Despite the 88th Annual Academy Awards' focus on diversity, Chris Rock and others appeared to have no problem mocking Asians using offensive stereotypes and several members of the Academy took notice.
According to Variety, in a letter delivered ahead of a board meaning of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science, Life of Pie's Ang Lee and two dozen other members of the Academy have asked that concrete steps be taken in order to avoid this kind of "tone deaf" treatment of Asians at future ceremonies.
"In light of criticism over #OscarsSoWhite, we were hopeful that the telecast would provide the Academy a way forward and the chance to present a spectacular example of inclusion and diversity," the letter read. "Instead, the Oscars show was marred by a tone-deaf approach to its portrayal of Asians."
One of Rock's jokes included introducing "Ming Zhu, Bao Ling, and David Moskowitz," supposedly members of the accounting firm that tabulates the Oscar votes, only for three Asian kids to come out on stage.
"If anybody’s upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids," Rock added.
Later, Sacha Baron Cohen compared Asians to the minions from Despicable Me, although this was apparently ad-libbed by Cohen and was not approved by the Academy, as we previously reported.
Although Rock primarily focused on the absence of black nominees this year, Hispanic actors are twice as under-represented in Hollywood as black actors, according to The Washington Post. And while Asians represent about 60% of the population, they make up less than 1% of the Academy.
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