Random thoughts: Ted Fang and Tyra Banks

by Carmen Van Kerckhove

• Is it just me or does Ted Fang, editor-at-large of AsianWeek, look like a villain out of some crappy 80s movie like Big Trouble in Little China? Peep a pic here. We should start an Asian Hall of Shame. Just off the top of my head, contenders include Fang, Kenneth Eng, Gedde Watanabe, Bai Ling… who else?

• I’ve developed a (probably justified) reputation as a Tyra-hater , but I have to give the show some props for their race episode last week, titled “Focus on Race: Are Celebrities Immune?” It was actually pretty good. They had Margaret Cho on to talk about Asian stereotypes, and Irene Bedard on to talk about Native American stereotypes. I was disappointed in Cho’s reluctance to acknowledge the fact that her imitations of her mom may actually perpetuate stereotypes, and I found it interesting that Bedard criticized the Indian princess stereotype even though she voiced Disney’s Pocahontas. But I guess we all gotta eat. And as problematic as some of Tyra’s race-focused episodes have been, she’s still lightyears ahead of Oprah. Just have a look at our old posts about Oprah’s interracial relationships show and her race-swapping show. And let’s not forget how much Oprah gushed over the god-awful Crash.