The cast of “Fresh Off the Boat”. (ABC TV)
For many Asian Americans, a new television show featuring a Chinese-American family is a breakthrough moment they’ve waited decades for.
“This is really the first that people are seeing an Asian-American family from the inside out,” said Joz Wang, editor in chief of 8Asians.com. “In many ways, this certainly is the first chance for mainstream American audiences to see what it’s like, not just for an Asian-American family and how they try to navigate a new life in Orlando, but also you know, this is a story that I think translates well to immigrant families, what it’s like for anybody who’s moved some place where they don’t know the language and the culture.”
Fresh Off the Boat offers the kind of three-dimensional characters that Wang wishes had been around when she was growing up.
“I would not see myself, literally see someone who looks like me, unless it was imported television,” Wang said. “I felt very marginalized and almost dismissed as a part of the American landscape.”
Even today, fewer than five out of every 100 characters portrayed in popular Hollywood films are Asian American. That state of invisibility in U.S. popular culture can send a distressing subliminal message to young people.
“When young Asian American children don’t see themselves, it really sends the message that they are not part of this society,” said Eliza Noh, an Asian-American studies professor at California State University, Fullerton. “It tells them that they are unimportant…that they don’t matter.”
Dr. Fu Manchi was one of Hollywood’s earliest and most enduring villains. (Columbia Pictures)
For the most part, the few Asian actors who appear on screen are either playing roles that weren’t necessarily written for Asian Americans–thus leaving their Asian-American identity and experience unexplored–or they’re caricatures.
“They’re usually portrayed in an extremely stereotypical fashion, if they’re portrayed at all,” said Noh. “They’re either bad guys, gangsters or they’re nerds so, for the most part, they’re invisible.”
In the United States, Asian Americans are often referred to as the “model minority”. They’re seen as affluent, successful, and hardworking, which fosters the impression that Asian Americans don’t require public assistance. However, the community is diverse and that perception can be damaging to those who live below the poverty line and need both socio-economical and educational help.
“One of the things that the model minority myth does, is it pits one minority against another, or multiple minorities against the other,” Wang said. “What people forget is that we often have shared experiences as immigrants, we have shared experiences as minorities and in a lot of ways we have more in common than are different between us and so this kind of stereotype is kind of dangerous.”
Fresh Off the Boat has the potential to show America’s immigrant communities how much they have in common. The first few episodes of the comedy program have drawn healthy audiences and ABC-TV, the American network that airs the show, has just approved the development of another program, Dr. Ken, featuring an Asian American in the main role.
It’s a step toward inclusiveness that Noh believes is good not just for Asian Americans, but for the broader community as well.
“If we can work together instead of treating certain segments of the population as if they’re foreigners, that’s a huge part of society that you’re not cooperating with,” Noh said. “Any functional society, if you want to reduce conflict, you have to have cooperation and acceptance.”
the rise and prosperous of Chinese is good for the country. it help the country to keep alive
Asians are all ready popular…..Dramafever.com has 18 million subscribers..The vast majority are non Asians…Korean and Taiwanese dramas are all the rage…We listen to Kpop, Jrock and eat Chinese food….I think this country’s non Asians are really ready to embrace these cultures…BUTTTTTT I, who only watch Asian shows and only listen to Asian music, have been treated very badly by Asians in my community who refuse to let down the barrier. From the nail lady who acts like she doesn’t speak English to the waitress who purposely serves me last and refuses to speak Korean with me…I am sad but I know they have probably suffered and have become leery…. but I’m like a wet leaf who can’t be easily swept away….I will break through and befriend them…
What a great attitude, Patricia Hayden! Not returning ill will for ill will is the only way to overcome. Go the extra mile to win those people to friendship! ☺
Remember, African Americans were and still are maligned in this country, though strides have been made to rectify the past. America has a great deal of work to do before everyone accepts differences in other Americans.
One Common thing I find among all Chinese (citizens and non): to them non-Chinese are all foreigners even though they are the foreigners in this country!
Not to be pedantic but you mention “fewer than five out of every 100 characters portrayed in popular Hollywood films are Asian American.” (4.4% from your source) isn’t that roughly representative of the Asian-American population of America (5.3% according to the last census data)?
Well, its worse for African immigrants in America. This successes of this ethnic minority are comparable with Asian immigrants but the Africans don’t get recognized at all.