Western culture thrives and perpetuates its false superior identity by putting itself above “others”. For years, the West has treated East Asian people as inferior and without true worth. Characters such as Charlie Chan, played by a white actor, helped to build the racist caricatures so common in both the media and the minds of many in the West. By marginalizing an entire race, western culture lifts itself up and perpetuates the myths inherent in Orientalism. Growing up in the aftermath of generations that never bothered to embrace Eastern cultures makes it imperative that we move beyond the stereotypes. Years of minimizing and manipulating the history of Asian people in the media and in Western society itself is not something easily erased. Prejudices run deep and ignorance still prevails in many if not most areas of the United States.
The lack of accurate Asian representation in movies and television perpetuates Orientalism. Movies like Kung Fu Panda dilute Chinese culture by using Asians for fewer than a quarter of the voice actors. It’s not that talented Asian actors do not exist, it’s that Hollywood chooses to ignore non-white talent. In Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, “exotic Asian hosts” feed Indy and his friends chilled monkey brains for dessert. By portraying Asian people and their culture as mysterious and strange, Hollywood profits at the cost of belittling and marginalizing a race of people. Being raised in
a culture where many people believe it is OK to misrepresent and offend through the perpetuation of Orientalism makes it even more important that we demand more honest depictions of Asian people. Hopefully this is the generation that will move beyond what separates us and learns to embrace cultural differences without fear and ridicule.
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