This BuzzFeed video is part of a series of videos that call out and satirize stereotypes and racial microaggressions, or the everyday, often unintentional, marginalizing interactions racial and ethnic minorities experience in the U.S.
With Eugene Lee Yang, BuzzFeed writer, producer, and actor, and Jenny Yang, LA-based writer and comedian, this video features the two Asian Americans turning the tables on a range of White characters to ask them the same kinds of questions and comments that people of Asian background frequently experience in the U.S. Examples include, “Where are you from? No, where are youreallyfrom?,” “Do you have a normal name too, or just your White name?,” “How do you eat with a fork and knife? That’s so hard, I could never do that,” “So how come you only hang out with other White people?,” and “Hey, do you watch ‘How I Met Your Mother’? I’m so into White culture.”
Related BuzzFeed videos in this series include If Black People Said the Stuff White People Say and If Latinos Said the Stuff White People Say. BuzzFeed is an American internet-based news and entertainment company known for producing content that is popular culture/entertainment-oriented and easily sharable and engaged with through social media. While they also produce news articles, most BuzzFeed content is in quick to digest image and graphics-based forms such as lists, quizzes, and short videos.
discussion
What stereotypes and interactions are the Asian American characters acting out and responding to?
The video specifically names White people as the ones saying these kinds of stereotypical or ignorant comments. Why do you think that choice was made? Do you think other groups of people make these kinds of comments? Is it the same thing if a White person makes this comment to an Asian person, as opposed to a person of color? How does context matter?
Have you ever asked or been asked one of these questions or received or made one of these comments? What was the intention of the person asking the question or making the comment? How does the intention of the comment relate to the effect of the comment?
What is the difference between overt acts of racial discrimination and the everyday comments referenced in this clip? How do these experiences affect people over time?
