America undergoes cultural revolutions every few decades. As a society, America becomes more liberal through each one. The founding of the country was based off a single liberal thought: freedom of speech. A century or so later, another monumental movement would arise: abolishing the slave trade. America is now at a stage in its development where we must stage another movement: the movement to erase racial stereotypes from our culture.
Stereotypes are bad, but the Asian culture received one of the nastiest and deeply laid generalizations. Hollywood pumps out stereotypes every single year in the movies we watch, and every year these generalizations influence a new generation. The film world has produced these images since the late nineteenth century. Although the images were initially used as political motivated propaganda, Hollywood’s images of Asians remain in circulation despite the death of its original creation. Hollywood’s production of generalizations have infiltrated our culture, and the images Hollywood produces hurts the people they are based off.
Hollywood has targeted Asians in their movies since the 1930’s, and as time progressed, Hollywood keeps adding more dirt onto the Asian American image. One of the most common stereotypes is that “Asian Americans are foreigners who cannot be assimilated” (Lee). Most Asian Americans in movies have exaggerated foreign accents and wear costumes that unconsciously give viewers a false universal view of Asian Americans. Well-known movies such as Rush Hour 2 harm Asian culture unconsciously. An example from Rush Hour 2 is when the Asian protagonist, played by Jacky Chan says “Do you understand the words that are a-coming out of my mouth?” Chris Tucker, playing James Carter, a very stereotyped black man “Don't nobody understand the words that are comin' out of your mouth.” Granted, the scene was not meant to be harmful, but it still slips viewers the message that Asian Americans are not capable of fitting into society. Another stereotype Hollywood started and enforced is the fact Asians can not be the main hero. Even in movies where the story takes place in Asia, the main protagonist, the person the audience is supposed to cheer for, is rarely Asian. “Kung fu” and “Kung fu: The Legend Continues” depicts the drastic measures Hollywood will go through to tell a Chinese story using a white actor. David Carradine, who played Bill from the Kill Bill series, acted the part of a Shoalin Monk taking a refugee in America. The character is not supposed to be Caucasian, yet when David Carradine and Bruce Lee auditioned for the Asian part, the Hollywood movie directors chose Carradine. In this case, the directors had no excuse to use a Caucasian actor over an Asian one. Bruce Lee possessed the martial arts and acting skills to play the part, yet the directors chose a Caucasian.
Another stereotype Hollywood stuffs down its audience’s throat is that all Asians can only work at an Asian jobs. “Asians and Asian Americans make their living in a wide array of professions, but too often, Asian American professionals are depicted in a limited and predictable range of jobs: restaurant workers, Korean grocers, Japanese businessmen, Indian cab drivers, TV anchorwomen, martial artists, gangsters, faith healers, laundry workers, and prostitutes.” (Lee) Having these stereotypes are bad, but not harmful until it actually starts affecting the portrayed people.
The effects the stereotypes have on Asians are strong and long lasting. They unfairly affect Asians in their careers, social life, and other aspects of their existence. The most noticeable example would be in their careers. How would stereotypes compromise Asians their jobs? It is because employers see Asians as incapable of commanding authority or leadership skills. Who wants to follow someone who has a thick accent or dresses funny? Even in jobs where Asians are plentiful in, they rarely receive leadership roles. This stereotype affects the teaching profession heavily, “…only two Asian Americans currently serve as presidents of major universities, although Asian American professors constitute a large proportion of the total faculty in American colleges and universities. Few Asian Americans hold important positions in local and federal governments. (Min 42)”
Another area whMere stereotypes affect Asian Americans is their social lives. Movies portray Asian men as emasculated and effeminized. Hollywood produces few if any movies where the male Asian protagonist is involved in a romantic relationship, yet there are a manifold of Asian antagonist who attack or attempt to violate females. This can be seen in the movie Rising Sun, where the main conflict arises when a Japanese businessman rapes and murders a Caucasian woman. Asian men are portrayed as sneaky, unfeeling, jerks, and since there are no positive images of Asian males in a relationship, the public view of Asian men in romantic situations is slandered.
Asian females face a different stereotype. Hollywood portrays them falling in love with a white protagonist immediately. The Asian American has no motivation to fall in love with the Caucasian character, but she does so. “The repetition of this conceit sends the signal that Asian women are romantically attracted to white men because they are white. It insinuates that whiteness is inherently more important than any other romantic quality and inherently more appealing than any other skin color.” (Lee) The other two stereotypes of Asian females are inherently opposites. The “China Doll” stereotype shows a submissive, “Only there to satisfy men” female, and the other is the “Dragon Lady” a crafty, backstabbing, cantankerous individual. The “China Doll” is seen in the movie Life of a Geisha. The Dragon Lady will often make an appearance in “The Year of the Dragon”.
In the recent past, a new type of Asian stereotype has cropped up. Newer movies often depict Asian Americans as the “Model Minority”. This is the stereotype that Asians are hard working, well educated, and economically successful groups of people. Despite the ostensible positive effects this image should bring Asians, there are many negative impacts. One of the main problems with the “Model Minority” is that it homogenizes Asians into one large clump. This can be seen in occupations, “Economically, a much larger proportion of Asian Americans than white Americans is at the poverty level, although proportionally more of them belong to the high income brackets.” (Min 43) The Asian community is “Extremely polarized along class lines,” (Min 43) This is not only in economics though. The class division of Asian Americans can also be seen in our school systems. “Using standardized test results as indicators, Asian American students as a group do much better than other minority students, even better than white students. Asian Americans stand well above white Americans in college enrollment. However, as Hu indicates, Asian American students have the largest proportions of both the highest and the lowest scholastic Achievement Test scores.” (Min 43)
How does having a homogenized view of Asian American affect the group? It stops the poor Asian Americans from receiving the benefits and aide they require. “Revisionist critics argue that the success image is not only invalid but also detrimental to the welfare of Asian Americans. They point out that because Asian Americans are assumed to be economically well-off, they are eliminated from affirmative action and other programs designed to help disadvantaged minorities.” (Min 40) The new image of superior Asians is misleading people into thinking all Asians are well off. Poor Asians deserve the same benefits that other poor people get.
Another adverse affect of the “Model Minority” is the social detriments it may have on Asian Americans. The “Model Minority” shows Asians aspiring to success, despite having major set backs such as cultural and verbal barriers. This image says to other minorities that if Asians can do it, why are you incapable of doing so? “Revisionist scholars also point out that the positive stereotype of Asian Americans negatively affects other minority groups as well. By emphasizing the importance of cultural traits and values in Asians’ successful adjustment, the success image in effect blames other less successful minority groups for their own failure.” (Min 43)” This will have a negative affect on all minorities. The Asian American minority had instances where, “…the success stories of Asian Americans have stimulated anti-Asian sentiment and violence on college campuses and communities during recent years” (Osajima 1988; takaki, 1989, p. 479; U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1986, 1992; Wong, 1991) The other minorities may stop receiving some of their benefits because the image of successful Asian Americans show minorities do not need help from the government.
Hollywood has harmed many through their stereotypes, yet improvements have been made in recent years. The NBC’s Hero’s stars Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura. The character is allegedly going to obtain a love interest in the 2007-2008 season. He will be one of the first Asian characters with a love interest. John Cho, an Asian American actor who played the part of Harold in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, is also breaking away from the stereotype. He must have shifted people’s view of Asians when People magazine voted him “11th sexiest man alive in 2006.” (Lee)
America is going through another step to equality, but to get there, all stereotypes must be eliminated. America’s stereotypes on Asians are written in stone and it is unlikely to change. These views were set there by Hollywood, and it will take decades for the image to erase itself. Once the stereotypes are gone, equality will settle over all people in the United States, and all people will stand economically and socially based solely on their skills. The “Model Minority” will have to be one of the first stereotypes to go because it influences all races. It gives an unfair image to Asians and all other minorities. The images of minorities are improving as more of them are being given more profound roles in our media, and because of this fact, things are looking better in America.