A new step toward multiculturalism

By Flora Min Jung Park

South Korea has slowly transitioned from a very racially homogeneous country to a more ethnically diverse country with an increasing number of foreigners.

Yet, the unfamiliarity of different ethnicities and the historical pride we have as a homogenous nation have led us often to exclude foreigners from our society.

We have, both consciously and unconsciously, built upon our own stereotypes toward foreigners. Most of these foreigners are immigrants ― mainly from Vietnam, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries ― who have come here for employment or marriage.

Given that many foreigners come to South Korea to achieve their “Korean Dream,” the stereotypes are mostly negative ― stereotypes judge them “dirty,” or “useless.” We have often refused to accept them as a part of our community, even when they play an integral role in our society ― culturally and socioeconomically.

As a matter of fact, interracial families face great barriers, even without our stereotypes.

Only 2.1 percent of all interracial families have a high economic status while more than half receive the bare minimum income ― many of them are unemployed.

Most of these families have limited opportunities in our country as they have not gone through high-level education, not to mention the cultural and language differences they must cope with. These problems are exacerbated for second generations, as they also struggle to settle in a society that is already hostile toward them.

Policies that help interracial families get jobs or protect their rights as citizens bring a positive influence on their adjustment into our country, but they fail to relieve what these families suffer from most ― the fact that they never feel included in our society.

Perhaps, this is not something we can change through political measures, but instead something we must do through the media.

To address the question of how we can utilize the media, we should examine a show that has changed people’s perspectives of multiculturalism: “Fresh off the Boat,” is an ABC TV comedy that started screening in the U.S. on Feb. 4.

In the trailer for this show, Eddie Huang, an 11-year-old second-generation Taiwanese Chinese American, hollers: “I need white people lunch!” In this particular scene, Eddie asks his mother to pack “American food” for his lunchbox after his friends make fun of his authentic Chinese noodles for looking like worms.

This short clip demonstrates the theme of the show ― struggles that a “fresh-off-the-boat” Asian-American family face while trying to assimilate to American culture in their new home in Orlando.

However, after its trailer was released, the show invited criticism for portraying sensitive racial tensions that may offend many ethnic groups, as negative stereotypes of Asian Americans are frequently presented in the show.

For example, Louis, the father enamored with the American Dream, steals an important management manual for his own steak house (a negative portrayal of Asian Americans sneakily doing anything for success), while Jessica, a typical “tiger mother,” complains to the principal (with a very heavy accent) that school is too easy for her son (a stereotypical representation of demanding Asian mothers).

But regardless of its negative portrayal of second-generation Asian-American families, “Fresh off the Boat” has been a huge success ― it attracted almost 7.56 million viewers in the U.S. for its first episode, including many Asian Americans.

This enthusiasm is perhaps caused by the fact that the show has a direct message of inclusivity. The ethnic minority populations of the U.S. have always been labeled as strangers ― Asian Americans have always been tainted with stereotypical beliefs and condemned as both powerless yet still potentially dangerous.

“Fresh off the Boat” sheds new light on this conventional perspective: the fact that their story is being screened on a mainstream medium hints that Asian Americans are now being welcomed into society and their differences are being embraced.

The show even suggests that differences are needed, as the story of Huang has unified not only the Asian Americans, but hundreds of its viewers, regardless of race.

As an international Asian student at Columbia University, I sympathize with the “Fresh off the Boat” problems. But perhaps a more fundamental reason for my empathy is that the show reminds me of home, South Korea, where interracial families are in the same situation as the Huang family: a new environment, cultural and societal barriers, and an exclusive community.

The influence of “Fresh off the Boat” in promoting inclusivity within the U.S. is a notable change we should turn our eyes to as a nation ― sitcoms like this are definitely needed in South Korea.

Such shows tackle problems of multiculturalism by poking fun at how ridiculous and wrongly judgmental our stereotypes are, and sending an encouraging message to the second-generation foreigners who are struggling in our country that they deserve more respect. They deserve their own “Fresh off the Boat.”

The writer, a graduate of the Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, is studying computer science at Columbia University in New York City.