I don’t proclaim to know a lot about the stock market, but I think I have read and learned about it more than someone who is not a finance major. So I will try my best to explain an IPO to a 10-year-old.
Say you want to make money from selling shoes. You buy your materials, and combined with your extraordinary shoemaking skills, you produce some nice shoes.
Your shoes turn out to be very popular, all your friends are coming to your house looking to buy a pair of your awesome shoes. However, the time required to make shoes for your friends is so long that you can’t do it alone. So you hire some friends to join you.
Business is good, but you want more. You want to sell not only in New York, but in all 50 states. To do that, you need more money.
You then go to a bank and tell them you want to expand your business. The bank will estimate how much your shoe company is worth, say $1 million. After that, your company is divided into fractional pieces, let’s say 1 million pieces, each piece equal to $1. You can choose to own, say, half of your company, which is 500,000 pieces, or $500,000. The rest of your company will then be sold to other people interested in your company.
The money you got from those people, $500,000, can then be used to open shoe stores across the country. If you make more money, your company will worth more, and more people will want to buy a piece of your company. But now your company is worth more, so each piece is more expensive. Instead of $1, it can jump to $2, which means your company is now worth twice as much, or $2 million.

I agree with the saying that “writing is thinking.” Writing about the process of an IPO forced me to rethink about the IPO, because I realized that even though I have read so many articles about it and watched so many videos on it, I’m still unable to just come up with the whole process naturally. I noticed that I had to take pauses frequently to rewind the details.
Also, writing about this topic helped me discover the blanks in my knowledge regarding to an IPO. I know that a business owner needs to consult with a bank to start an IPO, but my knowledge of the whereabouts of this consultation is vague. It turns out that I have very little clue about what banks take into account when they calculate the worth of a company.
Also, I find myself often questioning the steps in my explanation. For example, “why should you trust the bank to make a fair estimation of the value of the company?” or “what kind of a person will have an interest in the company?” I imagine it is fair for a ten-year-old to ask these types of questions, but for the sake of condensing, I chose to leave commentaries on these questions out. I also left out volatility aspect of stocks. I didn’t mention how stocks can just go up or down randomly during the day because I wanted to keep it simple.
The fact that I had to condense what was at first, a 450 word explanation, to something around 250 words was a challenge for me. At the end, this practice helped me focus on the essential parts of my topic, while weeding out information that my explanation can have without.

Paragraph Titles

1. Historical base to subject matter
2. Transition explaining how the history affected current media/Thesis
3. Explaining further with ethos 
4. Introduction and summary of film Crazy Rich Asians
5. Analysis of film with ethos and logos/Thesis about film
6. Introduction and explanation of another thesis 
7. Personal experience relating to thesis/ Pathos 
8. Introduction to Asian immigrant topic with ethos
9. Transition into Fresh off the Boat analysis 
10. Further criticism of film with some ethos 
11. Specific examples in show that proves thesis 
12. Gives a opposing view and “debates” with that
13. Summarizes all point made throughout analysis

Piece Summary

Chau’s piece is a deep analysis on films and events that depict and affect the Asian community. The piece begins with the history of Chinese immigration to California for railroad jobs. Many Americans didn’t like this Chinese “takeover” and it led to exclusionary laws and mockery of Chinese people. Because of this, their personality and work ethic was stereotyped as weird and overly ambitious and the media played a part in displaying this. As time goes on more Asians are on the screen and producing, but instead of telling authentic stories the films feed into stereotypes in hope to increase viewership. Chau then introduces a brief summary of Crazy Rich Asians; while the representation of Asian actors was great, it was not an accurate depiction of Singapore people, where the film majorly takes place. The film also “reinforces negative stereotypes about Asian materialism” and that Asians and Americans are too different to get along. Next Chau gives a personal account on being a Chinese-Born American. Chau was made fun of for what people believed he ate (e.g. dogs) and other ignorant assumptions people made based off of stereotypes fed to them. In analyzing the Fresh Off the Boat series, Chau explains how all representation is good or accurate representation. The series was meant to be an account of someone’s personal experiences but was changed to be what producers felt was more entertaining and “American”. To conclude, although there are no longer discriminatory laws, the stereotypes remain and are depicted in films and media today.  

Organization Lens 

Chau starts off with a historical background. I think this was very effective. In my own writing I probably would have done an introduction paragraph and then started the body with the history but I like this formatting better; it is sort of chronological. From there it merges into how the media was affected by this and I think that the transition was so seamless and perfectly introduced the thesis. Next is the use of ethos and it does add some legitimacy to what Chau is claiming. Then there is a spot on summary of Crazy Rich Asians. From watching it myself I know it is a really long movie and it was a really good job of summarizing it and still shining a light on the parts that are relevant to the topic. After analyzing the film, Chau introduces another thesis that is relevant but different. The addition of a personal story was a great transition into the next topic. It was kind of a break from all the analyzing and I got to know the effects of the stereotypes on a more intimate level. Then comes the topic and analysis of Fresh Off the Boat and Chau kind of uses the same formatting as with the Crazy Rich Asians analysis. There is a consistent use of examples to support the claim and then an opposing view is debunked and I really liked that part because it kind of answers a question the audience may have. The conclusion was very subtle and really ended off things well. 

Part 1: Labels by paragraph

1. This paragraph gives historical context on the origin of Chinese stereotypes. Legal actions were taken against Chinese Americans by the American government to discourage employment which resulted in attribution to negative personality types such as “revengeful, sinister, and wicked”.
2. This paragraph connects the historical relevance of the previous paragraph to today. Although the social circumstances of that time are no longer relevant, American media depicts Chinese people as extremely hardworking individuals who lack originality, skills, and personality.
3. This paragraph builds off on the previous paragraphs and raises the idea that these stereotypes don’t just impact the image of Chinese people but also worsens inequality faced by Chinese artists in the industry.
4. This paragraph introduces an example of stereotypes in American media, Crazy Rich Asians. The movie overshadows Asian identity with the stereotype of favoring materialistic success overvalues.
5. This paragraph furthers the ideas of inaccurate representation by giving specific examples from the movie.
6. The author connects the evidence in the previous paragraph to the first two paragraphs and talks about how this leads to the idea that Asians and Americans cannot coexist.
7. The author connects the stereotypes and trouble assimilating with personal experience about being discriminated against by friends as an Asian American.
8. Chau connects everything he has brought up so far with a statement by Larry Tung, a specialist in Asian Media. This gives a professional point of view and adds to the authenticity of the argument.
9. Chau brings up another example from American Media, Fresh Off the Boat. The show was originally supposed to be based on the authentic experience of an Asian American, Eddie Huang. However, the show was filled with Asian stereotypes to appeal to the Caucasian audience.
10. Chau delves deeper into how the show started off as a book that told the real-life experience of Huang as an Asian American. However, it was changed significantly to appeal to the audience destroying the image of Asian Americans once again.
11. Chau uses specific examples from the show to prove how a show that had the potential of being empowering for Asian Americans was converted into a disappointing show that only appealed to a certain audience.
12. Chau presents the counter-argument which states that an all Asian cast should be considered sufficient representation.
13. Chau rebuttals the argument claiming that all Asian casts are pointless if the content furthers the stereotypes that lead to discrimination and prejudice against Asian Americans.

Part 2: Summary of Chau based on labeling

In “One Step Towards Equality, Two Steps Back for Asian Americans” Tristen Chau argues that Asian Americans have been misrepresented in the American Media to suit the comfort of Caucasian Americans. Chau begins her argument by talking about how the early Chinese Americans were restricted by the American government because Americans saw them as a threat to their employment. This resulted in the formation of a negative image of Asians in the media. The effects of this can be seen in American Media today. Chau’s first example is the movie Crazy Rich Asian. Chau uses specific examples from the movie to argue that the movie only portrays the wrong stereotypes that Americans enjoy watching. The movie shows that Asians prefer materialistic success over good character. The movie also touches upon the idea that Americans and Asians cannot coexist. Chau then uses a statement by Larry Tang an expert in Asian Media to give authenticity to the claim that Asian Media today misrepresents Asian identity. Chau then uses the show Fresh Off the Boat as an example showing how attempts at accurate representation are usurped and conformed to the stereotypes enjoyed by the Caucasian viewers. Chau refutes the argument that all Asian casts are adequate representations in American Media. Chau says that this representation is pointless if the content provokes discrimination against Asian Americans.

Part 3: Analysis of Chau based on the lens of Organization

The way Chau organized the piece played a significant role in the flow of the text. Chau started with historical context to help the reader understand the roots of the issue. Chau then used specific examples to prove that Asian Americans are misrepresented in American Media. Chau then connects with the reader by using a personal anecdote. This helps connect the historical relevance to current affairs and even the direct impact they had on the author. Another organization piece that I thought was important was the rebuttal at the end. Chau showed both sides of the argument showcasing the author’s level of expertise on the topic. Using the counter-argument showed that Chau was not ignorant of the other argument but willing to understand and refute it. The organizational techniques used by Chau helped the reader thoroughly understand the argument.

1. The history of Chinese immigrants in the Untied States and how there was conflict between them and American citizens.
2. The idea that Chinese-Americans are seen as protagonists in the entertainment world but appropriate the stereotypes instead of confronting them.
3. It is seen that even Asian producers capitalize on this stereotypes for higher ratings on their films.
4. Release of Crazy Rich Asians which was one of 2018’s biggest films. The author describes a brief summary of the plot.
5. The author reveals that the film only shows the Chinese-Singaporeans who live a luxurious life which can give off a stereotype that all live like this, when in reality the majority live in public housing.
6. The film Crazy Rich Asians increases the divide between the Chinese and the American people. 
7. The author shares hurtful memories from high school between him and his friends. As a Chinese-American, he came across many racist and stereotypical jokes.
8. Chinese people have always been seen as foreigners in America and will continue to because these films promote these stereotypes. 
9. The author explains how the show Fresh Off The Boat was produced by an Asian-American and all he did was promote these stereotypes so American people could relate to it. 
10. Eddie Hung wanted to create a piece demonstrating American values instead of being authentic to who he is.
11. The term yellow facing is used here. The cast is fully Asian, but we see the same stereotypes being used as entertainment for others.
12. The author argues against points that were made by the producer and supporters of the show. This is not a historic moment because nothing has changed over the years.
13. There is more Chinese representation which is great, but they are being used to promote the stereotypes of Chinese people. There is no progress being made. 

Brief Summary:

In Tristan Chau’s excerpt about equality, he explains the view of Asian-Americans in the United States. In America, Chinese people are all seen as foreigners even if they were born and raised in the Untied States. For many years, Chinese immigrants have been mocked and seen as danger by the American people. Since then, many stereotypes about Chinese people have been brought to light. Chau shows how the entertainment industry feeds into these stereotypes and promotes them for higher ratings. These producers, some being Asian, see it as an opportunity to make a bigger profit, but do not realize that they are only adding onto the conflict between Chinese people and Americans that began centuries ago. 

Analysis Through Organization: 

Chau does a great job in expressing his claim through examples. His paragraphs are organized well and lead from one idea to the next smoothly. In the beginning of his excerpt, he explains the history between the Chinese people and the American people. This is very important to include because it gives the reader the knowledge necessary to understand the argument Chau is presenting. He then gets into his first example of Asian-Americans viewed in Crazy Rich Asians. He develops a well-organized argument on how producers portray Chinese people in a very stereotypical way to get higher ratings and make more profit. Lastly, he speaks about the show Fresh Off The Boat. After watching Crazy Rich Asians, he had hope that this show would do a better job in portraying the fully Asian Cast. He revels that he was wrong and concludes his argument by expressing his disappointment about the filmmaking industry as a Chinese-American in his own right. 

Paragraphs:

1. The origin of Chinese racism
2. Chinese stereotypes
3. Hollywood’s profit off this stereotype
4. Crazy Rich Asians
5. Crazy Rich Asians is unrealistic
6. Crazy Rich Asians has stereotypes
7. Authors personal experience with stereotypes
8. How media influences stereotypes
9. Fresh off the boat failures
10. More problems with Fresh off the boat
11. Examples of how Fresh off the boat is inaccurate
12. Fresh off the boat is still historic
13. Tv and movies fail to represent true Asian American life

This Chau piece discusses Asian life in America and how they are still stereotyped against. The author starts by talking about the gold rush and how racism towards the Chinese was established. The government even made laws against them, further separating them from everyday people. Chau then goes into the current stereotypes against the Chinese people. Some include being “too hardworking” or “no interpersonal skills or charm.” Then the author states how certain stereotypes are encouraged due to many Hollywood films and shows.

Chau spends a lot of this essay speaking about how Hollywood movies and shows greatly influence Americas racism towards Asian Americans. One example the author uses in this text is Crazy Rich Asians. This movie was released in 2018 and was thought to be very important due to its all Asian cast. Many hoped that Crazy Rich Asians would help put an end to many stereotypes, but it didn’t. It doesn’t realistically show what life is like for Asian Americans and its main characters are extremely wealthy and spoiled. When in reality not nearly that many people can relate to wealth of that sort. While Crazy Rich Asians was also unrealistic it also supported some stereotypes that people have towards Asian Americans. For example, the main character in the movie separates herself from the Americans and furthering our divide. This shows the audience that the Asians and Americans are different and do not really tend to mix. For the author and the entire Asian American community this movie was a letdown and did not further help their situation.

After discussing the movie Chau then goes on to talk about when she experienced stereotypes in her own life. She says how her own friends stereotyped her when eating and even though it was a joke it is still hurtful. Chau then speaks about how much influence television has on public views and stereotypes. When Asians are portrayed as different and not a part of America they aren’t accepted as part of the general people.

Chau then brings in an example of another television show called Fresh Off the Boat. This show was supposed to be about the everyday life of a Chinese American family but only lasted 19 episodes. Fresh Off the Boat gave many people hope for spreading the right information about life for Asian Americans, but it failed to do so. It skipped over the real parts of their life that the audience wouldn’t want to see. In doing so it wasn’t successful in ending stereotypes and brining Asians and Americans together.

Chau uses organization in this speech to help the readers understand her point much better. By starting by addressing and informing the audience about the Asian American situation and then diving into why the problem exists. Chau then bring examples like Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh Off the Boat to further the point. Organization plays a major role in this piece of writing.

1. The first paragraph goes into the background information of the gold mine movement in california and the Chinese coming to America. The Chinese were not treated correctly in America and suffered.
2. The stereotypes of Chinese people are brought up and how they are seen as too “hardworking”. The mention of media and its influence is brought up.
3. Although there are more Chinese Americans on TV, commonly it is full of jokes and stereotypes.
4. The problem with Crazy Rich Asians and how it also enforces stereotypes and shows the life of the rich in Malaysia and a common folk in America.
5. The movie only focuses on the best aspects of the life of the rich and doesnt really show how life is. It is way too glamorous and people will only see Malaysia as a rich place but it is not perfect.
6. This paragraph kind of forces the viewer to believe that Asians and Americans can not work together and there is too much difference to work together. This just pushes stereotypes even further.
7. Chau mentions what being Asian came with and the negative stereotypes that were said. It may seem as jokes to children, but it is the stereotypes that allow this to continue.
8. Tung shows that Asian Americans are not treated fairly and there is too much separating them from others and they are misrepresented in media.
9. Fresh off the boat is a show that just continues to bring up stereotypes and other terrible things that viewers of the show werent expecting. It was thought to be a new show that would show the true life of an Asian American, but it was the opposite
10. The main point of media is to get ratings and Fresh of the Boat was achieving this by showing the stereotypes so that the common viewer would be able to enjoy the show.
11. The story that the show would tell was great, but the way it was portrayed was the opposite of what Huang envisioned.
12. Constance Wu is just mainly focused on how much she probably makes and although It doesnt represent all families, it tells the public this is the asian family is America.
13.  It is truly a disappointment that this is what media is and Chau has a point that there needs to be more awareness for more serious issues.

Summary

Chau is able to bring up many valid points about the struggle of how being Asian and its influence on media is racist some times. The stereotypes in Crazy Rich Asians only shows the good side of being rich in Malaysia, and there are too many things that are not addressed. Chau also had to deal with many of the stereotypes growing up and it is because of all the jokes that go around that are not taken seriously. Fresh off the boat is also a disappointment for the Asian community and there needs to be more positive representation instead of negative stereotypes. There should be better issues that should be mentioned and Chau does a great job at explaining them. 

Organization Lens

I think that Tristen Chau did a great job at explaining what it felt like to grow up in a country where his own culture was mocked for all the country to see on television. Chau was able to bring up examples and reinforce them with his own thoughts which did a great job of allowing at least me as someone who has not thought about these things to really connect to what was being said. There should have been more backlash from these asian actors to try to bring up awareness to not allow directors to have their way in media and to bring awareness to more major issues. It is too easy for these directors to mock a culture just for the benefit of ratings and money and Chau is able to show how in the asian community, there needs to be more positive representation and not just stereotypes.

1. Provides context–the beginnings of discrimination against the Chinese population in the U.S.
2. Introduces new stereotypes of Chinese people that still exists today and mentions their lack of representation in American media.
3. cites a credible source to comment on stereotypes enforced by popular media.
4. References a popular movie as an example of how the media is exacerbating the stereotypes.
5. Gives examples from the movie to prove the movie’s lack of representation of the socioeconomic reality of Singapore.
6. Gives an example from the movie showing the divisive aspect of the movie.
7. Recounts the stereotypes personally experienced by the author, and questions whether America is a “melting pot.”
8. Cites another credible source to add another perspective on the stereotypes facing Chinese Americans.
9. The author was disappointed to realize that the new show about Asian Americans still made use of racial stereotypes.
10. Quote from the executive producer of Fresh Off the Boat, who was willing to reinforce stereotypes in exchange for viewers.
11. Talks more about the ways the TV series was not fairly representing Asian Americans.
12. The author of Fresh Off the Boat complains that the movie lacked representation.
13. Another example of stereotypes in the TV series.
14. Rebuttal
15. Addresses the issue of stereotypes again

Summary

In “One Step Towards Equality, Two Steps Back for Asian Americans,” author Tristen Chau criticizes stereotypes of Asian Americans perpetuated by Hollywood. First, she provides context of discrimination, which dates back to the Gold Rush. She then moves on to today’s stereotypes, which have evolved since the Gold Rush, but likewise harmful to the Asian community. Next, Chau presents two examples of contemporary media, namely Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh Off the Boat, as well as commentaries from both outsiders and insiders, who almost unanimously agree that Asian Americans are misrepresented in American media.

Analysis

From an organizational lens, the author of “One Step Towards Equality, Two Steps Back for Asian Americans,” Tristen Chau, starts by introducing readers to the problem of Asian stereotypes by providing a brief summary of the origins of Asian people in America. This is an effective way to start her argument, since most of her audience is likely non-Asian, and thus unfamiliar with the subject of discrimination against Asians. By writing this paragraph, she sets the essay on the right foot, which allows the rest to follow through with ease.

Using the first paragraph as a stepping stone, Chau moves on to today’s racial stereotypes, which she asserts are worsened by the media industry, which she argues puts profit over fair representation of Asian Americans. She achieves this in many ways. In multiple instances, she inserts a quote from a credible source to support/elaborate on her argument. These citation don’t appear at the same time, but rather spread throughout the essay. This structure is excellent in building her argument because it allows readers to be reminded from time to time that this is not just a problem contrived by the author herself, but rather one supported by other credit-worthy people.

Another way she builds her argument is by the use of two contemporary media productions, both easily relatable to the audience. Chau cites many examples from the two, all of them, in some way, demonstrates stereotypes, which contributes to her argument, though some less effective than others. One instance of that was when she criticized Crazy Rich Asians for not covering the socioeconomic realities of Singapore, which is a weak point since migrant workers are not what the movie is about. People want to see rich Asians, so the movie puts the spotlight on rich Asians. Other directors could take on a movie about migrant labor in Singapore, although it might not be as profitable. But in this case, It is reasonable for the director of Crazy Rich Asians to put little emphasis on migrant labor.

Near the end of her essay, Chau introduces a perspective from the other side, which she rebuts with confidence. Lastly, she ends her essay by restating the stereotypes facing Asian Americans today. Overall, Chau’s organization of her essay is superb. She starts with the context of problem, then implemented a variety of evidence. Finally, she successfully rebuts a counterargument, and ends with a graceful restatement.

1. Tristen Chau discusses the perception of Chinese immigrants being unable to assimilate despite their contribution to the industrialization of America.
2. The main argument here is that Chinese Americans are being included in the entertainment industry but their culture is appropriated for profits rather than being used to confront stereotypes.
3. The author suggests that Americans are yet to fully accept Asians and that even the Asians themselves are not using available opportunities to tell authentic stories.
4. The film Crazy Rich Asians had an all-Asian cast but it is still portrayed a different story about the beliefs of Asians.
5. As the name suggests, the film largely exhibits the attitudes of rich Asians thereby reinforcing the idea that the group is materialistic.
6. Instead of helping to break down the cultural barrier that is prevalent between Asians and Americans, the author suggests that the Crazy Rich Asians strengthened it and made it appear that assimilation was indeed a futile exercise.
7. In this paragraph, Chau appeals to pathos by offering an example of her personal experience as an Asian American and how she was looked down upon because of her food choices which are reflective of her cultural group.
8. Chau also appeals to ethos or credibility in asserting how Asian Americans are viewed as foreigners when she introduces Larry Tung whom she claims has more than 11 years of experience in studying minorities.
9. Chau builds upon her previous paragraph by stating that poor representation of Asian Americans reinforces stereotypes about the community instead of eliminating them.
10. The assertion that Eddie Huang’s script for Fresh Off the Boat was edited is hereby meant to support the idea that producers do not care about telling authentic Asian American stories but that they are only looking to entertain the audience and make money.
11. This paragraph also reinforces the same idea as in the preceding one because the author states that the show does not capture real life events in Asian families.
12. Chau introduces an opposing argument and goes ahead to counter it through a valid question and this can be taken to mean that she is of the opinion that her position on the matter is more reasonable.
13. The author concludes by stating that stereotypes regarding Asian Americans will persist unless the experiences of the community are portrayed realistically in the media.

Brief Summary

In the article titled “One Step Towards Equality, Two Steps Back for Asian Americans,” Tristen Chau argues that Asian Americans are always perceived as foreigners although they have been around for ages. Chau contends that even the media which is expected to portray a true picture of the experiences of Asian Americans is biased because producers only allow shows or movies that make fun of the community by reinforcing negative stereotypes. The author further notes that even when a film contains an all-Asian cast, it still fails to provide good representation because the narrative is often twisted to entertain audiences and rake in profits. Therefore, Chau is of the opinion that the only way to eliminate negative stereotypes about Asians is by appreciating their uniqueness and projecting their experiences in a more realistic manner in television.

Analysis

Chau’s article begins by noting that Americans are yet to embrace Asians Americans as fellow nationals and that the stereotypes that have existed regarding the group have not been eliminated despite it being years since the first Asians set foot in America. The author further states that the minority group’s way of life has instead been used to mock them through both underrepresentation and misrepresentation in television media. In this way, the author does a good job of acknowledges the existence of racial stereotyping in addition to asserting the role that television plays in reinforcing the said stereotypes. The author’s means of persuasion are also vital to in illustrating that entertainment is the dominant function of programming and it thus through it that racial stereotypes can be eliminated. Chau’s chronological examination of the portrayal of Asian-Americans is convincing because it explains how Asian stereotypes have endured over time and how they can be resolved to minimize their damaging effects.

Paragraph Labels

Paragraph 1 – Sets up the topic by using a historical background for Chinese people in the US.

Paragraph 2 – Introduces the two media examples “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Fresh Off the Boat”, which will be discussed later.

Paragraph 3 – Continues on the media topic to highlight the point of stereotypes being exploited for entertainment.

Paragraph 4 – Brings up the premise for “Crazy Rich Asians” and uses examples of negative stereotypes woven into the plot.

Paragraph 5 – Begins with a positive quote and juxtaposes that with his opinion on the film’s shortcomings regarding diversity and class representation.

Paragraph 6 – Interprets a quote as being a commentary on incompatibility between Western and East Asian culture.

Paragraph 7 – Reinforces the assimilation/incompatibility thread with a personal experience.

Paragraph 8 – Adds in an expert’s opinion to begin the television topic.

Paragraph 9 – Brings up the premise for “Fresh Off the Boat” along with a negative quote from executive producer Eddie Huang.

Paragraph 10 – Builds on the quote to elaborate on how the show lost its authenticity.

Paragraph 11 – Uses another quote from Eddie Huang to summarize Chau’s general sentiment towards how the show developed.

Paragraph 12 – Brings up more examples of negative stereotypes in the show.

Paragraph 13 – Argues against the merit of the show’s success.

Paragraph 14 – Reintroduces the opening topic in the closing sentence.

Summary

Tristen Chau’s “One Step Towards Equality, Two Steps Back for Asian-Americans” discusses how racism is reinforced through media.  He begins with detailing the historical struggles that Chinese people in the US overcame and outlines how negative sentiments have carried over into portrayals in entertainment.  Negative stereotypes form the basis of this paper and he outlines how they are used in the plot of “Crazy Rich Asians”.  Using a personal experience, he concludes that there is a widespread perceived incompatibility between Western and East Asian culture.  After quoting an expert on the topic, he continues with another main example, the TV show “Fresh Off the Boat”.  He introduces his own perception and expectations of the show and reinforces his disappointment with quotes from the executive producer.  Chau believes that the merit of a movie or TV show having minority casting is invalid if it does not address racial issues.

Organization Lens

I thought the paper was solidly organized because it clearly hammered in what the content was going to be about and the opinion that the author was trying to reinforce.  He used examples and quotes with credibility to support his opinion and followed up with a personal experience.  I also noticed that he ended most paragraphs with his own commentary on the facts/quotes/evidence.  I feel that the way the content was constructed could have used some improvement because while I agree with negative stereotypes being prevalent today, I’m not sold on the final argument.  I think Chau should have concluded with explaining why he thinks any media with Asian cast members must address racial issues.  There is a significant gap between those elements and building the connection between them would have supported the opinion better.  The Eddie Huang quotes were a good start, but I think there needed to be more there.

To add some more feedback, I think I would have written about segregated neighborhoods and a “separate but equal” status that minorities experience in the US today.  For example, Boston and its suburbs are diverse as a whole, but closer examination shows that different areas are extremely segregated.  It would help the section with the media lens because most US cities are small, white, and homogenous.  Or they are majority white with smaller and segregated Black and Latino populations.  So that may give some insight into decisions by the larger media companies.

Individual paragraph analysis

1. In this paragraph, the author gives us the context behind the early migration of many Chinese men and the “legal” actions taken from Americans against what they saw as an economic threat. 
2. Mention of the turning point in stereotypes, the idea of the Chinese being “illiterate and unassimilable was substituted with them being extremely hardworking and materialist. 
3. The author comments on how the media strengthens stereotypes. Even Chinese producers make use of racist jokes to deliver what they believe the public desires.
4. The author recounts how certain events in the movie Crazy Rich Asians only reinforce harmful stereotypes, as they give us a short introduction of what is thematic of the film.
5. Recount of the stereotypes found in the film – making mention of them- as well as making mention of the lack of accurate representation of the geocultural circumstance and events in the film. 
6. Comment on how the film is an example of how popular media reinforces the idea that Chinese people cannot “fit in” or “assimilate” American values
7. The author shares a personal experience in which they felt their cultural heritage was discriminated against and in which he was directly affected by a known stereotype. 
8. Uses supporting arguments from a specialist (Larry Tung), who estates that the public in general are often misled and influenced by what they see in media like television. “Representation doesn’t necessarily mean good representation”
9. The author talks about his expectations for the Fresh of the boat series based on Eddie Huang’s book. Afterward, he mentions the disappointment he felt when the producer in charge (who was Asian-American) decided to modify the story to please Caucasian audiences. 
10. Analysis of the modification content of the Fresh of the boat series and how it moved from a story showing real-life circumstances to a stereotypical show. 
11. Comment on specific moments of the series that not only completely ignore the setting of the original story but push towards common stereotypes.
12. The author presents a counter-argument from the defenders of theFresh of the boat series who argued that using Asian-American actor was representative enough. 
13. The author presents some connection to the background; as well as their argument that although Chinese representation in Hollywood has increased, it has only been used to strengthen racist stereotypes instead of depicting real-life issues that Chinese-American face on their day-to-day. 

Summary

At the beginning of his text, Tristen Chau gives us context about the early migration of Chinese workers looking for a better life in America. As a response to this migration, American citizens complained that Chinese foreigners were taking their jobs and a series of laws were passed to affect Chinese workers and discourage migration. Later on, he mentions how the stereotypical perspective toward the Chinese changed from them being “illiterate and unassimilable” to them being “too hardworking” and materialist. Since the “yellow peril” (an ideology that Chinese people are a threat to the American Economy during the 1800s) the media industry has used the irresistible opportunity of representing Chinese characters in films as an opportunity to attract the sensationalist public by reinforcing racial stereotypes. As a modern example of this type of representation in the media, the author mentions and analyses the 2018 comedy film Crazy Rich Asians. While giving us a short introduction to the film, Chau mentions the stereotypical views of the film and how it depicts cliche aspects of Chinese culture like them being too materialistic and superficial, and unable to comprehend and incorporate American values and culture. In one section of the text, the author mentions a personal experience in which he felt attacked by stereotypical views when he recapped with his peers what he ate over family dinner; some of them made hurtful comments without even knowing, those ideas he attributes to the stereotypical image depicted by the media. To finalize, he mentions his sadness towards the poor representation of Chinese-Americans in the modern media, emphasizing that all representation is not necessarily positive. And although there is no longer any laws that oppress  Chinese- Americans, stereotypes have changed very little. 

Analysis in terms of organization

 In his text, One Step Towards Equality, Two steps back for Asian-Americans, Tristen Chau talks about the stereotypes that exist towards Asian-Americans and how the media aggravates the condition with the sole purpose of quenching the demands of a sensationalistic audience that feed on easily produced racist jokes. In terms of organization, Chau starts by giving the reader some historical context on the first experiences of Chinese immigrants during the 1800s; given the facts, circumstances, and quotes, these first paragraphs give the reader an idea of the struggle many Chinese workers had to endure when even the law demanded their exclusion. From those instances, the Chinese were seen as exotic and different, unable to incorporate into the American culture. It is presented in such a way so that the reader can understand the irony of imposing their exclusion, to later identify them by their apparent lack of assimilation to the American culture. Consequently, producers saw an opportunity to mock Asian-Americans in the popular media by playing with known stereotypes and using race-based mockery. The text continues to develop into more up-to-date examples of popular media abusing stereotypes, like Crazy Rich Asians, where Chinese people are depicted as being superficial, with an intense interest in wealth and appearances; also commenting on the lack of accurate geocultural representation occurring in the film, who seems to have almost completely ignored the cultural aspects that should be represented. The text continues to build its claim around the corrupt media whose only desire would seem to be satisfying Caucasian audiences for profit based on simple/efficient racist comedy, causing as a side effect a negative reinforcement of racial stereotypes in audiences that don’t seem to be able to differentiate media from reality. Important to mention, that in-between his arguments he shares one testimony of his own experience being Asian-American; when he recounted what he ate at family dinner and his friends -supposedly- unknowingly made hurtful comments about it, “Oh, didn’t you also eat any dogs at dinner?”, demonstrating the effect and influence of the popular media in the minds of the public. Arguing that those types of stereotypes are the result of the under-representation of minorities in films and television. By the end of his piece, he estates that being represented is not valid if it is in the incorrect form and that although there are no laws discriminating against Asian-Americans anymore, the media has now taken control of those actions.