Week 4 reading: If we are Asian, then are we funny?

1  In Sarah Moon Cassinelli’s document “If we are Asian, then are we funny? :Margaret Cho’s All-American Girls as the First (and Last?) Asian American Sitcom”, the author argued that how Asian American have been portrayed stereo-typically in show referring Margaret Cho’s minor “I’m the One that I Want(2001)” , her sitcom of the same title, and her television show ”All-American Girl(1994).” In these comedies, characters showed what “ethnic authenticity” is to “authentic” Asian American family whose expectation might have wrapped the real racism after watching them even though these comedies dealing with everyday subject matter for audience

2    “Mom, Dad, This is Kyle” is one of the episodes of “All-American Girl” which broadcasted on 14 September 1994, and Stuart who is Margaret’s older brother appeared in this story. He is an obedient, successful person, and works as a doctor. When this TV series was broadcast, Jonathan Friedman argued that Asian American is the group that became the model minority after the Jew did. For this reason, Stuart embodied model minority, giving viewers a stereotypical image of the traditional Asian American family even though Margaret said “Stuart’s American!”(Sarah P.139)

3   In this article, the author used “authentic” Asianness as important key terms. She said “authentic Asinanness means the audience is not given enough non-racial material to create a relationship with the characters.” (Sarah P.132) In fact, stereotypical characters and Asian American family’s image helped to attract audience. Margert Cho and executives expressed conflicts of common mother and daughter as a joke, which meant a conflict of conflict as to whether to accept or reject assimilation of culture as a consequence. Therefore, Margaret Kim was plagued by the gap between herself as a true American and as a Korean girl even though her fashion and style is like an American teenage girl.

4  　The reason why Margaret had to lose weight for television comes from the idea of ​​Orientalism rather than Assimilation. According to Edward Said and his book ”Orientalism(1978)”, Orientalism is largely formed by “ineradicable distinction between Western superiority and Oriental inferiority. ”(Said P.42) It is problematic because it’s western style for dominating restructuring and having authority over the orient. It is also pointed out that the women who are in the countries and cultures recognized as being inferior are depicted as sexually exploitable women. For example, Orientalistic viewpoints are seen in Harem, Geisha, Miss Saigon and Disney movie Pocahontas. I think the producer ignored Margaret’s intention and ordered weight loss to protect this image was obsessed with this dominative idea regardless of his realization.