Asian American Portrayals in the Media

One only has to search YouTube to find a plethora of video clips which feature representations of Asians and Asian Americans within the media. Like other minorities, the stereotypes regarding Asians dominate the images in which they are represented. Some examples of these stereotypes are the horny schoolgirl, the over-achieving academic, and the Asian who cannot speak English or drive well.

One actor who has come to play many Asian roles is the Bobby Lee. Bobby Lee (pictured at below as an Asian woman) is a regular actor on the popular show MadTV and has also appeared in other television series including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mind of Mencia, and American Dad. His experience in film includes roles in Pineapple Express, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, and Accidentally on Purpose. A predominant theme in his career has been the portrayal of stereotypical Asian figures. In many MadTV skits he has played a Korean scientist and a Japanese high school football player, as well as the character that is often referred to as the Non-typical Asian. In this latter role he plays a character that is often categorized into the stereotypical Asian roles of being a "brainiac" or bad driver, but his character always denies being any of these things. However, his other characters in MadTV are consistent with the aforementioned stereotypes of Asians. His contrasting portrayals are somewhat disconcerting. While he has portrayed characters that do not follow the stereotypes of Asians, it cannot be denied that his portrayals of these stereotypical figures are a form of secondary oppression. While they are done in jest, his characterization of these stereotypes serves as a way to further these conceptions which are widely held throughout the public.

Another stereotype that is dominates not only the Anime and Manga forms of animation but is also a growing trend in film is that of the horny Asian school girl. This figure is pictured as wearing a short, tight school uniform which includes a skirt, white, blouse, tie or bow. This character is, oftentimes, a young girl, but she is drawn as having large breasts which are accentuated by her tight clothing. These types of images serve to perpetuate the stereotype of the hypersexualized Asian, a common portrayal of minority women.

A common binary in the portrayal of Asian women is that they are either quiet and submissive or, like many Asian men in film, ass-kicking martial arts masters. The first element of this binary plays into the common perception that Asian women are quiet and submissive, setting them up to be the other to the outspoken, self-sufficient white women of the Western world. Because of this stereotype the internet bride market has a high demand for Asian women. Men believe that they will be getting a wife who will be completely submissive to their will. As a result of this perception, many Asian mail-order and internet brides either take on these personas—possibly denying a part of who they truly are—or are sent back to their countries of origin because they refuse to conform to this stereotype. The image of the Asian woman as a martial arts expert often entails that she is also a cruel and unfeeling woman. One example of this portrayal is in the movie Rush Hour 2. In the film, Zhang Ziyi (pictured above) plays a villain who is a martial arts expert that is cold and heartless. She fights Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker’s characters with fierce veracity and seems to get a sick pleasure in hurting others.

While the images of Asians in the media have made some progress over the years, it can be argued that this progress has been slow-moving and minimal. Like other minorities, the stereotypes of people of Asian origin still dominate their representations within the media.

The Middle East in the News

Without a doubt, the Middle East is a hotbed for media coverage. Even before the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., the media took a very grim stance on the Middle East. Post-9/11 the amount of news coverage pertaining to countries in the Middle East has skyrocketed. This is somewhat understandable due to the conflicts in that area of the globe, but to what extent? One can hardly look at an online news source without finding an entire tabbed section dedicated to the Middle East. What's more, there is typically another tab labled with "War on Terror" or another reference to the conflicts in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. While searching through multiple news sites such as CNN.com, msnbc, CBS News, and ABC News, I found this pattern to be fairly typical.

While I will not argue that the conflicts in the Middle East are not newsworthy, I cannot help but notice that the headlines under the umbrella of the Middle East are typically also found on the tabs that pertain to the global threat of terrorism. In fact, every story that I looked at pertaining to terrorism also pertained to the Middle East. One cannot help but be curious as to why this pattern exists. If one was to dig deeper, would they find that terrorism comes from or occurs solely in the Middle East? The answer to that question is a resounding "no." However, the media has chosen to put a great amount of effort into turning the public's eye in the direction of the Middle East when the subject of terrorism is addressed.


This type of focus on the Middle East has assisted in the perpetuation of the "terrorist" stigma that can follow those of Middle-Eastern decent. Studies have shown that these images from all media sources influence the ways in which even children view those who are different from themselves. If the majority of what we see in the news or other media sources regarding those of Middle-Eastern decent associates them with terrorism, how is the public at large to see images which are contradictory to those mentioned before and form opinions which do not make this association?

The link below is to an article with the headine, "Bombings Kill 5 in Iraq." The main point of the article is to report the incidences. However, the lack of images of the Middle-East as a place not riddled with terrorists has led to a disturbing trend in American attitudes toward those of Middle-Eastern decent. Another problematic aspect of this story is the image that accompanies it. The caption reads, "A U.S. soldier secures the site of a bombing Thursday in central Baghdad." In this statement there are sparks of the idea that the U.S. is somehow rescuing the Middle-East from terrorism. It leads one to believe that the U.S. is the only thing standing between the countries of the Middle-East and oblivion. Whatever the reality may be, it is detrimental to state that the U.S. is acting as some kind of savior to another region of the world. To follow this train of thought is to slip into the "us vs. them" binary, in which we (the U.S.), are all-powerful and great, and those in and from the Middle-East are childlike and in need of being rescued. This leads to the portrayal of those of Middle-Eastern decent as less than Americans, as well as the perpetual stereotype of all Middle-Easterners as terrorists. If one was to follow this train of thought, one would inevitably come to the conclusion that, for so much violence and terrorism to be occurring there, most of the people there must be okay with that type of behavior or participating in it. Stories such as these do not communicate the entire truth concerning the Middle-East, only the dark and violent aspects.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/06/iraq.main/index.html

Comparison of Video Clips

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/boyz-n-the-hood/trailer

Above is the link to the movie trailer for Boyz 'N the Hood, one of the most famous movies of all time. Other than being one of the most famous movies to come out of the Hollywood machine, it is also most likely the first film to come up in a person's mind when thinking about gang violence within the black community. In the trailer, you are introduced to the three main characters: Tre, Ricky, and Doughboy. Each of the characters comes from the same background, but end up in different places in their lives. Rocky is trying to get out of the "hood" by playing football. Tre is trying to make something of himself and to have a better life. Doughboy lives by the rules of the streets. You see the event as they unfold through the eyes of Tre who witnesses much gang violence in his neighborhood, including the shooting murder of one of his best friends, Ricky.


This trailer is an excellent example of the media's portrayal of African Americans. It shows the gang violence which many have come to associate with black neighborhoods, as well as the hypersexualization of black females that is a prevalent image within the media machine. The images contained in this trailer, as well as in the movie itself, were meant to communicate the reality of some of the problems that exist in some black neighborhoods. The unfortunate truth is that much of the public has come to generalize these images to all black neighborhoods and the individuals who exist within them.

Below is the link to a clip from the Wayans brothers movie, Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking You Juice in the Hood. It also demonstrates many of the same themes as the trailer above, but in a comedic way. This is a common theme throughout the movies of the Wayans brothers. This could be addressed as a form of secondary marginalization in the way it perpetuates the stereotypes of African Americans which have been produced in many other forms of the media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn5hw8uyf0Q