Richi Barua

Professor Ewan

FIQWS

1 May 2019

Asian American Representation: The Change Yet to Come

How do you feel when you hear people saying lies about you? I would assume that most likely, you would feel horrible especially if those lies are defaming you. As an Asian minority, it is common for me to see lies about my race shown as being truths whenever I turn on the T.V. This lack of representation of Asian Americans in the film/ T.V industry caused me to feel underrepresented and non-existent. Representation of Asian Americans needs to change because their current appearance in media categorizes them as something they are not. This can lead to issues because people might think that the stereotypes shown are true. The entertainment industry should increase positive and accurate Asian minority representation because it will provoke a sense of pride among Asians and it will reduce racial stereotypes.

A typical depiction of an Asian American in movies would be that he or she is extremely smart and lacks a social life. Sometimes though, the stereotypes can actually extend even further. “Indian American Comedians Not Laughing at Character in ‘The Simpsons’” by Mark Kennedy describes how South-Asian American comedian Hari Kondabolu feels about the stereotypes that the show The Simpsons portray about his culture. Kennedy states that “To Kondabolu and plenty of other people of South Asian heritage, the pot-bellied, heavily accented Apu led to real-world bullying, self-loathing and embarrassment” (C9). In the show, a character named Apu is an Indian immigrant, who is shown to rip off his customers (ibid.). The way that Apu is portrayed makes it seem as if all South Asians are disgusting, shameless, and make money off people. This negatively represents and inaccurately categorizes Asian Americans which can lead to many Asian Americans being insecure and afraid because others might judge them based on the stereotypes just as Kennedy states.

Kondabolu further discusses the matter of stereotypical portrayal by stating that “It’s not about him[Apu] being funny. That’s not the issue. He’s a fundamentally flawed character, based through the lens of a stereotype” (qtd. in Kennedy C9). Apu’s character is based on stereotypes that others think are true about South Asian Americans. These stereotypes non-accurately portray a certain group of people. When such stereotypes are making someone look terrible and showing that a certain group of people are bad, many people can get hurt. It can result in issues such as bullying which can cause emotional and physical pain among Asian Americans. These stereotypes can hurt South Asians and can cause them to be embarrassed and emotionally scarred.

South Asians are not the only ones who feel attacked. “GLEASON: Film, media lack representation of Asian culture” by UWire Text focuses on the experience of a Korean American woman growing up with shows that were unable to represent her. The author emphasizes that “minorities, specifically Asians, are almost never the protagonists in film and television” and “when an Asian plot is accepted, it is then distorted in favor of white culture”  (UWire Text 1). The author finds that the entertainment industry failed to represent where she’s from especially since Asian actors usually don’t even get the main lead. Even in the few movies where Asians are meant to be portrayed, the whole plot revolves around stereotypes that seems pleasing and accurate to others. Due to this, many Asian Americans can result in being oblivious of their culture. Many can feel sad and can feel underrepresented in their community. Being aware of one’s own culture is extremely important and the entertainment industry makes it hard to do that because it fills its contents with lies.

Some Asian Americans who are involved in the entertainment industry themselves also feel that they are not represented correctly. “What matters to Ken Jeong: Minority representation in film” by Jaime Harn focuses on South Korean actor, comedian, and physician Ken Joeng’s experience in the entertainment industry. Harn states “Something that Jeong discussed in his address to the crowd was how Asians are stereotyped in roles on television and in movies” and that he  “would sometimes have to go back and rewrite parts to portray these characters more accurately” (1). Being an actor and portraying a part that is meant to represent your culture is extremely exciting but when that role is filled with racial stereotypes, it can be heartbreaking. Ken Jeong even stated that he had to perform roles that were filled with ridiculous stereotypes (ibid.). The stereotypes bothered him and still bothers him and many others to this day.

Being an Asian American myself, racial stereotypes are something that I have seen a lot. I grew up watching shows which wrongfully portrayed Asian Americans. For example, I used to watch the show Jessie, which is a Disney show containing an Indian character named Ravi. He was portrayed to be a lonely boy with no social life. I never understood why he was portrayed that way because I saw my Asian relatives having friends and I also had friends. Characters like Ravi showed Asian Americans in a negative manner. These types of representations caused me to actually be scared to talk to people because I thought they would judge me. These inacurate representations haunted me for a very long time while growing up, and they sometimes still do.

The lack of representation in the entertainment industry is something that needs to change. It is terrible to be represented in a way that is not true. Everyone is equal and therefore, everyone needs to be represented equally. We should not target certain groups and stack the deck on them. The actual issue here is that the industry is not taking into consideration the impacts that can result from such stereotypes. When a platform is categorizing a group of people, it can hurt the people who are involved. Negative stereotypes can result in teasing and bullying. Non-accuracy can make others think that you are a certain type of way even though you are not. This can lead to people feeling underrepresented due to other’s judgment. In the end, these stereotypes in the media are only hurting people because they fail to show people’s true self.

Bullying, teasing, misunderstandings, and the misconceptions that result from stereotypes shown in your T.V should never exist in the first place. The entertainment industry should not show stereotypes only to make themselves happy when many others are actually suffering because of it. These stereotypes have gotten out of hand since they can create emotional and mental problems. The industry should acknowledge Asian Americans and give access to more roles that could portray us accurately. Positive and accurate representation can increase people’s confidence in their race and can also reduce bullying since people’s perception of Asian Americans would not be stereotypical. By having more Asian representation in the film/T.V industry, fewer people might be bullied, and more people might get to embrace their culture.

Some people might say that stereotypes are funny and that they should not be taken off. It might be true that stereotypes are added just to add humor but that humor is pointless when the subject is hurting people and making people hide their identity. It also feels as if Asian Americans are being laughed at instead of laughing with others because of the stereotypes. “’Crazy Rich Asians’ proves need for Asian representation in film” by Julie Lim discusses the lack of Asian representation in movies. Lim states “I tried to tone down any part of me that was Korean out of fear of being associated with a ‘lame culture,’ and it didn’t help that the few Asian characters I would see in ‘Glee’ or ‘Pitch Perfect’ were quiet and weird” (1). Lim has tried to hide her identity because she was afraid of being judged. She has suffered because of stereotypes that were absolutely untrue. Stereotypes might be used to produce humor but obnoxious stereotypes can lead to the point where many people like Lim are scared to show who they are. Cases such as this show that even though humor is good, if that humor can hurt people, it should never be used in the first place.

Lack of representation is an issue that has hurt many Asian Americans. Jeong states that some stereotypes that are shown are actually extremely ridiculous (Harn 1). Kondabolu adds on to this by stating that these inaccurate portrayal has caused several issues such as bullying (Kennedy C9). Lim discusses the same matter by stating that she had to hide her own identity because of underrepresentation (1). In order to reduce such problems, the entertainments industry needs to increase accurate and positive Asian American representation in its contents. In order for this to occur, we have to advocate and demand such content. Together, we can change the entertainment industry and change how people think about Asian Americans and other minorities. As an Asian American myself, I want a world where we are not judged because we are from a certain race. In order to do that, we need to start now and create a better film/T.V industry which is able to show an accurate lifestyle of Asian Americans to others, not one that is based on lies. Who knows, maybe we can actually change the world for the better and now is the time to finally achieve that world.

Works Cited

“GLEASON: Film, Media Lack Representation of Asian Culture.” UWIRE Text, 7 Apr. 2017, p. 1. Infotrac Newstand, URL: http://go.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE|A488755748&v=2.1&u=cuny_ccny&it=r&p=STND&sw=w. Accessed 21 April 2019.

Harn, Jaime. “What Matters to Ken Jeong: Minority Representation in Film.” University Wire, 15 Apr. 2019, p. 1. Nexis Uni, URL:
https://advance-lexis-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=afaa2853-adfb-4ccf-8176-428f3c9e18dd&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fnews%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5VWT-4BB1-DY7P-T2C7-00000-00&pddocid=urn%3AcontentItem%3A5VWT-4BB1-DY7P-T2C7-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=172244&pdteaserkey=sr0&pditab=allpods&ecomp=bfyk&earg=sr0&prid=51b74d58-0883-4207-af59-086d30b930ff . Accessed 21 2019.

Kennedy, Mark. “Indian American Comedians Not Laughing at Character in ‘The Simpsons’.” India – West, vol. 43, no. 1, 17 Nov. 2017, p. C9. Ethnic Newswatch, URL: https://search-proquest-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/docview/1967314057/abstract/1BCEFDC1E60249CFPQ/1?accountid=9967. Accessed 20 April 2019.

Lim, Julie. “’Crazy Rich Asians’ Proves Need for Asian Representation in Film.” UWIRE Text, 22 Aug. 2018, p. 1. Infotrac Newstand, URL: http://go.galegroup.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE|A551304782&v=2.1&u=cuny_ccny&it=r&p=STND&sw=w. Accessed 21 2019.