Moving Images

In our exhibit, we explore TV shows and movies and identify Asian American sociological themes such as intergenerational trauma, the model minority myth, and the dynamics within Asian family businesses. Even though each piece is unique, they fit together to give a full picture of how Asian Americans are portrayed in the media.

Key Terms

  • The “model minority” stereotype or myth “holds that Asian Americans are a uniformly high-achieving racial minority that has assimilated well into American society through hard work, obedience to social mores and academic achievement.”1 This stereotype not only oversimplifies Asian American experiences but also overlooks structural inequalities faced by Asian Americans.

  • “Generational communication” is a common theme throughout Asian culture. Ranging from the trauma that arises from the breakage of ancestry, or the unmoving linkage between those who came before and those who will come after, generational communication holds a wide variety of meanings for Asian families. Nonetheless, relation, or non-relation to ancestry is a staple of Asian values.

Individual Projects:

Travis’ exhibit explores the ways in which the model minority unveils itself as a mechanism to limit representation in Hollywood and force those who go against these limitations to bend to the will of whiteness. This digital exhibit uses the Netflix TV series Bling Empire to display real world examples of how these themes are portrayed. This critique of Bling Empire presents the cast to fit the model minority myth and explains why the cast would be required to continue filming in such a way even if they recognize what they are illustrated.

Jiaming’s exhibit focuses on how implicit bias affects Asian Americans on both an individual basis and on the structural level by examining phenomena such as the model minority myth and microaggressions. The 2023 TV series American Born Chinese is an action-packed and incredible coming-of-age story, but also illustrates how certain actions and stereotypes have racial undertones that unintentionally harm Asian Americans.

Sophie’s exhibit describes how themes of intergenerational Asian family businesses are deeply woven into the plot of Crazy Rich Asians, a film directed by Kevin Kwan. While they are a driving factor for success, Asian family-owned businesses have numerous problems. Her interpretation of the film reflects upon the good, the bad, and the ugly realities that exist within these corporations, internationally, and within America.

Justin’s exhibit explores how the lack of generational communication perpetuates a vicious cycle of generational trauma and a culture that shies away from mental health transparency. This digital exhibit uses the hit Netflix show Beef as source material to observe this sociological and psychological concept. Justin goes into how the motivations of the main characters in Beef are shaped by generational factors.

References

  1. Abrams, Zara. 2019. “Countering stereotypes about Asian Americans.” American Psychological Association, December 1, 2019. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/12/countering-stereotypes. 

Photos
Bennett, Tara. Beef Season 1 Review. April 14, 2023. Photograph. https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2023/04/14/beef-blogroll-1681494343250.jpg