Report Write UpYear 9 Term 3. Task 2. Stereotype Analysis

Introduction Example

At the recent GOMA Pan Pacific Exhibition critics voicedconcerns regarding the inaccuracy of a number of Asianstereotypes portrayed in film. These concerns havegenerated fear that misconstrued messages in the mediaabout Asian culture will encourage prejudice anddiscriminatory behavior towards Asians within westernsociety. Accordingly, this report serves to provide a furtheranalysis of the issue by focusing on a selection of threedifferent mediums which specifically showcase thestereotype, ‘the perpetual foreigner’. This stereotype willbe analysed within an advertisement, television programand comic strip in order to decipher any potential harmfuleffects, which may impact the Asian community.

Example. Raj ‘Big Bang Theory’

- Speak- Think- Effect on others- Actions- Looks

Example. Raj ‘Big Bang Theory’

The television series, ‘Big Bang Theory’, is a recent sitcomcentered on a friendship group of physicists and engineerswho’s geeky and introverted lifestyles quite openlyemphasize a number of stereotypes and clichés forcomedic effect. In the group, the character RajKonthrappali, of Indian decent, is portrayed as an overlyfeminine and peculiar 26 year old lacking many socialskills, especially around women. To emphasize hispeculiarity, his Indian culture is exaggerated in a way thatencourages derision. Whether it’s a slurring conversationabout his Hindu faith or expectations regarding marriage,Raj is seen as different to his fellow white Caucasiancharacters. These disparities reinforce Raj as the foreigneramongst the group.

Example. Advertisement

- Speak- Think- Effect on others- Actions- Looks

Example. Advertisement

The virgin advertisement, “Dump Your Pen Friend”,caused uproar in 2007 when Virgin Australia had used anAmerican girl’s photograph to advertise their newcampaign. The photograph features a girl of Asian descentwearing an adidas cap and sweat jacket. She smiles with anopen-mouth at the camera whilst doing the peace symbol.The advertisement invites viewers to believe that she is infact a ‘foreigner’, hence the ‘Dump Your Pen Friend’,slogan. However, the girl was in fact from Texas in theUSA and at a family barbecue. She is characterised ascompletely unaware of her predicament in being a‘foreigner’. Once again, a Western audience hasconstructed a representation that stereotypes Asians.

Similarities

Example. Similarities

Each medium uses fairly similar visual features tocharacterise Asian people. All three characters aredressed casually in western clothing, which includejackets, trousers and hats. The characters are alsodressed in fairly neutral and warm colours. Theseinclude greens, reds, blues, greys and purples. The useof lighting, camera angles and shot length also imply aneutral setting in all three mediums. For example, thecharacters are portrayed in a neutral light, with thecomic using a long-shot to reinforce this. Asiancharacters in all three mediums are given neither asense of power or powerlessness in their roles by anytechnique, but rather a neutral characterisation.

Differences

Example. Differences

On the contrary, all three mediums use differing perspectives to construct Asian representations. Firstly, the comic portrays an Asian perspective of what it means to be seen as ‘different’; however, both the advertisement and television program portray rather a Western perspective of Asian’s ‘foreignness’. In response to an old lady cringing in deep thought, the Asian represented character in the comic thinks, “I should be used to this by now… Nope, still awkward”, conveying the frustration Asians feel when scrutinized as to their ‘belonging’. However, in both the advertisement and television program, both Asian representations are portrayed through quite a western perspective. Raj, in the program, has an inability to speak in certain situations, which reinforces a ‘foreign’ perception of his character. Likewise, the advertisement relies entirely on the girl’s Asian features to highlight her ‘foreignness’. Through differing applications of the textual feature ‘perspective’, Asians are seen as foreigners.

Example. Conclusion.

Each medium constructs an image that Asians are in many ways ‘foreign’, regardless of their appearance. All three mediums use neutral camera lighting and angle techniques to portray each of the Asians characters under discussion as normal, everyday people. However, the perspective used by each of the medium creators, whether it’s Asian or Western, constructs and reinforces an image of them being ‘foreign’. As a result of this analysis, it is clear that the media portrays that regardless of context, including what Asians wear, who they sit with or who they talk to, as long as they have the physical features of an Asian they will be seen as foreign.

Example. Recommendations

Asians are not only negatively impacted by the poorly constructed images of their culture, belief system and values in media, but also by the way in which these representations are then stereotyped within Western communities. These mediums, publicized to a western audience, reinforce the stereotype that all Asians are foreigners. However, statistics show that in Australia alone, 12% of Australian residents are either Asians or from Asian descent. Therefore, this stereotype constructed and reinforced in media is an entirely inaccurate representation of all Asian people. In light of the analysis, it is recommended that future media creators ensure that Asian representations are constructed to reflect more accurately the characters they represent.

Word Count

• 111

• 110

• 149

• 108

• 114

• 113

• 103

• 100

Total = 900 (Max.)