Asians on American TV | Asian American Poll

HOW THE TV NETS TREAT ASIANS
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:08:06 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Which U.S. TV network is most Asian-Friendly?
ABC | 24%
CBS | 28%
FOX | 27%
NBC | 21%

Which U.S. TV network is least Asian-Friendly?
ABC | 28%
CBS | 20%
FOX | 26%
NBC | 26%

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

OK, peeps, it's not that none of us here know that Asians make up only 3% of the nation. But let's face it, more could be done and more has to be done--otherwise Asians, as someone else has already pointed out--will always be typecast as the perpetual foreigner, the geek, the submissive lotus blossum etc. Indeed, I would say that the geek stereotype so popularly represented is at least partially responsible for whites and blacks thinking they can bully Asians and get away with it.

At some level, we have to push beyond the limits. If the African American community just sat back in the 1960s saying "we're a minority and nothing will change" (and they were close to being just about the only minority since the Asian and Latino presence was close to negligible), they would not have gotten their civil rights. Same could be said for their struggles to be represented in media in the 70s; they had to fight very hard to stop being cast as the servant to white folks a la Butterfly McQueen and Hattie McDaniel (?) in Gone with the Wind. Today, they make up 14.5% of the nation and are considerably better represented than they were decades ago even tho' they still have a ways to go. (There's a brief interview with several black actors in the past week's TV guide.)

It will not be an overnight process. But it will certainly take a lot of persistence and patience.

AC Dropout,

Nowadays, columnists' articles are usually accompanied by their picture, so we know what race (for the most part) they are. The same goes for magazine articles where the contributors' photos are placed near the table of contents.

As for the Asian classics, this is precisely why we would need a TV network which features adaptations. TV producers should not automatically assume that they would not be of interest. In Britain, where the East Asian community (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans etc.) make up a similar proportion of the public 3%), showings of non-martial arts movies/films have done quite well on their non-cable channels (BBC 1,2,4 and ITV).

TSJ,

Well, I've seen Kristin Kreuk on the cover of the YM prom magazine. Yes, she's very pretty. But to tell the truth, I think I might have missed her because I didn't even realise she was Asian at first! On this cover, for instance, she had curly reddish brown hair and green eyes; she reminds of someone like Meg/Jennifer Tilly in that you can tell she's got some Asian blood in her.

OK, I'll get off the soapbox!
Asian Dominatrix Friday, February 08, 2002 at 08:47:44 (PST)

Is there any media about an Asian American relationship/romance between an AM and AF? Not in America, because Asians make up only 4 percent of the American population. A story between AA's won't make it to the mainstream media if it only targets 4 percent at most of the audience.

That's why Asian relationships in the American media is WM/AF or AM/WF (but not as frequently).
B. Lee Thursday, February 07, 2002 at 20:56:39 (PST)

Kristin Kreuk is NOT ASIAN! How stupid do ppl have to be to realize that? Do we need attractive hapa indviduals to represent the Asian community? I think NOT!

Bjork looks more Asian than she ever will!

Wong is the same as Huang, there are many southern Chinese who spell their "Wong" as Huang. And what about Hwang? That's a Taiwanese version of the Cantonese Wong. Btw, Huang is really a Southern Chinese surname. Rarely do you find a Northern Chinese with the surname Huang. The Huang Clan or Wongs were persecuted in some dynasty and thus had to flee south.

Southern Chinese and Northern Chinese have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. I have to say Northern Chinese ppl are more comfortable with Westerners than Cantonese. Btw, are Northern Chinese are more athletic? When was the last time you saw some a southern wimp in the Olympics?
no fan of smallville Thursday, February 07, 2002 at 18:20:38 (PST)

Why do people always insist that non-asians don't want to see asians on TV? Television is mostly entertainment, and a little bit of education. Wouldn't most people be entertained by something they havn't seen before? I mean, if you've been eating apples for lunch everyday for 30 years, wouldn't you be ecstatic to have a peach tomorrow? Similarly, non-asians WILL watch a show that features golds if it's entertaining enough. And even if it's not, the novelty of "chinese people" on TV will be enough to make people watch and make the networks some bucks...it'll sure make them more money than some lame sitcom with recycled themes. I mean, even I've got some ideas for great shows that'll keep people glued to their seats, and that's what people want, not just a show with people of their race.
Thomas Urnam0@aol.com Thursday, February 07, 2002 at 15:43:07 (PST)

Toi San Jai,

All those things you describe only matter here in the USA. Once your in Asia. Chinese in general will just look at the character, shrug their shoulders and go "okay".

It is obvious from your point of view, you haven't lived in Asia very long. If you are a close relative and don't speak the same dialect, families will still try very hard to reach out to you. It usually take me about 2-6 months to begin making sense of a new dialect. When I went to Taiwan, HK, and China to meet distant family on extended stay, they were all more of less accomodating and warm.

But back to media. There are many specialty magzine, such as A square and a few other small publication, which cater to asians in general. These publications are also mostly asian staffed. The stories in there are quite good and they feature other prominent Asians in the USA. I personally don't like them because They are basically like People magazine. I will pick on up if they have people I'm interested in.
AC dropout Thursday, February 07, 2002 at 11:02:31 (PST)

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