Should anthropomorphic pandas speak with bad Chinese accents?
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As the resident Asian on staff, I try to keep the minority presence at Zap2it alive.
By no means do I consider myself representative of Asians or anyone in general (nerdy epicures? petite bookworms? indecisive yoginis?), but I admit I was kind of horrified by the Superbowl Salesgenie.com ad featuring the animated pandas speaking with Chinese accents.
I try not to be too sensitive or overly PC. If someone asks me to read Chinese or Japanese characters for them, I don't get immediately offended that they don't recognize me as Vietnamese. In fact, I had a former roommate who always prided herself on knowing her Asians, so she would go to parties, point people out and play "Guess the Asian" ethnicity. This was even more annoying than actual ignorance, which I think everyone has about something.
But I admit when I heard the pandas speaking with the thick accents, I knew there would be backlash. I think my reaction was "Wow," but really I was horrified more by how bad the accents were. I mean, they were obviously exaggerated versions of what a Chinese accent is *supposed* to sound like to the ears of a Western listener not how actual Chinese people sound.
It's so ... 1950s/'60s. I mean, yellowface roles for the likes of Mickey Rooney and Marlon Brando were't unusual or commented upon. Nevertheless, this practice is still alive and well in film today. Did anyone catch Rob Schneider's turn as the Asian minister in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry? Oh, and don't give me the he's part Filipino argument. That portrayal was squinty-eyed, buck-toothed and played for laughs. Ugh.
And I don't buy what Vinod Gupta, the chairman and chief executive of Salesgenie's parent company, said about the pandas being Chinese, hence the accents. What about the panda psychic who sounded born-and-bred American? Ah okay, this is getting pretty ridiculous. I mean, at the end of the commercial, Ling Ling, the papa panda wants to visit the grizzlies at the zoo. Is this intra-bear racist?
What doesn't offend me? The heavily accented Apu on The Simpsons or Kahn "Connie" on King of the Hill. Those are obviously satirical send-ups of racist stereotypes. It's like how you can make off-color jokes with your friends because they know you're being ironic.
Anyway, this topic can get old fast. It's annoying to be offended all the time, but it'd be easier if people would give us less to scorn by actually trying to be exposed to real diversity.
Ah well, I'm not going to be all huffy today. Today is the beginning of the Lunar New Year (notice I didn't necessarily say Chinese)! I bid all our readers good TV watching, good health, good luck and a prosperous Year of the Rat. (BTW - Did you catch Zap2it's Year of the Rat photogallery?) I'm going to call my family now.
What's your take on the commercial? What have you found offensive in the media lately?
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I pride myself on being un-offendable. That doesn't mean I didn't recognize that this commercial had the ability to offend, I just didn't get caught up in it and become offended just to be offended. I am also not Asian. If I were, things might be different.
I'm not saying that getting offended by this commercial is wrong either; I think it is very important for these kind of disgraces to be shown in the light and shouted about. If more people see that this stuff isn't tolerated, less people will create this kind of crap. That's just not the role that I choose to play.
But, as they say, if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for everything.
I'm as white as they come (the red hair doesn't help!) but I couldn't help cringing when I saw the ad. And I would say that the reaction of the others in the room was equally cool. None of the Chinese people I know speak that way, even the ones who were born and raised in China. Sadly I suspect the notoriety has probably helped that company win it some business (no such thing as bad publicity) but you'd never find me darkening their doorway.
how about the salesgenie ad with the indian w/ the thick accent and the big family? that's pretty stereotypical too...
i'm filipino and so i wasn't personally offended by the way that the pandas spoke, but i knew that some people would be. i am more offended by the commercial itself... quite possibly one of the first ads ever if you take into account the cost to air it.
I'm the Anti-PC, almost impossible to offend, and not only did I cringe at the accents, I cringed worse at the depiction of the Pandas. Get a clue, Salesgenie! After reviewing that commercial, I'd have to be pretty darn hard up for a marketing company to use them. That's their idea of marketing?? Hello! McFly!! *twack*
It was like watching a bad "Charlie Chan" detective movie from the 40's and 50's with "Number 1 Son".
No excuses. It was not funny.
I thought it was very tacky, and couldn't believe it ever made it to air. What were they thinking??
I really didn't see anything to this, except that it just isn't that funny.