CHRIS ROCK and the Oscars: Why Make Cheap Jokes at the Expense of Asians? (Hollywood Reporter)

If the (white) host of the Academy Awards had made similar remarks about black people, s(he) would have been denounced as racist and ostracized thereafter.

Oscars: Why Make Cheap Jokes at the Expense of Asians?

5:37 PM PST 2/29/2016 by Rebecca Sun

Shhh, kids. Racial punchlines should be seen and not heard.

Courtesy of A.M.P.A.S.

Could the Oscars braintrust come up with nothing funnier (or fresher) than these jokes?

The second annual #OscarsSoWhite Academy Awards needed to deliver a pointed message about diversity, and on most fronts, Chris Rock and the rest of the show planners did not disappoint.
The host delivered an opening monologue that felt like it could have been ripped from one of his trademark blistering stand-up sets and peppered the rest of the evening with smart but funny segments that drew attention to the violence that African-Americans have experienced in the nation’s past and present and called out the disparity of opportunity between talented black and white actors.
Amidst all the finger-wagging, some awkward race jokes appeared:

Taken separately and devoid of context, the jokes at the expense of Asians pack little punch, mostly because they aren’t very funny. After at least 150 years of Asians existing in America, this year's Oscars jokes about them still began with “dedicated, accurate and hardworking” and ended with “tiny dongs.” They were tired attempts at humor, and utterly unsurprising — the worst sin in comedy.
Although the gags were met with laughter inside the Dolby Theatre, others instantly heard the tone-deafness. "Half-assed Asian joke, #Oscars, and then preach about diversity? #LoseMe," tweeted actor Jeffrey Wright. Glee-turned-Shadowhunters star Harry Shum Jr. chimed in: "Lazy, uncreative joke after a brilliant monologue @chrisrock #DiversityMyAss," while Fresh Off the Boat's Constance Wu shared a text from a friend: "Chris Rock's self awareness of the joke shows that there are just no actual consequences to making fun and degrading Asians. So that in an entire broadcast totally obsessed with racism and diversity, throwing Asians under the bus is totally fine."
The #OscarsSoWhite controversy has understandably been dominated by the inequities facing black talent, many of whom were legitimate contenders in the race. Meanwhile, who can even name a qualifying performance from an Asian actor this year, when the most talked-about character of Asian descent was Aloha leading lady Allison Ng, played by Emma Stone? But true diversity obviously includes all races, a point explicitly stated on-air only by one Compton theatergoer during Rock’s man-on-the-street segment.
The Academy clearly is aware of this fact, as it invited Priyanka Chopra, Benicio Del Toro, Byung-hun Lee, Olivia Munn, Dev Patel and Sofia Vergara to present last night. In that case, why the cheap racial gags at the expense of one specific minority group? If the producers were looking for a creative alternative to the traditional appearance of the real PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants — sorry, Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz! — could the Oscars braintrust really come up with nothing funnier (or fresher) than a lazy stereotype about math?
Ultimately, it’s just a couple of dumb Asian jokes at the Oscars. But if these arbiters of influence think nothing of continuing to make Asians the butts of jokes (and with roughly five percent representation across the board, that’s still punching down), that underscores a subtle reality about Asians' continued positioning as outsiders to mainstream American culture. Coming especially on a night when Hollywood was trying to be peak “woke,” the Academy really slept on this one.


 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-why-make-cheap-jokes-871623

Hillary Clinton and Vladimir Putin in 2011

Mrs. Clinton had done her best to develop a relationship with Russia’s leader, Vladimir V. Putin, listening to his tales of tagging polar bears and tracking Siberian tigers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/us/politics/hillary-clinton-libya.html

Review of the Seattle Tacoma NAACP

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/crime/article/NAACP-Police-involved-shooting-a-cold-blooded-6850343.php

As a person of color who has to deal with the unpleasant racial realities every day of my life, who remembers writing an impassioned review of "To Kill a Mockingbird" in 1967 at Meany Middle School, I feel compelled to write this review.

During the Vietnam War, people of my generation protested against what they believed was an unjust war as well as racism.

They also railed against conformism, all forms of entrenched power, and authority ("the "Establishment").

I am wondering what Dr. King would have thought of the actions of local chapters of the NAACP in recent years such as the Seattle chapter (see link above).

Self-righteousness, arrogance, posturing (a still for "Dallas"?), superiority, a disdain for opinions for other than one's own, a rush to judgment before all the facts are known: these are not in accordance with the values I he believed in.

Workshops on non-violent conflict resolution, anger management, and on the effects of machismo/no-snitching might be of much greater benefit to he community than immediately exploiting for political advantage the unfortunate death of a black man, a convicted felon (robbery, assault, and rape).

To accuse the very people who overwhelmingly protect African-American life and property in Seattle of "cold-blooded murder" is unfair.

What is amounts to is to unload all the frustration and failures of individuals as well as the larger group onto a specific, easy target: the police.

And when, nationwide, police are murdered, there is a question of accountability. I doubt whether this strategy will lead, in the long run, to racial reconciliation or equality.

After Ferguson, MO, where the accused policeman had to endure months of investigation, accusations, and condemnation; go on trial; resign his job;, and then go into hiding after his family received death threats, only a very stupid cop would shoot a black man..unless as a very last resort--fear for one's life.

This fear may have to do with the overwhelmingly disproportionate amount of violent crime committed--for whatever reason or cause--by African-Americans, locally or nationally. One has only to look back at the past week or month and not have blinders over one's eyes to see this.

If only, ironically, the Seattle Police Department were able to release the demographics of their statistics, that is, assuming they are even allowed to note such things).

The people who call other racists are often the most racist people.

It pains me to reflect on the fact that within minority groups, minorities are often persecuted as much or even more than those minority groups are by the society at large.

In my life I have made bad decisions. Sometimes out of cowardice, inflexibility, or foolishness.

The limitations of my culture and family upbringing had a part to play as well. Accordingly, it is unimaginable for me to hold white people--or any other race--at every turn of my life, responsible my lack of success or discontent.

Can you kill ideas as easily as...?

Freedom...?

Courage?

Tolerance?

Diversity?

Brotherhood...?

Only the Lord Almighty is beyond reproach.

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Oscars too white?

The Economist did a recent study of the Oscar nominations over its 80+ year history.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/01/film-and-race

According to it,

Oscar nominations have not dramatically under-represented black actors. Instead, they have greatly over-represented white ones. Blacks are 12.6% of the American population, and 10% of Oscar nominations since 2000 have gone to black actors. But just 3% of nominations have gone to their Hispanic peers (16% of the population), 1% to those with Asian backgrounds, and 2% to those of other heritage.

The truth is that acting nominations and Oscar wins for black actors have not benefited or opened up the field to Asian or Hispanics.  The amorphous "people of color" umbrella may lead Hispanics and Asians to believe that a win for a person of color is a win for Hispanics or Asians, respectively, but the facts say otherwise.

Until this year I never heard any blacks notice that they got the giant's share of nominations for minorities, e.g., 90%.

Asians or Hispanics, unlike black actors, are almost never on the movie marquee, as opposed to the huge number of black movie superstars (Jamie, Denzel, ).

If you look at a recent audience at the Oscar ceremony, at least 25% are blacks while there are probably 1% Asians and 3% Hispanics in a state, California, where Asians make up, as I recall 16% of the population, Hispanics even more, and blacks about 5%-6%.

Maybe black actors need to star in fewer mainstream box-office super hits and more dramas.  With Asians and Hispanics, they first need to be cast in vastly more roles.  The problems of blacks and Asians and Hispanics in the film industry are vastly different.

See also
http://www.allenbwest.com/2016/01/this-chart-destroys-oscarsowhite-premise/