by Patricia Luki<\/p>\n
A few days ago, I came across a video segment of a morning news show from Fox
\nNews. I am not an avid TV news-watcher, so it was very surprising for me to see this
\nvideo went viral on different social media platforms.<\/p>\n
The show segment is called Watter\u2019s World on a news show called O\u2019Reilly Factor. With
\nall the spotlights in the world are directed towards the United States\u2019 presidential
\nelection, it is shocking how China was brought up, mostly in a negative way, several
\ntimes by one of the candidates. In this segment, Jesse Watters asked people in the
\nChinatown area in New York City about their thoughts on the presidential election.
\nSome of Watters ignorant remarks from the video included (Fox News, 2016):<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I supposed to bow to say hello?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this the year of the dragon? Rabbit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs everything made in China now? Tell me what\u2019s not made in China. I can\u2019t think of
\nany\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo they call Chinese food in China just food?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have traditional Chinese herbs for performance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know karate?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Although some people might find this funny, or at least the producing team thinks it is,
\nthe questions he asked has nothing to do with gathering sample of political opinions
\nfrom the Asian American population.<\/p>\n
In the video, Watters interviewed some people in the area, some of them are elderly or
\nbystanders who do not really speak English. He went to them anyway and interviewed
\nthem for their political opinions as a joke. You can also see in the video that some of the
\npeople there are offended by his questions; for example, a guy was irritated when
\nWatters asked to translate a sentence in Chinese but unable to pronounce it back
\ncorrectly. However, this did not stop Watters to continue with his \u201cgentle fun\u201d interview.
\nHow is this acceptable?<\/p>\n
The most infuriating part of the whole segment was O\u2019Reilly\u2019s take on the whole
\ninterview was that most of the people in Chinatown are aware of the political situation in
\nthe United States. O\u2019Reilly mentioned that some people say that the community is very
\ninsulated and does not interact with American politics (Fox News, 2016). I\u2019m not really
\nsure where he got this information from, but the reality is that most people read or watch
\nthe news! Even people in Indonesia are aware about the political situation in the United
\nStates. Moreover, Watters stated that most people in Chinatown did not know what was
\ngoing on. Well, if you\u2019re going to ask questions about Chinese food or traditional
\nChinese herbs, you are not going to have their political opinions about the presidential
\nelection, Mr. Watters.<\/p>\n
Another irritating part of this whole segment was how O\u2019Reilly called this act as \u201cgentle
\nfun\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s all in good fun\u201d (Fox News, 2016). The way they are poking fun at
\nstereotypes and getting away with it is just shocking to me. I just couldn\u2019t believe that
\nthis happened on television.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the way Watters asked these questions implied that these people\u2019s voices
\ndid not matter. By being ignoring the background of the people who he interviewed, and
\ndisregarding the fact that some of these people might be an American citizen who are
\neligible to vote, Watters failed to acknowledge that their opinions do matter!<\/p>\n
In community psychology, Isaac Prilleltensky talked about values in praxis, which
\nincludes respect for diversity (Prilleltensky, 2001). These values state that professionals
\nworking with the field should promote respect and appreciation for diverse social
\nidentities and unique oppressions (Prilleltensky, 2001).<\/p>\n
I think that Watters\u2019 video segment should be a reminder for all of us, not just future
\ncommunity psychologists, that poking fun at marginalized populations \u201cgentle fun\u201d and it
\nshould not be acceptable. Psychologists or not, we all should respect for other people\u2019s
\ndiverse social identities and their uniqueness.<\/p>\n
#UML #commpsych<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Patricia Luki is a graduate student in the Autism Studies program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
References
\nFox News Channel. (2016). Watters’ World: Chinatown edition. Retrieved October 11,
\n2016, from https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PJmnLzw8NA4
\nPrilleltensky, I. (2001). Value-Based Praxis in Community Psychology: Moving Toward
\nSocial Justice and Social Action. American Journal of Community Psychology,
\n29(5), 747-778. doi:10.1023\/a:1010417201918<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Patricia Luki A few days ago, I came across a video segment of a morning news show from Fox News. I am not an avid TV news-watcher, so it was very surprising for me to see this video went … Continue reading