A Thin Line Between Stereotype and Satire: The Daily Show’s “Asian Correspondent” Olivia Munn
by Latoya Peterson
Reader Martha tipped us to this Daily Show segment with a new face:
The segment was about equal parts loss and win, so let’s break this down…NBA Jam style!*
They’re On Fire
Actually finding someone Asian American to report on an Asian American issue? Novel concept, Daily Show. They tapped model-actress Olivia Munn (of Chinese and German Irish descent) who is fluent in Vietnamese to host the the segment.
Puts Up a Brick:
However, Munn is not Vietnamese, though her mother was raised in Vietnam. Munn was raised primarily in Japan, so the daily show once again uses a pan-ethnic brush to paint all issues.
They’re On Fire:
TDS actually highlights the plight of the Vietnamese community and how they are impacted by the oil leak. The coverage of the disaster in the Gulf plays nightly, but much of the analysis focuses on BP and it’s culpability- not the communities impacted by the spill.
Puts Up a Brick:
Peel and weep shrimp? The spilling fields? This shit is worse than napalm? It appears that the only point of reference for Vietnamese people in America is the Vietnam war.
They’re On Fire:
Some of the better jokes lampoon the conventions of news shows and the Daily Show itself, like Samantha Bee cracking “we already have a sexy news bunny,” or the various representatives of minority groups fighting over space. Wyatt Cenac was especially funny, mentioning he’s “still down there covering Katrina.”
Puts Up a Brick:
The joke isn’t as funny when it’s a little too true – especially on the Daily Show.
Puts Up a Brick:
Positioning yet another divide between black folks and other minorities. The exchange between Cenac and Munn had some weird overtones. “The Asians?” “The blacks” with the behind the hand motion? Really?
Puts Up a Brick:
Jasons Scott’s casual racism is played for laughs. Key line: “Oooh, Asian [correspondent]! What’s that mean, you report the news, then half an hour later you want more news? Boom! What, you slide the stories under the door?”
Boomshakala: Aasif Mandvi
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