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You are here: Home / Asian Race Pimps

Asian Race Pimps

by John Cole|  July 8, 20032:49 pm| 12 Comments

This post is in: General Stupidity

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Here is a ridiculous question for you: How Asian is Lucy Liu?

angels09.jpg

If you are like me, you probably thought “Who cares- check out those legs.” However, the race pimps and professional victims over at the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) have some serious questions:

When MANAA got word last year that the “Charlie’s Angels” sequel would include Alex’s parents among its characters, we were all abuzz. Here, we thought, was a rare opportunity to show an Asian American family in a major Hollywood movie. Here was a chance to show them lovingly interacting like normal Americans, a chance to show an Asian American lead character drawing strength and pride from her Asian lineage. And we speculated among ourselves who the lucky Asian American actors would be to get their big break and shine alongside Liu as her parents.

Then the news hit us like a punch in the stomach: Only Alex’s father would appear in the sequel, and he would be played by British comedian John Cleese. Alex’s Asian mother would be reduced to an image in a photograph glimpsed for only one second.

The uncommon opportunity to see an Asian American family in a major Hollywood movie was torn up and thrown away.

As a finished film, “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” reneges on the inclusive promise of its predecessor. As Alex’s biological father, Cleese is simply preposterous in the role. Liu is clearly a full-blooded Asian and couldn’t convincingly be half-white. And even if one accepts the idea that Alex is biracial

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Reader Interactions

12Comments

  1. 1.

    O. F. Jay

    July 8, 2003 at 2:59 pm

    This, this John, is why I still consider Asians in America immature about racial identity. All they do is bitch and whine and brat about how they are so ill-represented. This doesn’t do anything to help us gain any respect from the rest of America.

    And the funny thing is, if I could only get some right-of-center ideas into their heads I’ll be very very glad.

    No wonder they hate me and call me “coconut.”

  2. 2.

    Ricky

    July 8, 2003 at 3:19 pm

    Wonder how flabbergasted they’ll be when they find out that she’s really not an “Angel” or a “detective”, either?

    What part of ‘playing a role’ do they not understand? If I’m to believe that Lea Remini, Sharon Lawrence and Courtney Thorne-Smith are to choose Kevin James, Dennis Franz and Jim Belushi to sleep with, why am I supposed to get outraged because an asian supposedly comes from mixed heritage?

    Besides, if that movie blows as much as the first one did, the only things worth watching will be the jiggling on the screen, not the character development.

  3. 3.

    M. Scott Eiland

    July 8, 2003 at 4:33 pm

    This reminds me of the hissy fit that Actors Equity threw over the casting of a white actor (I forget his name, damn it) in the role of an Eurasian in “Miss Saigon” in 1990. The dimwits involved got (justifiably) savaged by Charlton Heston and a lot of the media, and I believe that they backed down.

    Any race hucksters out there want to argue the other side? Paging Reverend Al!

  4. 4.

    Moe Lane

    July 8, 2003 at 6:11 pm

    You know, after thinking about it I think that finding a solution to this problem practically requires that we scrutinize various actresses to determine their ethnicity*. I therefore move that you institute a is this Actress X? daily post, using photos in the same general style and exposure as the first, so that we may analyze this troubling situation more thoroughly.

    It’ll be harsh, but we must make these sacrifices.

    Moe

    *And actors as well, I suppose, for those interested in such things.

  5. 5.

    Thlayli

    July 8, 2003 at 7:59 pm

    M. Scott: Jonathan Pryce.

  6. 6.

    Gary Farber

    July 8, 2003 at 8:54 pm

    Uh, what?

    Check out those legs.

    Um, and her fine mind and strong personality!

    Uh, what were we talking about, again?

  7. 7.

    Arthur Silber

    July 8, 2003 at 9:01 pm

    Well, jeepers, John. Who the hell cares about the Asian business? I’m thinking about turning straight. Hmm…maybe some of those religious conservatives are right…maybe I can change…nope, never mind. Never gonna happen. But if I did, it would be for HER! You betcha. But as Gary said, what were we talking about?

  8. 8.

    M. Scott Eiland

    July 9, 2003 at 1:23 am

    “M. Scott: Jonathan Pryce”

    *smacks head*

    Thanks–I remember now. Damned fine actor–he didn’t deserve the crap he got over that nonsense.

  9. 9.

    Ricky

    July 9, 2003 at 5:22 am

    BTW, John, I hope you’re not offended when I tell you that this is the best post you’ve ever entered.

    Hubba-hubba.

  10. 10.

    David Perron

    July 9, 2003 at 12:44 pm

    Dang. A highly non-asian Joel Gray played a Chiun, a Korean martial arts master in Remo Williams: The Adventure Continues, with nary a squawk from anyone. Did that movie suck a LOT worse than Miss Saigon?

    Seriously, I’d expect to hear a lot more noise when Asians play characters from other nations, inappropriately. Just refer to anyone Korean as “that Japanese guy” where they can hear it, and you’ll find out what I mean by that.

  11. 11.

    Dean

    July 9, 2003 at 12:48 pm

    Although Soon-Taek Oh (sp?) has played Japanese and other Asian characters. (He was the downed Japanese pilot in “Final Countdown”, frex.)

    But, jeez, I guess that having George Takei (Japanese-American) providng the voice of a CHINESE spirit in “Mulan” was inappropriate, too?

  12. 12.

    James

    February 25, 2004 at 7:03 am

    Lucy Liu?
    I aways liked her. I thought she was a talented woman.It was great to see an Asian woman show her talent.

    You posted that picture of her almost nude and now I’m horny. I thought she was pretty before but now I see Asian women as sex objects.

    Don’t do that!

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