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Netflix Streaming media company
Netflix
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Profiles
hNetflix Inc. is an international provider of on-demand Internet streaming media available to viewers in all of North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and parts of Europe (Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Ireland, United Kingdom, Portugal, and Italy),[6] and of flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States, where mailed DVDs and Blu-ray are sent via Permit Reply Mail. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. It started its subscription-basedservice in 1999. By 2009, Netflix was offering a collection of 100,000 titles on DVD and had surpassed 10 million subscribers.[7]
On February 25, 2007, Netflix delivered its billionth DVD.[8] In April 2011, Netflix had over 23 million subscribers in the United States and over 26 million worldwide.[9] By 2011, the total digital revenue for Netflix reached at least $1.5 billion.[10] On October 23, 2012, however, Netflix reported an 88% decline in third-quarter profits.[11] In January 2013, Netflix reported that it had added two million U.S. customers during the fourth quarter of 2012 with a total of 27.1 million U.S. streaming customers, and 29.4 million total streaming customers. In addition, revenue was up 8% to $945 million for the same period.[12]
As of mid-March 2013, Netflix had 33 million subscribers.[13] That number increased to 36.3 million subscribers (29.2 million in the U.S.) in April 2013.[14] As of September 2013, for that year's third quarter report, Netflix reported its total of global streaming subscribers at 40.4 million (31.2 million in the U.S.).[15] By the fourth quarter of 2013, Netflix reported 33.1 million U.S. subscribers.[16] By September 2014, Netflix had subscribers in over 40 countries, with intentions of expanding their services in unreached countries.[17] As of October 2015, Netflix reported 69.17 million subscribers worldwide, including more than 43 million in the U.S.[18]
HISTORY[EDIT]
Netflix was founded in 1997 in Scotts Valley, California by Marc Randolph[19][20] and Reed Hastings, who previously had worked together at Pure Software. Randolph was a co-founder of MicroWarehouse, a computer mail order company; and was later employed by Borland International as vice president of marketing. Hastings, who once worked as a math teacher, had founded Pure Software, which he had recently sold for $700 million. Hastings invested $2.5 million in startup cash for Netflix.[21] The idea of Netflix came to Hastings when he was forced to pay $40 in overdue fines after returning Apollo 13 well past its due date.[22] The Netflix website was launched on August 29, 1997[23] with only 30 employees and 925 works available for rent through a traditional pay-per-rental model (50¢US per rental U.S. postage; late fees applied).[24] Netflix introduced the monthly subscription concept in September 1999,[25] and then dropped the single-rental model in early 2000. Since that time, the company has built its reputation on the business model of flat-fee unlimited rentals without due dates, late fees, shipping and handling fees, or per title rental fees.
In 2000, Netflix was offered for acquisition to Blockbuster for $50 million; however, Blockbuster declined the offer.[26] Netflix initiated an initial public offering (IPO) on May 29, 2002, selling 5.5 million shares of common stock at the price of US$15.00 per share. On June 14, 2002, the company sold an additional 825,000 shares of common stock at the same price. After incurring substantial losses during its first few years, Netflix posted its first profit during fiscal year 2003, earning US$6.5 million profit on revenues of US$272 million. In 2005, 35,000 different film titles were available, and Netflix shipped 1 million DVDs out every day.[27]
Netflix developed and maintains an extensive personalized video-recommendation system based on ratings and reviews by its customers. On October 1, 2006, Netflix offered a $1,000,000 prize to the first developer of a video-recommendation algorithm that could beat its existing algorithm, Cinematch, at predicting customer ratings by more than 10%.[28]
In February 2007, the company delivered its billionth DVD[29] and began to move away from its original core business model of mailing DVDs by introducing video on demand via the Internet. Netflix grew as DVD sales fell from 2006 to 2011.[30][31]
Netflix has played a prominent role in independent film distribution. Through the division Red Envelope Entertainment, Netflix licensed and distributed independent films such as Born into Brothels and Sherrybaby. As of late 2006, Red Envelope Entertainment also expanded into producing original content with filmmakers such asJohn Waters.[32] Netflix closed Red Envelope Entertainment in 2008, in part to avoid competition with its studio partners.[33][34]
Netflix has been one of the most successful dot-com ventures. A September 2002 article from The New York Times said that at the time, that Netflix mailed about 190,000 discs per day to its 670,000 monthly subscribers.[35] The company's published subscriber count increased from one million in the fourth quarter of 2002 to around 5.6 million at the end of the third quarter of 2006, to 14 million in March 2010. Netflix's growth has been fueled by the fast spread of DVD players in households; as of 2004, nearly two-thirds of U.S. homes had a DVD player. Netflix capitalized on the success of the DVD and its rapid expansion into U.S. homes, integrating the potential of the Internet and e-commerce to provide services and catalogs that brick and mortar retailers could not compete with. Netflix also operates an online affiliate program which has helped it to build online sales for DVD rentals. The company offers unlimited vacation time for salaried workers and allows employees to take any amount of their paychecks in stock options.[36]
By 2010, Netflix's streaming business had grown so quickly that within months the company had shifted from the fastest-growing customer of the United States Postal Service's first-class mail service to the biggest source of Internet traffic in North America in the evening. In November of that year, it began offering a standalone streaming service separate from DVD rentals.[37] On September 18, 2011, Netflix announced its intentions to rebrand and restructure its DVD home media rental service as an independent subsidiary company called Qwikster, totally separating the DVD rental and streaming services.[38][39][40] Andy Rendich, a 12-year veteran of Netflix, would have been appointed the CEO of Qwikster. The new service would carry video games whereas Netflix did not.[41] However, in October 2011, Netflix announced that it would retain its DVD service under the name Netflix and would not, in fact, create Qwikster for that purpose.[42]
On October 24, 2011, Netflix announced it lost 800,000 subscribers in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2011 and more subscriber losses were expected in the fourth quarter of 2011. Despite the losses, earnings for Netflix jumped 63 percent for the third quarter of 2011.[43][44] On January 26, 2012, Netflix said it added 610,000 subscribers in the U.S. by the end of the fourth quarter of 2011, totaling 24.4 million U.S. subscribers for this time period.[45]
In April 2012, Netflix filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to form a political action committee (PAC) called FLIXPAC.[46] Politico referred to the Los Gatos, California-based PAC as "another political tool with which to aggressively press a pro-intellectual property, anti-video-piracy agenda."[46] The hacktivist groupAnonymous called for a boycott of Netflix following the news.[47] Netflix spokesperson Joris Evers indicated that the PAC was not set up to support the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), tweeting that the intent was to "engage on issues like net neutrality, bandwidth caps, UBB and VPPA."[48][49]
On December 24, 2012, at around 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, a number of Amazon Web Services servers crashed, affecting numerous services including Netflix "instant streaming". The outage lasted more than 20 hours.[50][51]
In February 2013, Netflix announced it would be hosting its own awards ceremony, The Flixies.[52] On March 13, 2013, Netflix announced it would add a Facebooksharing feature to the Netflix interface, letting subscribers in the U.S. see lists of content "Watched by your friends" and "Friends' Favorites" once they agree to share.[53] This was not legal until the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act was modified at the beginning of 2013.[54]
In April 2014, Netflix approached 50 million global subscribers with a 32.3% video streaming market share in the United States. Netflix operates in a total of 41 countries around the world.[55] In June 2014, Netflix unveiled a redesigned version of its logo (using a modified typeface, and removing the drop shadowing and red background of the previous logo) and website UI. The change was controversial; some liked the new minimalist design, whereas others felt more comfortable with the old interface.[56] In July 2014, Netflix surpassed 50 million global subscribers, with 36 million of them being in the United States.[57]
First news coming from the company’s first quarter earnings report for 2015. Netflix’s market value now stands at $32.9 billion; a number that exceeds the $30.6 billion value of the CBS network. According to a breakdown of the recent Q1 report from Deadline, the early part of 2015 has been more than good to Netflix. The company’s stock saw a 14.7% rise that cumulatively added $4.2 billion, bringing their market value to that $32.9 billion figure.[58]
On July 14, 2015, at the close of trading, Netflix did a 7-for-1 stock split by giving all shareholders an additional six shares of stock, effectively dropping the stock price to $100.[59]
SERVICES[EDIT]
Netflix is a subscription-based film and television program rental service that offers media to subscribers via Internet streaming and via US mail.
Internet video streaming[edit]
In addition to its disc-rental service, Netflix separately offers an Internet video-streaming service which gives Internet-connected devices access to Netflix's library of online content and allows numerous individuals to take advantage of one individual's subscription by insuring they login to their subscribing profile while on the non-subscriber's computer. The two libraries differ markedly, with the disc library having more film titles available,[60] while the streaming library has more Netflix original content. According to a 2013 report by Sandvine, Netflix is the biggest source of North American downstream web-traffic, at 32.3%, and registered 28.8% of aggregate traffic.[61]
When the streaming service first launched, Netflix's traditional rental-disc subscribers were given access at no additional charge. Subscribers were allowed approximately one hour of streaming per dollar spent on the monthly subscription (a $16.99 plan, for example, entitled the subscriber to 17 hours of streaming media).
In January 2008, however, Netflix lifted this restriction, at which point virtually all rental-disc subscribers became entitled to unlimited streaming at no additional cost (however, subscribers on the restricted plan of two DVDs per month ($4.99) remained limited to two hours of streaming per month). This change came in a response to the introduction of Hulu and to Apple's new video-rental services.[62] Subsequently,[when?] as it became clear that the disc-rental and Internet streaming markets were distinct, Netflix split DVD rental subscriptions and streaming subscriptions into separate, standalone services, at which point the monthly caps on Internet streaming were lifted.[citation needed]
Until October 10, 2014, Netflix did not officially support playback on Linux PCs, although the Linux-based Roku devices are supported. It is possible to connect the Roku device, game console, or Blu-ray Disc player to a Linux PC (or directly to the computer monitor) with an adapter. It is also possible to run Windows and Netflix in a virtual machine such as Virtualbox or QEMU. In a TechRepublic interview in August 2010, Netflix's VP of Corporate Communications stated that available Silverlightplugins for Linux, such as Moonlight, do not support the PlayReady DRM system that Netflix requires for playback.[63] Netflix does support the Android operating system, which uses a forked version of the Linux kernel. There is an unofficial Netflix app based on Wine that allows users to watch Netflix's streaming content on Linux without installing Windows in a virtual machine. Pipelight, an add-on for Firefox based on the Netflix-Desktop project, allows Netflix playback through Linux Native web browsers by connecting to the Silverlight plug-in running on a Wine base.[64] However, on October 10, 2014 the required DRM plugins to play Netflix's HTML 5 videos became available for Chrome users running Ubuntu 12.04 or 14.04.[65] Maximum HD resolution via Google Chrome is 720p.[66]
According to a survey by Nielsen in July 2011, 42% of all Netflix users make use of a stand-alone computer to connect to the service, 25% do so by using the Wii, 14% by connecting their computers to a television set, 13% make use of a PlayStation 3 and 12% use an Xbox 360.[67] The selection of available titles is based upon the user's IP address. For most users, this corresponds to the user's physical location. However, it means that, for example, a user in Canada who accesses the Internet through a U.S.-based router-connection will see the selection available to U.S. users.
History[edit]
On October 1, 2008, Netflix announced a partnership with Starz Entertainment to bring more than 2,500 new films and television shows to "Watch Instantly" as part of a service called Starz Play.[68]
In August 2010, Netflix reached a five-year deal worth nearly $1 billion to stream films from Paramount Pictures, Lions Gate Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The deal increased the amount Netflix was spending on streaming films annually, adding roughly $200 million per year. It spent $117 million in the first six months of 2010 on streaming, up from $31 million in 2009.[69]
On July 12, 2011, Netflix announced that it would separate its existing subscription plans into two separate plans: one covering the instant streaming and the other DVD rental services.[70] The cost for streaming would be $7.99 per month, while DVD rental would start at the same price. The announcement led to a flurry of negative reception amongst Netflix's Facebook followers, who posted negative comments on the company's wall.[71] Twitter comments also spiked a "Dear Netflix" trend with generally negative comments.[71] The company defended its decision during its initial announcement of the change. "Given the long life we think DVDs by mail will have, treating DVDs as a $2 add-on to our unlimited streaming plan neither makes great financial sense nor satisfies people who just want DVDs", Netflix wrote on its blog. "Creating an unlimited-DVDs-by-mail plan (no streaming) at our lowest price ever, $7.99, does make sense and will ensure a long life for our DVDs-by-mail offering."[70]
In a reversal, Netflix announced in October 2011 that its streaming and DVD-rental plans would remain together under the Netflix brand.[72]
On September 1, 2011, Starz announced it would remove its films from Netflix streaming on February 28, 2012. Since the agreement was strictly for streaming film titles, DVD rentals through Netflix were not affected.[73] However, around that same time, it was announced[by whom?] that Netflix would, in 2013, assume the pay-TV rights to films from DreamWorks Animation (those output rights were then held by HBO).
Disc rental[edit]
In the United States, the company provides a monthly flat-fee service for the rental of DVD and Blu-ray Discs. A subscriber creates an ordered list, called a rental queue, of films to rent. The films are delivered individually via the United States Postal Service from an array of regional warehouses. As of March 28, 2011, Netflix had 58 shipping locations throughout the U.S.[74] The subscriber can keep the rented disc as long as desired, but there is a limit on the number of discs (determined by subscription level) that each subscriber can have on loan simultaneously. To rent a new film, the subscriber must mail the previous one back to Netflix in a metered reply mail envelope. Upon receipt of the disc, Netflix ships the next available disc in the subscriber's rental queue.
Netflix offers several pricing tiers for DVD rental of one to three DVDs at a time. Subscribers with accounts in good standing can upgrade‹The template Elucidate is being considered for deletion.› [further explanation needed] to plans offering up to eight[citation needed] DVDs at a time. Gift subscriptions are also available. On November 21, 2008, Netflix began offering its subscribers access to Blu-ray Discs for an additional fee. In addition to its film rental service, Netflix formerly sold used discs. The purchase was delivered via the same system and billed using the same payment methods as rentals. This service was discontinued at the end of November 2008.[75]
On January 6, 2010, Netflix reached an agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures to delay rentals of new releases for 28 days from their retail release, in an attempt to help studios sell more physical media at retail outlets. Similar deals with Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox was reached on April 9, 2010.[76][77][78] In 2011, Netflix split its service pricing so that customers can decide whether they want to pay for online streams, access to DVDs by mail, or both.
Qwikster[edit]
On September 18, 2011, Netflix CEO and Co-Founder Hastings said in a Netflix blog post that the DVD section of Netflix would be split off and renamed Qwikster, and the only major change would be separate websites for the services.[79] The new service was to also carry video games for an additional charge, whereas the previous Netflix did not.[41] Netflix subscribers who wanted DVDs by mail would have had to use a separate website to access Qwikster.
On October 10, 2011, following negative reaction from customers, Hastings cancelled the planned Qwikster service and said the DVD-by-mail service would remain a part of Netflix.[80]
Profiles[edit]
In June 2008, Netflix announced plans to eliminate its online subscriber profile feature.[81] Profiles allow one subscriber account to contain multiple users (for example, a husband and wife, two roommates, or parent and child) with separate DVD queues, ratings, recommendations, friend lists, reviews, and intra-site communications for each. Netflix contended that elimination of profiles would improve the customer experience.[82] However, likely as a result of negative reviews and reaction by Netflix users,[83][84][85] Netflix reversed its decision to remove profiles 11 days after the announcement.[86] In announcing the reinstatement of profiles, Netflix defended its original decision, stating, "Because of an ongoing desire to make our website easier to use, we believed taking a feature away that is only used by a very small minority would help us improve the site for everyone," then explained its reversal: "Listening to our members, we realized that users of this feature often describe it as an essential part of their Netflix experience. Simplicity is only one virtue and it can certainly be outweighed by utility."[87]
Five profiles[edit]
Netflix introduced a "Profiles" feature on August 1, 2013 that permits accounts to accommodate up to five unique user profiles, associated either with individuals or themes of their choosing (e.g., "Date Night"). "Profiles" effectively segregates the viewing habits of each profile category (e.g., family member) so that each profile will receive individualized suggestions and the ability to add its own favorite titles. This is important, according to Todd Yellin, Netflix's vice president of product innovation, because, "About 75 percent to 80 percent of what people watch on Netflix comes from what Netflix recommends, not from what people search for".[88]Moreover, Mike McGuire, a vice president at Gartner, said: "profiles will give Netflix even more detailed information about its subscribers and their viewing habits, allowing the company to make better decisions about what movies and TV shows to offer".[88] Additionally, the profiles feature lets users link their Facebookaccounts, and thus share their individual viewing history and receive recommendations from friends.[88][89] (Netflix added Facebook integration in March after lobbying Congress to change an old video law.[89]) Neil Hunt, Netflix's chief product officer, told CNNMoney: "profiles are another way to stand out in the crowded streaming-video space", and, "The company said focus-group testing showed that profiles generate more viewing and more engagement".[90]
Hunt says Netflix may link profiles to specific devices, in time, so a subscriber can skip the step of launching a specific profile each time s/he logs into Netflix on a given device.[91]
Critics of the feature have noted:
- New profiles are created as "blank slates",[91] but the viewing history prior to the creation of new, unique profiles stays with the main profile.[92]
- People don't always watch Netflix alone, and shows watched from a profile that accommodate one's viewing partner(s) – whose tastes may not reflect those of the profile owner(s) – affect recommendations made to that profile[90][91][92]
In response to both concerns, however, users can refine future recommendations for a given profile by rating the shows watched and by their ongoing viewing habits.[91][92]
PRODUCTS[EDIT]
"The Switch"[edit]
Netflix revealed a prototype of the new device called "The Switch" at the 2015 World Maker Faire New York. "The Switch" allows Netflix users to turn off lights when connected to a smart home light system. It also connects to your local networks to enable your server to order takeout and silence ones phone at the press of a button. Though the device hasn't been patented Netflix released instructions, on their website, on how to build it at home (DIY). The instructions walk you through both the electrical structure and the programming processes. [93] [94]
PROGRAMMING[EDIT]
Original programming[edit]
Further information: List of original programs distributed by Netflix
In March 2011, Netflix began acquiring original content for its popular subscription streaming service, beginning with the hour-long political drama House of Cards, which debuted on the streaming service in February 2013. The series was produced by David Fincher, and stars Kevin Spacey.[95] In late 2011, Netflix picked up two eight-episode seasons of Lilyhammer and a fourth season of the former Fox sitcom Arrested Development.[96][97] Netflix announced that it would release the supernatural drama series Hemlock Grove in early 2013.[98] In February 2013, DreamWorks Animation and Netflix agreed to produce a new animated series calledTurbo FAST, based on the movie Turbo, which premiered in July of that year.[99][100] In March 2013, Netflix announced it signed on The Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski to write and executive produce their new scifi series, Sense8.[101] It debuted on June 5, 2015.
House of Cards, Lilyhammer, Hemlock Grove and Orange Is the New Black were each renewed for an additional season, with scheduled 2014 returns.[102] In mid-2013, Netflix revealed that it holds the option to produce another season of Arrested Development, but a confirmed schedule was not released.[103]
In November 2013, Netflix and Marvel Television (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) announced a five-season deal to produce live action series focused on four Marvel superheroes: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage. The deal involves the release of four 13-episode seasons that culminate in a mini-series called The Defenders. The programs are planned for a 2015 debut.[104][105][106] In addition to the Marvel Television deal with Netflix, The Walt Disney Company announced that the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars would release its sixth and final season exclusively on Netflix, as well as all five prior seasons and the Clone Wars feature film. The new content was released on Netflix's streaming service on March 7, 2014.[107]
In February 2014, just after the second season of House of Cards was released, it was renewed for a third season, scheduled to Release in 2015.[108]
In April 2014, Netflix signed Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz and his production firm The Hurwitz Company to a multi-year deal to create original projects for the service.[109]
In May 2014, Netflix announced a third season of Orange Is the New Black to be released on its service in 2015.
It was announced by Netflix that season 3 would have an international release date of June 12.[110]
In September 2014, Netflix beat out Amazon Prime and Hulu for the rights to Love, a new romantic-comedy series from Judd Apatow, Leslie Arfin, and Paul Rust (who will star alongside Gillian Jacobs). It also announced that Hemlock Grove was renewed for a third and final season, to release in 2015.[111]
On November 19, 2014, it was announced that Longmire will release a ten-episode fourth season in 2015.[112]
Netflix will create local productions in Japan in a partnership with Yoshimoto Kogyo.[113]
Film and television library[edit]
Netflix currently has exclusive "pay TV window" deals with major and mini-major studios (the "pay TV" deals in essence, give Netflix exclusive streaming rights and are not distinct from the distribution rights held by traditional pay television services, which are also effectively prohibited from obtaining first-run linear television rights with these deals). As of 2014, films featured on "Watch Instantly" service in the United States include recent releases from Relativity Media (and its subsidiary Rogue Pictures),[114] as well as titles from DreamWorks Animation (DreamWorks Animation began streaming its films in 2013 after the expiration of HBO's previous deal with the studio),[115] Open Road Films[116] (Netflix's contract with Open Road Films will expire after 2016, at which time Showtime will assume pay television rights[117]),FilmDistrict,[118] The Weinstein Company,[119][120] Sony Pictures Animation,[121] and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disneynature, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios), among others.
Epix (one of the first traditional pay television channels to launch a Netflix-style streaming service) signed a five-year streaming deal with Netflix in which for the first two years, first-run as well as back catalog content from Epix was exclusive to Netflix (Epix films will come to Netflix 90 days after they premiere on Epix. The exclusivity clause ended on September 4, 2012, when Amazon signed a deal with Epix to distribute its rights to its Amazon Video streaming service.[122] These include films from Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate).[123][124]
On September 1, 2011, Starz ceased talks with Netflix to renew its streaming deal. As a result, Starz's library of films and series were removed from the Netflix streaming service on February 28, 2012. Titles that are available on DVD were not affected and can be acquired from Netflix by this method.[125] However, select films that have previously been seen on Starz continue to be available on Netflix under license from their respective television distributors. For instance, certainRevolution Studios films shown on Netflix are under license from Lionsgate/Debmar-Mercury. Netflix can also negotiate to distribute animated films from Universal Studios that HBO declines to acquire rights, such as The Lorax and ParaNorman.[126]
Netflix's "Watch Instantly" also holds rights to back-catalog titles to films from among other distributors, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Netflix also holds current and back-catalog rights to television programs under license byDisney–ABC Television Group, DreamWorks Classics, Kino International, Warner Bros. Television, 20th Television, Hasbro Studios, Saban Brands and CBS Television Distribution. The streaming service also held current and back-catalog rights to television programs distributed by NBCUniversal Television Distribution,20th Century Fox Television, Sony Pictures Television, as well as select shows from Warner Bros. Television. Netflix also previously held the rights to select titles from the Criterion Collection, but those were pulled from the streaming library when Criterion titles were added to Hulu's Hulu Plus streaming library.[127]
On August 23, 2012, Netflix and The Weinstein Company signed a multi-year output deal for releases from Weinstein's RADiUS-TWC unit.[128] On December 4, 2012, Netflix and The Walt Disney Company announced an exclusive multi-year agreement for the first-run U.S. subscription television rights to Walt Disney Studios' animated and live-action films. New titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios and Disneynature will be available on Netflix beginning in 2016 (assuming the rights from Starz, making Disney the first major film studio not to distribute its films via a traditional pay television service). However, classic titles such as Dumbo, Pocahontas, and Alice in Wonderland immediately became available on the service.[129] Direct-to-video new releases were made available in 2013.[130][131]
On January 14, 2013, Netflix signed an agreement with Time Warner subsidiaries Turner Broadcasting System and Warner Bros. Television to distribute content fromCartoon Network, Warner Bros. Animation, and Adult Swim, as well as TNT's revival of the drama Dallas beginning in March 2013. The streaming rights to Cartoon Network and Adult Swim programs came not long after the expiration of Viacom's rights deal to allow Netflix access to stream programs from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.(which were subsequently assumed by Amazon Video).[132]
In Canada, Netflix has pay TV rights (approximately eight months after theatrical release) to films from Paramount, DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox. In 2015, it will assume pay TV rights to films from Disney (including Disney Live Action, Disneynature, DreamWorks Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, and Walt Disney Animation Studios) which are currently held by The Movie Network/Movie Central.[133]
In December 2013, Netflix acquired the exclusive rights to stream the anime series Knights of Sidonia in all its territories outside Japan.[134] The entire first season was released on Netflix one week after ending its run in Japan on July 4, 2014 and the second season was released on July 3, 2015 in the same fashion.
On September 30, 2014, Netflix announced they would be producing and releasing their first original film: the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, entitled The Green Legend. It is scheduled for simultaneous Netflix and theatrical release on August 28, 2015.[135] On October 15, 2014, Netflix announced that will begin streaming the complete series of Friends in high-definition, beginning on January 1, 2015.[136]
Opinion web blogger Felix Salmon wrote that by 2014, Netflix couldn't "afford the content that its subscribers most want to watch"[137] and lost several contracts for streaming movies, to the point where, according to journalist Megan McArdle, "its movie library is no longer actually a good substitute for a good movie rental place".[138]
In September 2015, it was announced that Netfix will stream the anime series Ajin: Demi-Human, each episode being released three days after its original broadcast in Japan, while the series will be released in other territories in mid 2016.[139]
CULTURAL EFFECTS[EDIT]
The rise of Netflix has affected the way audiences watch televised content. Neil Hunt, Netflix’s chief product officer, believes that Netflix is a model for what television will look like in 2025. He points out that because the Internet allows users the freedom to watch shows at their own pace, an episode does not need cliffhangers to tease the audience to keep tuning in week after week, because they can just binge straight into the next episode.[338] Netflix has allowed content creators to deviate from traditional formats that force 30 minute or 60 minute timeslots once a week, which it claims gives them an advantage over networks. Their model provides a platform that allows varying run times per episode based on a storyline, eliminates the need for a week to week recap, and does not have a fixed notion of what constitutes a "season". This flexibility also allows Netflix to nurture a show until it finds its audience, unlike traditional networks which will quickly cancel a show if it is unable to maintain steady ratings.[339]
Netflix has strayed from the traditional necessary production of a pilot episode in order to establish the characters and create arbitrary cliffhangers to prove to the network that the concept of the show will be successful. Kevin Spacey spoke at the Edinburgh International Television Festival about how the new Netflix model was effective for the production of House of Cards, "Netflix was the only company that said, ‘We believe in you. We've run our data, and it tells us our audience would watch this series." Though traditional networks are unwilling to risk millions of dollars on shows without first seeing a pilot, Spacey points out that in 2012, 113 pilots were made, 35 of those were chosen to go to air, 13 of those were renewed, and most of those are gone now. The total cost of this is somewhere between $300–$400 million, which makes Netflix’s deal for House of Cards extremely cost effective.[340] Netflix's subscription fee also eliminates the need for commercials, so they are free from needing to appease advertisers to fund their original content, a model similar to traditional pay television services such as HBO and Showtime.
The Netflix model has also affected viewers' expectations. According to a 2013 Nielsen survey, more than 60% of Americans admitted to binge-watching shows and nearly eight out of 10 Americans have used technology to watch their favorite shows on their own schedule.[341] Netflix has successfully continued to release its original content by making the whole season available at once, acknowledging changing viewer habits. This allows audiences to watch episodes at a time of their choosing rather than having to watch just one episode a week at a specific scheduled time; this effectively gives its subscribers freedom and control over when to watch the next episode at their own pace. Netflix has capitalized on these habits by automatically playing the next episode in the series, removing the 15-second wait times of content on other streaming services. The structure that allows convenient viewing of episodes as well as the intent to provide content of quality comparable to some broadcast and cable television programs in effect, often results in the viewer being hooked into the program by the time the next episode starts.[342]
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Hollywood Asian Stereotypes
UNFAIR AND PERNICIOUS PORTRAYALS OF EAST ASIANS
Hollywood is unfair and pernicious in its portrayal of Asians, the research shows time and again. Stereotypical and often contradictory characteristics are imposed on Asians. There are clear indications that such media characterizations are reinforcing misperceptions that are manifesting in real life as everything from covert discrimination to unabashed racism.[1][6]
Stereotypes have very real consequences for Asians living in the West in terms of day-to-day interaction, current events and governmental legislation. Upwardly mobile Asians find themselves hitting glass ceilings and earning far less than their white counterparts due to preconceived notions about their temperament, lack of trustworthiness, innovation and poor leadership abilities.[2][3]
What was the latest Hollywood blockbuster movie you saw? Chances are, it was embedded with negative Asian stereotypes. Chances are, you didn't notice.
Racism against Asians is often “unawares”—a form of racism that flies under the radar due to its widespread acceptance as the norm. Its interactive dynamic resembles that of an unwritten social contract. Asians in the West are expected to accept patronizing remarks and racist taunts so demeaning that perpetrators would think twice before dishing them out with such unwavering consistency to any other minority group, such as Latinos or African Americans. Asians who object to such treatment are typically met with befuddlement and offense at their audacity to make an issue out of it. Adverse reactions are, after all, a far cry from traditional media depictions of Asians as kowtowing in the face of denigration, such as in the character of Charlie Chan.
Although stereotypes are virtually unavoidable in any form of storytelling, the crux of the problem is not that Asian stereotypes are used or that they frequently occur, but thatnegative Asian stereotypes are essentially the onlyAsian themes ever used in Hollywood and other media.
Asian Hollywood actors have revealed that they are, as a rule, funneled into narrowly defined subservient or subversive roles.[10] They are usually cast as foreigners and not as acculturated Americans; as strange and unfathomable beings bound by old tradition and beset with bizarre superstitions and habits. They are portrayed as sidekicks and extras, and either occupy supporting roles to Caucasian protagonists, or play the antagonist to a Caucasian protagonist. Asian characters often serve as cannon fodder or comic relief and have overplayed accents (such as with Long Duk Dong of Sixteen Candles or Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s).
Ten almost exclusively used Asian stereotypes in Hollywood and the media:
- Perpetual foreigner
- Martial arts
- Model minority
- Nerd/Geek
- Gendered racism—sexualized female, asexual male and sanctioned racial-gender coupling
- Inferior and subordinate
- Mystic
- Archvillain, Dragon Lady or yellow peril
- Caricature, yellowface bizarre and/or unfathomable
- Willing/Deserving targets of open denigration
An Asian face or accent is used as a shorthand symbol for everything antithetical to American or Western culture. No distinctions are made between Asian Americans who are acculturated US citizens with deep roots in the country and Asian nationals who may not have any loyalty to the US. The media insinuation is that Asians (including US citizens) do not belong to and cannot be from the US or the West.
Asian males are yet to be cast in a leading Hollywood role, unless it is inseparable from their status as a foreigner with martial arts skills. Asians are cast as extras in nonspeaking roles, as foreign tourists walking about with cameras. Asian Americans are personated as having thick accents and speaking in broken English. They are rarely portrayed as assimilated citizens, but as inherently foreign and non-American.
At best, Asian-American youth are portrayed as struggling with cultural identity issues, such as in the Lane Kim character of the television series, The Gilmore Girls and the various characters of the movie, The Joy Luck Club.
Pressure by the MANAA has resulted in a very small handful of TV shows (e.g. The Mentalist) abandoning perpetual-foreigner stereotypes in favor of placing Asian Americans in minor support roles, as fluent English speakers sans accents. However, the Asian as Perpetual Foreignerremains the predominant onscreen portrayal of all main characters who are Asian.
Although the Asian martial-artist stereotype was derived from Asian actors such as Bruce Lee, Jacky Chan, Jet Li and Chow Yun Fat, these actors are/were in fact niche actors. As foreign-born actors trained in martial arts, they are/were essentially playing themselves—a point that seems to be lost among script writers, who habitually assign the kungfu-foreigner role to Asians who aren't in fact foreigners nor martial arts experts. The implication is that all Asians are foreigners by default and inherently possess at least some degree of such fighting skills.
To add insult to injury, this stereotype is usually combined with stereotype 6: Inferior and subordinate to whites. Asian pugilists with immense fighting skills are shown as being ultimately inferior to whites (or blacks), who not only can beat them at their game, but are able to win knock-down-drag-out fights through sheer endurance—a quality that Asians are portrayed as lacking. Despite their sheer ferocity, Asians are ultimately presented as being spineless losers, squealing or pleading in the face of pain or death. Examples are Lethal Weapon 4, etc.
Historically, Asians in North America were granted a tentative form of citizenship. They were classed as fellow-immigrants alongside white settlers, but with far fewer rights. Legislation against Asian immigration severely restricted their numbers. High rents and special taxes were levied, and laws were enacted to bar them from property ownership and from giving testimony in court. Racial atrocities were committed against Asian Americans with impunity. With no legal recourse available, their survival depended on keeping a low profile. The media was only too happy to cooperate in this regard. Despite their immense sacrifices in helping to build vital infrastructure such as the Transcontinental Railway and agricultural irrigation systems in California, the media filtered them out from receiving any credit for their contributions. For further information, refer to Anti-Chinese USA—Racism & Discrimination from the Onset.
Hollywood reflects this long tradition of disempowerment by relegating Asians to unassuming roles in nonthreatening service professions, reinforcing the idea of faceless individuals best suited to carrying on with their lives quietly. Ethno-specific occupations stereotypically assigned to Asians include the doctor, lab assistant or restaurant worker, the Japanese businessman (usually appearing in a group at a corporate board meeting) and occasionally, the Chinese news anchorwoman reminiscent of Connie Chung. Stereotypes for older Asians include the owner of a laundry service or grocery store.
With the exception of rogue criminals who refuse to play by the rules (see Archvillain stereotype below), Asians are cast as unassertive conformists, sidekicks and assistants, but never as leaders or trendsetters. They are also often cast as being successful and prosperous due to their industriousness, or as neurotic overachievers with stunted emotional development (such as the Asian American classmate in the canceled TV sitcom, Pearl).
Asians are often portrayed as being highly proficient in math and science, embodied in the nerd, geek or scientist who is at the disposal of whites. This is epitomized in the role of a hardworking, lab assistant who dutifully goes about his/her task in serving the Caucasian protagonist in many a television series.
Asians are also portrayed as extremely uncool (to the point of bizarre, such as the street violinist in Spiderman II), as having very poor taste and the inability to grasp American culture and nuances (such as in the character Rajiv, in Big Bang Theory).
Can you name a movie in which an Asian male consummates a relationship with a Caucasian woman? Gendered racism is the intersection of both racism and sexism. It is based on the combination of gendered and racialised identities imposed on Asians.[17] Hollywood is replete with images of the sexual Asian female and the asexual Asian male, and it promotes sanctioned racial coupling — Asian females may couple with Caucasians, while Asian males may not. Asian men are desexualized, while Asian women are fetchized.[18]
In Hollywood, Asian women are sexually available.They are cast as exotic, feminine, sensual and portrayed either as a submissive China Doll or a seductive Dragon Lady vixen, as in the roles of Lucy Liu inAlly McBeal and Charlie’s Angels. In either stereotype of Asian female sexuality, she is sexually available to white (and occasionally black) men and an acceptable partner to white (and occasionally black) men, although she is often illegitimate and endangers the white man’s relationship with his legitimate partner. If an Asian female is cast in a relationship with an Asian male, the Asian male is, as a rule, an abusive or incapable husband who ultimately loses her to a more deserving Caucasian. Asian women are often portrayed as subservient, compliant, industrious and eager to please.[7]
In the Madame Butterfly stereotype, the Asian woman is involved with a white man and chooses him over an Asian man, but ultimately has her heart broken by the White man (e.g. The World of Suzie Wong, where Chinese prostitute falls in love with a white man only to lose him).
Asian males cast as “unattractive.” The US media has a long history of presenting the Asian male as a Eunuch—it is a lingering representation that has made the transition to cinematic castration.[5][8] Asian men are portrayed either as asexual, sexually inferior or effeminate according to western notions of sexuality — never sexually desirable to females. There may be no more than four instances in Hollywood's entire history, where an East Asian male has been allowed to consummate a relationship with a Caucasian woman.[4][11]Asian men are almost never positively paired with women of any race. Asian males are often cast as being lonely and unattractive and resorting to deceit or to breaking social protocol in their attempt to get a Caucasian woman in bed (such as in Fargo).
Negative perceptions on the desirability of Asian men have real-life repercussions on relationships. Dating and marriage statistics indicate that in the US—considered the biggest melting pot in the world—Asian males are far less desirable than Asian females. Asian males are among the least-preferred partners of all other ethnicities in the US. [19][20][21]
stastics col
lected on 2.4 million users of an online dating app reveal highly distinctive heterosexual patterns of racical-gender preferences in the general population. While Asian men do not generally seek Asian women, the statistics on response rates also reveal that Asian women most strongly favor advances from white men. However, the discrepancy with Asian-male-Asian-female marriage statistics below is one of several indicators that Asian men generally partner with Asian women due to a lack of
acceptance by other ethnicites. (Diagram from the Daily Mail)
Married couples in the United States, 2010 (thousands)
| White Wife | Black Wife | Asian Wife | Other Wife | |
| White Husband | 50,410 | 168 | 529 | 487 |
| Black Husband | 390 | 4,072 | 39 | 66 |
| Asian Husband | 219 | 9 | 2,855 | 28 |
| Other Husband | 488 | 18 | 37 | 568 |
In countless media depictions, Asians are shown as being inferior and subordinate to whites. They often require rescuing by a Westerner who has superior ideals of democracy and human rights, or a knight in shining armor who ultimately succeeds in convincing them to transcend their stifling culture.
Asians serve as sidekicks and extras in supporting roles to Caucasian protagonists, or play the antagonist who ultimately loses to a Caucasian protagonist. Asians are also shown as cowardly and impotent in the face of danger. In action movies, Asian characters serve as cannon fodder and are the first to die.
They often willingly sacrifice themselves so that the Caucasian protagonist may live, which is an insidious way of suggesting that Asian life is not as valuable as white life or, more cynically, of asserting that the only good Asian is a dead Asian.
In knock-down-drag-out fights they lose to whites (or blacks), who not only can do it better in terms of martial arts, but ultimately have the winning qualities that Asians supposedly lack: superior morals and endurance.
When Asians are cast as being “on the same team,” they are usually faceless, unassertive conformists—often assistants and analysts—never leaders or trendsetters.
Perhaps most malignant of all, are the countless movies in which Asians serve as mere backdrops to the “bigger” story at hand, where Asian contributions are swept aside to highlight
the achievements of the “real heroes.” Pearl Habor tells the story of Doolittle's daring payback raid on Japan during WW2 and how the pilots deliberately crashlanded in China, assuming correctly that the populace would help them to safety. However, the quarter-of-a-million Chinese civilians who either unwittingly died or willingly scarificed themselves as a consequence of sheltering the few dozen American aircrews and bringing nearly all of them them to safety are never mentioned in the ending credits.
the achievements of the “real heroes.” Pearl Habor tells the story of Doolittle's daring payback raid on Japan during WW2 and how the pilots deliberately crashlanded in China, assuming correctly that the populace would help them to safety. However, the quarter-of-a-million Chinese civilians who either unwittingly died or willingly scarificed themselves as a consequence of sheltering the few dozen American aircrews and bringing nearly all of them them to safety are never mentioned in the ending credits.
The Asian Mystic from the “mysterious Orient” is an oft-recurring theme, in which Asians are portrayed as otherworldly, mysterious and spiritual, and take the form of a mystical sage who possess ancient wisdom and mystical powers, such as Pai Mei in Kill Bill, The Golden ChildBulletproof Monk or the Chinese lady in What Women Want. However, Chinese “wisdom” is also reduced to fortune-cookie clichés.
“Asian” is often employed as a quick, convenient andexclusive explanation for the magical or supernatural. In various renditions of The Shadow, the hero’s special powers are said to originate from “the mysterious East”—no other explanation is necessary. In Alice, an elixir purchased from an Asian herbalist carries magical powers.
Asian characters are also cast as being mysterious to the point of inscrutable and devious (see Bizarre/Unfathomable stereotype), which ties in neatly with the Asian Archivillan stereotype (see below).
The Asian Mystic stereotype is also frequently combined with the Asian Archvillain stereotype. This is epitomized in Fu Manchu, who embodies both the archvillain and mystic, and portrays the evil Asian with supernatural powers. Recent usage of this underworld stereotype includes The Shadow, in which a Caucasian actor in yellowface embodies the anti-American archvillain who has hypnotic eyes and uses telepathy to control minds.
The Asian Archvillain is an extension of the Yellow Peril andYellow Horde themes. Asians who are not characterized as benevolent or belongning to the faceless, conformist model minority, are paradoxically depicted as ruthless criminals, triad members and unscrupulous archvillains. Chinatowns are shown as breeding grounds of crime and underworld activity.
The Predator Asian remains a popular media theme. Asian immigrants are shown as taking from the country without giving anything back. In Falling Down, the white protagonist accuses a Korean grocer of draining American resources without bothering to fit into American society, which is subsequently used as justification for the destruction of the Korean’s grocery store. In Rising Sun, Japanese businessmen are shown as taking over American industry by murder and deceit.
The ultimate Asian “underworld” stereotype incorporates both meanings of the word: 1) organized crime and 2) the mythical abode of the dead. See above section on the Asian Mystic stereotype.
By the 1970s, the civil rights era had redefined how minorities should be portrayed on film. It was considered taboo for white actors to employ blackface to play the part of African savages (as in Tarzan). However, the same sensibilities were not applied to yellowface. A major precedent was set when Warner Brothers rejected Bruce Lee in favor of Caucasian actor, David Carradine, to play the lead character in the television seriesKung Fu—a story about a Chinese orphan, which Lee himself had developed and presented to the producers.
Racialized casting of Asians as caricatures lingers on in the twenty-first century.[9] Recent usage of yellowface by Caucasians to play the part of Asians includes Miss Swan inMADtv (2001), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Grindhouse (2007),Balls of Fury (2007), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry(2007), Bangkok Dangerous (2008), Crank: High Voltage(2009), Cloud Atlas (2012) and How I Met Your Mother(Season 9, aired in 2014).
Asians continue to be depicted as cone-hatted coolies scampering about in small steps in commercials and movies such as Down with Love (2003). They are also shown to be unfathomable, inscrutable and to subscribe to bizarre traditions and superstitions. Movies based on the concept of Asian otherness and outlandishness in stark contrast to all things sensible, wholesome and American or Western, includeLost In Translation (2003), in which the Japanese are never afforded a “shred of dignity” and the entire comedic content is derived from Westerners laughing at “small, yellow people and their funny ways.”[11]
The Asian bufoon continues to be featured in sitcoms such as 2 Broke Girls, in which the character of Han Lee is a fairly agressive portrayal of the stereotypical Asian male: a tiny, greedy, sexless man-child with infantilized speech patterns, speaking broken English with a generic Asian accent, fulfilling basically every possible ching-chong stereotype.[16]
In the movies, Asians are frequently subjected to open slurs and discrimination, and either potrayed as deserving of or highly tolerant towards such treatment. These scripts and scenes are often so completely inconsequential to the storyline that the only plausible explanation for their incorporation into the final edit is that it must be of great importance that Hollywood consistently remind audiences that it's perfectly acceptable to take a dig at Asians.
It could be argued that art imitates life or that life imitates art, but many an Asian born in and/or living in West will attest to the fact their real-life day-to-day interactions are really no different, thanks to Hollywood.
Asians in the West are expected to accept patronizing remarks and racist taunts so demeaning that perpetrators would think twice before dishing them out with such unwavering consistency to any other minority group, such as Latinos or African Americans. Asians who object to such treatment are typically met with befuddlement and offense at their audacity to make an issue out of it. Adverse reactions are, after all, a far cry from traditional media depictions of Asians as kowtowing in the face of denigration, such as in the character of Charlie Chan.
Examples of open denigration include Lethal Weapon IV[1998], the current television sitcom, 2 Broke Girls, Crash[2004], the current television series, Enlightened, Kicking It Old School [2007], Revenge of the Nerds I & II [1984,1987],Seraphim Falls [2006], Ted [2012], Wanderlust [2012]andYear of the Dragon [1985].
Asians constitute nearly 5% of the US population—one out of every twenty US citizens is of Asian descent, many of whom are fully acculturated “Americans.” Yet, “Asian” continues to be equated with “foreign,” and associated with a range of negative stereotypes.
Hollywood scripts continue to feature open discrimination against Asians. Yellowface and caricatured portrayals are on the increase in 2013, and increasing numbers of actors are receiving accolades and prestigious nominations and awards for these demeaning performances.
Open denigration and racial slurs continue to be shown as the norm and Asians are portrayed as being accepting of such treatment.
Hollywood is yet to cast an Asian male in a lead role that is not linked to his status as a foreigner or martial artist. Although Lucy Liu was cast in a leading role in Charlie's Angels, she was portrayed as having a Caucasian father, and she continued to fulfill all the sexual stereotypes assigned to Asian females.
Asian American actors are yet to be cast in a lead role that is not related to their ethnicity—a storyline that would work regardless of their ethnicity and which does not feature anexplanation about their ethnicity—Asians should not be required to justify their presence in the West.
Although there has been a slight improvement in the trend in the past two years, Hollywood and the media have a long way to go toward being reasonable in their characterization of Asians—a complete overhaul would be in order. Hollywood and the media must assume responsibility for the real-life consequences of their collective negative portrayals of Asians.
Asians in Western media do not resemble Asians in real life. The immense popularity of PSY's Gangnam Style may in part be due to the widespread acceptance of a comedic Asian male who is “buffoonish, desexualized and emasculated” in a “pop-cultural milieu where Asian men are either kung-fu fighters, Confucius-quoting clairvoyants, or the biggest geeks in high school.”[13][14][15]
Footnotes:
- Repetitive advertising increases market share and has an impact on brand awareness in the general public. Similarly, when stereotyped themes and imagery are shown repeatedly, whether overtly or subliminally, they increase the general public's cognitive investment in the stereotype. Stereotypes are false or misleading generalizations about groups held in a manner that renders them largely, though not entirely, immune to counter-evidence. Stereotypes have a homogenizing effect and powerfully shape the perception of stereotyped groups, causing stereotypic characteristics to be “seen” even when they are not present, and the failure to see evidence to the contrary, when such evidence is present.
—Stereotypes And Stereotyping: A Moral Analysis, by Lawrence Blum,Philosophical Papers Vol. 33, No.3 (Nov. 2004): p. 251-289, - In 1995, the federal Glass Ceiling Commission found that Asian Americans make less money than whites in many occupational categories--even after controlling for educational level, immigrant status and other variables. In strict social-science terms, the data is robust: Asian Americans and whites are not treated equally and the difference can be attributed either to race or nothing at all.
- A Longitudinal Test and a Qualitative Field Study of the Glass Ceiling Effect for Asian Americans—Chen, Tina T. (Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University) (May 2004)
- The handful of movies and TV shows (typically not Hollywood or mainstream American productions) that are an exception to the rule, which portray an Asian male as having consummated a relationship with a Caucasian female, include:
i) The One [2001] — Directed by James Wong, the movie's main character, YuLaw (Jet Li), has a Caucasian wife, but he is not portrayed in a sexual light (no bedroom scenes) normally accorded to other Caucasian male actors.
ii) The Ballad of Little Jo [1993] — The true story of a society woman who attempted to escape the stigma of bearing a child out of wedlock in the late 18oos by going out West and living disguised as a man. The historical movie adheres to the truth about the secret romance that developed between her and a Chinese outcast named Tinman Wong, who figured out she was actually a woman.
iii) Mao's Last Dancer [2009] — Australian (non-Hollywood) movie based on the autobiography of the same name, written by Li Cunxin. Probably due to the author's direct influence and moral rights, ensuring strict adherence to his account of the story, the movie faithfully re-enacts his relationships with and desirability by at least two Caucasian women in his life, both of whom he eventually married.
iv) The Mentalist [2010] — Although Detective Kimberly Cho fills the traditional role of sidekick and model-minority citizen who quietly goes about his business serving and supporting the Caucasians who lead and solve the crimes, Cho is also shown as having a relationship with a Caucasian woman, albeit one who is a messed-up hooker, and they eventually break up. Cho is also emotionally stunted to some degree and is inscrutable — still fitting neatly within stereotypes of Asians.
v) Ramen girl [1993]— the story alludes to (no actual bedroom scenes normally afforded to Caucasian actors) a Japanese man as being romantically desirable and as having consumated a relationship with a Caucasian woman living in Japan.
vi) Shanghai Kiss [1993]— One of the only US (non-Hollywood production) movies in which an Asian male is portrayed as sexually desirable and consummating a relationship with a Caucasian female—an act that is not only alluded to, but displayed onscreen. Ken Leung plays the part of an unssuccessful Chinese American actor dwelling in Los Angeles, who is sexually desirable and successful at one-night stands, but who has relationship phobias and unwittingly gets (nonsexually) involved with an underaged high school girl. Although the movie sets the tone for confronting Asian male stereotypes, it subsequently fails in these aspects, rendering its message unclear, by in fact perpetuating the stereotypes.
vii) Rising Sun [1993]— Although a Japanese man is shown as having sex with a Caucasian woman, he is a seedy character who is the epitome of the devouring Yellow Peril Yakuza Asian, and she is a professional escort a.k.a. high-end prostitute, whom the Japanese regard as “a woman of no importance.” Their sex involves autoerotic asphyxia, which initially seems to result in her death. The movie highlights the dagerous and ilicit nature of an Asian men having sexual relations with a Caucasian woman.
NOTE: Many films produced by Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa in the silent-movie era portrayd an Asian male as sexually attractive. In the early 1900s era, Hayakawa, who was tired of typecasting, borrowed US$ 1 million to a production company. He subsequently a controlled content, produced, starred in, directed, and contributed to the design, writing, and editing of the films which were highly influential in the American public's perception of Asians. Hayakawa refused to adopt negative stereotypes and abandoned Hollywood for European cinema, where he was treated equally. However, it should also be noted that Hayakawa was, at most, playing a romance object — not a sex object. Hayakawa's popularity, romantic appeal and extravagant lifestyle fed tension within segments of American society and resulted in a backlash of discriminatory stereotypes and the desexualization of Asian men in American productions—something lingers on in modern-day Hollywood. - The Asian American Male's Fight to End Hollywood Genderization [Accessed: Sept 2012]
- “For Asian men, the discourse of domination focused largely on the 'feminine' East opposed to the 'masculine' West. Historic projects that have hindered Asian American family formations and excluded Asian men from the 'masculinized' labor market of the West, have simultaneously produced an image of Asian men that has both racial and gendered implications… Moreover, popular media portrayals further emasculated Asian and Asian American men until… at their best, effeminate closet queens like Charlie Chan and, at their worst, [were] homosexual menaces like Fu Manchu… Given this tendency to view Asian men through the prism of femininity.” [Geisha of a Different Kind: Gay Asian Men and the Gendering of Sexual Identity—Chong-suk Han, 2006]
- Restrictive Portrayals of Asians in the Media and How to Balance Them--A memo from MANAA to Hollywood: ASIAN STEREOTYPES [Accessed 2007]
- Ugly Betty and Entourage cast Asian males as flamboyant and castrated homosexuals.
- Yellowface: Asians on White Screens [Accessed Sept. 2012]
- Perpetuating the Yellow Peril — In These Times [Accessed Sept. 2012]
- Totally lost in translation — The Guardian, UK [Accessed Sept. 2012]
- "We've been portrayed as inscrutable villains and asexualized eunuchs. Even Jackie Chan in his movies rarely gets to kiss his female lead."—Actor Daniel Dae Kim, who played at least fifty roles on television and had never gotten to kiss a woman on-screen until the ABC TV series, Lost.
- Is “Gangnam Style” a hit because of our Asian stereotypes?
- What does Gangnam Style mean for (the) US? — Crystal Anderson, Assoc. Prof., Elon University Editor-in-Chief, KPK: Kpop Kollective Editorialist/Asst. Chief Ed., hellokpop
- PSY And The Acceptable Asian Man
- Yo, Is This Racist? 2 Broke Girls and the New Long Duk Dong We Never Asked For
- Social relations in post-industrial societies are both gendered and racialised, and gendered identities are negotiated as part of a larger sociocultural framework that reproduces beliefs about racism, sexism, gender roles and the relationships between genders and racial groups (Parker, 2004).
- In Western societies, the intersection of race and gender inequality creates certain structures that result in racial oppression that is gendered, and gender oppression that is racialised, in a process of gendered racism by which Asian females are made available to white males while also reaffirming the dominant position of white heterosexual masculinity This process is perpetuated by the mainstream media, where the schema of gendered racism is promoted and produced. Exaggerated stereotypes of Asian females such as hypersexuality, sexual availability and submissiveness, serve to perpetuate these racialised gendered roles placed upon women of Asian descent in Western societies (Pyke, 2004).
- Various dating sites deal with the subject of the difficulty of Asian males finding acceptance among Caucasians, for example: Dating 101: Dealing with the Race Factor [web archive: last accessed Feb 2010]. Other data suggests the absence of a prevailing preference by Asian females for Asian male partners. There is much to indicate that the descrepancy in intermarriage figures between Asian males and Asian females arises primarily from the lack of acceptance of Asian males, and that the high figures for Asian male-female pairing does not necessarily arise a prevaling preference of Asian females for Asian males.
- Adoption Institute: Survey of Adult Korean Adoptees
- Rules of Attraction: Why white men marry Asian women and Asian men don’t marry white women
© Zak Keith, 2013
Links for further reading:
- Cinema can't keep up with Hayakawa's strides
- Gendered racism: Asian female stereotypes in white mainstream media
- Lecture looks at stereotypes of Asians
- Hawaii Five-O: Helping or Hurting Asian Americans?
- Shattering Asian American Stereotypes
- What's So 'Cringeworthy' About Long Duk Dong in 'Sixteen Candles'?
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