Excited
One of my favorite movies this summer and this year is the romantic comedy & tragedy (500) Days of Summer, following the ups and downs of a relationship between Tom and Summer over 500 days in non-chronological random order. At 87% “fresh”, there are certainly a lot of other films which have larger marketing budgets and are more promoted, but a lot less enjoyable than this film.
But there’s one scene in the movie when both Tom and Summer are playing “house” in an Ikea store in Los Angeles where the two are lying down on a bed and see a family watching them, and Tom makes the observation and comment:
“Honey, I don’t know how to say this, but there’s a Chinese family in our bathroom.”
When I watched that, I thought to myself, “Why does Chinese equal comedy here? ” I wonder how moviegoers would have felt or reacted if the family had been black, Hispanic or Native American? How about just:
“Honey, I don’t know how to say this, but there’s a family in our bathroom.”
Isn’t it funny enough that there would an unknown family in a bathroom while the two were playing house in their supposed Ikea bedroom? Maybe I am being a bit over sensitive, but I thought I’d call this out while still encouraging all those who haven’t seen the film to see it. If you’ve seen the film – what do you think?
Besides the clever execution of the storyline, the soundtrack to the movie is just fantastic and really adds to the mood of the movie, including Sweet Disposition, Vagabond and She’s Got You High.
How does this post make you feel?
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
NOTE: 8Asians.com is a community, and we thank you for being a part of it. While we welcome and appreciate differences in opinion, if you're rude or you're promoting spam, we have a right to edit or delete your comment. Read our comment policy for more information.
If you see a comment that violates the 8Asians.com comment policy, you may flag the comment by mousing over the comment and clicking "FLAG."
heyyoyo
There weren't any racial slurs, and its funny because in the Asian Society you don't see this kind of stuff happen so the look in their eyes are funny. This would be frowned upon in Asia, that's what makes it funny in this given situation.
jddfwfrd
Honestly, simmer down young padawan. It's a joke, and should be taken as such.
And although pointing out "it's a black family" is not directly malicious or racist. Considering history and social context it IS inappropriate. And I feel that it's the same with Asians. So maybe racist is a little too strong. But it IS just as inappropriate to use Asians because historically we have been discriminated against. Just because there isn't as much talk and activism surrounding Asians as much as there is with blacks, doesn't mean it isn't just as inappropriate to single out Asian people in that way.
Okay, maybe there is nothing necessarily straight racist or malicious about just stating the facts. "There' s a black family" "There's a Mexican family" etc. But the fact that they use Asians and avoid using any other race is racist. Maybe the representation isn't necessarily racist, but the film producers' actions are. For some reason it's politically correct to say "there's an Asian family" but not "there's a black family"? Obviously they consciously chose to avoid saying there's a black family because they are trying to be politically correct. So then they just choose to target Asians. Okay, what sense does that make? This isn't just 500 days of summer. It's in so many movies where they poke fun at Asians becuase its easy and it's more politically correct than poking fun of any other race. And that is wrong. If you're going to use Asians in jokes then people shouldn't be afraid to use blacks or any other race. I just want Asians to be treated fairly like anybody else. I don't want us to butt heads. I want you to understand BlahBlahChoi!!!!
i guess, we're just gonna head-butt on this, but i just don't see how saying, "there's a black family" is racist, nor how saying "there's an Asian family" is racist, either. If he would've said, "I don't want to make out b/c there's a black family in the bathroom, let's call the lynch mob." - then, maybe racist... same as if he said, "Could someone pull the rice patty hat over the slanty-eyed gooks, who are watching us from the bathroom." - also racist, but simply stating the obvious? Not so much, in my eyes... My tirade about the whole matter stems from the ignorance based off the assumption that the character referred to them as Chinese. The joke is funny b/c, again, they're acting like they're at home, where you wouldn't normally have to deal w/ a random family in the bathroom, whilst you make out on the bed, furthermore, it adds more humor due to the randomness, that it's a particular family... again, leading to the point, that it'd be ok to say, "black family" ... "white family".... "asian family"... etc, b/c it does take place in the US, and we're accustomed to it being White/Black w/ Asian, Mexicans, Europeans, etc...
Yes, that is definitely another valid criticism that using Asian is more appropriate than Chinese, because it is prejudice to assume that they are Chinese when they could be any other kind of Asian ethnicity. BUT I do not think that saying "Asian" as opposed to "Chinese" would have made it an alright joke. I know the joke was not ENTIRELY about the Asian family themselves, but it is true that using Chinese or Asians is DEFINITELY a necessary part of facilitating the joke and is racist. If the joke is just a "fish out of water" kind of thing where there is just a random family in the bathroom, then they should have just said there's a strange family in our bathroom. It's just such a double standard, because can you honestly say that if they said "hey there's an African family" or "hey there's a black family" it wouldn't be racist? It IS racist. So why is saying "hey there's an Asian family" any less racist? I would bet all the money in the world that they wouldn't single out black people like that, so why is it okay to single out Asian people? It's because we're easy targets.They use Asians instead of blacks or any other race because using Asians is some how comedic and okay to American culture, whereas to use blacks would be more blatantly racist. Basically, it's language like that that continues to marginalize people.
well... i don't think the joke were the "Asian family themselves"; rather, the joke was that they were pretending to be home (e.g. rushing to the bedroom from the kitchen), and their romantic moment being looked in on by a random family in the bathroom... I wouldn't have mind if they said, "Asian family..." but they didn't... what they did perpetuate, is that Chinese is what all Asians are... I'm not gonna lie, I get really ticked off when people assume I'm Chinese; moreover, when someone calls me "Chinese" in a way to offend. It's similar to calling a black person a Nigger... To them, Chinese is the worst and most offensive thing they can say, rather than calling me a "B*tch" or a "Mo'Fo'... Yes, calling someone Chinese doesn't have the same history as calling someone, Nigger, but you get my point... that same racism is assisted by the ignorance of daft mo'fo's who think all Asians are Chinese - thus my point... I'm offended by the writer's "witty" writing, but lame ignorance to call them a Chinese family, w/o knowing their true nationality, as explained in my previous posts.
And TheWhiteGuy. Your comments are self-contradictory. What sense does it make that it's okay to point out it's a Chinese family or a Peruvian family but not okay to point out that it's a black family? It's not a nationatlity vs. a race thing. It's race (even though technically race doesn't exist). But you get the point. Whether they say Chinese, or they say black, or they African, or they say hispanic, or they latino, or they say puerto rican, it's RACIST. Because they would never say WHITE, they would never say Irish, they would never say German, they would never say Russian. Because in the movie industry we are the MINORITY and if we continue to let language like this go by and accept it as viable jokes we are allowing Asians and other people of color to be further marginalized by white americans. I'm sorry if it seems harsh. But it's reality.
As Wendy from slashfilm blog put it: "He wouldn't specify the family's ethnicity if they were any other race. As if "Chinese" is an attribute that automatically equates to humorous. :( "
I understand cheelesspizza's argument to a certain extent. But you can't simply reverse the situation with white people to justify that that scene was okay. Because you have to factor in that obvious fact that by positioning it with black people or hispanic people instead of Asians would be just as racist. But why don't they use black people? Or puerto ricans or mexicans??? Hmmmmm...becuase they KNOW its racist and they KNOW they would get criticized like hell for it. So they aim for the asians because surprisingly in this day and age we are still used for comedy because there is something "different" and yes "exotic" about asians. It is easy to target asians in movies n media because, unlike the african american community, for some reason it is not as blatantly offensive to people to joke about asians, for some reason it is okay. But let's be quite honest with ourselves shall we, we all KNOW that they wouldn't say "hey zooey there's an african family in our bathroom" so why the hell is it okay to be laughed at that they say "hey there's a chinese family in our bathroom"? It is precisely language like this that not only continues to marginalize asian americans in general, but also in mainstream media. While whites and blacks are dominating hollywood and mainstream media (even though there is still progress to be made for blacks) there is barely any mainstream progress happening for asians. The closest big blockbuster movie starts we have that are asian are Lucy Liu and Jacky Chan, etc. But most of these actors are stuck doing stereotypical martial arts and asian-specific roles and rarely getting mainstream academy award worthy roles that don't necessarily have anything to do with their race. People have to understand that in 2009 discrimination is STILL PRESENT but in more silent and unnoticed forms. It is happening to all people of color not just Asians. This goes for blacks, asians, south asians, latinos, etc. in mainstream movies and in other fields and industries. I'm not saying it isn't okay for people to joke and laugh about their race. That can be okay to a certain extent. But when stuff like this is perpetuated in mainstream films and we just let it go by, it is a disservice to everyone. To the asian american community, all people of color, and white americans as well who remain ignorant and uneducated about the need for cultural acceptance and equity in this world.
i don't think he's overly sensitive, i think you're just missing the point... again, if he had Asian friends, or even had an Asian co-worker, then I could possibly give him the benefit of the doubt that he knew they were Chinese... since he doesn't, and also due to the fact that there aren't any other Asians in the movie, other than to provide a joke, seems a bit dull... If this is supposed to be witty, they missed the mark w/ it... again, "Asian family..." would have equally hit the mark... more funny? "Honey, there's a fat man in our bathroom." Then show a fat man eating swedish meatballs in their bathroom, wearing glasses, shorts, a Starwars t-shirt
i was bothered by it too... for such "witty" writing, i can't say that Tom was able to distinguish between, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc... I mean, there aren't any other Asians in the movie, nor does he have any Asian friends... more appropriate would have been... "Asian family..."
I felt this way watching the pilot episode of Glee. During the scene where Mercedes (Amber Riley) tells Finn (Cory Monteith) "Ok, you're good white boy, but you better bring it." I felt uncomfortable as soon as I heard the dialogue. I wasn't offended but as a white male I couldn't imagine myself saying "Ok, you're good black girl..." to anyone. I decided I was being over-sensitive.
I felt this way watching the pilot episode of Glee. During the scene where Mercedes (Amber Riley) tells Finn (Cory Monteith) "Ok, you're good white boy, but you better bring it." I felt uncomfortable as soon as I heard the dialogue. I wasn't offended but as a white male I couldn't imagine myself saying "Ok, you're good black girl..." to anyone. I decided I was being over-sensitive.
@ TheWhiteGuy - Well, sometimes I blog about things to get people to comment :). It's not too often you see Asian Americans in media, so I'm also just highlighting the appearance of a Chinese family in the movie.
I think the joke might have worked with a white family and using the comment, "There's a family in our bathroom." or "There are strangers in out bathroom." But probably not as funny. I also agree with cheeselesspizza's analysis.
"Honey, I don't know how to say this, but there are a couple of hipster cliches on our bed."
(Don't get me wrong. I'm part of the demographic contingent that loves Zooey D., listens to Iron & Wine, reads Lula Magazine and considers watching "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" one of the defining moments of my youth. But, heck, I'd be the first person to call myself a hipster cliche...)
I agree with CheeselessPizza. I think as a comedy construct, the joke works. I also think "Chinese" should be interpreted as a nationality vs. a race. The joke is equally funny if I say:
"Honey, there's an Albanian family in our bathroom." or
"Honey, there's a Peruvian family in our bathroom.".
It's a "fish out of water" joke, or a "one of these kids is not like the other" joke.
I DON'T think the joke works if you interpret this as race and substitute "a Hispanic family" or "a Black family". That's not funny to me.
John - I think you've been over-sensitized.
I thought the same thing! The film would have been perfect if not for that "Chinese" bit.
That's how I interpreted the scene, too. I didn't find it offensive, because the comedy in the scene was on finding the most unexpected people in your family bathroom. It's not like they were wearing a bamboo hat with a gong.
In terms of joke construction, the laugh comes from the fact that they're playing house and there's a family of a different ethnicity in the bathroom. It works the other way around, too:
CHINESE GUY AND CHINESE GIRL LAY DOWN IN EACH OTHER'S ARMS.
CHINESE GUY: Honey, I don't know how to tell you this, but... there's a white family in our bathroom.
THEY TURN AND SEE A FAMILY OF WHITE PEOPLE STANDING THERE, STARING AT THEM.
The joke requires the mention of some ethnicity other than the characters' own to hit the laugh.
Dan W makes a good point, though I don't think that sort of humor is going away. "Chinese" = "weird/foreign", in that sense, and I've seen "Indian" used in that context as well...
Sorry I should be a little clear. I meant using the word "Chinese" as a joke in itself is fading away rather than the other racial inuendos we often hear today.
I think the scene is kinda ok. Not very overbearing in that sense,but it's quite understandable why this scene is sorta uncomfortably iffy. I think you're fine pointing it out and it's not being over-sensitive.
On a separate related note, this sort of a generational issue where the word "Chinese" is used in a comical sense. I remember several occasions of hanging around with some older people (non-Asians and AA's but non-Chinese) who were born around the 60s and early 70s who made jokes or humorous comments with this. Most of it was so-so, not that offensive while a rare few was quite blood boiling for me. I couldn't get the humor for a long while and neither did some of my friends of the same generation. I'm pretty sure there are some younger people who got the joke, but using Chinese in that context is really fading away.
Trackbacks
Custom Search
Recent Posts
- Chinese New Year Lanterns
- Is Kim Jong Un Dead? Assassination Rumors Hit the Internet
- Help Fight Stereoptypes With Asian Crew Clothing
- Deftones’ Chi Cheng Wakes Up From His 3-Year Coma
- SXSW 2012 Has a Nice Handful of Asian Movies
- Woman In China Gives Birth To 15 Lb Baby
- Naruto & Dragonball Now Available On Barnes & Noble Nook
Recent Comments
- : while it was pretty hilarious, it's a little disconcerting that most of the people who responded didn't use spellcheck. – What I Learned From Posting A Dragon Lady Personal Ad
- : @dcj125 Riiiiiiiiight.... cuz that's exactly what I meant with my comment. – What if Jeremy Lin Weren't Asian?
- : Why does Gawker seem to think that random Chinese citizens would know what's going on in North Korea? Seems kind of ignorant. – Is Kim Jong Un Dead? Assassination Rumors Hit the Internet
- : I'm only familiar enough on this issue with the Chinese communities in the Northeast so I can only speak to those. Along the I95 corridor... – Bonnie Tsui & “The Changing Face of America’s Chinatowns”
- : No one should ever feel "bound by the shackles of" their own heritage/culture. To feel burdened by your roots is to have the wrong attitude... – White Tigers: Being Caught Between Western And Asian Cultures
APA Events
Feb 16: Adam WarRock and Kirby Krackle: West Cost Tour Dates!!!
Feb 16: (New York, NY) Amar Chitra Katha: Monica Ferrell, Chitra Ganesh, Keshni Kashyap, and Himanshu “Heems” Suri of Das Racist
Feb 17: (Los Angeles, CA) All My Sons
Feb 18: (Stanford, CA) Stanford’s 16th Listen to the Silence Conference- Feb 18: (San Francisco, CA) NAAAP-SF Lunar New Year Gala 2012
Feb 25: (Los Angeles, CA) Past Present I Future Imperatives: Queer Space Time
Mar 3: (New York, NY) Vong Pak’s ‘Electric Shaman’ Concert
Apr 30: (Sacramento, CA) California Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit 2012: iAdvocate
Staff and Contributors
- Editors
- Ernie Hsiung - Founder, Editor-in-Chief
- Moye Ishimoto - Co-Editor, Editorial
- Joz Wang - Co-Editor, PR & APA Outreach
[...] Timberlake can be quite the comedian. But I have to wonder, are we going to see more Chinese and Chinese families being the comedic twist in commercials, television and movies as China and Chinese language grows in global prominence and [...]