Why Chinese are always bad guys in American drama?Do u think they are that awful
By hiddenwing
@hiddenwing (3719)
China
October 22, 2009 6:15pm CST
I am so sorry to watch a drama so-called desperate housewives. All Chinese in there are either bad people or vulgar people.
In order to buy a big house in China town, one shanghai woman even had a baby for other couple. OH MY GOD!
Then, another Chinese nanny treated her master very bad since she became poor...Also, I watch tons of other American dramas. So, I could say that Chinese are bad guys most of the time.
Why bad guys are always Chinese in American dramas?
Sorry to say it though! I hope you don't mind! I just wanna tell you Chinese are not that bad!
Do you believe me or the drama?
Have you ever met some Chinese in your real life? Do you think they are that awful as the drama shows?
1 person likes this
18 responses
@alwayzzcitra (1861)
• Indonesia
23 Oct 09
Well, of course I do not believe what the movie potrays. I know many chinese, and they're not different! Movies are built by made up stories and they are also dramatize and romanticize them to make the movies more interesting.
1 person likes this
@hiddenwing (3719)
• China
23 Oct 09
Yes, in real life, bad guys are of all kinds. They shouldn't just change the form but the essence.
@starsailover (7829)
• Mexico
23 Oct 09
Hi alwayzzitra: i think those writers should know better the people they're portraying to have a better work cause they always make the same clichés. If you watch some movies you'll realize that the bad guys look 80% of the times just the same
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
23 Oct 09
I think that must be the problem; few Americans actually know any Chinese people. We read about China Town inside the large cities on the west coast and in New York. Here in the middle of the country, few have even seen a Chinese person, much less got to know them. If I ever saw a Chinese person, I probably thought that they were Japanese or Korean. Because of American occupation troupes that have brought home wives from Japan and Korea, we've gotten to know some of those people, but not so with the Chinese. It seems to me that when the
Chinese do emigrate to the US, they are more likely to form tightly knit societies than to try to assimilate into the American society. Thus, even those who have lived here for generations are still strangers. Because of fear of child abductions, we teach our children to think "Stranger - Danger". I may be on the wrong track. If I am, please set me straight.
@hiddenwing (3719)
• China
23 Oct 09
It is not wrong at all! I can differentiate a korean from a Japanese or a Chinese. They look quite the same, but there are still differences. haha, but I can't tell an American from a british person. :D
@hiddenwing (3719)
• China
23 Oct 09
"One who breeds animals will usually tell you that the mixed breeds are usually the strongest."
Couldn't agree with you more!
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
23 Oct 09
Don't feel ignorant when you cannot tell the difference visually between Americans and British. I can't, either, until they open their mouths to speak. Remember that the first permanent white settlers in what is now the US were from England. Now an American can look like any human being in the world. I have friends with the peaches and cream complexion of the English and some that look as if they came straight from the Congo. Their families have all been citizens of the US for several generations. Most of us, though, are mongrels. Our ancestors emigrated from several different countries and may even have intermarried with the native population. My mother's family did, but my father's family were English and Irish only. My husband's ancestors were Irish, Welch, Native American and "who knows". His mother was an orphan. With so many Chinese baby girls being adopted by American couples, our blood line will be further diluted. I think that is a good thing. One who breeds animals will usually tell you that the mixed breeds are usually the strongest.
@AmbiePam (91942)
• United States
23 Oct 09
Believe me, there are a lot of groups depicted as bad guys in American dramas. Americans are depicted as the bad guys as well. I recall one show where it was Chinsese people exploiting other Chinese people. So the bad people in the show were Chinese, but also the ones who rescued some of their other victims were also Chinese. So in that case they were both the villain and hero. Hispanics, black people, Native Americans, it doesn't seem as though as race or religion group is safe from being portrayed badly on TV, or in the movies for that matter. But I hate that show Desperate Housewives anyway. I know it has a lot of fans, but I never got into it.
@hiddenwing (3719)
• China
23 Oct 09
You hate the show Desperate Housewives?
haha, each man has its different hobby horse!
Well, me, on the other hand, besides the buy guy part, I find desperate housewives interesting. I can't wait to see the next season!
Best wishes!
@sblossom (2168)
•
23 Oct 09
I should say not always the Asia characters are bad in western films. However it's true most of characters are not appealing.it's the western value. don't forget asia people are minority in their world.
to many western people they can not figure out who's chinese, who's malaysian, or Japanese, etc.To them they are all Chinese.
Every country has bad people as well as good people, there is no expectation to chinese people too.
One day when China is a really great country and more and more western people know China, this would change.
@hiddenwing (3719)
• China
23 Oct 09
I like your comment!
Well, I guess I can pick one of the sentence and tell some people I know! hehe
"to many western people they can not figure out who's chinese, who's malaysian, or Japanese, etc.To them they are all Chinese. "
It just sounds great!
@hiddenwing (3719)
• China
23 Oct 09
You are so interesting. lol.
I couldn't help chuckling...
If all Chinese knows kungfu, that will sure be great! Cheers
@starsailover (7829)
• Mexico
23 Oct 09
Hi hiddenwing: I didn't knew that and these are sterotypes that musn't exist those days, you can't judge people for their origins, that's racism. I have never met a chinese person but i consider them very intelligent and their country is huge, we have chinese products and high tecnologies almost everywhere. They can't be "that bad" as desperate housewives shows them.
@hiddenwing (3719)
• China
23 Oct 09
Oh, I thought Chinese were all over the world. As you know, the population is just so large! Thanks a lot for your kinnd words!
:D
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
23 Oct 09
I must contradict that Chinese are bad guys they are not, I think Chinese people are extremely friendly, warm, caring and kind. I have always met very nice Chinese people wherever I have been. There is good and bad in everyone and not just a particular culture, race or nation of people my friend. I actually feel safer being around Chinese people. I love the culture, the food, and I believe in the Chinese New Year too. Chinese people are very beautiful too especially the women! It's a shame they are not depicted in a more friendly manner which I believe they are.
@maezee (41988)
• United States
23 Oct 09
LOL I don't believe the drama/television shows/movies - of course not. I do agree with you that American pop culture and American movie/TV-writers target other races as "the token bad guy" - because while we ARE a mixed-cultured country, for some reason Hollywood hasn't caught up with the times. I've noticed this too, although you have to admit that sometimes the bad guys are black, or hispanic, or native american, or even occasionally white. It's not ALWAYS Chinese. I do think that Hollywood needs to more accurately portray different races, but what can you do. I'm certainly not the one writing all of these subliminally-racist movie/TV scripts!
@alwayzzcitra (1861)
• Indonesia
23 Oct 09
Yes, I agree with you. The bad guys can be anybody, don't forget the italian mafia! Well it's just movie anyway.
@bryanwmc (1051)
• Malaysia
23 Oct 09
To be fair,have you noticed the characters of white people in Chinese movies,somehow they are always looked upon very condescendingly as the devil person.Not to be taken seriously n always trying to exploit ,connive but being too dumb,will invariably be outsmarted by the more sneaky Chinese. Esp hong kong movies,then again its only movies,what goes around comes around.This stereotyping works both ways.Dont misunderstand ,i m chinese myself,just that,i noticed us Asians portrayal of westerners in movies seem to be more biased in comparison than the stereotypical hollywood portrayal of Asians.Its same both ways ,lack of understanding and exposure towards each others cultures.
@TheAdvocate (2392)
• Philippines
23 Oct 09
I have to disagree with your generalization. There are times when the Chinese are bad guys and there are times when Chinese are the good guys. I don't see it as a racial thing. As one of the discussers pointed out that they also have bad guys in different racial color. I think any culture will villify other cultures first in the movies, because they are merely fiction. I am sure that there are Chinese movies who make Americans the bad guys also.
@buping (952)
• China
23 Oct 09
hi hidden wing, i have the same feelings with you. when i watched housewives, i felt so angry for the bad people always chinese. so i did not finish the drama. i did not seen much american dramas so i do not know other plots. i really do not know why they always made the bad people on chinese, can they imagine that if we do the same thing on them?
@getbrowser (1708)
• China
23 Oct 09
Yes, I can't agree with you anymore.
In most American dramas, Chinese are often playing the roles of bad guys most of the time. For the long run, people have had a misunderstanding of the culture and people of China. Especially for people who have never visited China in their real life, they may have a bad performance after watching such dramas.
In fact, this decades of years have witnessed the rapid development of China. Yes, we have changed a lot.
Welcome to China!
@agv0419 (3022)
• Philippines
23 Oct 09
I think they want to experiment on things because sometime viewers going to be tired of watching the same old faces. Not all bad guys in the American tv shows or movies are chinese there are blacks, hispanics and other races. It's only happening in the movies or tv shows not in a real life.
@nishikiki (37)
•
27 Oct 09
It's particular. There are bad guys in US,They are shooting freely and wildly,How do you say that? American tradition?
There are bad guy everywhere,there also be more good guys nearby.You are prejudice is serious. That's because you know little about Chinese or people in other countries.Be more wise and considerate
@merlinsorca (1118)
• United States
23 Oct 09
Well, I think that most American dramas do that because they don't have anyone else to make the bad guys. They just think that their own race is so good, so they just choose another race to make the bad role . . . I think that this is wrong, and they should really give some of these vulgar roles to their own kind. But this doesn't make sense, because America is based on ALL DIFFERENT races.
They should realize that anyone who is not NATIVE AMERICAN (or INDIAN if you prefer) is not TRULY AMERICAN. Everyone is from different countries, and America was founded on these different countries . . .
@Bianca_mergillano (1067)
• Philippines
23 Oct 09
I have met a lot of chinese people. At first I thought they're too serious and quiet because of their eyes but they're not. Some chinese people that I met are kind and approachable. But my answer to your discussion still depends because it also depends on the people if he/she is bad. :) Maybe the reason why American movie maker makes some chinese people as bad guys its because to make their movie more interesting because they put up other nationality besides American. Don't worry, its not always the Chinese people who are bad in the movie of Americans. :)
@BART78 (2927)
• Canada
23 Oct 09
i agree with you, they are not bad people, i wonder how american movie maker will react if chinese movie maker will do the same thing...
