howpopculturehasfailedus
How Media and Pop Culture has Failed Us
Testimonies and thoughts, documented by UCSD students, for the purpose to educate, share, and learn.
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Marvel Cinematic/TV Universe
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: Honestly, the depiction of Asian characters in both Marvel film and TV shows have been pretty pathetic. The most obvious incident was when Peter Shinkoda, the actor who plays one of Daredevil's (shafted) antagonists, revealed that his story was deliberately cut because the one of Marvel's executives told the writer room to cut storylines that would've focused Asian characters Nobu and Madame Gao because that "nobody cares about Chinese and Asian characters." As vindicating and disgusting this explicit confirmation was, I didn't really need to hear it said to know it. In the MCU, there aren't any big Asian characters who aren't jokes Jimmy Woo (played by Randall Park), the funny FBI agent that needles Ant-Man every once in a while, was so much more in the comics. I'm not going to pretend like he was given due spotlight, but he was this super cool leader of the Agents of Atlas and later became the leader of an underground empire. Mantis gets more and more jokey as she appears, when she's supposed to be an assertive, sharp, and an extremely powerful martial artist. The Ancient One was just whitewashed. The list can go on. I won't pretend like this is an Asian-specific thing; most side characters in the MCU get turned into walking one-liners machines. And there are exceptions: the Agents of SHIELD is great, for one. But then it's useful to look at the Daredevil incident and realize that there are seriously racist mindsets among corporate executives, and which affect the media that we watch very directly. Because then we can ask, so why are Asians constrained to side characters?
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: The way Asians have been sidelined and silenced in media is reflective of the way we've been treated in America for a long time. Asians are noticed only when can be used by white America against other marginalized groups (y'know, classic model minority stuff) or when we're stereotyped and othered in media. Asian women are imagined as docile and quiet, Asian men demasculinized and ignored, and of course every facet of our lifestyle must be defined by honor and ancestral respect or whatever. Just look at the way Sessue Hayakawa was treated in Hollywood, and it's clear that these portrayals affect real people, too.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: I like to think that things are getting better. I'm optimistic about Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel, though I probably shouldn't be, since it's Marvel and all. Generally I don't think heavily corporate media can be expected to do actually meaningful things. But like I mentioned before, Agents of SHIELD isn't bad. Shows like Kim's Convenience, The Farewell, all do great jobs of incorporating Asian culture while focusing the characters as developed people. And of course there are tons of overseas dramas and movies that are excellent, but they're not relevant to the American situation.
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Hallmark Christmas Movies
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: In Hallmark Christmas Movies - and there are dozens upon dozens - the formula is almost always the same. The main conflict is either caused by a man whose attitude a woman fixes, or a woman whose life is improved drastically when she finds a man. The formula, when repeated and drilled into the audiences, frustrates me because it paints a picture that it is either a woman's responsibility to "fix" a man, or that women need men in order to be truly happy. While I'm not bashing the joys of finding true love, the movies make it seem like finding a man is the sole thing that can bring real happiness to a woman. There are also several more issues regarding these movies. In every "edition" of these movies, the main couple is almost always white, cisgendered, and heterosexual.
While there's nothing wrong with being white, cisgendered, or heterosexual, having no representation of other ethnicities, genders, or sexualities upsets me. As of 2017, out of 86 Hallmark Christmas movies, only 6 movies have non-white romantic leads (which include 0 African Americans and Asians) and 0 LGBT+ leads (although they did promise one for 2020). Furthermore, in the movie covers, the woman is nearly always wearing red and the man wearing green, which is just a silly little gendered thing that's unnecessary and definitely not due to random chance.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: I'm an LGBT+ Asian American, and it dismays me that out of their 86 movies, thus 172 main characters, there are zero Asian main characters or LGBT+ main characters. Zero! I would appreciate some representation in media, because honestly it's disappointing to never see anyone like you on screen.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: Well I heard that there's a non-Hallmark Christmas movie coming out called "Happiest Season" which is another romance Christmas movie, but this time it's actually about two lesbian main characters, which I think is a good step towards more diversity in the media we consume. Also, demanding Hallmark producers to create more inclusive media will be a push towards the right direction as well.
Q: Additional comments?
A: Here is a collage of Hallmark Christmas movie covers to drive my point home: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ELxn7RGVUAATuTn.jpg
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Many examples of games, tv shows...
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: Portraying all Asian culture as a single monolith — simply a set of aesthetics to draw from without considering cultural context or meaning. More often than not, getting the facts wrong as well. It perpetuates the idea of the "West" vs. the "East," and more often than not portraying the latter as a conglomerate "other" that does not have the same individuality or unique personhood as Western people. This idea of othering lies at the root of imperialism, colonialism, and a generally disregard for people in countries deemed "Eastern" in things other than what can be directly consumed by the West (i.e. aesthetics to appropriate, media, KPop, films)
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: Contributes in part to Western cultures appropriating "Asian" culture purely on an aesthetic. And while of course, "inclusion" is good in concept what's more important is the deliberate care and consideration put behind that inclusion. You can't just throw some "ethnic" looking characters or setpieces into a piece of media and then pat yourself on the back for "diversity."
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: There really is no clear or easy solution... overall just being more considerate and careful of the media you consume by considering its implications. Make a distinct effort to learn about cultures different from your own, and when necessary, defer to people of that culture when discussing that which they are most familiar.
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The West Wing
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: Glorifies the respect for hierarchies and systems no matter how broken they may be. That change may only arise from within the system which created and enforced the conditions which necessitate change. That those within government structures truly know what is best and are in such positions because they have truly earned it and as such can best represent the interests of those they govern. Any failings are explained by a failure to adhere to the system whether by incidence or intention and is presented as the exclusive alternative to adherence. Specifically, the scene linked elsewhere in this submission shows scene where the White House Communications Director speaks about protestors at the World Trade organization. He extols the virtues of free trade and lays out a severely fallacious argument for why the protestors should be disregarded. Elsewhere in the episode after engaging with the protestors, he again dismisses them for reasons unrelated to the argumentative material which he implies to exist in his dialogue (The protestors are only really represented through the lens of his speech and that of a police officer, reducing them to an angry mob) Their protest seems to be centered around the exploitation of developing nations and peoples and the ways in which the WTO perpetuates the global disparity of wealth through debt. Though this not so well represented as the protest appears only as a caricature of resistance. The West Wing contributes to the marginalization of all people, groups, and intersections of identities by upholding the hierarchical status quo in ways both overt and not. The proponents of such a status quo misrepresent the dialectics of history in that the wrongs and injustices of the past have been in some manner purged and that they hold no bearing on the present or are already being handled by whatever mechanism has been put in place by the system. There is undue emphasis placed on civility and decorum with a dismissal of any opposition as improperly participating in the system. This excludes those whose voices are already suppressed and rejects any notion that the system can perpetuate historical injustices.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: I'm people
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: Researching how to effectively employ direct action and community organization, as well as research into the historical suppression of protest and revolution.
Q: Additional comments?
A: This can apply to many shows and films which depict the political and government apparatus imperialist nations. (From spy thrillers, to political drama, to cartoons representing capitalist systems in an evaluative manner) These apparatus extend even into that which is supposedly free or separate of the overt hierarchy such as media outlets and other private businesses. The West Wing Free Trade scene (:55) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh9SgyGgBW0 Useful books(I guess): King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild Neo-colonialism, the Last Stage of Imperialism by Kwame Nkrumah Manufacturing Consent by by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin
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Instagram (#4)
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Social Media
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: It shows a misrepresentation of how you should live everyday. A lot of teens and adults see people posting them living good on Instagram and more and they believe that they life is good and that they are preaching what they are posting but behind the scenes they probably going through the same struggles people are facing.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: This doesn't really affect the group I'm a part of but it does affect other people, these social media apps put most people into depression and more.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: Some resources I’d recommend to combat this issue is just keep it real on these apps and if you’re going through stuff talk to people about it don't just hold it in and act like you’re good on social media.
[Edited for grammar]
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To All The Boys I've Loved Before: PS I Still Love You
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: I don't know if it was inappropriately representing groups or contributing to oppression of a group, but I do know that it normalized very problematic and controlling behavior from a significant other.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: It teaches girls specifically that it's normal for a partner to limit the things you're allowed to do and to take control over your life and actions.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: I would encourage the media to promote stories of independent girls and women who may have men in their life without the men trying to take control of her decisions
Q: Any additional comments?
A: The Kissing Booth is another example of this
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Film
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: Personally I was shocked to see how some US films described modern day Korea. The one I particularly remember was a scene in which it was set at DMZ. Despite of the scene being at a demilitarized zone, it was disturbing to see how the director depicted it as if it were 20th century Korea. The scene where a Korean soldier used snake's blood to make a cup of alcohol also inaccurately represented the culture of Koreans.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: I was lucky that I had some great friends who were very open and had interest in foreign countries. Hence, I don't have any experience in which I say I was discriminated or misrepresented in any sort of ways. Adding to that, with BTS's popularity soaring, a lot of countries have started to recognize the country of Korea and where our country is located in. Perhaps, I may not have such dramatic experience as I have never been treated as a minority.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: The only means I can think of now is that Korea itself has to increase in power.
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Holiday
Q: What is the name(s) of this piece of media? (Or what type is it? For example, advertisement.)
A: Holiday
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: The way they portray this Asian woman as a preppy girl who can't cuss reinforced cliches of Asians as model minorities.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: Deepens obsession with Asians as model minority -- not allowed to have flaws.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how? *
A: Always Be My Maybe represents Asian with flaws (and they're funny!)
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Tom and Jerry
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: In Tom and Jerry, they showed lots of blackface as funny thing and makes us laugh at it.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: It made me think that who have a black skin color are not friendly and funny.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: It is important to not make fun of specific race or group of people in the media or film because it's easy to make misconception of certain group of people. For example, title called Hidden Figures is good example for does not have misconceptions of black people.
[Edited for grammar]
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TikTok
Q: What is the name(s) of this piece of media? (Or what type is it? For example, advertisement.)
A: TikTok
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Social Media
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: With the growth of TikTok came the glorification of Asian media such as k-dramas and anime, which inevitably led to the fetishization of East, and to a lesser extent, Southeast Asians. I often see comments on Korean and Japanese TikTok users that say "hey i like asians 🥺" or "commenting to stay on japanese tiktok." These comments might be done with no ill intent, but they also hint at the idea that Asians only exist to be a form of beauty and attractiveness that people are drawn to solely for their origin. Also, it creates a separation by implying that a certain group is better than another because of where they come from. It doesn't sit right with me.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: I am East and Southeast Asian myself, so seeing people make comments like those make me uncomfortable because I'd rather be liked for who I am as a person rather than my ethnicity. If I'm glorified based on how I look or my heritage, it dismisses other parts of who I am, therefore ignoring the whole idea that I am a person as well.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how? *
A: I think just being aware of what you're saying and the implications they have are really important. It's hard to control what people do, but promoting self-awareness is perhaps the best one can do.
Q: Additional Comments?
A: The same can be applied to other ethnicities as well. Because of my interests and likes on TikTok, I just see it often under East and Southeast Asian users.
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TMZ
Q: What is the name(s) of this piece of media? (Or what type is it? For example, advertisement.)
A: TMZ
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Written Media
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: Often times TMZ will misinterpret a story when reporting it and often lead to numerous outcries against someone or a group of people.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: It will often lead to generalized ideas on a certain group of people
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how? *
A: Take everything said by them with a grain of salt. Do not directly listen to them or believe what comes from the source.
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Instagram (#3)
Q: What is the name(s) of this piece of media? (Or what type is it? For example, advertisement.)
A: Instagram
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Social Media
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: This type of content on social media portray the female body to look a certain way that is borderline healthy for most people to try to achieve. It sets an ideal that is almost completely unachievable and then profits off of the insecurity it causes. The first post in the stack is a skinny girl dancing, the next is a ad for a fitness website or a diet style or something similar.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: It greatly contributed to my insecurities and my eating disorder
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how? *
A: There is so little media that portrays female bodies not as something to be profited from, even ones trying to be body positive are about being sexy.
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: Star Wars is kind of infamous for its poor handling of race, gender, and lgbtq+ representation. More specific to a group that I am part of, I find an issue with how the latest movie handles its female and East Asian characters. Although they are not "earthly" beings, these characters are definitely coded as such whether or not intentional and the writers should handle them with that in mind.
The character Rose Tico, for instance, was introduced in the second-to last movie as a prominent character with more than 15 minutes of screen time (4th highest). Her being played by a Kelly Marie Tran, a Vietnamese actress, meant a lot to people like me because we rarely get to see someone who looks like us in such a huge movie. And, unlike the Harry Potter character, Cho Chang, Rose Tico was shown to be respectable and non stereotypical. It was a pleasant surprise! She even says one of the most important lines that encapsulates the theme of Star Wars, "not [by] fighting what we hate. Saving what we love." However, not only did the actress get bullied off of social media by the "fanbase," the marketing team and director of the LAST movie continuously used her face and name in advertising, yet gave her barely 3 minutes of screen time. Giving characters less screen time is not necessarily a bad thing, but when, in marketing, the director makes comments such as "I was grateful to Rian Johnson for so many things that he did but the greatest for me was casting Kelly Marie," and then after the movie has to make excuses for the sidelining of the character, is unfair to people like me.
The movie, in my opinion, also handles the character of Rey very poorly, specifically in how they try to justify her power. As opposed to the previous movie where we establish that she is a random nobody who just so happens to be extremely strong in the force, we instead find out that the REASON for her power is that she is the granddaughter of Palpatine........ This alone does not show how it could be perceived as misogynistic, but if we look at the way they phase the reveals like, "You don't just have power. You have HIS power," we can see how something that seems to be a harmless retcon, can become a little ignorant when we consider how women are treated in the real world. Furthermore, in my opinion, this movie diminishes Rey's character as she is used as a means to tie older male characters back into the story. When Ben Solo dies, Rey barely mourns and then goes off on her own to a planet that only has significance to the Skywalkers who she barely knew, and THEN proceeds to take "Skywalker" as her last name because it was not enough to have her be just Rey. To me, all her actions seemed rooted in plot rather than her own will. Not to mention, the new force-sensitive character, Jannah, is then also revealed at the very end to be related to Lando. It seems that unless a woman is related to a fan-favorite man, she is just written out because they can't "justify" why she is cool or powerful.
Although the trilogy started off with female empowerment -arguably in a way that was detrimental to other poorly represented groups- and monumental east Asian representation, the trilogy ended in a mess of trying to appease fanboys, and in the process, sending the audience a questionable message. The movie seemed to listen to a loud side of the fandom that 1) bullied 3 out of the 4 prominent female characters off of social media, 2) largely supports Star Wars' openly transphobic actresses, and 3) continues to treat female fans of color as "the other". For a franchise that is so rooted in morals and analogies to the real world, it just feels off that its culminating movie contains ignorant implications and subversive marketing at the expensive of oppressed groups in the fandom, not just the ones I mentioned.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: It is insulting for the female and east asian fans of star wars to see people like them on screen get reduced to plot devices.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how?
A: I can't think of something specific but probably something by a female or east asian author/ director.
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The Help
Q: What is the name(s) of this piece of media? (Or what type is it? For example, advertisement.)
A: The Help
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Film and Cinema
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: I think the movie contributed to the “white savior” aspect that numerous producers and directors choose to convey in films catered to the black community
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: It downplays the fight black maids had to go through to get simply respect. It also makes the white woman the center of the movie when in reality, the “help” should’ve been the main focus
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how? *
A: I recommend employing black directors to be the heads of black movies that portray these types of historical events
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Instagram (#2)
Q: What is the name(s) of this piece of media? (Or what type is it? For example, advertisement.)
A: Instagram
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Social Media
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: Instagram creates unrealistic body expectations as many people edit their photos , inaccurate body representation
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: It creates insecurity among women (and sometimes men too)
[Edited for spelling.]
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Instagram
Q: What is the name(s) of this piece of media? (Or what type is it? For example, advertisement.)
A: Instagram
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Social Media
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: A lot of people on Instagram are still really misogynistic. A couple years ago there were Tiktoks going around joking about women’s places being in the kitchen and I know it was just jokes, but not everybody watching necessarily knew that. There could have been any number of impressionable young viewers that really took that message to heart, or even subconsciously accepted it.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: I don’t want to be pigeonholed as a woman to be one thing.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how? *
A: I don’t really know, just interacting with women in real life. Know that just because women have their gender in common doesn’t mean we aren’t diverse people with diverse goals and abilities and skills.
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Parks and Recreation
Q: What is the name(s) of this piece of media? (Or what type is it? For example, advertisement.)
A: Parks and Recreation
Q: What form of media is this?
A: Sitcom
Q: How was this piece of media inaccurate or inappropriate in representing a specific group or groups? OR how did this piece of media contribute to oppression against a specific group?
A: I would like to preface this by saying that I love Parks and Rec. However, in watching it, I have felt their portrayals of Judaism were lacking to put it mildly. In Parks and Rec, there is one Jewish family in the entire cast of recurring characters and every member is a stereotypical caricature of Jewish people. Lu Saperstein is a money-grubbing doctor. His son, Jean-Ralphio is a flamboyant narcissistic con-man, and his daughter, Mona Lisa, is the most blatant portrayal of the "Jewish-American Princess" possible.
Q: How does this personally affect you or a group you're part of?
A: Jewish people are often characterized as being rich, selfish, and greedy. Portrayals like the Sapersteins in a very popular sitcom is regressive, and does nothing to analyze these stereotypes, only perpetuate them. It's very frustrating as a Jewish fan because besides those characters, I absolutely adore Parks and Recreation.
Q: What are some resources you’d recommend or ways to combat this issue? Or is there a piece of media that represents the group(s) you've mentioned well and if so, how? *
A: The Nanny has wonderful Jewish representation because it was written and starred by a Jewish woman, Fran Drescher. Most importantly, listen to Jewish voices!
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