Screening Circle Assignment

Every time I’ve seen Asian American representation in media, it’s always been as a sort of side character rather than the main character. I think of characters like Lane Kim from “Gilmore Girls” or Mike Chang and Tina Cohen-Chang from “Glee”. They were both side characters to the white main characters, even though they had just as much potential and were more interesting than the main characters.

There are two instances when I’ve seen Asian Americans as the main characters. This is in the movies “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Mulan”. For me, it was easy to think of Asian American characters but I also watch a lot of TV and movies.

The biggest difference in Fumi Abe’s portrayal of Asian identity and culture is that he is a comedian who doesn’t constantly talk about his parents’ disapproval of his career. He did say one joke about his parent’s reaction to his decision to become a comedian, but the topic didn’t take over his whole set. Usually with Asian American characters in media, a big part of their personalities is their parent’s approval. This is especially prominent in the characters who want to pursue a career in the arts. 

I think the biggest thing would be to have more coverage of Asian American stories. During the time when “Crazy Rich Asians” came out, there was so much coverage of Asian Americans. As journalists, we need to report on them and their stories all the time in order for them to be properly represented in today’s society.

This can also help with breaking out of the stereotypes that society has perpetrated on Asian Americans for years. By covering them more on all fronts of the media, these stereotypes can be dwindled down. Which can lead to a more present-day representation of Asian Americans.