"Asian" In America A Media Study. By Faiyaz Kara You'd think that as the Asian population burgeons across the nation, and as issues native to their community enter the consciousness of the public at large, misconceptions surrounding the Asian-American community would be on the decline. Yet, if you ask the average person to define the term "Asian," the likely response would be "someone of either Chinese or Japanese descent" -- and more often than not, that's where the distinction ends. Those from the Indian subcontinent, for example, are not really thought of as being Asian per se, and are largely excluded from the monolithic "Asian-American" appellation. The fact is, Asian Americans comprise a vast array of cultures, languages and religions -- just ask the millions of Koreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Vietnamese, Indonesians, Filipinos and Sri Lankans in this country. ________________________ In popular culture, for example, eating sushi is commonly mistaken as being a Chinese dining practice (most recently in the film Rush Hour 2); karate and kung fu are commonly used interchangeably... ________________________ But unfortunately, either through lack of education, or media misrepresentation, a distinction isn't drawn. We just have to look at the Vincent Chin incident (a Chinese American who was clubbed to death in 1982 by an assailant upset about Japanese car imports who happened to think Chin was Japanese), and others similar to it, to see that. With little differentiation between subsets in the Asian-American population, stereotypes can be virtually identical. In popular culture, for example, eating sushi is commonly mistaken as being a Chinese dining practice (most recently in the film Rush Hour 2); karate and kung fu are commonly used interchangeably; and the disparaging remark "Paki" is often directed at anyone from the Indian subcontinent, not just an individual from Pakistan. But the misperception is much more widespread and goes beyond just a lack of distinction. A recent study conducted by the Committee of 100, a non-partisan organization established to bring the Asian-American perspective to U.S. relations with Asia, revealed some disturbing numbers pertaining to Asians in America. Some of the study's findings concluded that: 25% of Americans indicated strong negative attitudes and stereotypes towards Chinese Americans 23% of Americans are uncomfortable voting for an Asian American to be the President of the United States (compared to 15% for an African-American candidate, 14% for a female candidate and 11% for a Jewish candidate) 24% of Americans would not approve of inter-marriage with an Asian American (compared to 34% with an African American, 21% with an Hispanic and 16% with a Jew) 46% of Americans felt that passing secret information to the Chinese government is a problem among Chinese Americans So from where does all this negative sentiment stem? There has been an unprecedented amount of negative media coverage recently casting Asians in the enemy role, most notably the Wen Ho Lee spy case, the Hainan Island plane incident, the National Review cover (depicting Al Gore, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton with stereotypical Asian facial features and garb soliciting money -- essentially attributing Asians with venal traits) and the Vanity Fair cover (depicting actor Mike Myers dressed up as a Hindu deity). One can make the argument that institutionalized racism is largely based on press coverage (as evidenced by the National Review and Vanity Fair covers) and it's easy to tag mainstream media as the perpetrators, but the Asian-American community also needs to shoulder some of the blame. Where was the outrage, protest and indignation in the wake of these incidents? If the National Review depicted Gore and the Clintons in black face, or if Vanity Fair depicted Myers as Moses or Jesus, there would be nationwide outrage from various leaders and groups from the African-American and Judeo-Christian communities. ________________________ ... the Asian-American community also needs to shoulder some of the blame. If the National Review depicted Gore and the Clintons in black face, or if Vanity Fair depicted Myers as Moses or Jesus, there would be nationwide outrage from various leaders and groups from the African-American and Judeo-Christian communities. ________________________ Asian Americans in mainstream media and the ethnic press share a responsibility of educating and informing the community of how they're being perceived. A large number of Asians in the U.S. are recent arrivees to the country (post-1965) and tend to get their information from the ethnic press. Seeing that the ethnic press is largely unrecognized by major networks and newspapers, Asian Americans in mainstream media need to bear some responsibility in making voices from the community heard. Shying away from relevant stories or disassociating themselves when US-Asia conflicts arise cannot continue if misconceptions hope to be eradicted, otherwise Asian Americans run the risk of being defined by those outside of the community. After all, who's more qualified to cover issues pertaining to the Asian-American community than Asian Americans? Furthermore, a Pan-Asian national voice needs to be established, a body politic if you will – one with a pro-active media strategy that can sway opinions and correct misconceptions. The challenge lies in going about consolidating the interests of such a large community – one with a variety of cultures, languages, religions and ideologies. Unlike Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, where a singular voice speaks for an entire community, this one needs to represent the diversity of the subsets within the Asian American community. If the national voice needs to have any political force, coalitions need to be formed and its leadership needs to focus on trends and complexities within these communities, especially as they become more visible. Such a body, when armed with the capacity to educate and wield influence on a grand scale, will extirpate misapprehensions and provide a national forum for all the unique voices within Asian America. After writing for a number of university publications, I had the distinct privilege of contributing pieces to the first two issues of Urban Mozaik magazine. It was a move that kick-started my career in journalism, as I went on to work for the Toronto Star and toronto.com as an associate editor. In 1996, an essay of mine on the literature of Andy Warhol was included in a book titled The Critical Response to Andy Warhol. Two years later, I was awarded a new media fellowship from the Newspaper Association of America, which afforded me new insights into the world of online journalism. I'm currently a senior editor for Citysearch.com in Orlando, Florida. This website: Copyright © 2000, 2001 Studio Q Int'l Inc / Urban Mozaik Magazine. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed in Urban Mozaik Magazine are not necessarily those of Urban Mozaik Magazine and the publisher cannot be held responsible for them. This website/publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.