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Portrayl Of Asian American In Film

The Portrayal of Asian Americans in Film
Media, considered ‘the fourth branch of the government' in United States, is one of the most influential factors of producing stereotypes of different ethnicities. Within the media, there are many different types: films, news, television shows, internet, etc. One of them, films or movies have been producing many stereotypes by representing various ethnic groups in certain ways through casting. These stereotypes are often directed towards the minority groups. However, compared to other ethnic minorities, Asians have been stereotyped many more times through film, which set the expected characteristics in them.
The framing of such stereotypes through films are greatly related to the politics, especially in the foreign relations with other countries. The target of the harsh stereotypes changes based on the relationships that United State is in with the certain group of Asians. In the late 18th century to early 20th century, the negative images of Chinese were presented in films based on the discrimination developed in America towards the incoming Chinese immigrants. Then, in the mid-19th century, the villains were "the terrible Nips [Japanese]" because of World War II (Tiana 38). During the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese became the victim. In all cases, the reasons behind which were mainly intolerance, did not matter, as long as the White supremacy was kept.
Shaped by films and movies, this idea of White superiority over the Asians developed throughout history beginning with the ‘yellowfaces'. Yellowfacing was a common technique used in films where non-Asian, most likely White, actors and actresses played the Asian roles. Robert B. Ito, a writer and editor of Los Angeles Magazine, explains in his article "A Certain Slant" that these actors were required to "‘slant' their eyes, do that funny walk, and practice their embarrassingly poor ‘Oriental' accents". It began with the film called Orphan in China produced in...