Racism Goes Up in the Air
by Latoya Peterson
I was peacefully watching Mad Men when this madness peeked into my commercial break. At 00:59:
“Bingo. Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and have a thing for slip on shoes, god love ‘em.”
“That’s racist!”
“I’m like my mother. I stereotype – it’s faster.”
Cue eye roll at blatant “he’s so cool and un-PC” ploy.
Bonus points for making a “post racial” joke when there are no other people of color in the trailer. Not even as background extras.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Melle wrote:
To be honest, I feel like people always make snide or racist statements about Asian people and they do not expect them to say anything. This happens all the time at my university. My professor once made a joke about how this Asian girl had a “Jewish” name but she didn’t look Jewish. Then he said, “Oh, you could never be Jewish.” She just awkwardly laughed and I felt terrible for her because she was biracial and probably also Jewish.
(
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 10:15 am ¶
Tara K. wrote:
I groaned at that point in the commercial, instantly knowing that their target audience with that line was white men over age 40 who had felt so censored and victimized by all this “whiny” PC stuff. (In other words, my dad.)
And of course, it’s a silly woman being told to loosen up (”C’mon, enjoy your privilege! As white, I mean, because you are still a woman”) by a aloof older man.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 10:16 am ¶
macon d wrote:
Ugh.
Lost in Translation II?
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 10:25 am ¶
dersk wrote:
It seems to me that it was trying to make the character unsympathetic – he’d just insulted old people as a class, and the theme of the movie seems to be his development from someone who’s disconnected from humanity, etc., to presumably a nice PG-13 guy who’ll never fire anyone again.
In other words, they were making the character mildly racist, not necessarily the movie. It’s just a bit of a challenge to make George Clooney unlikable.
That said, the movie does look like standard romcom tripe.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 10:54 am ¶
Restructure! wrote:
“Post-racialism” after Obama was elected looks exactly the same as “color blindness” before Obama was elected. Same sh’t, different year.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:11 am ¶
Eva wrote:
I think the trailer was trying to show that the George Clooney character was a jerk, which is why he said that about Asians and old people. By the end of the movie, he’ll be a nice guy because he’ll meet the “Right Woman” or some nonsense like that. I didn’t feel the ad was trying to show him as being “cool” at all.
I didn’t see the ad, I watched MM this morning (great episode BTW!) and zipped through the commercials.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:13 am ¶
BSK wrote:
I think dersk may be on to something. Out of context, I think the interpretation here is legitimate. But given how the character is apparently being developed, I have to agree that dersk’s take may be more accurate. We won’t know until we see the movie, and that does not necessarily the use of such an inflammatory scene to support character development, but it may have been motivated/intended for something other than racist nonsense. Maybe, maybe not, but I don’t think it’s so cut and dry when we only have the trailer to go on.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:16 am ¶
blaqbird wrote:
Funny because most of this film was shot in St. Louis…obviously a diverse city. And parts of it were shot in my hometown of Omaha, and I applied to be an extra…and didn’t get chosen. I know another black girl was chosen so maybe she’ll end up in the final cut.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:18 am ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:
Ah, yes. The racist protagonist whose racism is just another one of their quirks! The quirk that usually remains even after he/she gets over the fear of commitment or problem with intimacy that the movie is “about” and becomes A Better Man/Woman. Because racism is just part of their “Oh, YOU!” devilish charm.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:19 am ¶
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist wrote:
Do you guys think that racism against Asians is still considered acceptable these days?
You know, since we Asians are considered “the model minority” and all, that we couldn’t POSSIBLY be victims of racism…
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:39 am ¶
atlasien wrote:
I’m honestly not that insulted by the line. I agree it’s more to try and make Georgia Clooney look unlikeable.
But I am insulted by the very existence of this movie. Business-class ticket melodrama, powerful white guy feels looooooonely… this is the first image that springs to my mind.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:40 am ¶
Mia wrote:
Didn’t this movie come out already under the title ‘In Good Company’?
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:42 am ¶
vcious wrote:
I agree – and hope – the point was to make him a jerk. In a lot of movies the douchebaggery of some white dude is celebrated (don’t need to list titles, trust people know this genre by now) but in here it seems like he’s kind of a guy who sure appears cool but is a) a jerk and b) a sad sack with essentially nothing in his life because he just wants to be efficient and good at his job etc.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:50 am ¶
yolanda wrote:
@blaqbird: stl is diverse indeed, but “diverse” doesn’t mean equal or unsegregated–i’d know, as i live there.. much like college campuses
@a.d. nix: ugh, right? idg all the excuses for it…so he’s going to fall in love and become “nice”? what’s so hard about giving him another “quirk” or “eccentricity” that isn’t racism? since when did racism become a quirk? ugh.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 12:20 pm ¶
dersk wrote:
I think it may have been based on a true story – at any rate, I do have colleagues who are inexplicably proud of their frequent flier balances and obsess about getting more. Well, here’s some things I assume you’ll see in the movie:
- Metaphor comparing all the time he spends cocooned in business class and airline lounges and his separation from the common man
- A cathartic firing where he lays someone off but Just. Can’t. Do. It. because finally his dormant sense of empathy has awakened.
- Given the clip, a scene where he has to confront his old person / Asian person prejudices – while firing one.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 12:28 pm ¶
dersk wrote:
@DIMA: I thought it was just East Asians who were the model minority? It sure can be difficult to keep track of all the stereotypes…
It took me several years to figure out that the English include South Asians under the rubric ‘black’, for example.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 12:30 pm ¶
Sam wrote:
@atlasien: Honestly, though, I’ll take powerful white man feels looonely, is disliked, needs meaningful relationship to be happy over powerful competent woman (white or any other race) who is alone is bitch, needs man to be liked.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 12:59 pm ¶
prvlgd cdn wrote:
FWIT, it’s fair game to critique marketers who assemble trailers if they throw in a laugh-line that’s out-of-context racist.
Doesn’t reflect on the filmmakers, necessarily, but still fair to critique the trailer as a stand-alone in its own context.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 1:02 pm ¶
sweeterjuice wrote:
dersk and Eva have the right of it. The whole point of that line, in the context of the trailer and presumably the film, is to show the character’s a jerk.
Coincidentally, I had just seen the long-form version of this trailer online an hour or so before Mad Men came on. Later in the trailer, a character tells Clooney’s character that he’s constructed his whole life so that he never really had to have real relationships with anyone. I think that’s part of the reason for that line–he has no relationships with Asians, so he stereotypes.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 1:03 pm ¶
BSK wrote:
prvgld-
Absolutely. It doesn’t excuse the line, and it was irresponsible to include it in such a way. If we want to be honest, though, and not fall into the same trap of stereotyping as we are criticizing this character for, we ought reserve final judgment until we have more information.
Also, cosign with those bothered by the use of racism as a “quirk”. A troublesome personality quirk is picking your nose. Being racist is a major flaw in your being. To reduce the latter to be more like the former, the impression is given that it A) is not a major issue and B) is not representative of the individual in question. The idea that his racism will be solved by him falling in love with some white woman is also a tad ridiculous. A FAIL on the filmmakers part, but not an inherently racist one.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 2:34 pm ¶
Seattle Slim wrote:
The whole darned trailer gave me the sour face. I was chagrined at the lack of POCs. I would just love to see a film of this caliber with POCs at the helm and not at the side as freak shows.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 3:10 pm ¶
dan wrote:
Asians aren’t exactly the face of victims of racial oppression to the general American public, so a joke about them doesn’t have that much of an impact than with other groups. They could just be targeting a group that’s “okay” to make fun of, or trying to build awareness that anti-Asian racism exists, which I doubt. He makes fun of Asians, becomes somewhat unlikable but this trait can be looked past and redeemable. Making fun of other groups might be crossing the point of no return.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 3:38 pm ¶
Lady Di wrote:
Of course most people just think that it’s okay to say anything racist about Asian because they are “model minority” and can’t ever face racism. *sarcasm*
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 5:18 pm ¶
Katie wrote:
Even if the line is there to make him look bad, the fact remains that the creators of the trailer found it acceptable to use anti-Asian racism as a throwaway character flaw rather than considering the cost to any Asian viewers who might, you know, not want to be randomly subjected to some asshole’s racism.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 5:42 pm ¶
urban Suburbinite wrote:
@ Melle
“To be honest, I feel like people always make snide or racist statements about Asian people and they do not expect them to say anything.”
I’ve seen this alot too, and the asian target usually doesn’t say a thing- just a nervous giggle. Like this:
” She just awkwardly laughed and I felt terrible for her because she was biracial and probably also Jewish. ”
As much as Jesse and AL irritate me, maybe the Asian community needs an asian Al Sharpton.
Just an aside how do Asian parents tell their children to deal with racist situations. In many black and latino homes there is conversation about dealing and coping with racism. Does this same conversation happen in Asian homes?
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 6:50 pm ¶
Montclair Mommy wrote:
@atlasien & @ Sam: hahahahaha Too true. Haven’t we all seen these movies over and over and over again? I just can’t relate to “tough white male exec with no soul meets eccentric woman whose sensuality makes him want to settle down” type movies and “powerful bitchy woman realizes that her friend/subordinate/macho asshole that she knows is her soul-mate and becomes a deeper, happier, better person because of his LOVE” make me want to puke (recent example: The Proposal). Gaaaaaaaaaaag
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 8:48 pm ¶
Sonic wrote:
@ Urban Sububurbinite:
I’ve noticed most Asians don’t say anything about racism either. Perhaps that’s why it seems to piss off people more when I call them out – cause I’m supposed to be a good little Asian girl and fall into line and it’s always really weird when I show them I’m a real person with real anger.
Also, no, in my community as far as I can tell, there has never been an attempt to deal with racism beyond “White people are all racist – be a good student and one day you can have money and be superior to them.” Y’know, the kinda fantastic advice you could take to the bank with you.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 8:52 pm ¶
Ike wrote:
Re: What Asian parents tell their kids about racism
My parents taught me not to go down without a (legal) fight or at least the threat of one. ^.^
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:09 pm ¶
F. wrote:
#25: “As much as Jesse and AL irritate me, maybe the Asian community needs an asian Al Sharpton.”
I’m Asian American and, to put it bluntly, I would actually love an Asian Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. I would love an Asian American who would go on TV and hold rallies and raise hell about things like this and get people uncomfortable and nervous.
Just someone to let people know that, yes, Asians actually are human beings, and we have feelings, and we are worthy of respect, and even though it’s easy to do it doesn’t mean it’s right to ridicule and mock and under-estimate us so much.
I have to admit that a lot of the time, Asians in America actually worsen the problems we face in that we don’t confront people enough. My parents just didn’t want trouble, they just wanted to go their work and make money and live as well as they could. And so growing up I just didn’t want trouble. So we ended up ignoring things, letting them roll of our back, pretending something racist didn’t actually happen or pretending it didn’t actually hurt or affect us.
Because it was more important to focus on things like work and school, you know, the “real” issues. So we didn’t talk about racism. We talked around it or changed the subject when it came up. Maybe we felt it was too shameful. Or embarassing. We didn’t want to admit it hurt. We didn’t want to admit that things weren’t actually as good for us as we would like them to be, deep down.
The problem is the back-off, I-don’t-want-trouble-so-I’ll-be-your-punching-bag mentality can actually lead to more trouble down the road. By that I mean, anything from continual lack of respect towards Asian Americans from mainstream culture to deep-seated resentment and disillusionment towards mainstream culture from Asian Americans themselves.
Sometimes a “F*ck you, I’m not taking this anymore” attitude is the only way to achieve a measure of respect from certain types of people. Sometimes you really need to get in someone’s face to get them to recognize your presence. Whatever else someone might say about people like Al Sharpton, at least they understand that principle and use it to their advantage.
Posted 09 Nov 2009 at 11:56 pm ¶
js718 wrote:
hey F, I agree. I always try to say something when I hear a comment about Asians. But the unfortunate fact is not enough other Asians believe it’s worth making a point to deal with. Honestly, nothing hurts more then when I hear a non-Asian make a racist comment and I reply only to have their Asian friend step in and tell me I’m out of line. When you see that not even you’re race has your back it makes it that much harder to care about representing.
Posted 10 Nov 2009 at 1:04 am ¶
js718 wrote:
btw cosign with Katie #24. Not to fall victim of the race olympics but I think it’s obvious why Asians are always the go-to race for “harmless” jokes.
Posted 10 Nov 2009 at 1:05 am ¶
Crys T wrote:
@dersk Actually, South Asians are usually referred to as “Asians” in the UK (not only England), and people from other parts of Asia are referred to either by national origin or the horrible-in-America “Oriental”–though that seems to be dying out.
I believe that many South Asians began to embrace the term “Black” for themselves in the 1980s. This was a conscious political move on the part of a number of racial minorities in Britain to promote solidarity. It was used mostly by members of the minorities themselves, and I’m not sure if it ever really caught on outside of activist circles.
Posted 10 Nov 2009 at 7:18 am ¶
Jess wrote:
@urban suburbanite (#25)/ F. (29)
Y’know, I was just thinking of an incident that my mother told me about.
My grandmother was Japanese. (She grew up in the US, tho, and was actually born in Utah).
Anyhow, once when my mom was like 12 uears old she wanted to go to this dance at school. Nobody would go as her “date” (back then there just wasn’t all the craziness that would occur now, it was pretty closely supervised). My mom looks “Asian” (whatever the heck that means, I know, but let’s say it’s clear she isn’t white).
It was supposed to be something pretty harmless. But because of how my mom looked, she was unacceptable. And she had no other girlfriends to help her out and go with her.
My grandmother’s response, when she came home to tell her (my mom says she was crying) was to say, “Well, you’ll just have to be better than all those mean kids. You’ll show them. And then they’ll be sorry they treated you this way.”
I think that response explains a lot. It’s something I see across groups, especially from China and Japan. I do think that part f it is a function of being here longer, rather than anything particularly Japanese or Chinese. But there is a strong meritocratic streak in both cultures — I mean, they invented the entrance exam.
This doesn’t mean that’s necessarily the best response — just that there might be a pre-existing bias towards a certain kind of response in that population, that comes from a long cultural history that pre-dates being in the US.
Posted 10 Nov 2009 at 8:36 am ¶
Montclair Mommy wrote:
I would say that, on one hand, saying something is really up to the person. If they feel uncomfortable, they shouldn’t feel bad for not putting themselves in that spot. But I do think it really helps to call someone out. My parents lived in HI for a long time and my mother used the dreaded “Oriental” to describe a person and one of her friends (Asian) told her that you should only use that term for rugs and other items of decoration, not people. My mom honestly didn’t know and she was so struck by it that she told our entire family (Everyone! Do NOT say this, its offensive! I didn’t know!) . She definitely never used it in that way again and she corrects other people when she hears them say it. So, I guess if you have the right audience it can really make a difference when you say something.
Posted 10 Nov 2009 at 10:59 am ¶
dersk wrote:
@Crys – Well, I think I first heard South Asians described as ‘Blacks’ on the BBC years ago. I just remember being confused and thinking “Hey, they look Indian to me, not black!” Kinda funny how the different terms include different people in different places.
Posted 10 Nov 2009 at 12:13 pm ¶
chocolatepie wrote:
Strangers from a Different Shore by Ronald Takaki is an interesting introduction to the history of racism against Asian-Americans. I’m sure several of the commenters here have heard of/read it, but I just thought I’d throw that out there.
Posted 11 Nov 2009 at 4:52 pm ¶