Stereotypes:

I've received much interest in the stereotypes discussed in my Asian/American Representation in US Media class, so I've decided to post the basic information of the lesson on the blog.



The stereotypes we talked about were the 4 most common ones in US Media:
1. Model Minority- has good values and everyone should strive to be like them--the predictable "nerdy" and "dorky" Asian, for example.
2. Yellow Peril- the threat that Asians have in movies, for example, Fu Manchu. When there is an Asian in a movie, he/she is always looking to take over the world and gain power to lead third world countries. There is always the stereotypes of Asians as being bad and a huge threat. For example, the inevitable Chinese gangs in movies. Another thing that goes along with this stereotype is the role of the White, male hero. He always has to save the day, fighting/defeating the "bad" Asian.
3. Forever Foreign- the typical and obvious reasons for seeing that the Asian is different and does not know American ways of life. For example, the way Asians dress- in old movies, again in Fu Manchu, the Asian dresses in huge robes, with makeup, and long finger nails. Another thing that is heavily relied on for an Asian role is the thick accent.
4. Mysteriousness/Inscrutable- Asian ways of mysterious "magic" and voodoo to gain power/do certain things. Like a "master" teaching his "student" by catching the fly nearby with his bare hand. Very mysterious and sort of creepy ways of doing things.

These stereotypes are the basis of Asian representation in basically all of US movies. There were other observations we noted like:

1. The Asian male seen as "asexual." The Asian male almost never gets the white women in the film. This is why Asians are seen as very feminine. This goes back to the history: When the Chinese came to America to work, they were not allowed to talk or even look at white women or they would be beaten up/killed. There weren't many Chinese women immigrating to America, either, so they could not be with them. They were also given the "feminine" jobs, and not the masculine jobs. However, then they were seen as a rape threat if they looked at a white woman.
2. The "geisha girl" Asian woman. This was seen as an Asian girl who immigrated to America because she was forced into sexual slavery or prostitution. This was then formed into the "dragon lady" stereotype. This was formed and Asian women were looked on as dirty, filthy, and when sleeping with white men, accused of ripping families apart.

These are many of the stereotypes that we discussed, and today we watched some clips that prove them. Clips from "Fu Manchu," "Lost," "Heroes," and other movies/programs. We also looked at pictures/advertisements and the upcoming trailer of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." One picture was of a man selling a t-shirt near Wrigley Field in Chicago opposing the team's acquirement of new player, Fukadome. The shirt said, "Horry Kow!" with a picture of a panda, I think?? And another picture we saw was a promotional poster of the new "Dragonball" movie. Based off the Anime TV show, mostly all of the characters are assumed to be Asian. The main character, included. However, on the promotional poster, there is a white male, again, relating to the idea that all the "good guys" and heroes in US movies are white, never Asian.

I hope this was helpful in getting an idea of what the class is like.
We received our first exam grades today and I was very relieved at my results. I got a 93, however there was somewhat of a curve and generous grading was given. I'm still proud that I didn't do horribly on the test and I will definitely study harder next time.

More later this week!
Allie