Here is a trailer for Fresh Off the Boat:
Fresh Off the Boat originally gained lots of attention because of the abundance of racial stereotypes, not to mention that Randall Park, who plays the father, also played Kim Jong Un in The Interview: a movie about two journalists trying to assassinate Kim Jong Un (which was extremely controversial). Although these stereotypes are generally intended to be harmless humor, many people don't realize that the show is reinforcing both positive and negative stereotypes about Asian Americans.
With a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, Fresh Off the Boat seems to be the next hilarious thing. But, I couldn't laugh at the show at all. The biggest problem for me was that I could relate to many scenes on the show. When I moved to the US at the age of six, I started attending a primarily White elementary school. Like Eddie, the main character, I remember asking my mom to buy Lunchables because that's what all the cool kids had. 1995 or 2005 or 2015, Asian American children are still stereotyped and viewed differently because of what they eat for lunch.
Not only are the Asian Americans stereotyped in Fresh Off the Boat, but the White moms are, too. Eddie's tiger mom, played by Constance Wu, is juxtaposed against the blonde hair, blue-eyed rollerblading moms that only giggle and gossip all day. And people find this funny? Making jokes about their own races?
However, there are some benefits that Fresh Off the Boat brings. I can finally turn on the TV and see people that look like me; this TV show may be one of the first steps towards a future where beauty and norms aren't always set by White standards. According to the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which measures unconscious associations of "good"/"bad" with Europeans American and African American, 80% of Whites and 40% of People of Color showed a preference for European American. When I took the test, I also showed a slight preference for European American. (You can take the 5 minute test by clicking here.)
As for updates on my project, I am still gathering publications for the literature review. It's taking longer than I thought, but I guess that's research. Thanks for being patient with my currently uneventful journey! (Please feel free to tell me about your results on the IAT or your thoughts on Fresh Off the Boat.)
Your project is so interesting! I took the test and received a moderate preference towards European people.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people get that result!
Delete"Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between African American and European American." And then I took the gender one, too, for the heck of it, and apparently I moderately associate females with family and males with career, which was disappointing to me because my mother is the main breadwinner and my dad is known as the sandwich-maker of the house. Though my mother does do a lot of things around the house and my father does sit around in his office a lot. But I digress! Your project is very cool. I was considering watching Fresh Off the Boat, but I guess we'll see if I get around to doing so or not :)
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of people that were disappointed by their results on the race IAT, too. It just shows how pervasive stereotypes are in our daily lives, whether we agree or not. Thanks!
DeleteI definitely find it difficult to remove myself from a situation to respond to it fairly. All the while some of my knee-jerk responses can be a bit disappointing. It must not be fun, to say the least, that for some people some negative opinions and words can be hidden so loosely under the surface. I guess over time it's something people learn to avoid or ignore, but that is a bit unfair that some have to deal with more crap than others. FoB seems to play off problems Asian immigrants can relate to (as you said you related to some parts) and the experience of the author, but I can see that it might not be "new" for a lot of immigrants who may have come across different, perhaps more complex problems. Idk, but one thing I've always heard is that it's really important to start a conversation, just so that people can be wrong and learn from it. And the existence of this show could be starting a spark of some conversation as well.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree with what you said! FoB is a great start to picking apart racial problems in our society!
DeleteI took the Implicit Association Test and I got "strong automatic preference for African American compared to European American." A part of me is glad for this result since I know there are some African-American who hate their own race and wish to be a part of another race, so if anything this just means that I have a really positive image of who I am and my culture. I'm somewhat confused by this result since I actually have more European American friends than African American friends, so I thought the test result would be no automatic preference. Regardless, this was very engaging! Thanks Julie!
ReplyDeleteI think your result might be explained by what I'm focusing on: the parents' roles in teaching children about race! Although friends are a strong indicator, most people are influenced more by their parents' view of race.
DeleteI feel like I went too slow on some part of the test.
ReplyDeleteThe more time you take, the less accurate the test is going to be in measuring your automatic response.
DeleteWow! Can I just say that I blown away by your insight. We here at Lutheran High School in Parker have a lot of foreign exchange students that attend. And I can see where you are coming from. They get picked on because of what they eat, what they dressed like, and how they act. But yet they are some of the most incredibly talented people I know. Your project seems to be getting on the right track and you sure do seem to have a passion for this subject, and I think it will drive your research even more!
ReplyDeleteTanner,
Luther High School, Parker CO.
Thank you, Tanner! I'm glad you enjoyed my post!
DeleteYour project raises a really good point. My name is Cayley and I go to Lutheran High School in Parker, Colorado. I see people being stero-typed very often but it almost seems like a normality in America now. I think that the research you are doing is very interesting, and I give you credit because you have lived through the experiences. Do you think stereo-typing can be stopped in America?
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading my blog, Cayley! I think that racial stereotyping in America cannot be completely eradicated. As long as differences in physical appearance exist, judgments based on those differences will also exist. I do believe, however, that America can gradually become less focused on racial stereotypes.
DeleteI've watched Fresh Off the Boat and I have super strong feelings about it (although mixed) so here goes:
ReplyDelete1) On not being able to laugh at the show because you can relate to it: you actually hit on exactly what enables me to laugh at the show. In most comedy with Asian-Americans as the subjects, we're seeing everything through a white lens. You're laughing at the characters and stereotypes from the white perspective. But in FOB those jokes are flipped--they're from the Asian American perspective. We're the ones who get the Lunchables joke because we're the ones who know that experience best. And when most TV makes us the outsiders, this show makes white people the outsiders, and having that new perspective is super important for both Asian and white viewers.
(Same goes for the scene where Eddie has to do extra math as his neighbors play with a stick outside. That scene could have been filmed straight out of my childhood, and that made me laugh. I never thought I'd see something that reminded me of my own childhood on television.)
2) On the stereotyping: I don't think the rollerblading white moms were super destructive because that joke was just supposed to emphasize Jessica's inability to fit in with their community, but I also don't think the show is as radical as it could be when it comes to changing the game with how we depict race on television. The author of that memoir has complained about it, but tbh this has to be a sanitized ABC family show, and the reality of his life is not something that would make for sugary family viewing.
Overall, I think Fresh Off the Boat is a good show, and funny, and a step in the right direction. Do I think it's the end goal? Nah.
Also, my test result... Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for African American compared to European American... yikes I didn't want to be prejudiced. I also moderately associate females with career and male with family, which doesn't make sense to me because both my parents work a ton but my dad is the primary breadwinner and my mom spends more time with me and my brother. Maybe it's out of associating myself more with my career than with getting married or raising a family?
DeleteHi My name is Nathan Holdridge and I go to lutheran High School this is interesting work. It is interesting that most people show a preference for European Americans even without knowing it. When it comes to fitting in as a new immigrant how do believe that kids will to learn to be more accepting of different cultures? For example you mentioned that Asian kids are stereotyped for what they eat at lunch how will kids become more accepting of what everyone eats at lunch? Also do you thin fresh off the boat is overall a step forward or backward for racial stereotypes?
ReplyDelete