Sixteen Candles…racist?
A recent outdoor showing of the classic Sixteen Candles has stirred up some controversy for Gedde Watanabe’s portrayal of Long Duk Dong. In the film, he portrays an over-sexed, geeky Asian man. Unfortunately this has long been a problem with TV and film in America, although things are starting to improve but not enough yet.
For some Asian, this movie draws an outcry, but for others, they don’t think it’s as big of a deal. Yet, being sensitive and taking action deserves a thumbs up in my book. Until there is some equalization, we need to draw attention to the fact that we won’t back down. Fortunately, this did elicit an apology from the organizers. I can’t imagine the uproar if they played Breakfast at Tiffany’s. That is definitely one of the worst portrayals of the Asian man.
Ultimately the portrayal is awful, but you can check it out yourself below.
Here is the article: http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archives/2007/08/sixteen_candles.html
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