The Stereotypes Of Asian Americans In The Media

Improved Essays
A stereotype is commonly referred to as an exaggerated generalization of a group. This generalization ultimately depicts the group/culture in a negative manner. Stereotypes are present in every sector of society, especially within the media. Stereotypes can be influenced by one’s opinion of a certain group and how their actions are perceived by a member of another group. Stereotypes are often negative; yet, the media discreetly implements them into movies and television shows. These stereotypical images are present in the media and can often go unnoticed. For instance, how would one perceive an Asian American in the media? The roles assigned to Asian Americans are typically of an intelligent; yet, “nerdy” individual. This depiction may seem …show more content…
Asian Americans are portrayed as “good at everything” except for their driving skills. An exemplification of this in the media can be viewed in the television show Family Guy in which an Asian woman is depicted driving in traffic, making swift lane changes and causing numerous traffic violations. Though this generalization can be true to some extent, it stigmatizes the entire group as bad drivers because of the traits assigned to this particular individual. Schaefer (2015), addresses that stereotypes often arise from one’s willingness to assign certain traits to a group which is then applied to individuals of that specific group. In addition, Asians obtain minor roles which don’t give them the platform to obtain a significant and meaningful role that sheds a new, positive light on their culture. Ultimately, Asian Americans are underrepresented in the media, along with other ethnic …show more content…
African Americans are often stereotyped negatively in the media. They obtain a substantial amount of roles, tough the most prominent one is their depiction as lawbreakers. Contemporary movies such as “Straight outta Compton” stereotype this particular group as defiant and gangster-like. The characters in this film display defiant behavior against law enforcement and members of their own group. Acts of violence are commonly displayed throughout this production, suggesting that this group acquires such violent attributes. Though, they attempt to stray away from these traits by forming a music group. African Americans in the media often play the role of a rapper or hip-hop mogul. They are most frequently associated with the role of an aspiring music artist and or producer. This classification can be defined as positive; however, there is still a stigma attached to it because of the lyrics composed by certain members of this group. Common topics that are utilized and talked about in rap songs include sex, money and drugs. Contemporary rap music obtains a significant amount of profanity and accentuates certain terms and phrases that may seem too bold for other racial and ethnic groups. Contemporary rap music in the media suggests that some African Americans are poverty stricken with no future ahead of them except for acquiring an abundance of money by selling and or distributing

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Asian American Media

    • 1279 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Asian Americans and the Media by Kent A. Ono and Vincent N. Pham targets the topic of Asian American representations and their presence in media. The book provides a critical analysis of Asian American studies, film studies, communication arts and sciences for an overview of Asian American representations in broad media. Broad media consists of film, television, radio, music, the Internet and the like. The book attempts to understand constraints as a result of historical and contemporary dominant representations. Examples of Asian American representations are addressed in the book with a theoretical approach to make palpable the broad historical and contemporary field of representations in which the group finds themselves.…

    • 1279 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Today’s society has placed plenty of stereotypes upon Asian Americans. Labeling them as the model minority, assuming that all Asian Americans are intelligent by nature, seems to be the most common (Szu 2003). These stereotypes have been negatively affecting the growing population of Asian Americans in the school systems, as they are leading to teacher bias. Bias in the classroom can cause teachers to view all their Asian American students as intelligent and assume they are receiving academic support at home although most are not, this is highly affecting those who struggle academically. As a result, many Asian Americans, such as Hmong students are not reaching their full potential in the classroom nor are they given an equal opportunity (Doan…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    But where are the Asian Americans in television? We don’t often see them as a lead of a TV show, nor as a part of the main cast. Not only are they under-represented, but also given stereotypical roles especially in sitcoms. But how far can mockery go to portray Asian Americans as part of TV sitcoms? Even though it is only for entertainment, it has a negative influence on the cultural and social development…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This places a stereotype on all Asians as violent. Essentially, there are not many accurate representations of Asian Americans in the media at all. He states that throughout the reading he will highlight two different stereotypes that are used in the media to portray Asian Americans. Nakayama will be using this in the relation to the structuring of Asian Americans in American society.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As an Asian immigrant growing up in the United States I found it hard to live up to the standards that the American society imposes on the Asian American community. The notion of a “model minority” has been thrown around our culture since the day it was coined in 1966 sparking a prejudice that colored the Asian American people in a specific light—one that can be argued to be bad and, at the same time, good for the community. (Linshi) We were seen as this group of people that were successful economically but also as as a group people deemed to have been push-overs. We were labeled as the community that were able to navigate through economic hardship by being quiet and submissive.…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Another stereotype comes into my mind of being an Asian-American is that all Asians are over-achievers and live to please others. In the movie, The Internship, there is a character name Yo-Yo Santos who is an Asian-American teenager that always shows off his intellectual skills. While the others non-Asian characters who in the movies being portray as vibrant, funny and outgoing; Yo-Yo Santos seems to be very underdeveloped and does not have much of a personality. People often think that Asian-Americans generally do not have sociable personalities, but they are mistaken our politeness as a one dimensional traits.…

    • 201 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Depictions Of African Americans In Films Films and television shows have been portraying African-Americans in unfavorable comparisons compared to their Caucasian counterparts. These depictions reinforce stereotypes associated with the African-Americans. Studies show that these television portrayals influence the attitude of people towards one another. The first stereotype is thuggery. Most of the black male actors are characterized as con-artists, drug dealers, pimps, and other forms of criminals in films and television shows.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Asian American Stereotypes

    • 1499 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The scholarly research articles from Hobart, Huike, Byars, and Scharrer compare and constructed old Asian American media to that of the present and how some Asian stereotypes are still very much present. The articles stress the importance of how Asian Americans are still very much generally underrepresented in the media of the United States and this lack of representation is worrisome because it limits roles for Asian Americans to stereotypical ones. “By only propagating certain roles to Asian Americans this leads to false beliefs among the society and continues the cycle of misunderstanding and pigeonholing”(Hobart, 2015). Hobart and Huike articles entail how modern shows like Fresh off the Boat does a great job in subverting Asian stereotypes…

    • 1499 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    So in American society they are more likely to get jobs because of that stereotype. And because they can pass for white. But those stereotypes are their reality. They have to take the Citizenship test, and that test is hard I can’t even pass it. U.S citizen they have to be “smart” to compete in majority.…

    • 121 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    One of the strategies that will help fight stereotypes, which had helped me, is to get to know these individuals from a targeted social group. Once I started to talk to May, I realized I was wrong of what I thought about Asian Americans. May told me that she wasn’t born with the magical gift of mathematical skills, but she always studied so she can increase her learning habits. May also told me that her parents were nice, and always supported her, even if she had a low grade. Looking back, I was no good as those who bullied May, because I didn’t stop them from harassing her.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Much through my youth, I was often reluctant to express my Vietnamese culture and background, sometimes to the point of denial. Regardless of adolescent desires to fit in with everyone, I chose to reject my ethnicity because of the stereotypical baggage which inevitably follows, especially prevalent amongst a crowd of uncensored children who have a poor grasp on social boundaries. I didn’t want to be involuntarily defined as a squinty-eyed, shy mathematician with broken English. I desired to be defined according to who I was rather than the societal views of my race. Asian American stereotypes are showing to be detrimental in contemporary society.…

    • 2063 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    I believe that media platforms such as YouTube and Vines are really one way to help people change their perceptions about Asian Americans celebrities. Asian American filmmakers have more freedom on what videos they are going to produce. By using these media platforms, these filmmakers can get away from the stereotypical roles that the popular culture has placed on them. However, I believe that these media platforms will help, but cannot fully change the stereotypical roles that have been given to Asian Americans. Even thoug Asian american celebrities try their best to stay away from the stereotypical roles on their videos, other viewers cannot avoid their stereotypical remarks.…

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While Kubo in the Two Strings attempts to enrapture young Americans with the beauty and glory of an animated East-Asian-centric hero’s tale, thus improving both the looking-glass self prescribed by the outward world onto Asian Americans, as well as the presentation of self by Asian Americans onto themselves, the film in actuality perpetuates harmful stereotypes, contaminating the inward and outward perception of Asian Americans in a way identical to those linked with lower self-confidence in other marginalized groups. Furthermore, the intended audience of families with young children only adds to the detrimental effect of such perpetuation by directing these destructive perceptions to the minds of developing parents and young children, under…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The United States has a history of being known as a melting pot filled with multiple cultures in our society. Because of the racial and ethnic diversity prevalent in the country and since race has been a sensitive topic in light of our current political climate, companies are beginning to learn that their advertising has to become more inclusive to attract their audience. Although advertisements attempt to provide a sense of inclusivity, these ads can be more prone to unintentionally produce stereotypes that provide negative connotations towards race. After an analysis of Pepsi’s most recent advertisement campaign, it is evident that while trying to promote peace and diversity, Pepsi has also unintentionally exploited racial stereotypes and…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to Huh 2016, East Asian communities have long been battling with ‘model minority’ perception, which can be explained as a minority group considered achieving a higher degree of socioeconomic success than the population average. East Asians are known for ‘tenacious work and family values’, which are positive but they restrain the ability of each unique East Asian to be perceived as an individual. Therefore, each member of the East Asian community is trademarked with the image of the whole group that he/she belongs to rather than who he/she really is. This problem leads to the fact that Asians are misrepresented in the media through inaccurate and stereotype lens (Huh 2016). Therefore, this research aims to discover how to undermine…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays