This documentary discusses the history of Asian roles in
Hollywood and the stereotypes that emerged. In particular it focuses on male
leading roles and the significant lack in American mainstream media. Although
the documentary points out many aspects in which Hollywood has wronged the
Asian male image, it also recognizes that steps have been made to correct it
and hope is on the horizon. I feel this is the perfect historical backdrop I
have been looking for in my research. Knowing what has come before will help me
make sense of the current issues.
Levi, Antonia. The Sweet Smell Of Japan: Anime, Manga, And
Japan In North America. Journal Of Asian Pacific Communication (John
Benjamins Publishing Co.) 23.1 (2013): 3-18. Communication & Mass
Media Complete. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
In this article the author takes a deep look at anime and manga
as it has become more popular in the United States. He writes about his initial
confusion as to why these so-called manga fans had little to no interest in
Japanese language or culture after becoming obsessed with the shows. He talks
about the “odorless” media in America, or media that has been so Americanized
that it has lost its national identity. I feel this adds to many of the other
pieces I have found. I am interested in seeing how this type of media furthers
or battles against modern stereotypes. I feel manga and anime are Japan’s
strongest influences in America today. What messages are those genres sending?
Donovan, Barna
William. The Asian Influence on Hollywood Action Films. Jefferson,
NC: McFarland &, 2008. Print.
With
Bruce Lee as an obvious center, this book takes a look at the influence of
Asian action films in America. Not only in style and form, but the use of
special effects and powerful fight sequences. I am particularly interested in
this because I want to not only see the negative side of things, but also the
ways Asian culture has been successful in America.
Ogawa, Dennis. From
Jap to Japanese: The Evolution of Japanese-American Stereotypes. N.p.:
Mccutchan Pub, 1971. Print.
This
book shows the positive outcome of the stereotypes that came to existence
during the WWII era. It uses major historical events in America, such as the
war encampments, to illustrate how certain stereotypes came to be and then how
they eventually faded away into acceptance. I am interested in this evolution
and what role the media might play in that evolution.
Sue, Derald Wing. Overcoming
Our Racism: The Journey to Liberation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003.
Print.
This
book is not targeted specifically at the Japanese (or Asian) and American
connection, but in racism in general. It is a guide to help people realize the
stereotypes they are inadvertently perpetuating. I think it will be important
for me to gather information that will help me formulate my own ideas in
remedying the racial problems I am exploring.
Wilson, Clint C., Félix
Gutiérrez, Lena M. Chao, and Clint C. Wilson. Racism, Sexism, and the
Media: The Rise of Class Communication in Multicultural America. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003. Print.
Many
people wonder just how much the media affects our opinions of other minorities.
This book attempts to address that points and also talks about the origins of
stereotypes in the media. I am very interested in how the mass media plays a
role in racism in America, especially the portrayal of minorities in the news.
These topics are discussed in this book.
Rothenberg, Paula S. Racism and Sexism: An Integrated Study. New York: St Martin's, 1988. Print.
This book attempts to give the reader a deeper understanding of
racism by providing them with many examples from different classes of society.
As the title suggests, it aims to show the many different forms of racism and
sexism prevalent in our society. I am particularly interested in the chapter
"Stereotypes: Conceptual and Normative Considerations" which will shed
some light on the different ways stereotypes find their way into society.
Thomas Nakayama,
"'Model Minority' and the Media: Discourse on Asian America" Journal
of Communication Inquiry 1988 12:65. http://jci.sagepub.com/content/12/1/65.full.pdf
I am very interested in the points of this article because it
focuses not on the Japanese Americans, but on the mainstream American
perspective of other minorities. At the heart of this discussion is the idea of
“model minorities.” I want to look more into how these portrayals of model
minorities many appear like fair treatment at first glance, but in actuality
are solidifying the stereotypes they have been placed in.
Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New
York: Vintage, 1979. Print.This interesting book introduces the topic of “Orientalism.” From what I understand, this concept is basically the superiority complex that some super power countries have talking about the “Orient.” The book gives historical background to this way of thinking and talks about the danger of using “orientalism” as a way of dominating another people. This domination takes place not in battle, but in texts and scholarly works and in schools where they are taught. I am interested in seeing this type of scholarly media’s role in our Western way of thinking.
INTRODUCTION
As I read and watched the above research material I found quickly a growing interest in stereotypes and the role media has and now plays in either perpetuating or creating those views in the minds of those that are participating in that media. At first I felt that the word “media” was referring mostly to the film industry, but upon further research I realized that “media” reaches out to printed material, music, and even scholarly text books, as discussed in Orientalsim.
I
thought about who I should focus on, and the possibility of covering modern
racism in general, but the more I thought about it the vaguer the idea became.
Thus in order to keep the ideas closer to my own experience and knowledge I
have decided to focus on the Japanese-American racial issue, but I strongly
feel that the ideas I uncover will easily translate over to other minorities. Model Minority seems to carry that same
message, that is, our treatment of one minority in the media is often reflected
in many other minority groups.
Perhaps
one of the most guiding resources I found was the documentary, The Slanted Screen. It was exactly what
I was looking for. There were so many examples of unfair treatment of Asian
Hollywood actors throughout the years that I could almost feel the progression
of the stereotypes as I watched. Just as I had suspected prior to researching
the topic, the unfair portrayal of Asians in film has gone from straight out
mean to a much more subtle form of demeaning. One of the many arguments made in
the documentary is that there is a substantial lack of Asians in mainstream
media and that the few that do make it on the screen end up falling into
stereotypical roles. I want to further explore more recent examples of Asians
in American films and see how the treatment has changed in the last couple
years. I have a feel that much improvement has taken place, yet there is much
we can do to create more honest character portrayals.
After taking an
introductory look at my research I feel that the general direction I would like
to take is to find the most popular evidences of Japanese culture in mainstream
American culture and find out if the media is having a good effect on modern
racial stereotypes (or if it has any effect at all.) I know there is much less
out-right racial abrasiveness in the media as compared to politically rough times
before, but have we completely overcome all racial discriminations? I think the
better question to ask is will we ever overcome them? I hope to uncover the
source of modern racism in mainstream media, not so I can show it to the world
and slap their hand, but in order to ready myself to be a creator of honest and
fair portrayals of minorities in the future. 
No comments:
Post a Comment