In case you didn’t see the latest (terrible) music video from the creators of that god-awful Rebecca Black Friday video, consider yourself lucky and oddly missing out. Thirteen-year-old Allison Gold sings about fortune cookies, dim sum, pork fried rice and broccoli, showing her affection for Chinese Food in the video of the same name. Many critics have called the video racist and insensitive for the stereotypical portrayal of the Asian community.
Is it racist? Is it truly something that should be renounced and disregarded simply because it perpetuates Asian stereotypes or should we let it slide because it wasn’t the intention of the video? Patrice Wilson, the mastermind behind a slew of terrible music videos, including Friday, doesn’t think the video is racist. In an interview with MTV he says, “I love Chinese food! I can make that a song because there are no Chinese food songs out there!”
His genuine love for Chinese food became a hit(?) song on YouTube for its catchy tune and minimalist lyrics. Yeah, if you couple the video with eggrolls and panda bear costumes, people are going to react negatively towards it. My intent was to show the world that [I love] Chinese food,” says Patrice Wilson. “If they want to take it that way [negatively] that’s their prerogative.”
What hammers in the idea of racism is the panda costume Wilson wears throughout the video? It was his idea to dress in a dragon costume, but the idea was rejected because it may have been too scary for the intended audience. No matter what type of costume it was, it’s insensitive. But who am I to discuss an issue like this? What are your thoughts on it? Is it racist? Leave your answer in the comments below.