In “One Step Towards Equality…”, Chau critiques movies like Crazy Rich Asians and TV shows like Fresh Off the Boat for reinforcing Asian stereotypes, but Constance Wu (or Jessica Huang), the “tiger mom” on Fresh Off the Boat states that people should celebrate how historic it is that there are movies and TV shows with all-Asian casts. Do you feel like sometimes arguments over identity and representation can be too much or overblown? In other words, are the arguments contextualized well enough and does being highly critical sometimes detract from the progress that has been made in regard to representation of different ethnic groups/races in American media? Your response should be at least four sentences long.
8 thoughts on “Blog Post #10: Is It Too Much?”
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I believe that when it comes to representation and race it’s hard. Sometimes it’s great to see progress but other times, I can’t help but cringe inside not because it’s bad. It’s hard to see a representation of Asians, Black individuals or anyone who does check off white in media because it’s often to fill a quota or recieve a check, or to avoid cultural appropriation. But, the lack of knowledge and constantly filling holes with air is not representation. Thus, people tend to hire the lightest, most problematic individuals to fill these spaces. On the other hand, some movies are filled with representation, but the representation but only because a person of color directed or made the movie or because they care for diversification. So, its 50/50 for me. It means more when representation in genuine.
I think it’s hard for any argument over identity and representation not to seem overblown at times. It’s definitely a sensitive topic that doesn’t always cater to everyone in the audience, but sometimes it does come across as riveting and that moment where you can see the writer’s point of view as valid and reasonable. Chau’s criticism towards Chinese stereotypes in American media culture is understood very clearly, where I too had to agree with some of the points made even when I didn’t want to. As we should celebrate the increasing representation of different ethnic groups in American media, the accuracy in portrayal of certain beliefs and cultural cues should also be prioritized over simply for good ratings.
When we stop criticizing media, media stops improving. I don’t think arguments about representation are too much. I think that if you consume media, you deserve to see characters like yourself in that media. “Better than it was,” does not mean good. It could be argued that media that reinforces negative views is worse than having no representation at all. The idea that we can’t criticize media for being problematic in regards to representation is really bad. It reinforces the idea that minorities should be quiet and grateful when given the bare minimum, even though they deserve much more. The less diversity we have in shows, the longer it takes for it to become normalized and the longer we have to listen to people complain about “forced diversity” and pandering. Diversity isn’t forced, the real world is actually like that. Yes, we should be glad that there seems to be progress in regards to diversity, but that doesn’t mean we should be grateful or quiet about wanting better.
I do believe that sometimes stereotypes are too overblown in the media. However, I feel that being highly critical does negate some of the progress that has been made over the last few decades. Movies like “Crazy Rich Asian” are meant for entertainment and their intention isn’t to reinforce stereotypes. They were meant for entertainment. I remember when the movie “Dragonball Evolution” came out and people complained that it didn’t have a single Asian in its cast. So I agree with Jessica Huang that people should celebrate how there are shows with full Asian Cast and in general more representation of different ethnic groups.
I don’t think most arguments over identity and representation are too much; in some cases, they’re warranted. It’s great that networks are taking strides to be more diverse as ABC did with Fresh Off the Boat. However, Chau brings up a necessary criticism when he says the show was altered to cater towards Caucasians and had a writer who didn’t share knowledge or experience of a Chinese family story. His criticism of authenticity reaches beneath the surface of what the networks show, and it’s valid because the writing needs to be authentic to truly share the story. Without this kind of criticism, it’s more or less a roadblock to diversity.
I feel that arguments about identity seeming too much or overblown depends on the person. People who are part of the same identity can believe that it is not enough, while people who do not identify the same way can believe that it is too much. There are always different sides on how to view the topic of identity. I do believe that being highly critical does take away from the progress at times. It is a good thing that we are starting to have more progress towards having an Asian cast and being highly critical may distract you from these baby steps that we are making. However, being highly critical is also good because it shows us how we can better improve going forward. Without the criticism, we would not be able improve our depiction of identity.
I think that arguments about identity can very well be overdrawn. While stereotypes and misrepresentation, like the author was talking about, is clearly an issue, it’s impossible to make the situation perfect immediately. While it would be nice if everyone could be represented equally at the snap of a finger its unrealistic. While people definitely have the right to take ownership of their identity and criticize others for objectifying it, focusing on all the negatives of what was meant to be a step-forward might be less effective than contrasting the positives with the negatives and how they could improve.
This is a loaded question for me. But what stands out to me is that all the questions about representation being true or authentic tends to overlook the real determinant of producing films or tv: PROFIT. Will the story presented make money is the ultimate question? Sadly, what makes money tends to be what is most easily digested which means catering to stereotypes. Chau claims that the show “appeal[ed] more to American values rather than to create a voice for underrepresented Asian minorities in Hollywood” which is an unfortunate reality. If creating that voice would yield ratings, producers would go that route. They do not believe it will, so such is the capitalist American way that they will not create that voice. Not saying it’s fair ethical or right, but when has that ever been the American way?