Why Chris Rock’s jokes are racist

Are you talking about what happened at the Oscars

At the 88th Oscars on February 28, 2016, host Chris Rock invited three Asians The child came on stage and joked that they were representatives of the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, before making a passing reference to Asian child labor. This originally designed "joke" caused dissatisfaction among many Asian audiences, who believed that it was unnecessary to use children to "mocker" Asians at the Oscars.

Locke was introducing PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm that counted the votes for the Oscars, but there were three Asian kids standing on the stage dressed as accountants. There is no doubt that this took advantage of the Asian The stereotypical image of Americans who are good at math, calculation, and hardworking. If the joke wasn't too offensive, Locke added it himself: "If anyone is upset, please use your mobile phone to complain on Twitter. By the way, mobile phones are also made by these children." This meme naturally points to Asia. of child labor.

After the awards ceremony, as expected, criticism of Locke abounded online, with even NBA player Jeremy Lin expressing dissatisfaction.

David Magdael, an Oscar judge and senior Chinese publicist in Hollywood, accompanied his client to attend the Oscar ceremony on February 28, local time. After the joke that made fun of Asians happened, he posted multiple messages on social media to express his condemnation, saying that this "joke is not funny at all." He said that although he understood Chris Rock's various jokes about the Oscars' ethnic controversy that day, this joke mocking Asians seemed to have nothing to do with making the film industry pay attention to ethnic diversity, and most importantly, when Chris Rock finished speaking, A lot of people in the audience really laughed at this joke, which made people of Asian descent unhappy.

Karen Han, another famous Hollywood film scorer and erhu player who often accompanies her husband, film sound effects editor Paul Ottosson, to attend the Oscars, said that he watched the Oscar ceremony with her. There are also many people in the film industry. Everyone feels that in the eyes of Americans, Chinese people are good at math and have good grades. Many of them work in accounting. Even her own children are often ridiculed by American parents for only studying.

She believes that the stereotype mentioned by the host is a common view of Asians in the United States, but it is not necessary to use children as a joke on an occasion like the Oscars in front of a global audience. Object? She felt the ceremony producers were inconsiderate.

Many Asians in the United States have criticized this "joke" on social networks, believing that there are very few Asians showing up at the Oscars, but they are "ridiculed" when they appear on stage. The Washington Post, NBC and other media also criticized this, saying it was the "most failed" and "most embarrassing" of the host's jokes that night.

But there are also many Chinese viewers who feel there is no need to overreact. A Chinese netizen said, “The whole ceremony was about making fun of ethnicity. White people and African Americans were ridiculed in all kinds of ways. As an African American, the host was merciless to his own ethnic group, saying that many African Americans were not good enough.” If you don’t work hard and are not good enough, Asians don’t need to be so sensitive and should be relaxed.” Some people also said that this joke was actually meant to show that Asians, like African Americans, face unfair treatment in the United States, and that it was a good intention. The purpose of having children on stage was mainly for "comedy effect."

It is ironic that this happened. It first made many people realize that the recent debate over diversity in Hollywood was only a matter between whites and blacks, with Asians and other ethnic groups being the exception and being ignored.

Rock actually used racial jokes many times at this award ceremony, mainly talking about black people and white people. Basically no one thought there was anything wrong with it, but when the target of the joke became an Asian, That's not right.

I think there are two main reasons: First, Locke himself is a black man. He uses the dispute between black and white as a topic, so he has natural immunity. Moreover, the dispute between black and white attracts so much attention, and people already have the expectation that it will be joked about. , so malicious motives have been ruled out for him, but discrimination against Asians is a relatively unfamiliar issue, and its emergence is beyond expectations, so it will be treated more sensitively; second, Locke’s joke about the black-white debate is a starting point. Everyone laughed it off, which may have helped bridge the gap, but the Asian jokes he made repeated stereotypes, deepening hostility and gaps.

So, is the backlash from Asians excessive? Maybe Chris Rock just made an honest mistake?

I believe that Locke’s two jokes were not really malicious. He just failed to grasp the occasion and proportion. You must know that many jokes are politically incorrect, but they must be told in a way that makes people uncomfortable. If you feel offended, it will be difficult to grasp. The Asian counterattack does appear to be excessive, and I think it is an understandable strategic move.

After watching the fight between black and white for many days, Asians have clearly understood that rights must be actively fought for. The Oscars is a highly anticipated event, and any incident that occurs can easily turn into a public incident. In fact, it is an excellent opportunity to convey your appeal. Even if it is overcorrected, it is better than no one cares. If you take the method above, you will find this is the truth.

Some people will definitely say, I hate having to be politically correct in everything, and a joke should not be carried out on the line. But it is useless for the person who is teasing someone as a strong person. Only the person who is being teased has the right to say that I don't care about the jokes you make on me. But if it is true that everyone who is being ridiculed does not care, then this society must be a "harmonious society" and there will be no racial discrimination at all.

About the author

Magasa, film critic, film history researcher, editor-in-chief of "Iris" film magazine.