While you mouth-breathers are at Chipotle I’m rockin’ the omakase
February 3, 2015 6:40 PM Subscribe
On the eve of the premiere of his sitcom, Eddie Huang (previously) aka Rich Homie Huang aka Sars Blackmon aka the Human Panda gets profiled by Wesley Yang (previously) in the New York Times.
Reactions to the show so far range from "a series that surpasses expectations in every way — as a family comedy, as a commentary on race, as an honest depiction of alienation, and, perhaps most importantly, as a genuinely funny sitcom" to a show that "struggles to portray a racial landscape that goes beyond the white/non-white binary... its relationship to hip hop needs to be more complicated than a facile equivalence between Asian and African-American outsider statuses."
Reactions to the show so far range from "a series that surpasses expectations in every way — as a family comedy, as a commentary on race, as an honest depiction of alienation, and, perhaps most importantly, as a genuinely funny sitcom" to a show that "struggles to portray a racial landscape that goes beyond the white/non-white binary... its relationship to hip hop needs to be more complicated than a facile equivalence between Asian and African-American outsider statuses."
100% nuts in the best possible way is right. Love Eddie Huang, loved his book and LOVE his refusal to shut up and be nice on the eve of this premiere, and despite his clear disappointment in it, I'm still really looking forward to checking out the show.
posted by town of cats at 8:36 PM on February 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by town of cats at 8:36 PM on February 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
People in the U.S. need someone outspoken about race relations, especially on themes outside the important but well-rehearsed black-white-latino divide.
I wish resentment towards white people and against various racial prejudices in general, which ofc don't just stem from white people, would show itself more openly and loudly among people quietly put down or picked on all the time. White guilt is very funny but totally ineffectual here -- assertiveness and no euphemisms work far better.
Seeing how many people commented on this thread, for example. MetaFilter's membership strikes me as probably, ahem, slanted in some way. (No innuendo here, please.) Little interest in Eddie Huang, probably.
For my favorite comment on race relations ever, see Martin Amis' story "State of England", in his Heavy Water collection, an incomparable collection of short fiction. There, in the near future, South Asians and others in England socio-economically dominate the white working class, who struggle with poor education and turn into bouncers with little hope in life. Published in 1986.
For a similarly ingenious slant on the gay community, see "Straight Fiction" in the same collection. "Straights" and "carriers" (pregnant women) are attacked as a social plague.
People will probably draw some conclusions from this, but a little real empathy sometimes works wonders. You can't see it until it strikes you.
posted by niphates at 10:37 PM on February 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
I wish resentment towards white people and against various racial prejudices in general, which ofc don't just stem from white people, would show itself more openly and loudly among people quietly put down or picked on all the time. White guilt is very funny but totally ineffectual here -- assertiveness and no euphemisms work far better.
Seeing how many people commented on this thread, for example. MetaFilter's membership strikes me as probably, ahem, slanted in some way. (No innuendo here, please.) Little interest in Eddie Huang, probably.
For my favorite comment on race relations ever, see Martin Amis' story "State of England", in his Heavy Water collection, an incomparable collection of short fiction. There, in the near future, South Asians and others in England socio-economically dominate the white working class, who struggle with poor education and turn into bouncers with little hope in life. Published in 1986.
For a similarly ingenious slant on the gay community, see "Straight Fiction" in the same collection. "Straights" and "carriers" (pregnant women) are attacked as a social plague.
People will probably draw some conclusions from this, but a little real empathy sometimes works wonders. You can't see it until it strikes you.
posted by niphates at 10:37 PM on February 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just read the article, and came to see if it had been Metafiltered. Wow, lack of dialogue, as mentioned by niphates!
Good to see that Eddie was critical of the reduction of hip-hop to sexist objectification of women that has happened in the show. For more on that, read "Fresh Off the Boat" and the dangers of perpetuating anti-blackness.
I'm still watching though.
posted by larrybob at 11:31 AM on February 12, 2015
Good to see that Eddie was critical of the reduction of hip-hop to sexist objectification of women that has happened in the show. For more on that, read "Fresh Off the Boat" and the dangers of perpetuating anti-blackness.
I'm still watching though.
posted by larrybob at 11:31 AM on February 12, 2015
Also: Danielle Henderson writes 'Fresh Off the Boat' uses black culture to talk more candidly about Asian culture on the site Fusion
posted by larrybob at 4:43 PM on February 12, 2015
posted by larrybob at 4:43 PM on February 12, 2015
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posted by Itaxpica at 7:14 PM on February 3, 2015 [2 favorites]