No More Asian Doctors

[JustAGal]

It is (or should be) common knowledge that in this country, the number of Asian American doctors are second only to the number of caucasian doctors. And yet, the show House continuously avoids casting Asian actors in prominent roles. Most recently, Kal Penn joined the cast of House and it's a move in the right direction but what about all the east asian doctors?

On the whole, House has been a show that's been incredibly disparaging to Asian Americans. Asian actors, regardless of whether or not they naturally have an asian accent, are continuously asked to act like new immigrants, which contributes to the public notion that asians are forever foreigners. It also deprives asian american actors quality roles, which in my opinion, contributes to the phenomenon of Asian Americans going to asia to work in the entertainment industry there.

The following are the asian characters that have been on the show.
1) The elderly chinese mom who can't speak english and therefore was used by her daughter to get birth control pills. The actor, I know for a fact, DOES speak english.
2) John Cho, an actor I greatly admire, played a weak and fearful man who so compulsively needed to be dominated by a white woman that he even pays for it. Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't that playing into the worst Asian Male stereotype? And then of course the john cho's character's parents were racially insulted by the character of House. I forget the exact insult but it had something to do with dumplings.
3)The most recent episode featured a Japanese bus driver who mysteriously did NOT have an asian accent in House's dream sequence even though he had an accent in "real life". Hmmm...I wonder why.

Asian Americans are often MENTIONED on the show but never actually IN the show in any meaningful way. House has mentioned how Asian students are the true rebels because they continue to study even when it's not exactly a popular activity and yet the entire hospital in the show is mysteriously without East Asian American doctors (except for the Asian OBGYN who had a short scene in one episode).

Do asian actors have to continue to sell their pride down the river in order to get a role, ANY role, in television and the movies?

Do the actors on the show, along with the writers, realize that they're contributing to the problem? Does that show NOT have any asian writers who are willing to stand up and make a difference? Is this why the story about Asian individuals are continuously white-washed ?(The movie 21 anyone? Apparently a white british guy is considered to be more american than an ACTUAL american guy who happens to be asian.) When will Asian American actors get meaningful roles where they're playing a person, rather than a 1 dimensional "immigrant".

I enjoy the show but i'm continuously disappointed by the show due to their poor treatment of asian characters.

What are some of your thoughts on this subject?

[humpy]

not to be harsh or anything, but there's your problem right there:

"I enjoy the show but i'm continuously disappointed by the show due to their poor treatment of asian characters."

have you considered alternative medias that feature asians in a good light instead?

how's about the Korean Hallyu and all the good dramas that it has generated?


but if you just have to watch the show. did you do it over the air where you're supporting the racism by watching the commercials, or did you flip the media corporations your middle finger and watched instead "the free online distribution" of the show?

lastly, did you write on their forums or their fan mail to let them know?

[William Lee]

I'm going to have to side with Humpy on this one.

One other thing to add-- it's a tough situation for aspiring actors, because they have to pay the bills somehow. Since I don't have any friends who are actors that I could ask about this-- is there really no other way to pay the bills than to take stereotypical roles?

-William

[humpy]

i can't speak for the NY scene, but having "hustled" in LAlaland:

One other thing to add-- it's a tough situation for aspiring actors, because they have to pay the bills somehow. Since I don't have any friends who are actors that I could ask about this-- is there really no other way to pay the bills than to take stereotypical roles?

first, consider the statistics that for the actors unions that over 90% of all actors earn like less than $2,000 per year and that something like 60% of all actors don't even get hired for that year (somewhat skewed statistics because of some actors not wanting to work, etc). and that's just union. there are probably twice that many non-union "actors" wanabes who are also out there, and it's not a pretty picture...

therefore, if these folks aren't independently wealthy or living off the trust funds then they have to have a "regular day job" in order to survive and hoping they'll hit the casting lottery.

so it's moot to say that they "have to pay the bills" when they should already be self-sufficient with their regular jobs.

what it amounts to is that everybody wants their 15minutes and will pounce at the chance to get a gig in some stereotyped movie. the scene with asians is not pretty, as true to cliche it's a vicious market out there.

mostly, you'll hear something like "if i don't take the role, then somebody will, so it might as well be me and maybe I can even convince the director and producer to change the stereotype" rationalization from these "starving" actors and actresses out there.


additionally, there are few repercussions by the "asian american community" because there are very few organizations that have any say at all in the first place. and of course, the "sellouts" get all the more empowered to do what they do because of shows like "AZN excellence awards" that "celebrates excellence" by these folks who are in the limelight, regardless of the racial stereotypes because as long they're famous that's all they care about.

in short, there's really no system in place where Asian groups can voice opinions against the "sellouts" except for a few "fringe" discussion groups online.