Monday, October 27, 2008
Thoughts on Today's Class (10/27)
I really enjoyed our talk today on race in movies. It's a catch twenty-two the way some movies have racially stereotypical characters. On one hand, this can amuse people of the same race who find comfort in these roles by not taking them too seriously and realizing that this is what is sometimes believed about their race. On the other hand, some roles are taken so far that they become completely offensive. Hearing the Long Duk Dong interview made me feel bad! Sixteen Candles is one of my favorite movies and he is one of my favorite characters, so to hear the way other Asians felt about his performance didn't sit right with me because I was forced to think, "What if his role was that of a Latino foreign exchange student?"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I still yhinks its ok to play on stero types in a comedy movie. It would be one thing if it was a movie with a seeius them or a drama but the thing that makes it funny is that most people are smart and know these stero types are not real. Thats what make them funny. So long as they don't cross the border and become distastful its ok. the real problem lies with diffrent people having diffrent views on where that line is.
I agree with the students above when it comes to thinking about issues of our own race. When comedies or movies speak out about racial issues its a joke but when stero types get internalized the topics takes 360 turn and becomes personal.
While I agree with some of the comments posted before me, I think that sometimes, it is easier to deal with a stereotype of one's own culture. When its one's own culture, there is an understanding and an acceptance of what is truth and what is exaggeration. However, there is almost an uncomfortable feeling present when viewing stereotypes of other cultures because people can be unsure of how to react.
i always wonder about what factors go in when a screenwriter is creating a character. there must be some truth behind the creation, either that or it's plainly fear and hatred of the unknown. what i mean is that the stereotype isnt' good but characters are based upon something though sometimes by a bigot writers most of those are in the past, nowadays they are funny and the stereotype are based upon something that even it's own culture ridicules like comedian bill hicks ranting on white trash, margaret cho on korean sexual noises, george lopez on mexicans, chris rock on well you get the point... funny and some underlying truth but the viewer does need to make the discretion that such stereotypes are not to be applied as matter of fact for all or majority - it's just entertainment.
Post a Comment