From Fuerza Dulce comes this video clip of a contestant trying to get on VH1’s Flavor of Love:
I sputtered. I laughed. I frowned. Honestly – I’m confused. It’s a pretty bizarre mish-mash of orientalist cliches, done in a ham handed way. It’s neither hilarious nor completely unfunny, although she does act like she’s in on the joke.
Here’s the question – is Orientalism OK when we do it? Or does one desi’s 15 minutes of fame in brownface make the rest of our lives harder by not just reinforcing these tired tropes, but making them seem OK?
I think I’ve reached a milestone. Up until this point I used to feel embarassed when a desi of no relation to me did something cringeworthy. Strangely I feel nothing, I am free…
well, as i’m assuming most of her desi in-group members will see through the half-hearted brownface and irritating accent, we need only be worried by those viewers who don’t belong to this group or are not familiar with the panoply of english accents found in s. asia.
It seems as if she was attempting a PakAttack presentation but somehow lost her motivation before filming began, and wandered perilously close to a long and winding road to nowhere, I like to call, “malodorous crap you should have killed while in gestation.”
Some browns do brownface, while completely aware of how inaccurate and offensive it may be, in a forum where the audience may be completely unaware of this fact–an act usually resulting from frustration at consistently failing to be recognized as a human being/actor/dancer in their own right.
that being said, i don’t think this one was one of those ‘crying out’ moments. She was trying to have a bit of a lark and failed miserably. I think i’ll have to fall back on, “context matters.”
What if she gets on the show and keeps up the act?
I just threw up in my mouth. I hope she never makes it.
i would be inclined to use my blogging voice (puny and lacking-in-traffic as it is) to start a show-by-show critique of this brown-face travesty. We don’t need Apu II (although this would have nowhere near the reach of the Simpsons cartoon).
indeed, if she manages to get on the show, I’m not confident that the show’s producers will see through the act and engineer a way to kick her off.
I think i’m the ONLY brown person I know who refused to watch the Simpson’s movie on the grounds that the producers were likely smart and well-read enough to know just how powerful and damaging the character of Apu was to the desi community.
Ironically, this brings a certain Public Enemy song to mind…
Muralimannered–what damage did the Apu character do to the desi community?
Looks more like someone decided to add a little crack to their morning protein shake.
what single mainstream media-supplied image, do you think, has had the greatest impact on how America sees desis? Is it Ben Kingsley in Ghandi? Nope. Is it a recurring character on one of the most popular cartoons in American TV history? Yes.
“Thank you, come again!” was not an insult before Apu. Desi names were not automatically considered unworthy of an attempt to correctly pronounce, before Apu. Desis were not pigenholed as cheap-wad, greasy, unhip furriners before Apu.
The simpsons created a new Desi sterotype–not naked fakirs or bearded mystics, but the ‘guy’ you think you’re going to see, everytime you fill up your gas tank or need a Slurpee.
A friend forwarded this clip to me. I felt like Ennis – I laughed, then frowned. At least Pak Attack made me laugh out loud. This girl is trying to be funny, but it really just doesn’t work. The whole spicy/oriental/exotic/mango/curry/Indian princess thing is so overdone. Her video doesn’t promote anything useful or intelligent. I include making me laugh as being useful.
If she got on the show, and kept up the act, I don’t think she could keep it up for very long – especially since she’s having trouble committing to the “character” in her video before she’s even gotten on the show. I’d have to snort milk out of my nose though if she joined the others in the “I’m real” and “I’m here for Flav” dialogues that FoL girls are known for. That would be worth watching.
True
I had 15 years of people not caring to pronounce my name before Simpsons even left the Tracy Ullman show
I’m afraid this is always how we’ve been viewed in the areas in which we live in significant numbers.
My observation as an ABD in my 30s
She didn’t even think of some BW music playing in the background when doing her moves. Sheesh.
I wonder how this video will affect her marriage prospects…. gasp
Ew. That dancing to total silence bit was awkward! As if the fact that this was all done for ‘Flavor of Love’ isn’t cringe-worthy in itself.
Who ever owns the wedding gear (ie her mom) must be real proud.
what single mainstream media-supplied image, do you think, has had the greatest impact on how America sees desis? Is it Ben Kingsley in Ghandi? Nope. Is it a recurring character on one of the most popular cartoons in American TV history? Yes.
“Thank you, come again!” was not an insult before Apu. Desi names were not automatically considered unworthy of an attempt to correctly pronounce, before Apu. Desis were not pigenholed as cheap-wad, greasy, unhip furriners before Apu.
The simpsons created a new Desi sterotype–not naked fakirs or bearded mystics, but the ‘guy’ you think you’re going to see, everytime you fill up your gas tank or need a Slurpee.
Apu is funny and his character isn’t an insult. The Simpsons is a show that makes fun of stereotypes. And the fact that desis can have a character like Apu in the show, to me means,that desis are a minority that doesn’t HAVE TO BE protrayed as unltrasuccessful — we’ve become enough of a frabric of American society, that we can be made fun of. I find it similar to jewish people being made of — like “coffee talk” on SNL and borat. apu doesn’t define Indians b/c “the simpsons” is a cartoon, that, like borat, makes fun of the fact that stereotypes exist.
painfully creepy. also, FOL is definitely not worth this level of image-tarnishment.
Let me be the first to say
Yeah Boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
Her sterotype reinforcing act didnt bother me. Her pitiful performance did.
No.
Yes. 😉
But Manish and I have been through this before!
As for this video. The woman is a disgrace and might need to be chemically put down. Most irksome: “I come to you from New Delhi, the place of the Taj Mahal”. At least get the geography right you joke. And another demonstration of the fact that if you criticise the Peter Sellers accent, it must be criticised no matter who does it.
Aw, dude, a subject that is very close to my heart.
In terms of this video, funny is relative and all, but to me – just not funny, not even in a funny ironic subversive way (like Goodness Gracious Me was, which I loved).
I know an act from home, that has toured, using desi stereotypes (and should add, if they are reading this – I love you both as big bhaiyyas … but) and were very popular wherever they went … I hated the show. Absolutely hated it, they mined every stereotype available to them and people were laughing at these two silly Indian blokes whose heads bobble side to side (and thus reinforcing the stereotype) rather than laughing at the genre itself. Worse still, people feel comfortable doing so because it was in the vein of (very in) anti PC comedy (there’s a whole other rant right there).
Again, it’s about use of stereotypes for me – Pak Attack is funny (the 7-11 joke made me fall off my chair in hysterical laughter), this really isn’t. Sorry, badly articulated, but do you get what I mean?
I’m with you LouieCypher…
I’m FREE 🙂 FREE!
And all it took was Farah the crazy orientalist to do it.
I for one and feeling the love.
She should have been part of the Comedy Central Roast.
louiecypher, you are an ABD in your 30s?
Gosh, like Puliogre says, my mental image of you is so off (no, you don’t want to know further).
But knowing your demographics also explains several things that puzzled me in some of your past arguements that I had been following. Goes to show how much the ‘who’ matters in the ‘what’ of public discourses.
WHY!!! That was so embarrassing. You know it’s BAD when you feel embarrassed for the person. If you’re brown, at least get the accent right, what was that really bad Middle Eastern accent? And not that it matters to anyone watching, but the Taj isn’t even in New Delhi, wtf!?
i thought you were am dbd woman in her 20’s. oops.
As an african american woman, I don’t think it’s better when a minority actor takes a stereotypical role. Even though Flavor Flav used to rap about racial oppression and social inequality with Public Enemy, his show plays up a number of the worst stereotypes about black culture. It’s not surprising that other ethnicities are willing to parody themselves to be on it. This is one of the effects of the limited casting opportunities for minority actors. There is a place for an Indian woman willing to stereotype herself, but where is the role for this same woman when she wants to play someone’s mother or a journalist?
Ennis has asked really great questions that are a bit beyond this woman’s video (mostly because it’s not very funny — just a failed attempt at humor), so it’s hard to get deep into it. Personally I think working racial stereotypes is a really fine line, and to do it and be funny is difficult. Don’t they say that comedy is the most difficult/demanding acting role? It’s not even playing the stereotype that is awkward to negotiate — it’s about whether or not you’re effectively playing up satire. Unfortunately, it all too often fails horribly, or even worse, goes off like Stephen Colbert at the White House Press Correspondent’s Dinner.
“so it’s hard to get deep into it. Personally I think working racial stereotypes is a really fine line, and to do it and be funny is difficult”
You’re exactly right. A clear example of this:
Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle = funny. Andrew Dice Clay,
Carlos MenciaNed Holnitz = not funny.Unfortunately, it all too often fails horribly, or even worse, goes off like Stephen Colbert at the White House Press Correspondent’s Dinner.
I disagree here, I don’t think Colbert’s intent was to make people laugh who were physically at the dinner. He’s much too smart to think his ‘character’ and act would be well received there. His intent was to speak to the rest of us, be voice for those of us outside the dinner who wanted to say all those things. It solidified both his genius and credibility as a comedian/satirist.
Don’t they say that comedy is the most difficult/demanding acting role
There’s an old addage in theater, “dying is easy, comedy is hard”
Hmmm. It would be interesting to have a Desi version of Dubious Achievement Awards.
I think I’ve reached a milestone. Up until this point I used to feel embarassed when a desi of no relation to me did something cringeworthy. Strangely I feel nothing, I am free…
This is interesting actually, I remember when a friend of mine who worked in a bank, had one of her co-workers run up to her, saying, “look look, an indian guy was involved with a bank fraud case, look I’ve found one that did something bad…”
I wonder if that kind of nonsense happens anymore? I walked down madison ave yesterday and didn’t run into anyone I knew. I felt elated.
If you want to make fun of goofy Indian things, this is the way to do it. Some genius took a cheesy Chiranjeevi imitation of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video and put English subtitles in it. The catch is the subtitles have nothing to do with the translation of the lyrics, but how they could sound in English (or at least the closest approximation) to a non Telugu speaker.
This is the funniest desi clip I have ever seen on YouTube. I like the way the subtitles vary in size and frequency. example: The 22 and 55 second marks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtJRNyPK-lc
HMF, I actually think Colbert was hilarious, and I don’t think he meant to make people laugh at the dinner, either. However, part of the reason he was invited was b/c the president of whatever professional press organization responsible for coordinating the dinner didn’t do ample research into his show to understand that he was satirizing Bill O’Reilly. (Thus an example of, in my opinion, excellent satire being completely misunderstood because human beings are relatively stupid, really).
Oh, and I love Chris Rock, but I think Carlos Mencia is generally offensive and not very funny. Just for the record 🙂
However, part of the reason he was invited was b/c the president of whatever professional press organization responsible for coordinating the dinner didn’t do ample research into his show to understand that he was satirizing Bill O’Reilly
I’ve really often wondered this. Are the white house people that stupid and out of touch with reality to think Colbert’s character was “true”? I dunno, it wouldn’t surprise me at this point.
However, I just think they invited him to sort of “liven” things up a bit, but just assumed he’d “take it easy” on the president given the venue. They were wrong.
I find it hard to believe that many people could get fooled by Colbert. He doesnt even hide it that it is a parody. As far as Mencia, I gotta confess, I laughed at a couple of things from his first season including the Indian shopkeeper who doesnt take shit from a fat African American woman and some white skinny guy. BUt I guess he ran out of jokes to steal. This season sucks.
I got a comment on my blog from a woman named Lucy Dee– she’s a black female comedian who’s negotiating exactly this fine line in her work. She has a blog on which she is thinking through all the implications of doing this kind of humor… it’s pretty interesting.
She lost me at “I’m from New Delhi, the beautiful place of the Taj Mahal” This girl can’t even get her geography straight. I’d laugh at her if I weren’t dying of embarrassment. Shame Shame…
you know that that’s a guy right?
Going by the body language, yes.
I find it hard to believe that many people could get fooled by Colbert. He doesnt even hide it that it is a parody.
Well, he hides it pretty well. He stays in character, it’s just the stuff he says is so outrageous that even the dumbest redneck out there should be able to pickup on it.
you know that that’s a guy right? You mean in the video? If so, that puts a whole other spin on things…
That was pretty bad. But there’s Pradeep on “The Pick-up Artist”. He’s a cute guy, but clueless when he’s around women. So far, Desis are not faring well on VH1. But then again, who is?
but clueless when he’s around women.
as is every guy. this stuff isn’t innate knowledge.
HMF, Pravin, I don’t think they’re that out of touch with reality (or they just don’t watch TV). There’s an article in which the President of the Press Association (I can’t remember which one hosts the event, but they’re the ones who coordinate things like entertainment) admitted that he heard Colbert was funny but was unfamiliar with his show. More explicitly, I don’t think he’d ever watched Colbert’s show.
lentil’s ‘n’ rice, I think the geography blunder was intentional. Hence the attempt to stifle a giggle.
I think he’s cute, too! So let me get this straight – desi girls are spicy, exotic, but submissive and willing to do anything to please their men (Farah telling Flav that she really knows how a man needs to be treated) and desi boys are non-sexual or have no game. I don’t like either of these stereotypes. Stop emasculating our men, TV execs!!
Re: Submissiveness: I’ve had more than one guy IRL voice his assumption that because I’m South Asian, I must be submissive in and out of the bedroom, and then expressing his surprise when I didn’t like him completely being inconsiderate of what I wanted. “What? I thought you’d like it like that… Indian girls are submissive and stuff…”
…and whyte guys are genocidal lunatics. whats your point? would have been a nice response.
is being slightly submissive consideredd a bad thing? is being agressive good? whats the jury verdict on this?
“…and whyte guys are genocidal lunatics. whats your point? would have been a nice response.”
Why do you assume he’s white?
Some people are submissive socially/sexually, some aren’t – I think different things work for different people. If that’s your thing, I don’t think it’s bad. Personally I just got annoyed because these guys assumed that because I’m brown I was some sort of devdasi.
seriously? even if you’re stupid enough to think it, at least don’t be stupid enough to say it out loud!