In Sylvia Shin Huey Chong’s “Orientalism,” Chong presents the idea that Asian Americans were given a faux image through mass media. The term oriental became popular as we saw more Asians being broadcasted in early television and were thus given exposure to westerners. ‘Orientals,’ or Asians seen on television were portrayed as “fictional stereotypes connoting exoticism, forgiveness, passivity, and obsolescence” (183). This fictional stereotype given to Asians at the time caused them to be viewed a certain way and stereotyped by westerners without knowing of Asian culture itself. In addition, the portrayal of passivity and exoticism on Asian ladies through mass media attracted westerners.
The grouping of east Asian ethnicities was a common practice amongst westerners during the rise of the ‘orient’ in America. This meant those of Chinese descent belonged to the same group consisting of the Japanese, Korean, and other east Asian ethnicities. “The term ‘oriental’ had the potential to confront a history of exclusion, expulsion, and discrimination by politicizing precisely those groups” (182) This quote signifies that Asians who were evidently grouped into the ‘orient’ were the minority in America and as a result dealt with discrimination that other ethnic groups who were not Asian experienced as well. The experience of “exclusion” and “expulsion” has allowed Asians to come together and confront their injustices as a minority in America. Moreover, this relates to how other ethnicities such as African Americans, who have gone through prejudices and hardships, have used their tough past to substantially grow and establish their identities in the United States.
It has also become apparent that Asians have used the idea of orientalism to their advantage. This brings up the idea of self-orientalization, where those of the ‘orient’ would embody the image portrayed of them through art and mass media and use it to their advantage. Even in modern day society we can see “Asian American subjects may even twist commodity orientalism to their advantage, marketing their goods or products as exotic in an act of self-Orientalization” (184). The abundance of Asian décor seen throughout Asian themed restaurants and stores is not uncommon and is a clever marketing tool to draw in attention from those who are not of Asian descent. Needless to say, that orientalization has allowed Asians to spread knowledge of their cultures through different goods and products. The Forbidden City film discussed the first ‘Oriental’ nightclub in San Francisco and displayed interviews from its customers and workers. It was evident in the film that what attracted Westerners at the time was how different the Asian theme was compared to the typical American nightclub. Also, the passive and cute stereotype given of Asian women through movies time drew in westerners to witness firsthand if the depiction was true. This validates the point that although “Orientalism in Asian American studies often stand as a synonym for ‘racism,’” (183) Asians used orientalism to their advantage when given the chance and even had a great impact socially by giving light of their culture to western culture.
Overall, Chong’s article gave sight as to how Asians have developed from being in the enclosed group of the ‘Orient’ and grown into their own identities as Asian Americans of different Asian ethnicities. The experience of how distant Asians were from westerners at the time due to mass media gave Asians a relatable past that can be discussed amongst different ethnicities that are not of Asian descent and how they have experienced hardships in America. With the distance from westerners also came the advantage of using oriental stereotypes to market Asian business or culture.