Sunday, November 14, 2010

Race and Contemporary Hollywood Part 03


When I last did a post on this I made it a point to add an aside concerning an aspect of race and contemporary Hollywood that is often ignored by a majority of critics. That aside concerned the prevalence of Eastern Europeans in roles often occupied by minorities (i.e.-the group that needs a Western saviour, the terrorists, the crazy foreigner, etc.). Now I'm sure at some point most of us have seen movies like Hostel or old action flicks with Steven Segal or Jean Claude Van Dame, where the bad guys were thoroughly bad and irredeemable. Of course there were Black, Latino, Arab, etc. villains, but if there was a "white" villain to be found they were more than likely Russian or Eastern European (how many times has the bad guy been Czech or some similar nationality?). Well in this post I'm going to breakdown some of the most prevalent and offensive stereotypes found in most Hollywood films concerning Eastern Europeans.

Women:

1) "Loose"/"Party Girl": Eastern European women are often depicted as being "looser" and more into partying than their Western European or U.S.-American counterparts. Movies such as EuroTrip (which was a terrible attempt at comedy and possibly satire) and, to an extent, that deplorable tripe known as Hostel portrayed the women as readily grinding on, flirting with, and, in many instances, sleeping with a man. Transporter 3 is another example. It had a Eastern European female...well I wouldn't really call her a protagonist, but they had someone/something similar, and, in short and understating, she was not the most demure of women. Not that being demure is anything to aspire to, but...well watch the movie if you really want to know what I'm getting at. (Warning: You will role your eyes right out of your head at both her character and the story overall)

2)Conniving/Opportunistic: This is a stereotype all women have to deal with, but in film it is more often than not the minority women who are depicted in the worst possible light as it concerns this. There are countless examples in films directed by U.S.-Americans, the aforementioned film Hostel being a particularly malicious example, and in every instance the woman, or women as the case may be, is made into a completely irredeemable monster or must be taught the "error of her ways" by the "hero" or "heroine". Once again, this is stereotype is not exclusive to Eastern European women, but I have noticed that there is not much mention of them during discussions involving this topic.

3)The Sexy Spy or Secret Agent: Whether it be because their accent, or the magical appeal of all things "foreign" to Western audiences, there seems to be some kind of infatuation with Eastern European women taking up the role of the evil secret agent or spy. Often they will embody one or both of points 1 and 2, and will more than likely end up dead. Just watch a spy flick, a James Bond film for example, and see what I mean.'

4) Nagging, Bodybuilder, Manish, and/or Haggish: Though not quite as prevalent as other stereotypes, at least based on the number of films I've seen or heard of, whenever an "ugly" character is needed, and they're white, they are often Russian or Eastern European. I'm sure we all know the stereotype of Russian women, and, by some twisted logic, Eastern European being "manish" builds or being bodybuilders, especially when it comes to comic relief in film or cartoons. I'm sure we all remember seeing at least one nagging and/or haggish old woman portrayed as a similar nationality. While these stereotypes are not solely endemic to depictions of Eastern European women (Black women face these kinds of stereotypes more often than others, at least as it concerns Hollywood films), you would be hard pressed to find a Western European woman or American woman, outside of possibly Italians, presented in such a light.

05) Prostitutes/Sex Slaves: Playing into the very real problem of female sex trafficking, this stereotype is prevalent in a lot of t.v. shows and films. Shows like Law and Order and Without a Trace have used elements of this stereotype to construct narratives. Movies like the phenomenal Eastern Promises used this stereotype as well. However, with the way its presented, you'd think that sex trafficking would be limited to Eastern Europe and parts of Asia (more specifically China and Southeast Asia) because, based on another flawed stereotype, the police in those countries are more incompetent and impotent than their U.S.-American counterparts. Of course, for those of us who know that the U.S. is a crap-sack country, the same problem exist in the States with young girls, especially young Black and Latina girls, being trapped into lives of prostitution from ages as early as 9 or so.


Men


1) The Gangster/Mobster:
More often than not, when there's a European mobster or gangster in a film he, or in some cases she, is going to be Eastern European. Sometimes you might get a nationality from them (Czech seems to be the most popular for some reason), but more often than not they're simply, "That Zany Eastern European Bad Guy". This also ties in with the number 2 point, Eastern European men being abusers and alcoholics, as many gangsters and mobster are shown to abuse the prostitutes/sex slaves under their employ to make them seem like really bad guys. They are also shown to have anger management issues, and are highly volatile and unstable in many instances.

Grand Theft Auto IV is a good example of this in video games.

-Note: Italians are the second favorite (used to be first before the 90s or so) for sophisticated European mobsters/gangsters, followed by Asians, and then African-Americans and Latinos. However, that order is reversed when the gangsters are incompetent and/or bumbling.-

2) Abuser/Alcoholics:
While definitely not limited to Eastern European men, this stereotype is quite prevalent as it concerns their film roles. Often under these circumstances the man, be it the father or boyfriend, is made out to be an irredeemable, lazy, abusive drunk who ruins the lives of those around him. Also, more often than not, their death, when they actually die in the film, is made out to be one of the high points of the movie.

3) Terrorist:
While people from the Middle East have started to pick up this mantel at a rate far outpacing their Eastern European counterparts (i.e.-September 11th, War on Bullsh-I mean "Terror", War in Iraq, etc. influence over popular film), whenever you need a communist, white terrorist bad guy they'll either be Russian or Eastern European. A good example of this is Bad Company starring Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins. Much like their mobster/gangster counterparts, the Eastern European terrorist is an extremist bad guy with anger management issues. If there's a party scene in the movie, you can almost guarantee one of the terrorist, be it the leader or one of his men, is going to be an abusive womanizer.

4) Evil Communist Soldier(s): See number 3).


Eastern Europe as a Whole

Eastern Europe as a whole is often presented as being underdeveloped (i.e.-in the industry stage of development) or less developed than Western Europe. Often many countries are presented as lacking many of the amenities that Westerners enjoy, and the currency of most countries is seen as being mind-bogglingly lower in value than that of American monies and currencies like the Euro (e.g.-Eastern European currencies are seen as being at the same level as countries like Zimbabwe, or only slightly better). The scenery is often presented in a very bleak and cold manner (perhaps in an effort to present a subliminal message about the people who live there) with most of the surrounding scenery appearing as though most, if not all countries, are stuck in a perpetual state of winter.

Occasionally the countries will be presented as being staunchly Communist, ethnic groups being highly competitive with one another to a self-destructive extent (i.e.-often fighting wars against one another, new states declaring independence, etc.), and/or retaining a Cold War/Soviet Union mindset. Further, although some mention is occasionally made of Eastern Europe being composed of separate states with independent ideologies and systems, often one gets the image of Eastern Europe being a monolithic entity like Africa and Asia.

In short, exaggerations or fabrications mixed with occasional hints of the truth.

Well, I suppose that concludes this post. Feel free to comment or what have you. Also, I hope that, to any and all readers of Eastern European origins/heritage/etc., I did a decent job of pointing out some of the offensive stereotypes or exaggerations of Eastern Europe.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post! It's beautifully written and you raised some important points.

    The thing is, Eatern Europe is often seen as the "other", pathetic other at that, and like with any representation of "otherness" it's screwed.

    The thing is, Western movies rarely want to portray Eastern Europe (or any other culture for that matter) as it is really are: they portray it to suit THEIR point of view and to make a point that THEY find interesting/appropriate.

    That's why, most of the time, you don't see many of important issues about Eastern Europe raised... It's always what West find the most interesting and what concerns Western ideology the most. That's why many of these movies focus on Communism, gangs and violent patriarchal system. These are the things that West see as different than what's going on in their societies. West uses Eastern Europe not because of Eastern Europe, but to paint a picture of West.

    Less than great things, such as corruption and nepotism are a HUGE problem in Eastern Europe, and yet, they are almost never portrayed in Western movies... Because corruption exist on the West, too. And yet, corruption and nepotism are, probably, one of the main problems Eastern Europe face. <-and this is just one example.

    Another problem is that movies use other cultures (Eastern European ones, in this case) not because they want to tell a true story about them, but because they want to make Westerners laugh or feel happy/relieved that they don't live in such a horrible place. This is the quick & dirty way of making harmful stereotypes (women are prostitutes, men are gangsters, Eastern Europe is in a constant state of war and mess, etc etc).

    That being said, Eastern Europe has its set of problems that should be talked about... But an action or comedy movie is hardly the best way of doing it.

    Also, thank you for pointing out that the Eastern Europe is not uniform- there are so many different cultures that have nothing in common with each other.

    The whole idea behind Eastern, or Western Europe is a construct, that was invented in a specific time and place. In short, Eastern Europe was invented so those who labeled themselves "western" could feel good about themselves. And it started a while ago, long before communism and what not, in 18th century.

    PS-It's interesting to note how people belonging to other groups are perceived. This is not unique to portrayal of Eastern Europeans. In short, women are seen as extremely loose. It is true for any group you want to observe. It is true for my culture and the way it sees the west: Western (American) women are seen as loose.

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  2. Thanks!

    The thing is, Western movies rarely want to portray Eastern Europe (or any other culture for that matter) as it is really are: they portray it to suit THEIR point of view and to make a point that THEY find interesting/appropriate.

    Tell me about it. It's crazy how no one but Westerners (and really only White Westerners) can be "civilized" and "developed". Everyone else lives in "The Old Country". *rolls eyes out of his head*

    Less than great things, such as corruption and nepotism are a HUGE problem in Eastern Europe, and yet, they are almost never portrayed in Western movies... Because corruption exist on the West, too. And yet, corruption and nepotism are, probably, one of the main problems Eastern Europe face. <-and this is just one example.

    That's never stopped the US before. CNN and all of those other corporate sources of media always try to make Eastern Europe, South Asia, and Africa look Third World. Never mind the fact that United States is drowning in corruption and has a significant percentage of its population living below the poverty level (I believe 1 out of 5 children under the age of 4 live in poverty according to relatively recent statistics).

    Another problem is that movies use other cultures (Eastern European ones, in this case) not because they want to tell a true story about them, but because they want to make Westerners laugh or feel happy/relieved that they don't live in such a horrible place. This is the quick & dirty way of making harmful stereotypes (women are prostitutes, men are gangsters, Eastern Europe is in a constant state of war and mess, etc etc).

    Yes, like Latin America, Africa, and Asia, Eastern Europe is often portrayed in a way that works to make the audience feel glad they don't live there. While not done so much with the comedy aspect, any drama, action, horror, etc. with more than likely use this theme (or so I've noticed based on the films I've seen). More often than not the protagonists in the stories will be "naive westerners" who get caught up in the "hard life" of the "locals" and end up fighting for their life or miserable. Or, on the the occasions when this doesn't occur, the Westerner will be shown as this benevolent being who pities the poor and down trodden a la Avatar or some such drivel. *proceeds to barf*

    Man, "Might Western Whitey" (The Western part is essential in order to highlight their "inherent superiority") is one pitiful trope that needs to die.

    Also, thank you for pointing out that the Eastern Europe is not uniform- there are so many different cultures that have nothing in common with each other.

    My pleasure. It's one of my biggest pet peeves when people think Eastern Europe is a hegemonic state. It's right up there with people thinking Africa is a country.

    PS-It's interesting to note how people belonging to other groups are perceived. This is not unique to portrayal of Eastern Europeans. In short, women are seen as extremely loose. It is true for any group you want to observe. It is true for my culture and the way it sees the west: Western (American) women are seen as loose.

    Hm, interesting. I knew that U.S.-Americans were often thought of as wild and loose (all those movies about college frats, high schools, and what have you really do a good job of promoting that image), but you bring up an interesting point. Why are women always seen as "loose"? I know it has something to do with patriarchy, but what's the point of it? To suggest one's group is comprised of "pure dainty creatures of beauty, to be respected and worshiped" and that another's is full of "wild, bestial women with an unfathomable sex drive, and not deserving of a modicum of respect"?

    Man, as a man I've got to say that most of the time I think men can be some of the densest buffoons on the planet.

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  3. ell me about it. It's crazy how no one but Westerners (and really only White Westerners) can be "civilized" and "developed".

    It's simple, actually. Everybody wants to uplift their own group and to present it as the best one out there. Westerners simply have the most power (and strongest media machine) to do it. This power let them spread their ideas onto the whole world, so anybody in, say, China or Nigeria would be under the influence of western stereotypes about Eastern Europe, and Eastern Europeans would be under stereotypes about China (Asians) or Nigeria (blacks).


    While not done so much with the comedy aspect

    Oh, there is often comedy aspect. Any comic Eastern European character, women with mustaches and the like. There are plenty of them, just like there are "cool" black characters, mammy black women or nerdy Asian characters played for laughs.


    Man, "Might Western Whitey" (The Western part is essential in order to highlight their "inherent superiority") is one pitiful trope that needs to die.

    Of course! All they want is to help those people who are dumb/violent/primitive to help themselves!

    Hm, interesting. I knew that U.S.-Americans were often thought of as wild and loose (all those movies about college frats, high schools, and what have you really do a good job of promoting that image), but you bring up an interesting point. Why are women always seen as "loose"?

    I am not quite sure, but I'd say it has a lot to do with patriarchy and double morals when it comes to sexuality. Basically, women should be as "pure" as possible to be considered respectable. And since you want to present your group as full of respectable people, you'll see your women as pure... While women of your enemies as loose.

    Taken to extremes, it can lead to a situation during the Jim Crow era, for example.

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