Another response to Indians Shanghaied by Shanghai Noon:
It doesn't just repeat SOME movie-indian cliches, it repeats ALL of them. And a bunch of Chinese-in-frontierland cliches.
And a WHOLE BUNCH of cowboy cliches.
AND, AND, it was FUNNY. I liked "Pass him the pipe...maybe it'll shut him up for awhile".
Let me see if I understand. That Shanghai Noon was funny makes the stereotypes okay? What if the movie hadn't been funny? Would the stereotypes have been a problem then?
Audiences used to clap and cheer when John Wayne killed Indians. Audiences laugh and roar when mascots like Chief Illiniwek do "Indian dances." So what are we saying here? If the audience approves, the stereotyping is acceptable?
People love movies and TV shows portraying blacks as gangstas in the hood, women as dumb and sexy (Baywatch), Irishmen as drunk, Italians as Mafiosos (The Sopranos), and gays as effeminate. I always thought these stereotypes were problematical. Should I just sit back and enjoy them?
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