As I mentioned in a previous post, last week I went to SOMArts to listen to this interesting panel discussion on the work of some emerging Asian American stand up comedians. Well, I'd like to discuss it in a bit more detail.
Much of the discussion focused on stereotypes surrounding Asians in America in general, and how these comedians, whose vocation is to use words to pick apart the often unspeakable and viscous pretensions, as well as matter-of-fact but acutely mundane encounters of a minority, whose existence in any country that is not in his/her native ethnicity, carries unwelcomed, but inevitable baggage.
For the most part, the comedians articulated very well some of their personal stories and how they choose to deal with these impediments. Tina was especially blunt, and in her words I detected a kind of angst that has an origin far deeper than a panel can reveal. On competing with Bobby Lee for a spot on MadTV, she said (my memory is not clear so wording may not be exact) "why would the producers pick me, an Asian woman, when they could have Bobby Lee, who is short, fat and ugly to play a woman. That's funny." And that kind of typecasting of an ethnicity, of a gender, a kind of cruel retrofitting to tender to the lowest common denominators, still rules over emerging, minority entertainers. Samson and Edwin took more mild stances to stereotypes, although you could always hear a tone of acrid resignation, especially in Edwin (Who provided us with another example of jokes involving Asian males' genitals. You know how those things go, I won't say more). He is nice a guy, he doesn't like to be funny through hurting people, he likes to turn subjects of discrimination, into objects of cuteness and desire, an effort I appreciate, and I hope he'll find a greater audience to support his cause. For Samson? Well, you'll have to return to this blog to keep updated on what he has to say. :)
The way I see it, producers are cowards. To them, there are too much money at stake, too many powerful people to please, too big of a crowds to please, and too scared to attempt something new just because nothing new has been demonstrated before that guaranteed success. What does this mean? Producers still cater to a white American audience. Let's see what the new Census offer us in terms of a new demographic break down. Certainly, it is not enough for emerging Asian American entertainers to simply wait for their compatriots to catch up in numbers.
One rather surprising finding that I came across today, was that the top two subscribees on YouTube, are both Asian American. In fact, Asian American teenagers, namely Ryan Higa of nigahiga, and Kevin Wu of KevJumba. (Not gonna link to them, do your own searches)
Both of these kids have huge subscribers base because they make funny videos. What kind of funny videos? Well, mostly self-deprecating and slapstick videos that tether on constant self-parody and media parody, and worst of all, jokes that reinforce stereotypes about Asians without having any informed undercurrents that allow them to derail the omnipresence of these stereotypes. One video featured KevJumba constantly making fun of his father's bad English pronunciation, for the sake of cheap laughs to the video's demographic audience--kids between 13-21 who live in a world of conformity and reinforced, stereotypical social ladders. I wonder if KevJumba ever realizes what his father went through in China to move to the US and raise a family. I wonder if Kevin ever thought about his father's intellectual complexity if he was given a chance to express himself in his native language. No, obviously Kevin hasn't because he got famous very quickly, and to feed that fame he needs props that reinforce what got him famous in the first place--Asian kid being funny. Thus, his father will forever remain the token dopey middle aged Asian father, who is the butt of his son's jokes only because he can't pronounce the words that his sons can. This is such a cruel component to the power of language.
For nigahiga? Well, he's not a first generation/second generation like Kevin, so no jokes about his parents not being able to speak English. What I did notice a lot with Ryan, is his constantly exaggerated facial expressions. They were fun when he was 16, and even back then, most of his expressions were exaggerated, they were simply high-school stupidity transposed. Nowadays, with producers and PR people managing his work and requiring him to maintain audience expectations, Ryan has to put on a face that simply look way too unfitting for a man emerging out of his teens. He's taller and more muscular now than before, so when he puts on a wig or does those eye squints, Ryan displays neither masculinity, or burlesque femininity, if this was his goal--hey Asian men are so sexless let's make him look like neither a man or a woman! In a nutshell, Ryan's acts are getting old and tired. He better develop some acting skills, or fire his management team and start over, this time, as a man who has grown, so have his comedic sensibilities. For Kevin? Same thing. Get rid of your entourages, go back to yourself, and most importantly, respect yourself, not your followers.
The final question I want to ask is, would Ryan and Kevin ever be funny and honest on stage, compared to Samson, Tina or Edwin? This is what I'd like to find out. And this, may lead to something else I'll talk about down the line. A project called "Am I funny enough for your advertising dollars?" or "Am I funny enough to get laid?"
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