Racial Minorities through the White Gaze
It is no surprise that Western media (specifically Hollywood for the purposes of this article) primarily showcase white people in their films as opposed to any other racial group.
However, in comparison to the pre-2000s, there is now a growing recognition of the importance of diversity within media and thus filmmakers are subsequently subject to the pressures to meet these needs. To do this and thereby avoid scrutiny from the audience, Hollywood abides, and we are introduced to the ‘token minority’.
Token minorities are often depicted in the following way: the majority of the cast members are white and there is one character (who is a racial minority) presented in a caricaturistic way befitting of the existing stereotypes of their specific racial group. This presentation reflects a ‘white presentation’ of said marginalized group rather than portraying them as a complex and complete character, often lacking any character development or much influence on the plot line itself.
This illusion of diversity is also applicable within the gender context where it is very common for there to be one female character (usually a very attractive, white or racially ambiguous woman) being showcased alongside a majority of male cast, or where the few women depicted are unnecessarily sexy or provocative (e.g. Harley Quinn in 2016 Suicide Squad or Black Widow during the early Avengers movies). This is known as the Male Gaze, which is similar to the White gaze that will be discussed in this post.
What some people fail to realize is that film is a crucial venue for how certain groups are characterized and perceived by society. This perception that is adopted will shape the following treatment and attitude towards the said group. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration when I say that the media has a great and almost insidious effect on the way society thinks and perceives which highlights the grave importance of not only the amount of representation but genuine representation.
One of the mainstream tropes for Black people is the ‘Magic Negro’ trope which is a term coined by film director Spike Lee. This trope was explored in the book ‘Nice Racism’ by Robin DiAngelo, where she explains that black people are often characterized to have a ‘spiritual connection with natural forces’. These characters are designed to play the role of a teacher who provides hints and grand wisdom to support the white protagonist’s journey towards spiritual enlightenment or overall victory.
They are shown to be primitive and in touch with an intangible supernatural force which on the surface may seem to be a positive representation but is actually subtly imbuing an undertone of white supremacy. By presenting black people as being more spiritual and primitive, it simultaneously elevates white culture as being more sophisticated and therefore superior.
This trope also reflects colonialistic ideals as although the characters are depicted as friends, there is still a power dynamic where the black person acts to serve the white character but sees no benefits or character development for themselves, simply acting to support the white protagonist while ticking the box for diversity.
Black people are also stereotyped to be violent and aggressive, where such depictions perpetuate the harmful perception that African Americans are criminogenic, where one of its remification is the police’s hostile treatment of black communities and enabling white prejudice to thrive.
In contrast to this, an infamous stereotype of East Asians is submissiveness which is paired with the hypersexualization of East Asians. Their culture is often romanticized (and fetishized), being showcased in an oriental lens through the East Asian character simply to make the film more aesthetically pleasing. This hyper-sexualisation operates under two major tropes, being the ‘dragon lady and the lotus blossom’. The lotus blossom is stereotypically submissive and docile while the dragon lady is malicious and cunning, and they both act as sex objects.
Juxtaposing the submissiveness and fragility of East Asian characters crafted by filmmakers, white characters are presented as dominant and powerful, portraying the clear power dynamic between the Oriental and Occidental. Occidental comprises anything belonging to the Western world and is an antonym for oriental, presenting Asians as everything white people are not and therefore inferior.
This romanticization of East Asian culture and people is especially apparent in superhero films, where the directors showcase their persistent desire to tie any East Asian characters to their cultural roots and their ancestors. The 2016 superhero film Suicide Squad nails this where the only Asian character is a ninja, is silent, does not provide any significance to the plot, is literally named ‘Katana’ and whose only purpose is to look cool with her ‘Asian flare’.
This gross exploitation of East Asian culture merely to enhance the aesthetics of the film is ubiquitous and illustrates how racial minorities are not given the privilege of individualism, a principle that the United States holds dear to their hearts.
Individualism is a principle and belief that everyone is a unique individual and therefore should be treated as such rather than a representation of a certain group, which in theory sounds completely reasonable. However, in de facto, this principle is often not implemented for racial minorities where the mishap of one can affect the treatment of all.
This was apparent soon after the 9/11 bombings where Muslims, South Asians or anyone who seemed to be in that racial group (such deductions of race made by the profound intellect of the average American) were exposed to extreme hate crime and severe discrimination, as again, the act of one represents the whole (for minorities). Even in the present day, it seems that not much has changed as seen through the violent hate crimes towards East Asians during COVID-19.
It is clear from the discussion up to this point that the media is not only lacking in numbers but the quality and accuracy of their representation of minorities which is tantamount to the importance of the numbers if not more. A great example of this is “The Simpsons”, an extremely popular sitcom that presents the everyday life in America through a very satirical lens.
This show was greatly praised when it showcased a South Asian character known as Apu (especially since such representation was extremely rare during the 1980s and 90s). Unfortunately, however, the execution was done poorly, playing off on the caricature and harmful stereotypes that further jeopardized the treatment of Indian people in America.
A heated discussion ensued concerning whether such a portrayal was problematic or should be taken as a joke due to the nature of the show itself. Many argued that “The Simpsons” frequently used caricatures to depict their characters and thus racism to all is racism to none, and to complain meant that you can’t take a joke.
However, a more contextual analysis of the situation would provide that this argument fails to recognize white superiority and its insidious impact on the lives of racial minorities. Although it may not be much of an issue if the privileged and majority race is presented in a caricaturistic manner, it becomes a problem where the only vessel of representation for minorities does the same.
This is a natural consequence of the coexistence of limited and inaccurate representation where the public lacks the understanding that actual people from those racial groups do not act in such a manner and therefore subsequently perceive them to be inferior.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie mentions in her Ted Talk ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ that for racial minorities, the ‘single story become[s] the only story’, meaning that the single character subsequently represents the entire racial group (again going back to the discussion of individualism). In such circumstances, the absence of representation may be preferable to harmful representation.
Stereotypes and subtle implications of the inferiority of racial minorities are ingrained into our brains by the media since young. Most of us would be familiar with the Disney Channel show “Phineas and Ferb” and the character Baljeet.
He is Indian and his character traits are as the following: He is incessantly bullied, weak, cowardly, nerdy, always gets good grades, passive, and overall less worthy than other white characters.
This presentation plays into the notion that Asians are the ‘Model Minority’, creating the pressure for all Asian Americans to be prodigies while simultaneously creating a power dynamic where it embeds the subconscious expectation that minorities are people who need to ‘prove’ their worthiness to be given a chance alongside white people.
These stereotypes depicted in children’s shows reflect the insidious nature of media and how bias is ingrained into our brains from a young age and thus how this ingrained ideology plays out to create a society that operates under the confines of systematic racism.
However, being able to recognize these biases within oneself and the impact of media brings us a step closer to becoming more mindful of our influences, whilst gaining the understanding and empathy that allows one to see minorities as individuals rather than a mascot.
