대중매체가 아시아계 미국인의 정체성 형성에 미치는 영향: 「변두리」( BFE )와 「김치와 곱창」( Kimchee and Chitlins )을 중심으로

The Influence of Mass Media on the Construction of Asian American Identity in BFE and Kimchee and Chitlins

The third generation Asian American playwrights differentiate themselves from their predecessors by repudiating the binary choice and responsibility of representing the entire group. Expanding the spectrum of characters who range from whites to African Americans in their plays, Julia Cho and Elizabeth Wong depict Asian Americans as living their daily life in contemporary multicultural America. However, they both criticize mass media as the main culprit in constructing stereotyped images of Asian Americans and forcing them to conform to these images. In BFE, it is the standard of beauty made for white women which through television drama and movies brainwashes Isabel to regard her own body with inferiority complex. Internalizing the identity thus constructed, Isabel coerces her own daughter to sacrifice her body for “constructive self-improvement.” Having been taught to hate her own Asian features, Panny fails to connect with Hugo and undergoes humiliating kidnap and disfigurement. In Kimchee and Chitlins, it is the television itself which distorts reality and perpetuates the stereotyped images of Asian Americans. Even though she herself is a Chinese American, Suzie Seeto regards the event at Korean grocery store as demeaning and valueless. Through the process of digging into the controversy, she later realizes the discrimination and hardships which both Koreans and Africans suffer from. However, this recognition does not leads to an unbiased report of the incident because what is important and what is not is decided by the white boss who controls the media. Ultimately, she chooses the advancement of her career at the mercy of Korean Americans who are made a travesty through the distorting lens of TV camera.