Unfortunately, despite the fact that we don't have a cable subscription, we seem to be getting one channel: Fox. Needless to say, a certain roommate of ours has been watching TV, and I, having a weak mind and soul, was lured into sitting in front of that damn glowing box. And so it was that I came across a preview of the new Fox show: Banzai.
Okay, I'll be blunt. That show is offensive. It's offensive to all Asians, even though it seems to be attempting to mimic dumb Japanese shows (although, from what I've seen, it seems like Jackass with an all-Asian cast). If you ask me, it should also be offensive to all non-Asian Americans as well.
In case you don't get it, it's offensive for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most obvious reason is the name: Banzai. Banzai, in Japanese, literally means "ten thousand years old" and was used during the first half of the 20th century to imply "May the emperor live ten thousand years". The emperor, on the other hand, was the symbol of Japanese militarism, and for many Asian victims of Japanese aggression (as well as American troops in the Pacific), "Banzai" would've been a chilling war cry heard from a charging enemy. For many, "Banzai" would've been the last words heard before being dismembered, disembowled, stabbed, raped, and mutiliated. In short, historically, Banzai would be the Japanese equivalence of "Heil Hitler".
The show goes beyond simple mockery of an entire group of people; it's also an ultimate symbol of American ignorance, arrogance, racism, and cultural insensitivity. If there is any sense left in this country, the show should be banned, and Fox held liable for being racially derrogative.
If you want to do something about it, there's a forum for the show, and here's info on filing complaints with the FCC (I couldn't find contact info for Fox). If you're a blogger, writing about this in your blog might help too.
Posted Sun, July 6, 2003 20:37 by Billy
Hey, I was not the only one who is shocked by this horrible TV show. There are stereotypes everywhere in the world so I've been trying to ignore them as much as possible in my life--but Banzai is too much. I realise that this will affect to my business, even life. I will file complaints to the FCC. I checked other websites talking about this issue and found out this show is actually from the UK. Unfortunately they had no problem broadcasting this crappy show on BBC. What can we do?
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