting his ass kicked a few more times, Dre finds rescue at the hands of the maintenance main, Mr. Han (Chan).

Han and Dre go to Cheng’s gym leader to settle the feud, but the Hollywood-esque gym leader challenges Dre to a tournament in return for the bullying to cease. Only here does Han agree to train Dre.

Han notes Dre’s predilection for laziness and punishes him by making him take off and hang up his coat for about 45 minutes of the film. When Dre finally has enough, it is revealed that when he goes through the motion without the coat, he has become a superb blocker, keeping up with all of Han’s punches instantly.

Dre fights in the tournament and is able to beat fighters twice his size. After undoubtedly breaking his leg, he still is able to beat arch-rival Cheng for the title and good has officially defeated evil. The students of the wanton gym leader pledge allegiance to Han and Dre, which is cute, but an ultimately obvious ending.

The film comes up short by only incorporating fifteen minutes of Chinese heritage. We go up to a temple on a mountain to drink spiritual water and do a short routine on top of The Great Wall. In the end, Karate Kid fails to incorporate more scenery than Big Bird Goes To China.

Casting Jaden Smith was an overall ultimate mistake on behalf of director Harald Zwart. The Hollywood pond is too small for the cocky, “I’m better than everything” attitude filled by father Will Smith.

Columbia Pictures had a real opportunity vessel to educate American youth on the misconceived notations of Asian culture. Sadly, they only continued to highlight racial stereotypes on both sides of the Pacific.

By Jonathan Slemrod

On paper, the Obama administration cares deeply about America’s economic recovery, taking bold steps to rescue the failing financial system, helping to save the Big Three automakers, and spending nearly $800 billion to create jobs through an economic recovery package. The reality isn’t so sweet.

Last week, the administration announced they will slap a punitive tariff of 35 percent on tires imported from China, a move which makes no economic sense, other than merely as a gesture to the United Steelworkers Union, who have complained about the influx of cheap Chinese tires for months. The announcement has infuriated the Chinese, who are threatening to retaliate by raising tariffs of their own, or worse, refusing to buy further U.S. Treasury bonds to pay off our gigantic budget deficits. Already, China has announced an “anti-dumping” investigation into U.S. sales of chicken and automotive parts.

Regardless of the fact that Chinese tires coming to the U.S. make up a very small fraction of total Chinese exports, the Obama administration will make a grave mistake if it tries to pursue an agenda of economic recovery and trade protectionism simultaneously. Doing so will hurt investor confidence in U.S. markets, and damage relations between the world’s first and third largest economies. Politically, an administration hostile to trade will send the Democratic leadership in Congress a message to keep stalling two vital free trade agreements that are waiting in the docket; Panama and Colombia.

President Obama and Yang Jiechi

Another blow to economic recovery would be allowing passage of the deceivingly-named “Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)” a labor-backed bill which would slant the rules of union organizing away from workers and towards union bosses. The bill easily passed through the House of Representatives, but has stalled in the Senate where moderate Democrats have been reluctant to embrace the controversial “card check” provision, which effectively eliminates the secret ballot elections for workers when voting whether or not to form a union.

It is possible that some version of the Employee Free Choice Act will emerge soon from Senate negotiators without any card check provision, a move which would be aimed at shoring up Democratic support and possibly luring some moderate Republicans who wouldn’t mind labor’s support in future elections. Yet a provision known as “binding arbitration” would be just as damaging as card check, allowing a government-picked arbitrator from the National Labor Relations Board to set the terms of an agreement (wages, benefits, etc.) if labor and business cannot reach a frivolous deadline for doing so. Arbitrators will likely be biased against employers, forcing business owners to spend a fortune on lawyers, rather than putting resources towards doing business. This drain on business means less profit, less economic growth, and undoubtedly less middle-class jobs in America.

The cliche Hippocratic oath “First, do no harm,” couldn’t apply more to the Obama administration’s wacky move to ramp up protectionism towards China and risk starting an all-out trade war. These tariffs, accompanied by labor legislation which threatens small business at the expense of the secret ballot for workers, should be quickly dismissed as nothing more than the populist, anti-growth measures that they truly are.