Worst Asian Ever: Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong (정강조) #WAE
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   Ok, maybe he's not THE worst, but I'm not a big fan of Dr. Kendrick Kang-Jo Jeong

   I have nothing against Ken personally. I understand how difficult it is for Asian Americans to make it in Hollywood.

   What disappoints me is the whiny, annoying, obnoxious, weird characters he always plays & it's because of these roles that he is one of the most successful & prominent Asian American actors of this decade.

   I know people gotta pay their bills & if Ken didn't play these roles, casting would always find someone else.

   The rationalization is always the same, it's a first step, foot in the door. First we play slave, pimp, mugger, ho & that paves the way for future generations to play the hero, president, cowboy.

  While it certainly turned out that way for African Americans, when you look at Hispanic roles in Hollywood they are still mostly, maid, gardener, gang banger, hot tempered busty beauty.

   For Asians, it's still kung-fu lackie, cook, doctor, office co-worker, evil kung-fu sexpot, helpful geek.

   It's like a porn star thinking, "Ok, I got on film. Now, I can transition over to roles where I don't get cum on my face."

   Born July 13, 1969, Ken is an American actor, comedian & physician. He is best known for his roles as Ben Chang on the critically acclaimed NBC comedy series Community & Asian gangster Leslie Chow in The Hangover trilogy.

Source: Wikipedia

   Jeong was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of South Korean immigrants Young and Dong-Kuen Jeong, who was a professor at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. He graduated at 16 & his achievements earned him Greensboro's Youth of the Year award. Jeong completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University in 1990 & obtained his M.D. degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995.

Source: Wikipedia

   Comedy can be a powerful defense mechanism. Making jokes to cope w/ emotional wounds, a la Richard Pryor or Robin Williams. Or, too often in school it is used to avoid physical harm from bullies. Make fun of yourself before anyone else has a chance to. It's the path of least resistance, you make racist jokes about yourself & it reaffirms the secret racist beliefs held by those around you, thus putting them at ease.

   I had a white Kiwi co-worker & one of the first things he told me was that he had an Asian friend & they would racially insult each other. In essence, what he was saying was;
  A) Don't be offended if I say something racist because it's ok I have 1 Asian friend &
  B) Is it alright if I call you chink?

   BTW I told him, I didn't go for that shit & that was the last time we spoke.

   So WTF does this have to do with Mr. Jeong? Well Chris, let me tell you.

   People feel like they know celebrities, they feel a connection with them, so when Ken Jeong repeatedly demeans himself by playing these characters he becomes their ONE Asian friend who confirms their secret racist beliefs. It's actually a lot worse than 1 friend because of the media exposure, he becomes the unelected & unwanted spokesperson for Asians.

   Whitey B like: "See I was white, um I mean right, this is what they're like; short, tiny dicked, weird, annoying but kind of amusing to laugh at."

  "We don't need more actors who are going fit the well established stereotypes. We need creators (writers, producers, directors) who will break the mold & show us a better tomorrow."     - YM

   Yes, I know about Ken's football doc & that is positive step away from Leslie Chow. I hope he continues to produce & direct films which show other dimensions of Asian people because right now in Hollywood, we're superflat.

   I just read on NPR that Jeong will have his own sitcom on ABC, Dr. Ken. It's based on his actual life as a doctor, let's hope he's not crazy, annoying, & angry like Dr. Kuni in Knocked Up.

   So, could I be wrong? Has Ken Jeong stooped (&/or schtupped) to conquer? He played into all the stereotypes & now he has his own show.

Nah, I'm never wrong.

Selected Filmography:
   Knocked Up - Dr. Kuni 2007
   Hangover - Leslie Chow 2009
   Community - Señor Ben Chang 2009
   Transformers 3 - Jerry Wang 2011
   Pain & Gain - Johnny Wu 2013
   Turbo - Kim Ly 2013
   Despicable Me 2 - Floyd Eagle-san 2013
   Penguins - Short Fuse 2014

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