Effects of American Media Representation of South Asian Americans The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:37799749 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Effects of American Media Representation of South Asian Americans Samantha L. Muffuletto A Thesis in the Field of Anthropology and Archaeology for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University March 2018 © March 2018 Samantha L. Muffuletto Abstract 42 American participants which included heterosexual Indian American men, Pakistani American men, and one biracial American man as well as heterosexual women and LGBTQI+ individuals who are romantically attracted to men, with the exception of one lesbian American woman, were interviewed in order to answer two major questions. Participants were asked how Indian American and Pakistani American men are portrayed in American television shows, films, news outlets, and politics. In order to answer that question, the participants were asked what Indian American and Pakistani American characters from television shows and films they remember from their childhood up until now. Then the participants were asked to discuss their in-depth perceptions of each character. Participants were also asked how Indian American and Pakistani American men are discussed in American politics and in news outlets. After answering those questions, participants were asked to reveal if these media portrayals have affected their general perceptions of Indian American and Pakistani American men in real-life. Asking participants about their general perception of Indian American and Pakistani American men tied into the second major question of this thesis which was whether or not Indian American and Pakistani American male representation in American television shows, films, news, and politics affects heterosexual females and people from LGBTQI+ community’s romantic attraction toward Indian American and Pakistani American men. Based on participant’s responses, this thesis argues that the oversimplification or even gross misrepresentation of Indian American and Pakistani American men in television shows, films, news, and politics does make it more difficult for Indian American and Pakistani American men to obtain romantic relationships with heterosexual women and LGBTQI+ individuals. Dedication To my beloved fiancé Yahya Chaudhry and my not-so-little brother Erik Muffuletto. iv Acknowledgments I would like to thank my thesis director Dr. Ju Yon Kim for giving me her valuable insight and encouragement throughout the thesis process even when she was on the brink of maternity leave. I am also grateful for having such a fantastic academic advisor Chuck Houston as well as an excellent thesis advisor Dr. James Morris at the Harvard Extension School. Thank you both for your support and kind words. The warmest of thank-you’s goes to Bapa, known as Dr. Jayasinhji Jhala to some. Bapa has been my mentor since 2013 and his work was what drew me to Temple University. He was also the person who advised me to attend the Harvard Extension School. Bapa never ceases to inspire me, guide me, and be a Bapa to me in the truest sense of the word. Bapa is truly a gem and will always be a part of my family. My fiancé Yahya Chaudhry also deserves my sincerest thanks. Yahya has given me feedback on countless drafts from the first draft of my thesis proposal all the way to the finished product. He has graciously kept me company even on my most stressful days, even on so many occasions when I would spend my days off from work and class in computer labs from the morning late into the evening. Yahya has been a beacon of constructive criticism and moral support. I love you darling. I would also like to thank the rest of my family for always encouraging me to push the limits of my abilities while still making sure that I had fun outside of my academic responsibilities. I cannot name you all but, I would like to thank a few of you in particular. Mom, thank you for always making me see the positive aspects of even the toughest times. Thank you for always believing in me and raising me to value different cultures ever since I can v remember. Erik my brother, thank you for always being such a kind soul and a huge inspiration for me. Grandpa Steve & Aggie, thank you for always being supportive of my goals and expressing how proud you are of where life has taken me. Grandma Lynda, thank you for all of your kind words and insightful conversations. Thank you, Ami and Baba, for being such wonderful, soon-to-be, mother-in-law and father-in-law’s who always offer sweet yet practical advice. Finally, thank you to all of the 42 people for taking the time to be interviewed for my thesis. All of you are the ones who made this thesis a reality and I am glad that we are taking a much-needed step in tackling the real-life effects of Indian and Pakistani American representation together through an earnest and diverse discussion. vi Table of Contents Dedication………………………………………………………………………………......... iv Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………… v Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………… 1 Chapter Overviews……………………………………………………………………………. 10 Chapter I. Indians and Pakistanis on TV and Film: From Persistent Caricatures to Charismatic Leads…………………………………………………………………………………………… 13 Indian American Male Representation………………………………………………………… 14 Rajesh Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory……………………………………………………... 16 Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in The Simpsons………………………………………………………… 20 Indian Side Characters: Blue-Collar Workers…………………………………………………. 24 Tom Haverford in Parks and Recreation……………………………………………………… 27 Aziz Ansari in Stand-Up Comedy……………………………………………………………... 30 Dev Shah, His Family & Friends in Master of None…………..……………………………… 33 Pakistani American Male Representation…………………………………………………….. 43 Terrorists: A Variety of Films & Television Shows, But the Same Old Trope……………….. 45 Changez in The Reluctant Fundamentalist……………………………………………………. 51 Dinesh Chugtai in Silicon Valley……………………………………………………………… 56 Kumail Nanjiani in The Big Sick……………………………………………………………… 57 Whitewashing and Ethnic-Washing…………………………………………………………… 58 Why Indian and Pakistani American Male Representation Matters…………………………... 63 Chapter II. The Lingering Effects of American News and Political Bias…………………….. 68 vii Linguistic Inaccuracies and Bias in News Coverage…………………………………………... 68 News and Politics: Inextricably Linked………………………………………………………... 73 Why Media Matters: Pakistani American Perspectives………………………………………... 79 Does Islamophobia Even Apply to Indians?: Indian American Perspectives……………….…. 86 Heterosexual Females and LGBTQI+ Individual’s Perspectives……………………………..... 94 Chapter III. Findings: Is Media Really Linked to Romance?................................................... 104 Indian American Male Perspectives………………………………………………………....... 104 Pakistani American and Biracial American Male Perspectives……………………………….. 117 Heterosexual American Women’s Perspectives………………………………………………. 124 LGBTQI+ American Perspectives…………………………………………………………….. 143 Chapter IV. Research Methods……………………………………………………….......... 161 Chapter V. Research Limitations……………………………………………………….….... 164 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. … 165 Additional Recommended Research…………………………………………………………... 166 References…………………………………………………………………………………....... 167 viii Introduction This thesis analyzes and explores the cultural role of American media representation of Indian, Indian American, Pakistani, and Pakistani American men in film, television shows, news outlets, and politics. It does this by examining responses to such media representation from a wide-range of participants who engaged in in-depth and open-ended interviews. The thesis first shares Indian American and Pakistani American men’s perspectives of Indian, Indian American, Pakistani, and Pakistani American men they remember from American media, and whether or not they perceived those portrayals as being positive, negative, or neutral. Secondly, the thesis inquires whether or not American media portrayals of Indian American and Pakistani American men correlates with the levels of romantic desirability heterosexual women and members of LGBTQI+ communities have towards Indian American and Pakistani American men, according to Indian American and Pakistani American male participants. This portion of the study also reveals whether or not the Indian American and Pakistani American male participant’s personal romantic lives have been affected by American media portrayals of Indian, Indian American, Pakistani, and Pakistani American men. In order to gain a more holistic perspective, this thesis also reveals what Indian, Indian American, Pakistani, and Pakistani American men from American television shows, films, politics, and news were remembered by Americans of differing ethnicities, racial groups, sexual orientations, and gender identities, and whether or not they perceived those portrayals as positive, negative, or neutral. This thesis offers new empirical, qualitative research on responses to media, focusing on South Asian Americans whose identities