Wipeout/I Survived a Japanese Game Show: Racist?
July 8, 2008
In an hour and a half my best friend and I will begin our Tuesday night ritual. What does this entail you might ask? Usually we get some kind of food that will clog our arteries (Checkers is a favorite) and alcohol (Dogfish Head 60 min IPA)…and then we watch ABC’s Summer lineup of Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show (we might nix this one though).
Now both Wipeout as well as I Survived a Japanese Game Show draw heavily on classic Japanese tv shows such as Takeshi’s Castle (MXC) and Ninja Warrior. I’ve always been a fan of MXC, Ninja Warrior, Unbeatable Banzuke, etc, but an Asian friend of mine reprimanded me for watching those sorts of shows very recently. He claimed that the only reason American’s like to watch those sort of shows is because of the humor. They think it’s funny watching people do ridiculous things, fall in mud, and get hit all while the announcer is screaming loudly in an Asian language. He went on to say that American’s simply like to laugh at Asian people and even more…at Asian cultures. Sure a lot of these shows are meant to be humorous even in their native countries, but Americans aren’t laughing at those jokes. They’re laughing at the entire Asian spectacle.
I must admit, I believe there’s a lot of truth in what my friend had to say. Asians in American pop culture have been traditionally the butt of many jokes. They’re nerdy, bad drivers, and have a really smallll penis. But is that why we find these shows so funny? I guess I think it’s different on a show to show basis.
In the case of Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, I would say that the humor inherent is definitely racist. MXC is a dubbed over version of the original show Takeshi’s Castle in which contestants have to do ridiculous, embarrassing, and often dangerous stunts. It’s in the dubbing that I find the inappropriate humor. For those that haven’t seen the show, imagine watching a lot Asians getting hit, kicked, and falling all over the place while listening to dubbing that makes them sound completely ridiculous. The in-game correspondent’s name has been re-dubbed “Guy Le Douche” for example. While it’s really funny to watch, I think my friend is correct. It’s humorous for all the wrong reasons.
On the other side of the spectrum lie G4’s Unbeatable Banzuke and Ninja Warrior. These shows aren’t usually that funny and often feature contestants perform amazing, if at times random, acts of human strength and agility. The dubbing is a straight translation. I would say there’s not really any racist humor in these shows…although there’s not much humor at all. They’re just entertaining.
ABC has jumped on this bandwagon with two shows (Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show) for their Tuesday night lineup. My favorite of the two, Wipeout, is almost the same as MXC with one exception: it’s all in English and the contestants are American. Turns out it’s just as funny to watch Americans get hurt while commentators make fun of them. However there’s still a different feeling in Wipeout than in MXC. The humor is slightly different. I’m not sure how I feel about the show. On the one hand, it proves that the same formula is still funny without Asian jokes. On the other hand, by using the same formula it’s in a way still supporting the old show.
I Survived a Japanese Game Show kidnaps 12 Americans and forces them to compete on a real authentic Japanese game show. I was going to write about how I thought that this show could also be considered racist for the humor. But then I just realized that the reason my friend and I might not continue to watch this show is because it’s not funny…so maybe the point is moot.
Anyway, I’m just intrigued by this new trend in television…Are these shows racist? Maybe. Maybe not. But I do think that everyone should occasionally put down the fries and beer and evaluate what exactly it is that they’re laughing at.
MXC – I’m not really sure I would call this racist. I mean, if MXC were a German show or a Mexican show or an African show or whatever we’d still be laughing at it. I think if we could laugh at something happening to anyone despite their race, we’re not really laughing at one’s race as much as we’re laughing at how ridiculous people are.
Ninja Warrior / Banzuke – I’d have to agree with you. These are genuine shows that show physical prowess. They just so happen to come from Japan, and I think that has a lot to do with why it’s so popular. G4 is watched by a lot of gaming nerds who think Japan is some kind of game paradise, so they’re just trying to associate with anything Japanese. I would say that sentiment is more racist than anything any of these shows has to offer.
Wipeout – I’m not really sure this has anything to do with Japan. Modeled after Ninja Warrior? Sure. But, that doesn’t mean it’s racist because Ninja Warrior comes form Japan. If that were the case, any time anyone used a light bulb or drove a car, they’d be making fun of Americans since those inventions came from the States. I think Wipeout should be seen as more a tribute to how much Americans appreciate Japanese entertainment.
Japanese Gameshow – Okay, maybe there’s a little racism here. My wife is Japanese and we watch the show every week. But as a matter of fact, the main thing that ticks her off is when the host of the fake game show talks trash about the American contestants in front of them in Japanese! So, to someone who is Japanese, the racism is coming from the Japanese end of the show, not the American end! In my opinion, I think it’s stupid that they needed to make a fake game show when there’s perfectly good real Japanese game shows they could have used, but maybe that’s my elitist TV opinion speaking… Also, the whole show takes place in Japan. I’ve never really heard any of the American contestants talk trash about Japanese people or culture, so if the Japanese feel uncomfortable with the way they’re being portrayed they need to realize the Japanese who participate in that show are doing it to themselves.
All in all, Americans tend to think that Americans are the only ones in the world who crack jokes on other people. In fact, when I was in Japan, I found the Japanese are really good at making fun of us… how all we eat is hamburgers and how fat and lazy we all are. Inside it kind of ticks me off, but we all have to remember to be good sports and learn to shrug it off and laugh with those who are making fun of us… to let them know it doesn’t bother us. America has gone through one of the biggest civil rights struggles in the world, so it’s no surprise we take racism very seriously, but racism happens all over the world! For hundreds and thousands of years, the Jews and Palestinians hate each other, the Americans and French hate each other, the Japanese and Chinese hate each other, the Chinese and Tibetans hate each other, and these trends will continue as long as we’re imperfect and human!
So, I’d tell your Asian friend in the fullest respect that it’s okay, nobody’s laughing at him, and to join you in poking fun at those who are embarrassing themselves to entertain us!
Well said. There are times when we need to evalute what we are watching as you pointed out. However, I fear that many Americans who are uninformed about true Japanese culture will never be able to see the racism in a show like “I survived a Japanese Game show”. That show tries to pass off on to the viewers a negative and skewed image of Japanese people. The fake show host, Mama-san, and audience being prime examples. MXC on the other hand is awesome. The dubbed portions are so clearly and American incarnation with our own cultural references that they never imply that they are representative of Japanese culture.
Good points, but I think a skewed exposure to a foreign culture is better than no exposure to a foreign culture. I spent 6 months in Japan and my wife lived in Japan until 2 years ago, and we don’t feel it’s too incredibly skewed. The show host is an idiot, but there are definitely a fair share of American game show hosts that are jokes as well. I’ve read blogs that talk about how the Mama-san is racist, and I don’t really think I see it. I mean, there isn’t a Mama-san in every single hotel in Japan, but Mama-sans do exist, and they play roles very similarly to the Mama-san in the show. As far as the audience, yeah they’re not the prettiest people in the world. But, most Japanese aren’t the prettiest people in the world. Hell, most PEOPLE aren’t the prettiest people in the world! I think what’s racist is Anime nerds thinking all Japanese people are either Ninjas or squeaking schoolgirls with big boobs. What would also be racist is if the producers of the show cherry-picked for only the elite of the elite to be allowed to sit in the audience. It just seems people think that just because the producers didn’t go far enough to pretty-up Japan for the American audience, they’re racists for even allowing it on the air. Like I said, there aren’t any Americans on the show that are making the Japanese look bad. If the Japanese look bad to someone, that’s just the way they are. I know a lot of people think a foreign country or culture is so great and they’re disappointed when they get there. I think some people are just disappointed at what they see, and they feel it’s easier for them to blame American television than themselves for having expectations that are too high.