Not in the Media

By Linda Huynh

Sure everyone knows Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu for their roles in action movies, but why is it that the media does not reflect the make-up of Asian Americans in the nation?

According to the 2000 US Census, Asian Americans make up 4.2% of the population. Although that is a small number, most people can only count the number ofAsian American actors and actresses on their hands. When it comes to popular music, such as songs played on the radio, there seems to be no Asian American artists at all.

While Asian Americans are lacking number in the entertainment industry, it can be argued that we are making progress. In the hit show "Glee," viewers consistently see Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang) and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike Chang). Additionally, the series "Nikita" premiering this fall stars Maggie Q, an actress with Vietnamese background.

From the viewpoint of the producer and casting director, there exists a dilemma. How can they create an Asian character with a distinct identity without making the person seem too stereotypical? When there has not been many Asian Americans in the entertainment industry, it is tricky for the filmmakers to gauge how we would perceive an Asian American character. Thus, it is easier to just avoid the topic altogether and give a non-Asian American a leading role, completely disregard the Asian American identity, or simply exaggerate it. The result is a lot of humor, such as in Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour"'s, or Brenda Song's "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," as popular with younger audiences. Even if a character turns out to be culturally sensitive, there is no guarantee that there won't be viewers who are not satisfied with any depiction of Asian Americans.

As if the double-edged sword for filmmakers weren't enough, there is also not enough Asian Americans entering the entertainment industry. While the "model minority" may be a myth, there are still many Asian American youths out there whose parents pressure them to enter the professional fields. Being a singer or an actor may not only be less "respectable" to them but also less stable. Whereas one's acting career may last only a few years, a professional doctor's may be an entire lifetime.

Being a daughter to parents who have similar views, I have not given much thought about entering the media field. But while many of my friends are in similar situations as me, each year I seem to meet more and more Asian youths entering a broad range of studies, one of which includes film. Even though I will never be one of them, it still makes me excited to hear that Asian Americans are increasingly entering the entertainment business. I get even more excited when I see an Asian American appear on a popular show or movie. If it is a comedy, I usually just laugh along with the crowd, but if the Asian American character is being made fun of for whichever stereotype, I am more likely to feel bitter and outraged. Although I understand that someone with an Asian American identity is not likely to play the main character anytime soon, I am hoping that someday America will be more comfortable with Asian culture, and if it takes a popular Asian American film to do the trick, then so be it.

So, despite the progress that Asian Americans have made in the past few decades in the entertainment industry, there still exists some barriers that prevent us from taking the limelight. Whether these issues are just a phase or will always prolong is a question we must keep considering.