White Washing or Brain Washing?

I went to watch the movie 21 yesterday about a group of MIT students counting cards in Vegas. Despite the fact that Kate Bosworth looked a bit like Skeletor, I enjoyed the movie. I heard that the movie is based on a book which was based on a group of real MIT students. Interesting right?

Interesting enough for me to do a bit more research on the movie's background. In fact, the movie's background was even more interesting to me than the actual movie. I found out the real MIT group was made up of mostly Asian students. In the movie, of course, the group only has two Asian actors with small roles. The main character, although based on Jeff Ma (an Asian), was played by a British actor using a fake American accent.

It is quite upsetting to see that in today's world, when there is a woman and an African American campaigning for the presidency and not to mention a Harold and Kumar SEQUEL (with two Asians cast as leads), that movie execs do not feel it appropriate to cast more Asian actors as movie leads. In addition, the two Asian actors in 21 were, as Nick Rogers of The Enterprise wrote, "[lumped] into one-note designations as the team's kleptomaniac and a slot-playing 'loser'".

It is just sad, sad, sad how the representation of Asians in the media continues to be so insignificant and the little representation we do get comes in the form of stereotypes and racist jokes.

So according to the media, I'd be cheap, submissive and nerdy with a thick accent but my saving grace would be that I can kung-fu somebody's ass.

Sad.