Lot's Wife Edition 1 2016

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ESSAY Race to the end of the world: Averting anti-Asian stereotypes through Armageddon by Clarissa Kwee Illustration by Emily Dang In praise of Netflix’s dramedy Master of None, Angry Asian Man blogrunner, Phil Yu emailed VICE, commenting, “It seems weird to praise a show for just showing contemporary Asian-American men as regular guys, but that’s what Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang have created, and it’s downright revolutionary.” By implication, no show before has pioneered the representation of Asians on TV like this one – portraying them as orthodox, cynical thirtysomethings meandering through upper middleclass life in the Big Apple. But Yu speaks the truth: the ethnic adjustment to a pedestrian formula has turned the ordinary into the extraordinary. There’s something wrong with that equation. Mainstream TV can be ground zero for stereotyping, especially when it comes to its Asian constituents. They can be reductionist, onedimensional, and naturalise a power imbalance based on race: patronising actual Asians who are nothing like their televised representatives. There are definite exceptions, but more often than not, realistic programs perpetuate stereotypes; it seems that shows about a world other than our own are doing it better. Historically, television has depended on having a chiefly white, Anglo-Saxon cast as a prerequisite for mainstream resonance and success. Usually, ethnic minorities settle for a single, ‘token’ character who bear the burden of representing their entire race. But universal catastrophe seems to act as the perfect locale to spotlight the growth of Asian characters beyond stereotyping. Apocalyptic television is not the panacea to all Asian stereotypes, 46 | Lot’s Wife
CULTURE but ultimately, when there’s earth-shaking and hellraising to deal with, there isn’t enough time to focus on the colour of somebody’s skin. Take Kevin Tran from Supernatural. Initially, Kevin is a diminutive fusion of Asian stereotypes; an obedient, neurotic cellist consumed with achieving a perfect SAT score and enrolling in Princeton University. Yet come season 8, ‘Advanced Placement’ has metamorphosed They don’t succumb to the prejudices of society, because there is no society. into a prophet of God, who becomes essential to saving the universe. Similarly, Monty Green from The 100 is the only main character who has never had a romantic interest, reinforcing the idea that leading Asians don’t get the girl or guy. Nevertheless, Green is a diplomatic, sarcastic and exceptionally clever character, traits that are eons more memorable than his love life. The best example of a character obliterating anti-Asian stereotyping is Glenn Rhee. Before The Walking Dead, no Asian-American would be identified as “the beating heart of a show” (Gina McIntyre, Hero Times) like Steven Yeun is, in his portrayal of the unassuming, pizza-delivering Michiganite. But six seasons into the apocalypse, Glenn is lauded as the “most beloved Asian American male in the U.S” (Ken Fong, Angry Asian Man), which is no small feat. In a perverse wasteland where a stolid drumbeat of gory deaths acts as its hallmark, Yeun’s character serves as an indispensable warrior on AMC’s juggernaut. What a polarising conundrum. The people who believe that Glenn’s life should be spared by the unsympathetic AMC argue that killing off such a wellrounded, integral part of the show also means losing a hero for underrepresented Asians everywhere. At the same time, Glenn’s treatment on the show occurs indiscriminately of his race, because Korean heritage is not significant to the urgency of survival. So by the same token, nobody on The Walking Dead is safe, and Asian or not, Glenn is no exception. If Glenn is truly dead, it would be a testament to the show’s habitual nihilism, and the loss one of the strongest ethnic-minority presences on mainstream TV. But in the event that AMC spares Glenn from an undead fate, this act could be misread as preserving diversity only for diversity’s sake. Regardless of Glenn’s elliptical future, it seems it takes Armageddon itself to transcend racial politics. As borderline histrionic as it sounds, disasters strip humanity of their narrow-mindedness. Materialistic trifles are diminished in the face of death. When the earth is in ruins, the ‘stratification’ of ethnic hierarchies disintegrates, and stereotypes are forced to collapse on themselves. They don’t succumb to the prejudices of society, because there is no society. Of course, apocalyptic television is still privy to accusations of tokenism, where a colourful cast is warranted only to compel diversity. But we don’t celebrate these characters because they’re there, much like we shouldn’t celebrate diverse media just because it exists. What does warrant celebration is how the number of non-stereotypical, holistic and incidentally Asian characters is proliferating. So, let’s focus on the not-yet-apocalyptic 2016. Master of None has made a universally acclaimed breakthrough in the representation of Asian-Americans on TV. On the show, Ansari’s character Dev fails to book a role for a sitcom starring three protagonists because though having one Indian is ideal, “there can’t be more than one”. But intentionally, the show flips that tokenistic mentality on its head to demonstrate that modern TV can—and will—move past such out-dated paradigms. Dev and company, modern people of colour, talk marriage, parents, sex and many topics inbetween. A Netflix show about Asian men just being themselves is being hailed as ground-breaking; that should raise some eyebrows, but perhaps in esteem, not in discontent. Master of None is as cognisant about its role as a pioneer, as it is witty, fresh, and brutally honest. We’re entering an age where diverse media is becoming less of an obligation unto political correctness, and more a sign of genuine racial equilibrium and representation. Maybe we won’t need to wait until the end of the world to appreciate that television is finally catching up to reality. Lot’s Wife | 47
Page 1: LOT’S WIFE — EDITION ONE —
Page 4 and 5: EDITORIAL EDITORS DESIGN Timothy Ne
Page 6 and 7: Tips & tricks for first years by Br
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Page 14 and 15: OFFICE BEARER REPORTS MSA PRESIDENT
Page 16 and 17: Do one thing Contribute to the sust
Page 18 and 19: illustration by Julia Pillai
Page 20 and 21: SOCIETY to work for the seat they s
Page 22 and 23: ESSAY Let’s talk about education
Page 24 and 25: OPINION Flüchtlingskrise By Ben Ne
Page 26 and 27: OPINION Malcolm Turnbull: a leftie
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Page 33 and 34: PROTEST AGAINST EDUCATION CUTS
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Page 39 and 40: SCIENCE need to follow, in order to
Page 41 and 42: The skinny on gluten-free diets SCI
Page 43 and 44: PUZZLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Page 45: CULTURE Nowadays, the release of a
Page 49 and 50: CULTURE ALBUMS OF 2016 Drake - View
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Page 53 and 54: CREATIVE “All I ate the first day
Page 55 and 56: CREATIVE Lot’s Wife | 55
Page 57 and 58: CREATIVE she resurfaced s m a t t e
Page 59: CREATIVE JK Dress-up by Jemma Cakeb

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