We have heard the boycotts and the angry tweets on twitter about the past Oscars. If you don't remember, here is a refresher. Although Leonardo DiCaprio finally got his Oscar, every nominee was white. The trending hashtag "#OscarsSoWhite" was a clear memory during that time with the addition of Chris Rock's racist joke towards the Asian community, which the Academy knew about. The lack of any people of color nominations was a signal of the white supremacy and the dominance of white people in Hollywood. Releasing his recent song, "Safe" Korean rapper Jonathan Park known as Dumbfoundead speaks of this whitewashing.
What is whitewashing in films?
To put this simply, it is when a white actor or actress plays the role of a character that is supposed to be non-white. Before you object, here are a few examples. Our "dear" Emma Stone from Easy A is one of the culprits of this whitewashing. Her role in Aloha is Allison Ng, whose father is half Chinese, half Native Hawaiian descent, with a Swedish mother. Not to mention the entirety of the movie is played by an all white cast in Hawaii. Last time I checked, Hawaii is 70 percent non white. Another movie from the past is the classic Breakfast at Tiffany's. Sure, Audrey Hepburn is a beauty, but what is problematic about the movie is her landlord, Mr. Yunioshi. To play the part, actor Mike Rooney was dressed in "yellow face" where his eyes were taped, he had buck teeth, and not to mention the color of his skin was changed as well. The way that he spoke and acted sparked many racial stereotypes against the Asian community. His role in this movie is even regarded as one of the most racist roles in cinema history.
So, what does Dumbfoundead do that addresses this issue?
This track is a result of the whitewashing of the most recent Oscars. Dumbfoundead's song is a form of activism where he speaks of his frustration. The clear title of Safe can be interpreted that society believes that the Asian community is passive and quiet, that is a mistake. Dumbfounded is sick of the whitewashing where he asserts and threatens that if nothing changes, that "my actions can't be blamed." The fact is, the Asian community will always be perceived as "safe" until we "ask you where the safe at." Almost always are they regarded as being passive and quiet. With the increasing progressiveness of society today, we still can see that the Asian community is still excluded from media. In 2015, only 5.3 percent of Hollywood actresses and actors were Asians.
Now, with the lyrics, the music video is another addition to his form of activism. It seems comical with the photoshop, until you realize that the music video is a serious visualization of how the Asian community is always walked over in Hollywood. The music video stars Dumbfoundead as an actor with other Asian actors and an Asian actress portraying a "family." They are having some family time with a freshly popped bowl of popcorn watching the television where we can see the actual concept of whitewashing. Each clip is famous scenes in films and television shows with the lead having a photoshopped face of Dumbfoundead on them. We can see Game of Thrones Jon Snow, Captain Jack Sparrow and even Jack from Titanic. After the clips, the video ends with the director feeling that Dumbfoundead's role as the dad is insufficient and is quickly replaced with a white actor.
While you sit comfortably in a cold movie theatre with an overpriced large popcorn in your hands, think about the whitewashing that is so prevalent in the movie industry. With the upcoming Doctor Strange try spotting the whitewashed character played by Tilda Swinton.
The Asian community is fed up with the constant whitewashing and the lack of Asian people in lead roles. We are not asking for just minor roles or some sort of Asian sidekick in the movies, we are here for the leads. This portrayal of whitewashing is the much needed wakeup call and activism that the Asian community needs to revolt against this whitewashed regime. The Asian community needs a breakthrough, otherwise the only yellow people at the Oscars will remain as the statues.
Watch Dumbfoundead's music video here:
