The Cho Show

(Something I wrote last sem for my AAS200 class, hope this counts! lol)

I watched the first episode of the “Cho Show,” entitled, “Korean of the Year.” In this episode, Margaret is thinking about whether or not she should attend the KoreAM award ceremony. We see Margaret talking to her parents and friends about the award she’s going to receive at the ceremony. First off, she turns to her gay friends to figure out what she’s going to wear. Later in the episode, we see Margaret’s parents and her manager going shopping for some clothes too. Margaret then turns to her other two comedian friends and pretty much asks them for advice about whether or not she should go and tells them why she doesn’t feel too comfortable about going. In the end, Margaret shows up, receives the award, and everyone enjoys her show.

I feel that there were so many instances in the show that really depicted the usual Asian American lifestyle. For example, when one of her friends suggest Margaret to wear a spray painted dress, it was one of those traditional Chinese dresses. They made a comment that the general public wouldn’t notice that it was Chinese and not Korean, basically generalize that it was something Asian. I thought that the fact that people can’t distinguish the difference between Asian cultures is pretty common. People tend to generalize that anything Asian is Chinese. This is probably because the majority of people immigrating from Asia are the Chinese, especially when considering places like Chinatown, etc.

Another important depiction of the Asian American lifestyle was shown in the part when Margaret’s parents bought baby clothes for their future grandson. Her parents were pretty much pressuring Margaret into having a child, specifically a baby boy. Even though Margaret seemed really upset about it and explained to them that she doesn’t have the time to have one, her parents offered to take care of it. This just shows the importance of inheritance to Asian families. I felt that it’s pretty common for Asian parents to want to have grandchildren as they get older. Traditional parents seem to pressure their children to have children of their own in order to preserve their names. Also, in specifically wanting a grandson, Margaret’s parents pretty much emphasize the importance of males when it comes to preserving the family name in comparison to women.

In the end, I felt that this show does help shed light on Asian American issues especially when Margaret expressed how she felt like she didn’t fit in into her own Korean community because they didn’t like how she was Americanized. By showing her weaker side, I was able to realize that sometimes the Asian traditions being put down on us sort of hinder us from doing what we want. In Margaret’s case, she was fearful of attending the ceremony because she felt that her own community wouldn’t like or be supportive of her jokes. On the other hand, she has inspired so many people with her career, namely another famous comedian Bobby Lee. And just as he stated, through Margaret’s career, she pretty much has opened opportunities up for other Asian Americans who want to be part of the entertainment business. I felt that the show was very unique compared to other reality shows because it depicted how an Asian American lifestyle conflicts with both Asian and American customs.

With the addition of more shows like this one, I feel that America would be more aware of Asians in the country because how much Asian tradition and values are being publicized more often. For example, we see more Asian people on TV as they gain more popularity throughout the years. The entertainment business seems to have opened up and given more opportunities to the Asian communities residing in the US.


-Angel