What is the attitude of Asian Americans toward their representation in Fresh Off the Boat and the motive of ABC in airing such a show Background Initial research and data Diversity Representation in Television ID: 462484
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Asian-American Identity in US Television" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Asian-American Identity in US Television
What is the attitude of Asian Americans toward their representation in Fresh Off the Boat and the motive of ABC in airing such a show?Slide2
Background
Initial research and dataSlide3
Diversity Representation in Television
United States
t
elevision is predominately White
S
ome shows exist
where the experiences of persons of European descent is neither central nor
dominant
Black families sometimes take focus
Examples
include The Cosby Show and The Fresh Prince of
Bel
-Air
Diverse TV shows may be those that, while not feature non-Whites as leads, have diversity within them
Asian Americans are rarely the focusSlide4
"Black" TV Shows
Shows where African Americans are at the forefront are few in comparison to those focusing on White Americans
IMDB lists 115
"Best Black Comedy Shows of All Time," the earliest of which dates as early as
1950
Comparatively
, White comedies begin as early as the 1930's.
A
black sitcom is a sitcom that has a primarily or entirely black cast, or an African American individual in the lead role
.
Historically larger and more numerous than Latino
or Asian
sitcoms
Black
households are approximately 20% of TV viewers.
Black
sitcoms tend to have limited success with white
Americans
Notable exception: The
Bill Cosby
Show
Tyler
Perry's House of Payne has had great
success
ABC
is hoping to follow this trend with their 2014 sitcom
Black
-
ish
. Slide5
"Diverse" TV Shows
May be any
show that has a reasonable number of
characters not
of European
descent or one main character not of European descent
Examples: Parks
and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-
Nine
N
either focus
on a single non-White
family
Both have several
non-White cast
members
Increases suggest that television has reached an era
of
multiculturalism
Diverse movies
and shows
earn
more money and
higher ratings
If these shows fail
,
it could hurt attempts to further diversity
More
progress is to be
made
in the
representations of gender, sexuality, and
disabilities
Though TV
shows may now look more
diverse, their writers
remain predominately white.Slide6
"Asian" TV Shows
Acting
roles for Asian Americans have traditionally been
scarce
Bruce Lee appeared in childhood roles in the 1940’s
Star Trek and Happy Days had Asians in supporting roles
1976
sitcom Mr. T and Tina focused on a person of Asian descent
Asian
-American TV shows have been squashed throughout U.S.
history
TV series All American Girl, led by actress Margaret Cho was cancelled after only one
season
ABC's
Kung Fu had a 3-year
run
Gung Ho
lasted only 9
episodes
Others had same
fate, lasting two seasons at best, if they even
aired
ABC's airing of
Fresh Off the
Boat
is being
praised
Allowing Asians
to be both Asian and
American
A breakthrough show
for Asian
Americans, allowing them to gain
visibility as leads and not archetypes or secondary and tertiary
characters
Focuses
on an entire Asian American
familySlide7
A Brief Literature Review, Condensed
Asians are being
portrayed more often
in
US television, with the following explanations being given:
Asian American consumption habits are significant, as they have money and influence and can boost viewership
Diversity sells
A mission to reflect US demographics
The reaction to Asian American representation in Fresh Off the Boat varies
A starting point but not all-inclusive representation of being Asian in the US
Mixed reactions, from racist to relatable
Stereotype trap
May end as similar others have
My contribution:
Statistics to understand the diversity aspect of US demographics
Interviews with Asian Americans to determine their attitude on their representation in the show and their thoughts on ABC’s motiveSlide8
Demographic Data
Some demographic data reveals that the Asian and Pacific Islander numbers have consistently grown since 1950 (.20% of the entire U.S. population). In 2000, Asian Americans represented 3.8% of the U.S. population; in 2010, that number was 4.9%. Slide9
Ethnic Representation on TV
A survey of ethnic representation on CNN, FNC, and MSNBC show that Whites are over-represented and other races are under-represented.Slide10
The Project
Question generation and original contributionSlide11
Original Project Idea
Initial Thoughts
Began my project search with a focus on my own identity
Wanted to know what scholarly though indicated
Desired to search instances of social media to see how often a “token” person is referred to by their race (to see if certain races are more often acknowledged as token)
Planned to take a survey of or interview individuals to see what circumstances would warrant the term “token” being applied to an individual and whether or not they believes white people could be tokens
Post-Research Thoughts
There were instances someone being called a “token White person”
More references regarded other races
Debate exists as to whether a white person can truly be a token
when the surrounding society is predominately
white, even
if an individual group within a society is more diverse
Is it possible to be a “token white girl” in a setting or place of identity
where
white people are the majority?Slide12
Original InfographicSlide13
Second Project Idea
Initial Thoughts
Refocused my project to explore non-White identity in television
Wanted to interview friends of non-European descent to get personal opinions
Desired to get perspectives on why programming is becoming more diverse
Began literature survey literature
on
how television
programming
has
changed
Post-Research Thoughts
Various opinions exist regarding ABC’s motive
Profit
Getting ahead of
potential backlash for not being
diverse
Reacting to a shift
in consumer behavior to appeal to a broader
audience
Some argued that ABC should fear losing
its primarily white
consumers
Minority community opinions
Some thought the shows were not significant enough
S
everal thought ABC's
motive was
profit
and the network was exploitative New goal to focus on a historical comparison of the TV industry to determine why this programming is possible and what the motives might have been
What has happened to make it possible for mainstream television producers to create programs in which the experience of persons of European descent is neither central nor dominant? Slide14
Second and Final Project InfographicSlide15
Second and Final Project Infographic, ContinuedSlide16
Second and Final Project Infographic, ContinuedSlide17
Final Project Idea
Initial Thoughts
Revised again to narrow my topic and make an original contribution
Post-Research Thoughts
Wanted to provide a real contribution
Decided on the use of interviews
Goal: to interview Asian Americans about Fresh off the Boat to understand how they felt about the show's representation of Asian Americans, as well as why they thought ABC was airing the show
What is the attitude of Asian Americans toward their representation in Fresh off the Boat and the motive of ABC in airing such a show?Slide18
Interview Questions
What
is your ethnicity
?
Do
you watch Fresh off the Boat? If not, are you familiar with it
?
If
you do watch, why do you watch the show
?
Do
you agree, support, or relate to representation of Asian Americans in the show
?
Are
you aware of any other shows in the past 20 years that focus(
ed
) on the experiences of Asian Americans
?
Why
do you think ABC is airing a show like Fresh off the Boat
?
If
you're aware of or watch Black-
ish
,
Cristela
, or other similar diverse TV shows, do you think the reasons they are being aired is similar to or different than ABC's reasons for airing Fresh off the Boat?
Howso
?Slide19
Interview Process
Remained within college community
Found individuals
of both American-born Chinese and Korean American
identities
Approached them under
the impression that their identities, with the exception of their ethnic affiliation, would remain
confidential
A
sked
them
questions on
the
previous slide
Separated the interviews by identity (American-born Chinese and Korean American) to summarize and draw conclusionsSlide20
Interview Summary
Total interviewees: 10
American-born Chinese: 6
Korean American: 4
Viewership:
4 do not watch, 4 watch occasionally, and 2 have seen every episode
American-born Chinese: 2 do not watch, 3 watch occasionally, and 1 has seen every episode
Korean American: 2 do not watch, 1 watches occasionally, and 1 has seen every episode
Awareness of other Asian American shows in the past 20 years:
9 were not
1 was aware of All-American Girl (cancelled after only one season)
StatisticsSlide21
Interview Summary
Reasons for watching:
Hype within the Chinese American community: 1
Friends watch it: 1
Liked the casting: 2
Find it funny: 2
Related to or felt resonance with it: 3 (all Chinese)
Feelings toward representation:
Fairly represented and felt relation to characters: 4 Chinese-born Americans
Have not watched, but mothers indicated accuracy of representation: 2
Chinese-born Americans
No real opinion: 1 Korean American
Felt it was a starting point: 1
Korean
American
Skeptical it could be all-inclusive (due to differences between ABC’s and KA’s) but agreed it was more representative than “White” shows: 2 Korean Americans
Korean Americans were less excited and saw less accurate representation
Chinese Americans related, saw similarities to their own families, and connected with the experiences more than other shows in terms of identity
Qualitative ResponsesSlide22
Interview Summary
Opinions on ABC’s motive in airing Fresh Off the Boat:
Profit (and ratings): 4
Diversity (and Asian Americans rising in population): 7
Only 1 mentioned that ABC may be attempting to cover up their lack of diversity in past programming
Opinions on ABC’s motive in airing
Black-
ish
and
Cristela
:
Money and rating: 3
Diversity: 8
Depended on the show: 2
For Black-
ish
: a change in American sentiment and an attempt to move past racism
F
or
Cristela
: the increasing Latino population in the US
Qualitative Responses, ContinuedSlide23
Interview Conclusions
All
Chinese
Americans expressed relation in some way
and
found the representation to be accurate or closer than any other show.
The
Korean Americans saw it as a starting
point
and
pointed
out that the
show
cannot be entirely representative of all Asian Americans.
7
responses focused on diversity and the increasing Asian American
population
4
mentioned profit and
ratings
1
brought up the idea that ABC could be trying to cover up its less-than-diverse past
.
Thus, there was general goodwill for ABC’s attempt.
Representation
Motive
What is the attitude of Asian Americans toward their representation in Fresh off the Boat and the motive of ABC in airing such a show?Slide24
Conclusion
Overall, Chinese
Americans are more positive of the representation of Asian Americans in Fresh Off the Boat than Korean Americans, but both groups were positive and
hopeful.
B
oth
groups thought ABC’s motive was largely to increase diversity, though the notion of profit was not altogether foregone. Slide25
The End