Richi Barua
Professor Ewan
FIQWS
29 April 2019
Asian American Representation: The Change Yet to Come
How do you feel when you hear people talk about you? Now, how do you feel when the things that they are saying are lies? 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 truths whenever I turned on the T.V. This lack of representation of Asian Americans in the film/ T.V industry can be negative because people might think that the stereotypes that are shown are true. These types of representation need to change because it categorizes Asian American as something we are not which can lead to severe issues. 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” (9). In the show, a character named Apu is an Indian Immigrant in the U.S 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 makes money off people. This can lead to Asian Americans being insecure and afraid because others might judge them based on these stereotypes.
Kondabolu 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” (9). 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, people get hurt. It can result in issues such as bullying which causes emotion and physical pain among Asian Americans. These stereotypes hurt South Asians and 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 are unable to represent her. A author that the author emphasizes is 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 from especially since Asian actors don’t even get the main lead. Even 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 are oblivious of their culture. Many feel sad and feel underrepresented in their community. Being aware of one’s own culture is extremely important and the entertainment makes it hard to do that.
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 Dr. Jeong “would sometimes have to go back and rewrite parts to portray these characters more accurately.” Being in the entertainment industry and portraying a part that is meant to represent your culture but fails to do so can be terrible. Ken Jeong even stated that the stereotypes were reaching a point where it just seemed ridiculous. The stereotypes bothered him and it continues to bother many people due to the lack of representation.
Being an Asian American myself, racial stereotypes have always been a part of my life. I grew up watching shows which showed many common stereotypes of Asian American. For example, Jessie, which is a Disney show had an Indian character named Ravi. He was portrayed to be a very smart person, but he was also shown to lack a social life. I just didn’t understand why he was portrayed that way. I had friends that I talked to, and my social life was okay. My social life did not resemble the way that Ravi’s social life was portrayed. Ravi is not the only Asian American character that was portrayed this way. There were many other characters that showed Asian Americans in a negative manner. At one point, I was actually scared to talk to people because I thought they would judge me based on those characters just like many people had before. These representations haunted me for a very long time while growing up.
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. The issue is that the industry is not taking into consideration the impacts that result from such stereotypes. When a platform is categorizing a group of people, it hurts 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. People might feel as if they are not represented correctly or as if their race is bad and non-existent. In the end, the stereotypes that are shown in the media are only hurting people because they fail to show people’s true self and therefore, the stereotypes need to stop.
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 gone out of hand since they create emotional and mental problems. They 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 others will not see lies that some people tend to hold about Asian Americans. By having more Asian representation in the film/T.V industry, more people would be happier, fewer people will be bullied, and more people will get to embrace their culture.
Some people might regard stereotypes are funny and it should not be taken off. It might be 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. “’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.” Lim, herself has tried to hide her identity because she was afraid of being judged. Stereotypes might be used to produce humor but it is going to the point where many people like Lim are scared to show who they are just because of obnoxious stereotypes that people have regarding her culture. Cases such as this show that even though laughing is good, it is not good when something is hurting a particular group in order to make others laugh.
The lack of representation for Asian American has been an issue that has hurt the Asian American community. The stereotypes that are usually shown in movies and shows cause issues such as identity problems, bullyings, and misunderstandings among Asians. 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 could change the entertainment industry and how people think about Asian Americans. If we don’t change the world ourselves, it will never change. As an Asian American myself, I have gone suffered from the stereotypes that are used to portray us Asians. 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.
Work Cited
Kennedy, Mark. “Indian American Comedians Not Laughing at Character in ‘The Simpsons’.”India – West, 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.
“GLEASON: Film, Media Lack Representation of Asian Culture.” UWIRE Text, 2017, p. 1. 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 2019.
Harn, Jaime. “What Matters to Ken Jeong: Minority Representation in Film.” University Wire, 2019. Nexis Uni, URL: https://advance-lexis-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=ef8a9b40-c9ee-479c-97da-ee5edaed62aa&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=1fyk&earg=sr0&prid=1738c94d-f39e-4a91-a537-a9b9a60ba98d. Accessed 21 2019.
Lim, Julie. “’Crazy Rich Asians’ Proves Need for Asian Representation in Film.” UWIRE Text, 2018, p. 1. 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.
