Article: Movie stereotypes shouldn't be taken seriously

An article on the dangers of stereotyping minorities in the media by UO psychology professor Gordon C. Nagayama Hall was recently published by Psychology Today.

In the article, Hall warned of the dangers of stereotyping in Hollywood’s most recent romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians.”

“Over a 20-year period, Asian-Americans were only 1.3 percent of the characters in prime-time television versus being 6 percent of the U.S. population,” Nagayama Hall writes. “If a person’s experiences with a group are limited, media can be very influential.”

Hall warns viewers of the dangerous stereotypes in “Crazy Rich Asians,” such as the idea that “all Asians are rich” or that “all Asians are from eastern Asia.”

However, Hall also argues that support for the film could lead to more opportunities for Asian representation in film. This increase in representation would in turn help to mitigate stereotypes.

“Understand that ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is from Hollywood and that the characters are glamorized,” Nagayama Hall writes. “This is not an accurate depiction of most Asians nor is it intended to be. So, enjoy ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ for what it is.”

To read the full article, see “Enjoy ‘Crazy Rich Asians’— But Don’t Stereotype.”