As seen on TV: How do we create responsible media in the time of AAPI Hate?

There was a time when stories were passed on primarily from person to person: while gathered around communal fires, with rapt attention while seated at the feet of elders, or at bedtime while parents lulled their children to blissful sleep. These stories conveyed the past, present and future, but even more so reflected the values, beliefs and ideologies of the storytellers. Their words communicated cultural standards for heroes and villains while our mind’s eye imagined their forms. Whether consciously or not, decisions were made around which stories were repeated, meant as cautionary tales, or intended to inspire a future. The storytellers essentially designed the worlds that their listeners came to believe as their reality.

Today, we live in a society where visual media--film, television, news coverage--has come to dominate as the primary storyteller of our era, where those heroes and villains don’t just live in our imaginations but have a look, a voice and a personality.  More importantly, the impact of those creative choices spans far beyond one family or one village. Media can teach an entire generation what it means to be American.

Take for example my friend, Chris, who immigrated from China to the United States at the age of 12. Speaking only Mandarin, she tuned in to daily reruns of “Friends” for more than just entertainment. She studied every episode as her daily cultural lesson on how to be “American.” Not only did she learn English by watching the show, she learned that being an American meant spending a lot of time in coffee houses, owning pairs of recliner chairs and wearing turkeys on their head. All kidding aside, the implicit message she took away from hundreds of hours of “Friends” is that if you’re not White, cisgendered and straight, you do not belong in this America.

SO WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT MEDIA’S DEFINITION OF WHO BELONGS IN AMERICA AT THIS JUNCTURE?

Eight people were killed in mass shootings in Atlanta earlier this month, 6 of the dead were Asian American women.

This is only one of the almost 3800 documented hate incidents against Asian Americans in the single year since the COVID-19 pandemic began (reported by Stop AAPI Hate).  Politicians’ use of the phrase, “China Virus”and its repetition in mainstream media has placed a bullseye on the backs of Asians in the US. Their claims that the term is referencing the origin of the disease and not the people naively ignores the cognitive leaps that the general public will make to assign a physical form to what is otherwise an invisible virus. The result? Asian Americans have become the scapegoats for the pandemic upon which perpetrators have chosen to unleash their fears and frustrations.

The shooter in the Atlanta massacre claims that his crime was not racially motivated, yet in the intersectional space where Asian American women reside, misogyny and racism cannot be disaggregated. Asian women--especially their bodies--have been objectified, fetishized and exoticized.  From “Suzie Wong” to “me love you long time” to “China Doll,” Asian women have been represented as submissive and compliant sex objects that exist for the pleasure of White, straight men. In media depictions, Asian women are valued only for their sexual prowess and exotic (read: “non-White,” othered) appearance. While seemingly innocuous, even Ross in “Friends” had an Asian girlfriend--the only Asian American character to appear in more than 2 episodes on the series. Such depictions reinforce a White male supremacist ideology, whether implicit or explicit, that Asian American women are submissive playthings.  But this is only one of the prevailing and damaging stereotypes used to inflict harm upon Asian Americans.

In addition to the stereotype of the hypersexualized, submissive sex worker, popular Asian Americans tropes perpetuated in the media include the Model Minority myth, the perpetual foreigner, and the emasculated, socially-awkward nerd. These stereotypes maintain a social power structure where, at best, Asian Americans are deemed socially acceptable though always inferior to Whites, and at worst, they are rendered invisible, expendable and the butt of jokes.

These stereotypes become dominant archetypes in American culture because visual media either presents Asian American characters and subjects primarily and only by their ethnicity, or by presenting only one token character that paints Asian Americans as one monolithic group. Every person I’ve ever met--regardless of race or ethnicity--is a collection of identities, perspectives, aptitudes and experiences. The reductive practice of representing Asian Americans as one-dimensional others makes it easy to ignore the humanity that makes life precious

JUST AS MUCH AS THE MEDIA HAS CULPABILITY IN CREATING AND SPREADING THESE DESTRUCTIVE STEREOTYPES, IT HAS THE SAME POWER TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. 

Statements like, “I’m just giving the audiences what they want to see” and “this is the way we’ve always done it” can and should no longer justify these storytelling practices that engender hate.  As the primary storyteller of our time, media can instead help audiences visualize a future-state reality where pluralism, inclusion and the robust non-stereotyped representation of characters is normal.  

The first step is by articulating what is often the invisible “gaze” applied to the work. These are the lenses through which a content creator approaches both creative and business practices.  In other words, who’s point of view is the story told through and how is that point of view specific to a particular identity or worldview, whether that be male, imperialistic, White Supremacist, etc.?  (For more info, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaze#Imperial_gaze)

While we’ve been waiting for a hero to fly in and save the day, we’ve overlooked our individual capacity and power in making change right now.  Rather than “play it safe” by repeating outdated, ignorant and harmful tropes, we have the unique capacity to create the vision of a hate-free world for our audiences.

HOW DO YOU CHANGE THE NARRATIVE AS A CONTENT CREATOR?

STEP 1: Check Yourself

Ask yourself these questions: 

• What are my dominant identities and worldviews and how do they influence the information I pay attention to and the behaviors, words or actions that I choose on a day-to-day basis--even unconsciously?

• What preconceived notions or stereotypes about marginalized groups have I accepted without question?

• Do I assume that my lived experiences are the same as those who don’t look, sound, or think like me?

• Have I done the work to ensure that I’m informed, knowledgeable and have relationships with subject matter experts to be an informed and responsible content creator?

STEP 2: Recognize and take accountability for prior use of harmful stereotypes in your creative or storytelling practices.  
Ask yourself these questions: 

• What gazes have I employed in my own work and the evaluation of others and their work (e.g., White, cisgendered, abelist, male, heterosexual, etc.)?

• Where have I used harmful stereotypes in the way I wrote, cast, directed, dressed, edited, marketed or reported on a marginalized or minoritized character?  

• What stereotypes, tropes or flawed logic have I used when making decisions or interpreting feedback/notes that I received?  For example: “That’s not realistic because I’ve never seen that before.”

• Did I include and listen to perspectives and voices from marginalized identities in my creative process--especially those who share identities with my characters, story, audience or market?  If not, why not?

STEP 3: Make a real commitment to change with a clear action plan and measurable outcomes.

Ask yourself these questions: 

• Do I have a diversity of voices and perspectives “in the room” at the highest levels? 

• Does the culture of the decision-making and creative spaces allow for brave sharing, productive dialogue and the ability for everyone to be their authentic selves?

• What would my ideal media or creative environment/business look like?  What does it look like now?

• Who holds me accountable?  Where can I bring in accountability partners from within my organization and externally from media advocacy groups and/or community organizations?

• What is my timeline for achieving my idealized state? 

At its worst, media has been a vehicle for destructive propaganda. At its best, it has served to transport audiences to perspectives outside their circles that expand empathy and minds. If content creators take a stand to be visionary for the future instead of being a mirror for antiquated biases and injustices, it is possible to achieve a truly inclusive future.