by Tempress


2010 has been pretty a good year to Asian men in the media so far as in ways of exposure.





From Youtube to Interscope, the all Asian male rap group, Far East Movement is on the rise. With new music and collaborations with bigger names they’re getting greater exposure, respect and fame. After having their music be the intro for the internet sensation K-town Cowboys we hope to hear of television appearances soon.

Singer/Actor Tyrese Gibson is coming out with a new K-town reality show. Even with the controversy about the casting and the portrayal you have to realize that to be seen in this type of light is rarely shown in America. This drastic way of portraying Asians can be the very factor to break the ice of Hollywood's type casting.






I'm not sure how many people watch Psych but their new season started a couple of weeks ago. The very first episode dealt with an Asian Romeo and Juliet story.





What would make them choose Asians to portray the first episode? The first episode of seasons are one of the most watched ones because it’s picking up the cliffhanger left by the last episode. Even though there was a lot of “Karate” ( it was really Wushu) involved they made sure to balance the story out with a witty Chinese guy who knew a little of his native language and who let the main character know what's offensive to say to Asian Americans. So even though it might not be the best portrayal, from one extreme to another, people are still learning.







You should expect too see more Asians in mainstream media. A lot of this is the result of Youtube giving a voice to the world. Many Asian Americans stepped up to cameras and expressed their feelings through music, dancing, acting, comedy and just talking. The unsuspecting media is learning a valuable lesson about the voice and pockets of the people.





Nevertheless, with all the knowledge in the world the media is bound to make mistakes and not represent individuals accurately. So we shouldn't stop putting our voices out there nor allow the media to represent a whole people. Stay active in breaking stereotypes and taking names.