If you look at my previous post, you will see something I wrote about John Hughes movies having no people of color in them, and when they do, they're largely stereotypes. I came to this realization when I was reading a book about the Brat Pack, and then tonight I read a part near the end where they discuss the whiteness of the films. Darn, someone else already made my point!
They also look to Long Duk Dong as an Asian stereotype, and one Asian writer stated that before Sixteen Candles he was compared to Bruce Lee (cool!), and afterward, he was destined to be tied to "The Donger" (uncool).
The book did not point out like I did the Latino and Black guys working the garage who steal Cameron's father's car, but they did point out how the Black guys in Vacation (written by Hughes) rob the rims off the Family Truckster.
You guys know any other movies guilty of stereotyping?
3 comments:
with the hughes teen movies, what else could you expect? i mean, the main characters were nothing but stereotypical white kids, so obviously the non-white characters would also have over-contrived personalities.
in a way, all movie writers stereotype when they write that a character is a "sassy single white woman" or "tough large black man" or whatever. by defining who the character is they can't help but then go on to write about them doing things a "small nerdy asian" would do things in order to not confuse the audience.
BLAZING SADDLES, but it was COMPLETELY intentional.
Jov: I think I see your point. I needed more "small nerdy Asian" kids sitting next to me in school to cheat off of. Was that racist?
Heff: Yes. Very intentional. A lot of the laughs now are nervous laughs. Amazing they got away with that. A lot of legitimate laughs too.
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