Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes
Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes
Asian stereotype jokes in comedy.
Introduction
The media has contributed significantly to the spread of stereotypes about various groups in a significant way. The spread has enhanced discrimination, conflict, and division in many societies. Asian stereotypes have extensively spread in the media, starting from portraying the stereotypes in various roles and through yellowface and whitewashing. Asian Americans have come out to fight due to these stereotypes, which have just been a source of pain and division for a long time. Moreover, they have emerged with different ways of combating stereotypes. Some of these methods have been viewed as appropriate, while some have been ridiculed because they are just a way of propagating and giving them strength.
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Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes For instance, Andrew Yang, the former Democratic presidential candidate in the 2020 general election, believed that bringing stereotypes into the light and making jokes about them was essential in making them weaker by portraying how false they were. Yang was very open and made fun of how Asians loved mathematics. Hence they are brilliant. Many people disagreed with him, and some saw his strategy to attract sympathy from the Asian American community and lobbying for support from people from other communities for the sake of winning the election. Despite the continued campaign by Asian comedians to shun stereotypic jokes, a lot of comedians are still making jokes which are continually contributing to hate crimes, conflict, and division in the community Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes.
Professionals, including sociologists, showed their disagreement with Yang’s strategy of making fun of various Asian stereotypes. His strategy diminished other stereotypes, but greatly gave strength to most negative stereotypes harmful to the Asian American community (Yam, 2019). For instance, people made jokes about how Asians are stereotyped as obedient workers, hence not taking leadership positions in companies or nations. Even though this is false, people were told the stereotypic joke contributing to a false view about Asian Americans.
Propagation of stereotypes through comedy and the media was not there from the beginning. It emerged around a century and a half ago when white-Americans conceived that Asians were stealing their jobs and women. According to Anthony Ocampo, a sociologist, and professor at California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, the propagation of stereotypes through comedy has made it possible for many Americans to interpret that Asians will never be able to assimilate into being Americans; hence, they will always remain foreigners despite even being born in the country (Wang, 2021). Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes Many Americans have had no opportunity to interact with Asians or any other source of contrary information, making them believe in what they hear in the comedy.
Yellowface was one of the most severe ways or stereotypes propagated about Asians through the media. It involved actors wearing make-up or clothes to look more Asian. It was used in films such as “The Mikado” (Morgan, 2021). The most troubling fact is that some producers in the modern day are using it to enhance actors to look more Asian. Yellowface was very common between the 1930s and 1970s because of various regulations in film production, which were all based on baseless facts. One of these regulations was the Hays Code, a set of proprietary laws enforced by major studios before the release of films from 1930 to 1968 (Morgan, 2021). A variety of provisions in the code are characteristic of American society, such as prohibiting any sensual relationships among actors from varying races. With that constraint, casting an Asian individual as the principal in a film will preclude the character from forming close relationships with someone who wasn’t Asian. Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes Yellowface has been banned in the United States because both white and Asian people are openly opposed to the practice. Yellowface was replaced by whitewashing, where Asian characters were replaced by white characters, especially in lead roles, because of various regulations and various stereotypes that the film would not sell. For instance, Scarlett Johansson’s appearance in the 2017 film Ghost in a Shell, which was grounded entirely on Japanese actors, exemplifies whitewashing (Morgan, 2021). However, given Hollywood’s long tradition of erasing Asian performers, the circulate of Crazy Rich Asians, which stars an all-Asian cast, is all the more intriguing (Wong, 2020). Since the judgmentally lauded film The Joy Luck Club was released 25 years ago, for the initial time, Hollywood has made a film featuring an all-Asian cast. Crazy Rich Asians could only be the beginning of the rising demand for diverse media attention.
Numerous Asian stereotypes have found their way into comedy, but a majority have been abandoned due to their impact on the relations between people. The stereotypes have been central to painting Asians as passive, weak, and effeminate. In the past, comedy in movies has been known to play an essential role in the spread of stereotypes about Asians. For instance, Mickey Rooney (Mr. Yunioshi) and Warner Oland (who played Fu Manchu and the fictitious detective Charlie Chan) used heavy, funny voices and behaviors to perpetuate stereotypes and mock or villainize Asian men for laughs (Kung, 2020). Mike Rooney came clean about his role as his neighbor, Mr. Yunioshi. Though his apology and confession may not have done a lot to change the damage he had already done, it was evident that many people were unaware of the impact of propagating stereotypes through comedy. Rooney confessed to experiencing the embarrassment and that it was heartbreaking for him. He did not know the impact of his role, which made him easily give in when the director, Blake Edwards, asked him to play the role. It, however, became evident when protesters pushed the Californian free film screenings program to swap the classic film with a less-offensive Pixar children’s animation Ratatouille (Kung, 2020). Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes According to Rooney, there had never been a complaint in the more than 40 years since we made it. He received compliments everywhere that he went in the country, where people would tell him how funny he was. Even Asians and Chinese were grateful for his role and complimented him too. However, he regrets that if he knew how harmful the role would have been after all these years, he would not have agreed to play it because, apart from ruining his legacy, it impacted society negatively.
In some severe cases, some comedians understand that their jokes about people have negative impacts, but do not hesitate to tell them because of the concept that a joke is just a joke. Shane Gillis is an example of these characters who even got fired from SNL after making homophobic and racist remarks about Asians. In 2016, he demonstrated how comfortable he was with making stereotypic jokes about Asian Americans, which caused a stir in the media (Morgan, 2021). According to him, a joke was a joke as long as it made the audience laugh. He confessed that a comedian could be racist to Asians just because it was for the sake of the laugh. However, Gillis characterized himself as a comedian who goes beyond the lines to find new and fantastic content to make people laugh in response to his dismissal as if making racist jokes was new rather than old. The use of an accent as the punchline of a joke is offensive, just like the sentiments that led to Gillis’ firing. It does, however, show how Asian Americans are still seen as punchlines, a stigma that other minorities have struggled harder to overcome. Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes
Today’s ridicule and bigotry stem from these early media interpretations. Asian comedians and professionals have warned that jokes by comedians are transferred to the audience who repeat them when they find appropriate. The repetition makes the jokes popular until it reaches a person who uses them as a tool or a weapon for a hate crime. Former comedians and TV hosts have come out to apologize for jokes they made that later proved to be wrong and offensive. Some of these jokes include; how Asians look alike, the size of their eyes, sex styles, and the size of male penises. Jay Leno, the former host of “The Tonight Show,” apologized in March this year for making derogatory comments about Asians over the years, the bulk of which were centered around the myth of Koreans eating dog meat (Wang, 2021). Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes The apology came after six Asian women were killed in the Atlanta area attacks. It signaled the end of a nearly 15-year effort by Asian American advocacy organization Media Action Network. For Asian American comedians and entertainers, a better understanding of racism in the entertainment industry and how demeaning punchlines can lead to rampant bullying and violence is both welcome and long overdue (Wang, 2021). They argue that anti-Asian jokes have persisted because of the country’s long history of scapegoating and othering Asian people, a lack of diversity in the upper echelons of the media and entertainment industries, and, to some extent, the transgressive nature of comedy itself.
Apologies should not be made only when comedians and television hosts realize their jokes are causing harm to the community, according to Asian Americans. They should be aggressive and do everything in their power to change or to rectify what they did. This is not happening because Asian stereotype jokes are still common in open mic spaces and comedy clubs all over the country. For instance, Gavin McInnes, a former actor and founder of the far-right Proud Boys, said that he had sex with “a pair of rice balls” on his talk show in 2016. Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes Shane Gillis was fired from “Saturday Night Live” in 2019 to make homophobic remarks on his podcast and use an Asian insult (Wang, 2021). More than a decade after inciting outrage by mocking a Chinese accent, Rosie O’Donnell apologized for using a caricatured Indian accent in a club set the same year. Comedians should be against the idea that a joke is just a joke because it is not accurate. After all, the audience can interpret words and phrases in very different ways.
Some comedians, such as Ronny Chieng, who is also a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” are convinced that there is no standard way to deal with racism or to beat the stereotypes in comedy. Hence, comedians have the freedom to develop their strategy of dealing with the menace that is causing more and more lives in the United States. Chieng is known for his role in a 2016 show where he condemned a FOX News correspondent for insulting Chinatown residents who could not communicate in English (Kumar, 2020). Apart from his direct attacks on people who spread racism and vulgar stereotypes, Chieng is dedicated to making comedy that does not promote racism. He believes that making art or content instead of the bad things in the community is the best way to shift stereotypes and culture.
From now on, comedians, especially those in the mainstream media, should not get away with making degrading jokes because it ingrains anti-Asian racism. Asians should be given an opportunity as writers and producer rooms to provide insight into the content being released to the audience. Asians will be crucial in punching up content and condemning things that are wrong with society and the impacts of focusing on negative stereotypes. According to Bryan Yang, a New York City-based comedian and writer, comedians must be particularly aware of the impact of their thoughts in today’s turbulent political climate (Kumar, 2020). Jokes on stereotypes have the same impact as the racist stereotypes by politicians, which cause division and conflict. Comedians are responsible for thinking about how far their jokes will spread because if they are the audience with racist ideas; they will repeat their jokes in real life.
Therefore, as much as individual accountability is a good thing, how someone gets a voice during a performance is also integral in controlling content and its impact on the community. Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes The gatekeepers, which include the media house and people responsible, such as producers, agents, directors, and screenwriters, must be responsible for any presentation or joke out of line. As mentioned above, this will not be possible without the inclusion of as many Asians as possible or through the education and enlightenment of these professionals about the seriousness of the problem.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, it is evident that despite the continued campaign by Asian comedians to shun stereotypic jokes, a lot of comedians are still making jokes which are continually contributing to hate crimes, conflict, and division in the community. Comedians, including Mickey Rooney, have come out to apologize for their roles and jokes in the past after realization of the damage it caused the community. However, it is essential to realize that apologies hardly solve the problems that they created, hence the need for comedians to take the initiative and avoid stereotypic jokes. The continued propagation of Asian stereotypical jokes results from a lower number of Asian Americans in the media and a poor understanding of the impacts of the jokes on the community. The stereotype jokes emerged from the portrayal of stereotypes in films as propaganda against Asian Americans. Discrimination against Asian Americans in the media has been evident from the past to 2017, as evidenced by yellowface and whitewashing to prevent Asian American actors from playing lead roles. Asian American comedians have developed various ways of dealing with stereotypic jokes that demean the Asian American community and contribute to racism. Some openly condemn comedians who tell these jokes, while others make fun of the stereotypes that make them weak and reveals the emptiness of the jokes. Others are determined to create positive content that does not include telling stereotypical jokes and thus serve as a role model for other comedians to emulate Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes.
References
Kumar, N. (2020, January 22). Asian American racism is the unfunny joke the comedy world needs to reckon with. Retrieved from vox.com: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2020/1/15/21065939/comedy-racism-asian-american-rosie-odonnell-shane-gillis-awkwafina-ali-wong
Kung, A. (2020, March 4). The desexualization of the Asian American male. Retrieved from cnn.com: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/andrew-kung-asian-american-men/index.html
Morgan, T. (2021, March 18). How Hollywood Cast White Actors in Caricatured Asian Roles. Retrieved from history.com: https://www.history.com/news/yellowface-whitewashing-in-film-america
Wang, C. (2021, April 8). Jay Leno and why Asian jokes have gotten a pass for so long. Retrieved from nbcnews.com: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/jay-leno-asian-jokes-gotten-pass-long-rcna578
Wong, T. S. T. (2020). Crazy, rich, Asian: Yellowface ambivalence and mockery of Crazy Rich Asians. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 1-18.
Yam, K. (2019, November 20). Is Andrew Yang ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes? Experts say not so much. Retrieved from nbcnews.com: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/andrew-yang-reclaiming-stereotypes-asian-jokes-experts-say-not-so-n1086241 Article on ‘reclaiming’ stereotypes with Asian jokes