ThesisPDF Available

Effects of American Media Representation of South Asian Americans

Authors:

Abstract

42 American participants which included heterosexual Indian American men, Pakistani American men, and one biracial American man as well as heterosexual women and LGBTQI+ individuals who are romantically attracted to men, with the exception of one lesbian American woman, were interviewed in order to answer two major questions. Participants were asked how Indian American and Pakistani American men are portrayed in American television shows, films, news outlets, and politics. In order to answer that question, the participants were asked what Indian American and Pakistani American characters from television shows and films they remember from their childhood up until now. Then the participants were asked to discuss their in-depth perceptions of each character. Participants were also asked how Indian American and Pakistani American men are discussed in American politics and in news outlets. After answering those questions, participants were asked to reveal if these media portrayals have affected their general perceptions of Indian American and Pakistani American men in real-life. Asking participants about their general perception of Indian American and Pakistani American men tied into the second major question of this thesis which was whether or not Indian American and Pakistani American male representation in American television shows, films, news, and politics affects heterosexual females and people from LGBTQI+ community’s romantic attraction toward Indian American and Pakistani American men. Based on participant’s responses, this thesis argues that the oversimplification or even gross misrepresentation of Indian American and Pakistani American men in television shows, films, news, and politics does make it more difficult for Indian American and Pakistani American men to obtain romantic relationships with heterosexual women and LGBTQI+ individuals.
A preview of the PDF is not available
... Tradução minha.) Também em sua pesquisa de recepção, Muffuletto (2018) Percebemos, então, como essa representação do cotidiano através da escrita e performance de uma pessoa cuja identidade é atravessada por questões de imigração, ascendência asiática e islamismo colocam em jogo debates complexos e não-dicotômicos em relação a várias questões que costumam ser invisibilizadas. Aziz lança mão tanto dessas inscrições identitárias quanto de seu lugar de fala como residente de Nova Iorque, millenial e jovem-adulto metropolitano navegando pelo universo do romance contemporâneo para dar vida a narrativas que parecem relacionáveis e autênticas para uma variedade de públicos-alvo. ...
... Em sua dissertação, Muffuletto (2018) Com base nas descrições que os participantes fizeram sobre Aziz Ansari, ele é um comediante icônico porque está conduzindo diálogo intercultural sobre mudar a representação midiática estadunidense de Americanos Sul-Asiáticos e Americanos do Oriente Médio. Ansari usou e continua a usar sua plataforma cômica e criativa para desafiar os tropos sul-asiáticos e árabes em seu trabalho de uma forma que é relacionável para os telespectadores sul-asiáticos e árabes-americanos, ao mesmo tempo em que transmite sua mensagem de uma forma que é provocadora e reflexiva para os americanos de diferentes grupos raciais e étnicos que podem não ter pensado de forma alguma sobre esse tema. ...
... pelo personagem estão o fato de ele ser, para muitos telespectadores, o primeiro personagem interpretado por um indo-americano que não é estereotipado nem está relegado a um papel de figurante na narrativa. Como colocado porMuffuletto (2018) em sua pesquisa de recepção de personagens asiáticos-americanos no audiovisual estadunidense, -Os participantes parecem perceber Tom como um dos primeiros homens indo-americanos a ser visto na TV que não é um personagem figurante. Tom humaniza e normaliza os homens indo-americanos, sendo mais do que um tropo frívolo‖ (p.30, tradução minha).O regime representacional de asiáticos-americanos no audiovisual estadunidense por muitos anos perpetua estereótipos de homens como personagens afeminados e incapazes de ler e performar códigos sociais que lhe permitem ter relacionamentos interpessoais frutíferos (como Raj, de The Big Bang Theory); de personagens interpretados por atores brancos que fazem o uso de brown voice para representar um sotaque de maneira caricata, além de ridicularizar questões culturais asiáticas em uma narrativa que reforça o tempo todo a nãoadequação da personagem estereotipada à sociedade americana (como Apu, em Os Simpsons); de figurantes com pequena importância que ocupam profissões como as de lojistas, taxistas e seguranças, cujo único motivo de suas existências nas narrativas se resume a serem um alvo de piadas e degradações; e, pós 11/09, terroristas e figuras que ameaçam a segurança nacional(GOTTSCHLICH, 2011; GUPTA, 2016;LIU, 2018;MASSIE, 2018;MUFFULETTO, 2018; HEDGE, 2019;NA, 2019). ...
Thesis
Full-text available
Nesta dissertação, analiso o realismo, a narrativa, as representações e as marcas autorais em séries de TV com inspirações autobiográficas que recebem atenção por parte da indústria televisiva estadunidense e seu entorno discursivo. O interesse é entender como a identidade dos criadores dessas obras – que ocupam, também, os papéis de ator protagonista e showrunner – influencia o enredo das mesmas, por meio de características autobiográficas que são impressas nelas. Investigo como o fenômeno da autoficção começou a surgir no cenário da TV estadunidense, e quais tipos de formações discursivas do circuito midiático massivo, assim como valores e demandas socioculturais, catapultaram seu espraiamento nos streamings e nos canais de TV. Ressalto a diferença de autoria e foco temático entre as primeiras semi-autobiografias e as de 2010 em diante, propondo que o cerne voltado à esfera privada das narrativas mais contemporâneas as caracterizam como semi-autobiografias ultrapersonalistas. Verso, também, sobre como a indústria televisiva, os próprios autores das séries e os veículos de jornalismo e entretenimento online lançam mão desse caráter “semi-autobiográfico” com a intenção de legitimar essas obras. Analiso, então, as séries Better Things (2016-presente, FX) e Master of None (2015-presente Netflix), investigando suas estratégias narrativas, visões realistas e como elas trazem representações e discursos narrativos não-hegemônicos – que, por sua vez, estão atravessados pelas figuras de Pamela Adlon e Aziz Ansari: criadores e protagonistas dessas obras. Através da validação biográfica e do direito de narrar, promovo um debate sobre como Adlon e Ansari utilizam suas plataformas discursivas para contestar regimes de representação e como Better Things, especificamente, renega protocolos estruturais-narrativos altamente propagados pela indústria, reivindicando para si uma autonomia narrativa em sua retratação do cotidiano. Palavras-chave: ficção seriada televisiva; autoficção; semi-autobiografia; realismo; autoria; representação. ============================= // =========================== In this dissertation, I analyze the realism, the narrative, the representations, and the authorial marks in autobiographically inspired TV shows that receive attention from the American television industry and its discursive environment. The interest is to understand how the identity of the creators of these works - who also occupy the roles of lead actor and showrunner - influences the plot of the series, through the autobiographical characteristics that are imprinted on them. I investigate how the phenomenon of autofiction began to emerge in the American TV landscape, and what types of discursive formations of the mass media circuit, as well as sociocultural values and demands, catapulted its spread in streamings and TV channels. I highlight the difference in authorship and thematic focus between early semi-autobiographies and those from 2010 onwards, proposing that the strong inclination towards the private sphere of more contemporary narratives characterize them as ultrapersonalist semi-autobiographies. I also talk about how the television industry, the authors of the series themselves, and online journalism and entertainment vehicles use this "semi-autobiographical" character with the intention of legitimizing these works. I analyze, then, the series Better Things (2016-present, FX) and Master of None (2015-present Netflix), investigating their narrative strategies, realist visions, and how they bring non-hegemonic representations and narrative discourses - which, in turn, are crossed by the figures of Pamela Adlon and Aziz Ansari: creators and protagonists of these works. Through biographical validation and the right to narrate, I promote a debate on how Adlon and Ansari use their discursive platforms to contest regimes of representation and how Better Things, specifically, denies structural-narrative protocols highly propagated and adhered to by the industry, claiming for itself a narrative autonomy in its portrayal of everyday life. Keywords: tv shows; autofiction; semi-autobiography; realism; authorship; representation.
... At the same time there are some stereotypical ideas about Pakistanis have not changed in American media. These ideas often connect Pakistanis to terrorism, extreme beliefs, or exaggerated cultural traits (Muffuletto, 2018). A study investigating the depiction of Pakistan in the Hollywood film media found that Hollywood sees Pakistan as a terrorist and extremist country. ...
... While media representations of Pakistani and Muslims have historically been limited and shaped by Islamophobia and post-9/11 narratives, Ms. Marvel offers a fresh portrayal of a Pakistani American, highlighting their complex identities and lived experiences (Muffuletto, 2018). Ms. Marvel subverts negative stereotypes by portraying a Pakistani American protagonist who navigates her identity as both an American and a Muslim in a positive and nuanced way. ...
Article
Full-text available
Ms. Marvel (2022) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), adapted from the Marvel Comics series of the same name, follows a Muslim Pakistani American teenager from Jersey City who adores her hero, Captain Marvel. This paper engages with intersectionality of Kamala Khan's representation in Ms. Marvel through the lens of her multiple intersecting identities: as a Pakistani American, a Muslim, a teenage girl, and a superhero. We utilized José Esteban Muñoz's theory of disidentification (1999) and bell hooks' critical feminist lens (i.e., her ideas of the dysmorphic body and the deconstruction of women as parts) to do a critical analysis of the six episodes, We found three changes from her comic book origins to the new superhero found in the Disney+ series: Kamala's powers, her character growth, and her identity as a Pakistani American teenager. The study discusses the intersectionality of Kamala's unique relationships on screen with her family, subverting typical cultural cues and gender roles, and her conformity and subversion of identity as a Muslim Pakistani American. while creating her new identity as a superheroine, all of which highlight the lived experiences of marginalized communities.
Article
Full-text available
Despite the ongoing need for shark conservation and management, prevailing negative sentiments marginalize these animals and legitimize permissive exploitation. These negative attitudes arise from an instinctive, yet exaggerated fear, which is validated and reinforced by disproportionate and sensationalistic news coverage of shark 'attacks' and by highlighting shark-on-human violence in popular movies and documentaries. In this study, we investigate another subtler, yet powerful factor that contributes to this fear: the ominous background music that often accompanies shark footage in documentaries. Using three experiments, we show that participants rated sharks more negatively and less positively after viewing a 60-second video clip of swimming sharks set to ominous background music, compared to participants who watched the same video clip set to uplifting background music, or silence. This finding was not an artifact of soundtrack alone because attitudes toward sharks did not differ among participants assigned to audio-only control treatments. This is the first study to demonstrate empirically that the connotative attributes of background music accompanying shark footage affect viewers' attitudes toward sharks. Given that nature documentaries are often regarded as objective and authoritative sources of information, it is critical that documentary filmmakers and viewers are aware of how the soundtrack can affect the interpretation of the educational content.
Article
Full-text available
The study identifies seven rhetorical strategies newspapers use to frame the acts of violence as terrorism or crime by comparatively analyzing the news coverage of the Ft. Hood and the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard shootings in three major newspapers. It examines the framing of the incidents, the strategies used to constitute the frames, the functions these strategies serve, and the media's contribution to the discourse of terror. © 2015 Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication.
Chapter
Full-text available
Freud, in his book Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious (1905/1960), argued that we constantly deceive ourselves about the reasons why we laugh. We like to believe that we laugh at the clever wittiness of jokes, but, as Freud argued, our pleasure may derive from less creditable sources that we do not care to acknowledge. Otherwise why should there be so many sexual and aggressive jokes? If, as Freud supposed, an element of self-deception surrounds much humour, then this would be especially true of racist humour today. The category ‘racist humour’ is itself contested. Because the prevailing standards condemn prejudice, people will like to believe that their behaviour, including their taste in humour, does not offend those standards. Those who laugh at ethnic jokes are likely to deny that their humour is racist. They will typically claim that they are ‘just joking’, defending themselves with a phrase that Goffman described as being one of the most commonly used in the English language (Goffman, 1974). As will be seen, there are academic versions of this position, defending the status of ‘ethnic humour’ from the criticism of being racist. On the other hand, the term ‘racist humour’ can create problems for those who criticise the telling of racist jokes. For them, the problem does not arise from the ‘racist’ part of the phrase ‘racist humour’.
Book
In a postmodern age where the media's depictions of reality serve as stand-ins for the real thing for so many Americans, how much government policy is being made on the basis of those mediated realities and on the public reaction to them? When those mediated depictions deviate from the truth of the actual situation, how serious a situation is that? Time and again, both anecdotal evidence and scientific research seem to confirm that the news media often influence government action. At the least, they speed up policy making that would otherwise take a slower, more reasoned course. Sometimes the media serve as the communication link among world leaders who may be ideological enemies. Because of the enduring popularity of television news, government leaders monitor the networks' story selections and track public opinion trends generated by interviews done in these stories. These then become the substance of proposed legislation and/or executive action, as politicians strive to prove themselves able listeners to the heartland of America and also prove themselves worthy of re-election. This book examines many specific events that show how major news operations either painted a truthful or distorted picture of national and international events, and how governmental leaders responded following those representations.
Book
Grounded in the personal narratives of twenty interracial couples with multiracial children, this volume uniquely explores interracial couples' encounters with racism and discrimination, partner difference, family identity, and counseling and therapy. It intimately portrays how race, class, and gender shape relationship dynamics and a partner's sense of belonging. Assessment tools and intervention techniques help professionals and scholars work effectively with multiracial families as they negotiate difference, resist familial and societal disapproval, and strive for increased intimacy. The book concludes with a discussion of interracial couples in cinema and literature, the sensationalization of multiracial relations in mass media, and how to further liberalize partner selection across racial borders.
Article
Recent research has reported that male body and facial hair influence women's mate preferences. However, it is not clear whether such preferences are typical for women or for individuals who prefer males as sexual partners. Here we explored body and facial hair in preferred and actual partners among men and women who prefer men as sexual partners. Including homosexual individuals provides a unique opportunity to investigate whether evolved mating psychologies are specific to the sex of the individual or sex of the partner. Based on an online survey of 1577 participants from Brazil and the Czech Republic, we found that, on average, homosexual men preferred hairier stimuli than heterosexual women, supporting past findings that homosexual men have strong preferences for masculine traits. Preferences for facial and body hair appear to be influenced less by sex of the preferred partner than sex of the individual, pointing to a possible sex-specific mating psychology. Further, Brazilians preferred bigger beards than Czechs, which was positively associated with the self-reported amount of beardedness in Brazil, suggesting that familiarity effects underpin cross-cultural differences in preferences for facial hair. Moreover, homosexual men preferred a self-similar degree of beardedness, and Czech women preferred a similar degree of beardedness as their fathers had during their childhood. However, these effects were not associated with the level of facial hair in their actual partners; in general, mate preferences and actual mate choices for facial and body hair differed. Thus, individual differences in some self-reported characteristics, cultural factors and aspects of personal experience may modulate differences in preferences for masculine traits.
Article
The article examines the significance of questions such as “where are you really from?” in everyday conversational interactions. Defining this kind of talk as nationality and ethnicity talk (NET), i. e. discourse that either explicitly or inexplicitly evokes one’s nationality or ethnicity in everyday conversation, the paper discusses what constitutes NET, how it works through symbolic and indexical cues and strategic emphasis, and why it matters in the wider context of identity, race, intercultural contact and power relations. The discussion draws on social media data including videos, blogs, on-line comments and the authors’ observations, and focuses on NET around Asian people living outside Asia. It argues that the question “where are you really from” itself does not