Recently I stumbled upon an article about how Asian Americans are under-represented in the media, and how that affects people’s views on them in the real world. Because of how they’re portrayed in the media they’re expected to excel in math related fields, and some characters in shows or movies are successful and talented, but lack personality and act robotic, making them generally unlikable. Not to mention, another trope most Asian American characters falsely represent is being socially inept, they are emasculated when it comes to romance in the media, and often made fun of by other characters for it, in a sense they’re like the punching bag of any group the media portrays. “The media are not only a powerful source of ideas about race. They are also one place where these ideas are articulated, worked on, transformed and elaborated” (Hall, “The Whites of Their Eyes” 20).
To make matters worse, Hollywood whitewashing is still an issue when portraying Asian or Asian American characters in a live action show or movie. It’s not often that an Asian American actor plays a character derived from Asian American culture, but instead, it’s a Caucasian male. One example is actor Mickey Rooney (a Caucasian) playing a character named Mr. Yunioshi in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (“Why Asians are Under-Represented In Modern Media”). Now, usually I’m not one to call out race in films, but I feel it’s only fair for Asian/Asian American characters to be played by someone of that same origin. Also, it is understandable that Hollywood wants to cast the best actors for the film, but there are plenty of talented actors of different ethnicities and nationalities out there looking for the same opportunities.
Mr. Yunioshi in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” — Yikes
When Asians or Asian Americans are portrayed in shows and films, there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding the way they act and look. In the long run, this is damaging, not only because it’s an inaccurate portrayal of this group of people, but also because there are a lot of young minds that are exposed to various types of media. I’m sure you and I could think of something we saw on tv years ago that we thought was an accurate portrayal of someone or something and then came to find out that it wasn’t. This is happening with children, teens and even some adults who digest enough media, and it needs to change. It’s disheartening to find out one of your most beloved tv shows or movies displays moderate racism or bigotry, so why not cast actors best fit for the role of a specific ethnicity or race in addition to portraying them more positively to eliminate any further biases or racism in our media.
The Retro Blog 