Selina Wang Week 10 Reading Response

1.    What issue is Chau addressing, and what is his claim? Try phrasing this (1-2 sentences) three different ways.

How are Asians underrepresented in society?

Even when Asians are given the opportunity to be cast as protagonists in movies, racism is still shown through the racist jokes within the movies.

The stereotypes of Asians shown on media have caused inaccurate perceptions of Asian minority groups.

2.     Why is this a controversial issue? 2-3 sentences.

This is a controversial issue because even Asian producers are capitalizing on stereotypes of their own for profit. This can lead to a misunderstanding of Asian culture.

3.     Which arguments of Chau’s do you feel are strongest or most persuasive? 3-4 sentences.

Chau’s persuasive claim that producers capitalize Chinese stereotypes to increase viewership and use non-Asian characters to play Asian roles is compelling. I’ve watched Crazy Rich Asians and it was one of the closest depictions of Asian culture in Hollywood. The movie portrays Nick Young’s family as people who only care about their image and wealth. The idea that this movie gives off creates a misunderstanding of Chinese culture and adding on to a stereotype.

4.     What is the best argument you can imagine for the other side? 3-4 sentences.

It’s true that this film disregards the belief of how Asian identity is more than how we look by portraying the family of Nick Young. However, this depiction allows for growth and understanding of the Asian culture because, at the end of the movie, Eleanor accepts Rachel for who she is. People like Nick Young’s family exist. I know this because I know of Asians who only care about their wealth and image. Asians who live off of “old wealth” by their parents exist, and I think that they actually show a great development using this example.

5.     What gaps did you discover in your knowledge as you read this article and answered these questions? 2-3 sentences.

Part of why most people have misunderstandings of the Asian community and their culture is because of the inaccurate images that are portrayed of Asians over media. Even Asian producers don’t even try to speak their voice in trying to clear the misunderstanding because they know that this would gear towards the public interest and generate capital for the movie.