Disney Channel's Attitude Towards Asians

College Confidential Community
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The number of white actors in a medical drama still vastly outnumber the number of black actors. And since you yourself argued that TV is fiction and thus subject to some artistic freedom, it only makes economic sense to add a black doctor here and there to increase the show's demographic reach. At most, there are only maybe two major black characters in an ensemble cast. How many white actors are there? Eight? Ten? Where do you think the slots for Asians should come from? The few black roles, or the sea of white roles?</p>

<p>I'm not saying that every TV show has to have reality down to statistical accuracy, but the fact that in TV-land, the medical field has no Asian presence (especially male presence; you can't put in a sexually available Asian woman and disingenuously call it a victory for both minorities and feminism) is like making a documentary about the history of NYC and excluding the presence and contribution of blacks, Jews, or Italians.

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You are playing both sides, ie: being a hypocrite. Either try to go for demographic inaccuracy or give complete freedom to the producers in casting the show. But it's hard to argue both ways.</p>

102

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Asians make up 3% of the American population...simply starring in a show probably means they are overrepresented.

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<p>Asian-Americans presently make up nearly 4.5% of the US pop.</p>

<p>The problem isn't just the amount of the representation in the media - but the type of representation as well (stereotypical representations are actually worse than not having any).</p>

<p>With regard to blacks - representation has made great strides (especially on TV and in advertisement).</p>

<p>The vast majority of dramas have at least one black character in a non-stereotypical role (physicians, lawyers, judges, principal/teachers, military officers, federal agents/detectives, scientists, President of the US) and the same goes for commercials as well.</p>

<p>With regard to TV - IR relationships depicting BM/WF couples have become commonplace (this hasn't happened with film since such portrayals are still seen as too risky).</p>

<p>However, with regard to Asian-Ams - the picture isn't nearly as bright (esp. with regard to Asian-Am males).</p>

<p>Hollywood is a male dominated industry - there are more WM, BM and HM portrayals than that of WF, BF and HF. The one EXCEPTION to this is for Asian-Americans where AFs outnumber AMs.</p>

<p>In conjunction with this is the fact that AMs have been asexualized in the media (pretty much every AF character is paired with a WM or BM) while AM characters are usually depicted as having no romantic life whatsoever (can anyone recall a show with a regularly occurring Asian-American couple?).</p>

<p>This imbalance is also seen in commercials (where AFs are almost exclusively paired with WMs) and in the anchor chair (one would be hard pressed to find an AM anchor - even in states with large Asian populations such as Hawaii and California).</p>

<p>With regard to Disney - it's not surprising to see Disney doing what the rest of the industry has been doing (diversity with regard to Asians means an Asian female) - pretty much all the shows geared for a young audience (when they have had an Asian character) have had Asian girls and not Asian boys.</p>

103

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And yes, blacks are over-represented, and have to be, otherwise the NAACP (The "Reverand' Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson and other civil rights activists) will cite racial discrimination and yak about slavery and injustice in america.

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<p>100% Agree.</p>

104

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You are playing both sides, ie: being a hypocrite. Either try to go for demographic inaccuracy or give complete freedom to the producers in casting the show. But it's hard to argue both ways.

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<p>Again, tell me how blacks are overrepresented when there are, at most, 2 black actors for about every 10 white actors. What I'm sensing from your arguments is that you want minorities to fight amongst themselves so that slots for white actors will remain largely undisturbed. </p>

<p>Asians may make up only 4.5% of the American demographic, but TV shows are rarely set in Midwestern farms. Instead, they're usually in high schools, hospitals, and law firms in large metropolitan areas where the Asian population is higher than the national average.</p>

105

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Asians may make up only 4.5% of the American demographic, but TV shows are rarely set in Midwestern farms. Instead, they're usually in high schools, hospitals, and law firms in large metropolitan areas where the Asian population is higher than the national average.

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I agree. Because so many shows are set in urban areas, and because there are LOTS of Asians in urban areas, I must say that Asians are underrepreesnted.</p>

<p>I don't really mind that part, but it's just that...DO NOT ACT AS IF WE ARE SECRET DRAGONS OR SOMETHIGN!</p>

106

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Again, tell me how blacks are overrepresented when there are, at most, 2 black actors for about every 10 white actors. What I'm sensing from your arguments is that you want minorities to fight amongst themselves so that slots for white actors will remain largely undisturbed.

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I think that the directors can and should cast who they want to cast. I think that if you want shows to be accurate to real life, you should keep that spirit through your whole view of entertainment. Clearly, Law & Order vastly overrepresents how many murders are committed by whites on their show. It's PC, of course, and I don't have a problem with that. You, however, should have a huge problem with that because it doesn't accurately display the urban population/environment correctly (ie: in a city like NYC the vast majority of murders and violent crime are committed by blacks).</p>

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<p>I agree. ^^</p>

108

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I think that the directors can and should cast who they want to cast. I think that if you want shows to be accurate to real life, you should keep that spirit through your whole view of entertainment. Clearly, Law & Order vastly overrepresents how many murders are committed by whites on their show. It's PC, of course, and I don't have a problem with that. You, however, should have a huge problem with that because it doesn't accurately display the urban population/environment correctly (ie: in a city like NYC the vast majority of murders and violent crime are committed by blacks).

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<p>Aren't most black violence committed against other blacks? I don't watch Law and Order, but I get the feeling that most of the victims are whites. I'm willing to bet that producers would fear that the audience would stop caring if the victim was an ugly black man instead of a pretty white girl.</p>

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<p>Yes, the audience would likely stop caring. And you don't have a problem with that? Shouldn't directors try to accurately portray the city environment as it actually is? Or wait....perhaps we should let the directors run the shows how they want to run them...and let the marketplace decide if their ideas are good...hmmm.</p>

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<p>I am not talking about representation here, though. I am talking about misrepresentation.</p>

<p>I don't want American kids growing up thinking that their classmate James Wang might be a dragon. It gives me the chills.</p>

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Yes, the audience would likely stop caring. And you don't have a problem with that? Shouldn't directors try to accurately portray the city environment as it actually is? Or wait....perhaps we should let the directors run the shows how they want to run them...and let the marketplace decide if their ideas are good...hmmm.

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<p>If it weren't for the push for better representation of blacks, women, gays, etc. in the media - we would be a lot farther from the reality of having a black or female President.</p>

<p>Back in the 70's - when the majority of portrayals of blacks were of poor, uneducated inner city families and women were primarily portrayed as housewives - the thought of a black or woman President would have been laughable.</p>