Asian American Stereotypes
Asia, as the biggest continent on Earth, would statistically, have the largest number of immigrants leaving the country. Many of these immigrants would come to find the United States as their new home. The land of immigrants, as the United States have been known for, is also prominent in entertainment and media throughout the world. Being home to Hollywood, many actors flock here to become famous and do actually reach the big screen. A few examples include Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. These Asians have found themselves incredibly influential to the masses and have become almost movie legends to many people. This is due to the natural nature of media. The media is able to do so much to influence people but there is one small problem. Many people
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have heard of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee but aside from those two, there are only a few other Asian actors. Asian actors do not see much success in the field and even Asian roles are given to Caucasian actors. Asians have almost been erased from the big screen in some cases. This can be a problem for many children growing up. Each and every person can have dreams but it seems as if being on the big screen is not a feasible goal. There is a problem in today’s media and the lack of diversity on the screen. This can be seen throughout Hollywood as many directors choose not to cast Asian actors in movies or television shows or actors accept character roles that are obviously based off of a person of Asian descent. When Asian actors do get a role, they are usually portrayed stereotypically and even fetishized in some cases. Media and entertainment do not treat Asians well and there are many issues within Hollywood and media overall. Currently in the United States, Hollywood is the number one source of entertainment; the land of celebrities and amazing visuals. Within Hollywood, many actors and artists find their place to create many different films for people to watch. As great as this place sounds, there are many issues in which are looked over as business continues to go on. One of these issues is the white washing of many other cultures including Asians. This can be seen in the recent film Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell was originally a Japanese comic book written in the 1990’s. This comic book, known as a manga, was later converted into a very popular animation with a large following. Many fans of the original animation were excited when news of a live action movie was announced. This was all for naught however. When the cast of the film was announced, the movie was hit with instant ridicule. With Scarlett Johansson as the main character of the film, fans of all demographics were instantly let down. This was a slap in the face for many people. The Major, the main character in the Ghost in the Shell universe, was known to be a Japanese woman named Motoko Kusanagi. Hollywood decided to replace an obviously Asian character with a white actress. This was an outrage. Doing this not only white washed an Asian character, but outright erased her from the big screen outright. Their excuse for doing so was that Motoko was still in fact Japanese but her cyber body was of a white person. This can be seen as a copout and a way to cover up their blatant white washing. Ghost in the Shell is not the only example of whitewashing within Hollywood. Many other movies and television shows have done the same. A more obvious example of this can be seen in the upcoming Netflix exclusive television show known as Death Note. This television show is also based off of a Japanese manga and animation with the same name. Death Note is the story of a Japanese student named Light Yagami who comes across a book known as the Death Note. This simple notebook is imbued with the power to kill whoever’s name is written in the book in whatever manner is described. Using the Japanese series as a baseline, Netflix is starting its new series with a main character that no one saw coming, a white male. Netflix did not even try to hide the whitewashing within their upcoming series. Not only did they replace Light Yagami, with Yagami being a Japanese last name, with a white actor, but they renamed the character outright. To Netflix, Light Yagami is now known as Light Turner. However, this is not the only problem with Netflix’s Death Note. There has been information given out on this topic saying that Netflix was not even trying to look for an Asian actor for this Asian role, set in an Asian environment. Everything was rewritten to be as non-Asian as possible. Many of the Japanese characters were changed to be anything but Asian and the setting changed from Japan to Seattle. This controversy grew as Edward Zo, an Asian-American actor was turned down from the role was told that “they were not looking to see Asian actors for the role of Light Yagami.”
Even when a character was made for Asian actors and was based somewhere in Asia, American media changes and removes the Asian aspect of the story and creates something to fit their ideals of what entertainment should be: Asian free. One would this that the best role for Asian or Asian-American actors would be one in a remake of an Asian film or series. This is not the case for the people at the top of entertainment in America. Asians are stereotyped and are basically only seen as martial artists or with poor English. This can be seen in a multitude of movies. For example, back in 1961, Breakfast at Tiffany’s was a movie starring Audrey Hepburn, a very popular movie star at the time, included an overly racist depiction of an Asian man. This character was known was Mr. Yunioshi. This character was obviously meant to be seen as an Asian man. Mr. Yunioshi included many stereotypes of the Asian man. He had small squinty eyes, buck teeth, poor English, and could even possibly be considered ugly. This “exotic” character was not even played by an actual Asian person but instead a white actor known as Micky Rooney. This is not white-washing. Instead, this is yellow-face, where a non-yellow actor plays an Asian character and basically makes fun of all the stereotypes that can be associated with that race of people.
Many people expect so much from Asians.
One of these stereotypes is that they know martial arts. This can be seen in a multitude of movies released in America. It has gotten to the point where many people around the country just assume Asians know karate or some other form of martial arts. Some movies include Karate Kid and The Tuxedo. In Karate Kid (2010), the main character played by Jaden Smith outright states that “… it’s China - everyone knows kung fu.” In the Tuxedo, Jackie Chan was beat up by a cyclist and was disappointed in the fact that not all Asians are Bruce Lee. These stereotypes appear throughout Hollywood and are simply just expected from Asians of all …show more content…
sorts.
Though martial arts does not seem like a bad stereotype to have, the fact that there are stereotypes exist is harmful to Asian Americans growing up in America. “Good” stereotypes may include: being good at math, piano, and other skills that may seem positive to people who are not affected by these stereotypes. This is far from the truth however. By having these stereotypes frequently streamed throughout media, they are reinforced and place expectations on the youth. They grow up thinking that they have to be the best of the best, the straight A student, the valedictorian. This places stress on Asian American youth and may cause for mental issues in the future. The media reinforcing these ideas harm the future of the Asian youth in America and things must change for the better.
A change that can be seen recently is one referring to the Oscars.
Jackie Chan, after over 50 years in the business has finally received an Oscar for all of his works. This Oscar was not for a recent film but was honorary and this opened a new world for Asians looking to get big in the entertainment business. Hopefully, the horizons will broaden and allow a larger spotlight for Asians looking to enter the big screen in America. For now, many Asian artists head to the internet. With the internet, Asian Americans can look for Asian artists and actors outside of Hollywood. This may include a popular internet star known as Anna Akana. Anna Akana is an Asian American actress and comedian. Anna has faced many hardships in life and being an Asian and a woman does not help her case. By being in two groups that are generally looked down upon in Hollywood, she is generally overlooked for main roles in certain films. This does not stop her however. She picked up YouTube in 2011 and uses this platform to talk about issues along with small films for entertainment. Anna, along with a small team of people, creates her own films and posts them online for enjoyment. These are one of the few times she is actually able to snag a main character role for herself. If we view her career history as of now, Anna Akana generally plays a minor role or supporting role. Anna is rarely the main star of a show but is instead a co-star or a side character of sorts. Instead of giving up, Anna keeps on
trying in her own films and creates many different videos to help out viewers on many different topics. By being on YouTube, Anna is able to talk about problems and possibly even become a role model to many viewers online, whether they are Asian American or not.
have heard of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee but aside from those two, there are only a few other Asian actors. Asian actors do not see much success in the field and even Asian roles are given to Caucasian actors. Asians have almost been erased from the big screen in some cases. This can be a problem for many children growing up. Each and every person can have dreams but it seems as if being on the big screen is not a feasible goal. There is a problem in today’s media and the lack of diversity on the screen. This can be seen throughout Hollywood as many directors choose not to cast Asian actors in movies or television shows or actors accept character roles that are obviously based off of a person of Asian descent. When Asian actors do get a role, they are usually portrayed stereotypically and even fetishized in some cases. Media and entertainment do not treat Asians well and there are many issues within Hollywood and media overall. Currently in the United States, Hollywood is the number one source of entertainment; the land of celebrities and amazing visuals. Within Hollywood, many actors and artists find their place to create many different films for people to watch. As great as this place sounds, there are many issues in which are looked over as business continues to go on. One of these issues is the white washing of many other cultures including Asians. This can be seen in the recent film Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell was originally a Japanese comic book written in the 1990’s. This comic book, known as a manga, was later converted into a very popular animation with a large following. Many fans of the original animation were excited when news of a live action movie was announced. This was all for naught however. When the cast of the film was announced, the movie was hit with instant ridicule. With Scarlett Johansson as the main character of the film, fans of all demographics were instantly let down. This was a slap in the face for many people. The Major, the main character in the Ghost in the Shell universe, was known to be a Japanese woman named Motoko Kusanagi. Hollywood decided to replace an obviously Asian character with a white actress. This was an outrage. Doing this not only white washed an Asian character, but outright erased her from the big screen outright. Their excuse for doing so was that Motoko was still in fact Japanese but her cyber body was of a white person. This can be seen as a copout and a way to cover up their blatant white washing. Ghost in the Shell is not the only example of whitewashing within Hollywood. Many other movies and television shows have done the same. A more obvious example of this can be seen in the upcoming Netflix exclusive television show known as Death Note. This television show is also based off of a Japanese manga and animation with the same name. Death Note is the story of a Japanese student named Light Yagami who comes across a book known as the Death Note. This simple notebook is imbued with the power to kill whoever’s name is written in the book in whatever manner is described. Using the Japanese series as a baseline, Netflix is starting its new series with a main character that no one saw coming, a white male. Netflix did not even try to hide the whitewashing within their upcoming series. Not only did they replace Light Yagami, with Yagami being a Japanese last name, with a white actor, but they renamed the character outright. To Netflix, Light Yagami is now known as Light Turner. However, this is not the only problem with Netflix’s Death Note. There has been information given out on this topic saying that Netflix was not even trying to look for an Asian actor for this Asian role, set in an Asian environment. Everything was rewritten to be as non-Asian as possible. Many of the Japanese characters were changed to be anything but Asian and the setting changed from Japan to Seattle. This controversy grew as Edward Zo, an Asian-American actor was turned down from the role was told that “they were not looking to see Asian actors for the role of Light Yagami.”
Even when a character was made for Asian actors and was based somewhere in Asia, American media changes and removes the Asian aspect of the story and creates something to fit their ideals of what entertainment should be: Asian free. One would this that the best role for Asian or Asian-American actors would be one in a remake of an Asian film or series. This is not the case for the people at the top of entertainment in America. Asians are stereotyped and are basically only seen as martial artists or with poor English. This can be seen in a multitude of movies. For example, back in 1961, Breakfast at Tiffany’s was a movie starring Audrey Hepburn, a very popular movie star at the time, included an overly racist depiction of an Asian man. This character was known was Mr. Yunioshi. This character was obviously meant to be seen as an Asian man. Mr. Yunioshi included many stereotypes of the Asian man. He had small squinty eyes, buck teeth, poor English, and could even possibly be considered ugly. This “exotic” character was not even played by an actual Asian person but instead a white actor known as Micky Rooney. This is not white-washing. Instead, this is yellow-face, where a non-yellow actor plays an Asian character and basically makes fun of all the stereotypes that can be associated with that race of people.
Many people expect so much from Asians.
One of these stereotypes is that they know martial arts. This can be seen in a multitude of movies released in America. It has gotten to the point where many people around the country just assume Asians know karate or some other form of martial arts. Some movies include Karate Kid and The Tuxedo. In Karate Kid (2010), the main character played by Jaden Smith outright states that “… it’s China - everyone knows kung fu.” In the Tuxedo, Jackie Chan was beat up by a cyclist and was disappointed in the fact that not all Asians are Bruce Lee. These stereotypes appear throughout Hollywood and are simply just expected from Asians of all …show more content…
sorts.
Though martial arts does not seem like a bad stereotype to have, the fact that there are stereotypes exist is harmful to Asian Americans growing up in America. “Good” stereotypes may include: being good at math, piano, and other skills that may seem positive to people who are not affected by these stereotypes. This is far from the truth however. By having these stereotypes frequently streamed throughout media, they are reinforced and place expectations on the youth. They grow up thinking that they have to be the best of the best, the straight A student, the valedictorian. This places stress on Asian American youth and may cause for mental issues in the future. The media reinforcing these ideas harm the future of the Asian youth in America and things must change for the better.
A change that can be seen recently is one referring to the Oscars.
Jackie Chan, after over 50 years in the business has finally received an Oscar for all of his works. This Oscar was not for a recent film but was honorary and this opened a new world for Asians looking to get big in the entertainment business. Hopefully, the horizons will broaden and allow a larger spotlight for Asians looking to enter the big screen in America. For now, many Asian artists head to the internet. With the internet, Asian Americans can look for Asian artists and actors outside of Hollywood. This may include a popular internet star known as Anna Akana. Anna Akana is an Asian American actress and comedian. Anna has faced many hardships in life and being an Asian and a woman does not help her case. By being in two groups that are generally looked down upon in Hollywood, she is generally overlooked for main roles in certain films. This does not stop her however. She picked up YouTube in 2011 and uses this platform to talk about issues along with small films for entertainment. Anna, along with a small team of people, creates her own films and posts them online for enjoyment. These are one of the few times she is actually able to snag a main character role for herself. If we view her career history as of now, Anna Akana generally plays a minor role or supporting role. Anna is rarely the main star of a show but is instead a co-star or a side character of sorts. Instead of giving up, Anna keeps on
trying in her own films and creates many different videos to help out viewers on many different topics. By being on YouTube, Anna is able to talk about problems and possibly even become a role model to many viewers online, whether they are Asian American or not.