Whether we like it or not, the media has an influence on how we perceive others and ourselves which is why it is important to have an honest depiction of Asians and Asian Americans in media. To relegate Asians and Asian Americans to simple stereotypes of perpetual foreigners, dragon ladies, awkward nerds, or martial arts masters has done a lot of damage to the Asian American community, and to be frank it’s racist.
From my experience as an Asian American, I can’t stress enough how much it irritates me when I see these stereotypes projected in film and television. Here’s a classic example.
In the 1984 John Hughes classic Sixteen Candles, American audiences were introduced to the most offensive stereotype of Asians in the form of of Long Duk Dong, played by Gedde Watanabe. Although Watanabe is actually Asian American, the character he portrayed was foreign, spoke with an Asian accent, was nerdy, and was sexually awkward and out of control. Basically, he was the embodiment of every bad Asian stereotype. To this day the mere mention of the name, Long Duk Dong, makes my spine shudder and whenever someone quotes the character my skin crawls and it takes every fiber of my being to refrain from strangling the perpetrator.
More than 25 years later the Long Duk Dong stereotype still refuses to die. In 2011 he exists in the form of Han Lee, the Korean immigrant diner owner in CBS’s new hit show, 2 Broke Girls. Han, portrayed by actor Matthew Moy, perpetuates several bad Asian stereotypes in each episode. He speaks with a heavy Korean accent, is short in stature, and consistently dresses poorly in every episode, And just three episodes shy of reaching half its season, Han has sung bad karaoke, and demonstrated his inept social skills by attempting to be hip and cool and always failing miserably. I dread to see what other unfortunate situation Han will be in on upcoming episodes of the show.
Negative portrayals of Asians in our media are nothing new. America has a history of ridiculing Asians and Asian Americans through media. Prior to television, racist caricatures were used as propaganda to demonize and discriminate against Asian immigrants, which eventually led to the justification and passage of several laws to bar Asian immigrants from entering the country. Laws like these also denied Asian immigrants already in America from becoming citizens, and ultimately impaired their ability to fully assimilate.
These laws have since been repealed, and the U.S. Senate even passed a resolution back in October that issued an apology for these discriminatory laws. So why do our media outlets continue to depict Asian Americans as outsiders to be laughed at? By continuing to do so, Asian Americans will always be viewed by mainstream society as perpetual foreigners.
Not only do American films and television shows ridicule Asian Americans, they also deny Asian American actors the opportunity to star in leading roles. This was evident in the all white casting of the lead characters in the recent live action adaptation of the popular animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. In the original series, set in a fictional world based on East Asian cultures, the main characters are of various Asian origins. This is just an updated form of an old Hollywood practice where white actors would don “yellowface” by taping their eyes back to portray Asians. These acts tell me that I, as an Asian American, am not welcome in American society and am not even worthy to play my own race in film.
In spite of these transgressions I do not think the entertainment industry commits them with the ill intent to offend the Asian American community. At the same time, inaction from the Asian American community is also partly to blame for the gap between the reality of the Asian American experience and what the media shows. If mainstream media is unwilling to change right away, it is up to us Asian Americans to enact the change that we want to see. I know that not everyone can be an actor or a director or producer, but simple things like joining in solidarity against poor choices made by major studios or supporting independent Asian American entertainment can help increase our visibility. Strength lies in numbers, and there will come a time when our voices will be loud enough that American mainstream media can’t ignore it any longer. Until then, however, the entertainment industry should also be more conscious about the content they create and the casting choices they make, because ultimately, ignorance is not an excuse for racism, no matter how subtle.
-Rich Yap
cartoon Adam Valenzuela/Mountaineer
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