👋 Hi, blog!
🎥 This week we watched Margaret Cho: PsyCHO. Margaret Cho is an Asian American standup comedian who had starred in the first Asian American television show titled All-American Girl. Although that show failed, Margaret isn't shy about mentioning its impact on her life.
😅 In this film, we got to hear Margaret talk about many things including pills, rape, racism, sexuality, body weight, tattoos, and even about girls who were kidnapped in Nigeria. Honestly, I didn't really find anything that funny. I didn't laugh much while watching this film because these topics sounded pretty sensitive. I wasn't used to this kind of humor, nor was it to my taste. I did appreciate the openness of it all, though.
🙌 I want to take a moment to praise Margaret Cho for showing her non "model minority" personality. She doesn't feed the issue of racial melancholia. She doesn't try to hide by mimicking the model minority stereotype. Instead, she uses her time in the spotlight to bring to light the fact that there are Asian Americans who have different personalities. I can see how she can be an inspiration for other Asian Americans to be true to themselves and not be ashamed if they don't fall under the model minority label. She even mentions her past failures to show how things can improve later in life, and that you can grow to be successful no matter who you are.
👀 I would recommend this film if you enjoy watching standup comedians. You may enjoy hearing about topics that rarely discussed openly in public.
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Hi Luisa, I also really enjoyed how honest Cho was during the special. The moments where she owned up to the cancellation of the show and addiction issues were especially important because both anecdotes were concentrated in internal conflicts within Asian communities. It felt like Cho was bringing light to the pressure and differences that are hidden by the model-minority narrative of self-sufficiency and obedience.
ReplyDeleteIt was hard for me to understand American jokes too. And I also respect the way Cho shows that she does not follow the model minority.
ReplyDeleteMargaret Cho is certainly not for everyone. Her humor is vulgar and she specializes in showcasing things that people usually dont want to deal with let alone talk extensively about such as racism and sexual assault. Comedians like Ali Wong or Hari Kandombolu have alot of success as Asian American comedians who deal more with typical categories such as motherhood, work and dating. I think both kinds of comedy are valuable but whether you prefer one or the other has alot to do withhow you view social taboos.
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