Subtle Indications of Racism

 Nicholas Conjelko

    When thinking about racism in the United States, it’s very easy to think about slavery and the events circulating it. Which is fair to do so, for it will forever paint a stain on what is the history of this country. However, racism and segregation does not merely entail a difference between whites and blacks- it is far more convoluted. Asians have a long history of being oppressed in America, as pictured in the variety of media looked upon in class. These dates stretch from the Chinese Exclusion Act all the way to present day stereotypes. Interior Chinatown wonderfully encapsulates these racist tendencies- effectively showing off the everyday battles Asians have to fight in order to make their place in society. Whether discussed or not among whites, the Asians sort themselves into five separate classes: the last of which being a background male, followed by a dead asian man, then into three separate classes of a generic asian man. The “pinnacle” being  “Kung-Fu Man”. Because of the way Asians are portrayed in an American society, this is all they expect from themselves. They are forced into a role where they have to exaggerate their own stereotypes in order to succeed, downplaying everything their older generations have done in order to help them fit in. Two of the main examples of this occurring are with Willis Wu and his role on the Law & Order spin-off, and the love story of Wu’s parents. In regards to Willis Wu and his acting, he forgets to speak in his Asian accent for a scene, leading one of the lead detectives to subtly hint him to switch to his stereotypical accent: “You speak English well… It’s almost like you don’t have an accent” (Page 75). In order to succeed in the industry, Wu has to play his stereotypical role of Asian man with an Asian accent. Even after his character dies, the studio believes he can come back into a new role in forty-five days- for they believe the audience will forget his character and he can mold into another Generic Asian Man. That is what the Asians represent to the whites in America in this story, a castaway character that will fizzle the plot forward just enough before they can die, with little chance of a lead role. Onto Wu’s parents and their love story. They are both forced into an apartment in Chinatown, due to their low income and the racism they face. It is at the restaurant where they work where they have their marriage. They celebrate momentarily before “the boss comes back to the kitchen and tells everyone to get back to work…[and], with heavy heads…[they] put their Asian costumes back on” (page 156). This is a metaphor for how Asians have to live in America due to the racism they face, even in a moment of pure happiness- the reality quickly sets in and they are forced into their role once again. This does not have to be the case, but racism and its ideologies must be solved at a root level.