Samntha Bee Details the History of Harmful Asian Stereotypes in TV and Film

In this clip from Wednesday night's Full Frontal, Samantha Bee runs down the history of harmful Asian stereotypes in television and film as prostitutes, servants, or "craven villains," going all the way back to the mistreatment of Sessue Hayakawa and Anna May Wong in Hollywood's early days, leading us through such offenses as John Wayne's Genghis Khan and other white actors like Katherine Hepburn, Tony Randall, Mickey Rooney, and Peter Lorre playing Asian caricatures. That's not to mention how demeaning the roles for actual Asian actors have often been — the lasting damage done by that one notorious Full Metal Jacket scene is particularly damning.

She also takes us through cartoons, including The Flintstones, Bugs Bunny, Popeye, and Mr. Magoo, which were rerun for decades and helped to bake those stereotypes into American culture, as well as TV commercials like the old Calgon tagline "Ancient Chinese Secret." Even more recent movies like Ted have had such egregious offenses that Bee invokes star Mark Wahlberg's violent anti-Asian hate crime history, practically daring us to Google it and learn more. 

She does cite recent progress, though, including shows like Killing Eve and Fresh Off the Boat and former The Walking Dead star Steven Yeun's history-making Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in Minari. 

"Some people think what happens in Hollywood doesn't matter, but seeing yourself reflected in the culture does matter," Bee says in closing. "Seeing other people's stories makes it harder to deny their humanity, and if nothing else, greater diversity in Hollywood means we'll see fewer movies starring Mark Wahlberg, and that is something we can all agree on."

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee airs on TBS Wednesday nights at 10:30 PM ET.

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Andy Hunsaker has a head full of sitcom gags and nerd-genre lore, and can be followed @AndyHunsaker if you're into that sort of thing.