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This is so much more worse than whitewashing

posted 8 years ago by Aries_Girl84
170 replies | jump to latest

-----TAKEN FROM THE LOVE LIFE OF AN ASIAN GUY (facebook) because everyone needs to know-----

**This Is So Much Worse Than Whitewashing**
*Why I'm Boycotting Hollywood's Newest Movie "The Forest"*

As an Asian-American, I am no stranger to seeing my people whitewashed on the silver screen. It happened in "The Conqueror" when John Wayne played Genghis Khan and it's scheduled to repeat in 2017 when Scarlett Johannson stars as as Major Motoko Kusanagi in "Ghost in the Shell."

But NONE of these films compares to the whitewashing in Hollywood's newest movie "The Forest." This is by far the most sickening, low-class piece of *beep* I have EVER seen. Before I talk about why this is possibly the worst whitewashed Asian movie in history, you NEED to understand the context of this story and what "Forest" this movie is referring to.

Here's the scoop.

West of Tokyo, Japan at the base of Mt. Fuji is a stretch of forest called Aokigahara. Aokigahara is known for its lush and green foliage that remains fertile all year long. Walk along the trails and you'll see petite trees that ebb and flow with the wind and a ground painted with a thick layer of furry moss. But underneath this excessive life, woven between the leaves and bushes, is the exact opposite of life: death.

For 30 years, residents of Japan have come to the Aokigahara forest to commit suicide. Most hang themselves, others overdose on medication, and a select few hide deep in the woods and force themselves into dehydration and starvation. Rotting corpses hang from the branches and skeletons with the clothes intact are scattered all around.

In Japan, suicide is a national crisis. While America ranks 50th in yearly suicide rates, Japan is at a chilling 17th place with an estimated 70 suicides per day. Some are pressured into suicide by the stress of Japan's overwhelming work culture while others do it because of unemployment. One major factor that isn't as highly recognized due to Japanese social stigma is depression and mental health.

Japan's rigorous culture of conformity heavily stigmatizes those with mental health issues. Many Japanese have grown content with suicide and see it as a "reasonable" solution. In reality, suicide is an epidemic and is the second leading cause of death in the country.

*Why "The Forest" Is Worse Than Regular Whitewashed Hollywood Films*

"The Forest," a HORROR movie which stars a BLONDE WHITE GIRL, takes place in Aokigahara. So not only did they whitewash a movie and sidestep the opportunity to cast an Asian actress, they COMPLETELY DISRESPECTED the fact that Suicide Forest IS A REAL *beep* PLACE where the Japanese go to end their life. And it's not like these suicides happened 400 years ago. This is happening RIGHT. NOW. Over one hundred bodies are found in Aokigahara every single year.

To put this into perspective, imagine if a white-skinned Italian film director made a movie about police brutality and anti-Black violence in America, filmed the movie in America, but cast non-Black Italian actors.

The ABSOLUTE WORST thing about this film is the erasure of mental health issues among Asians worldwide. The model minority myth doesn't just assume that Asians are universally intelligent or rich, it also assumes that we're able-bodied and don't suffer from mental illness.

NO ONE talks about mental health among Asians. NO ONE talks about disabled Asians. Why? Because everyone believes that we're rich and smart enough to access healthcare.

Newflash: WE AREN'T

"The Forest" had an opportunity to address an issue that is LITERALLY killing Japanese citizens by the thousands. An issue that would have hit home with many Asian-Americans who also suffer from mental illness and depression. But instead of reaching out and confronting a problem that exists and is on-going, Hollywood turned it into a horror movie and whitewashed its cast, thus dehumanizing not only Asians around the globe affected by mental health, but those who have already committed suicide.

Words cannot describe my level of disgust. Hollywood can dehumanize me all it wants. It can cast me as the Asian side-kick in every movie, emasculate me with characters who never get the girl, and erase my history by whitewashing Bruce Lee or Sesue Hayakawa. But why this? Why erase mental health among Asians? Why stab an already invisible community that is suffering in silence?

*beep* this movie.
*beep* whoever this *beep* actress is for taking on the role.
And *beep* *beep* *beep* Hollywood for *beep* ON those affected by mental health.

[–] awerling 8 years ago

If the guy who saw this is boycotting it, how did he see it?

Maybe it's okay if I see the film before I judge it? Thanks!

[–] meleractor 8 years ago

Well...that sucks. Guess I won't be giving this one my money. Thanks for the info.

The hack David Goyer is one of the producers behind this so I can't say I'm surprised.

[–] Noelitede 8 years ago

I do think it's *beep* up to pick a real social issue and make a horror film about it. I'm also kind of fed up of all this movies starring white actors unnecesarily, when the movie is set in Asia like The forbidden kingdom, The last samurai , The grudge (this last one is ridiculous, especially considering it's set in Japan as the original) but let's face it: they do that to make more people (mainly Americans) want to watch the movie, since they would probably not relate with the characters if they are from another ethnic background. I've never understood the logic of that, since having the characters being exactly like me is not something important for me, but that's how it works for some people anyway. But we cannot accuse this of whitewashing, since whitewashing is having white people playing as a non-white character. In this case it's white people representing white people. Also, we cannot accuse this of not taking on account mental illnesses on Asian people or thinking Asians are all wealthy and 100% mentally stable. Making fun of suicide in East Asians would be ignoring that, but it's not the case.
Trying to make a horror out of something that is real and is not OK is the main "crime" of this movie, in my opinion. It's going to be another forgotten horror movie anyway.

[–] magentamarzipane 8 years ago

Suicide is indeed, tragically real, as are murders, cancer, plane crashes, tidal waves, earthquakes, fatal diseases, avalanches, tornadoes, hurricanes, war, industrial accidents,rapes, assaults, terrorist attacks, car accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning, kidnappings and bad potato harvests. We will be looking at some mighty thinly plotted films if all of these are ruled out because they might hurt someone's feelings or trivialize their pain for the sake of entertainment.

[–] Noelitede 8 years ago

What I mean is that this looks like the typical case of Hollywood taking advantage of something to profit from it without considering anything. Like "Yo, everyone on the internet is knowing about the suicide forest in Japan, how about we make a movie about it?". And of course, instead of making a drama that could make people think about the topic like Don't cry mommy did with the increasing rape rate in South Korea, they just made a horror to entertain, taking advantage of this issue.
Murders, cancer, disasters and other stuff you mention have been with humanity since the beginning, this is a social issue different to almost everything you mention. Making a horror film about suicide would be normal and ok, since it's something that has been for a long time but making one about a situation like the high suicide rate in Japan is not.

[–] BulmaPunkRocker 8 years ago

I totally agree with you.

Please excuse my terrible redaction, english is not my native language

[–] PNTPictures 8 years ago

You're right...no white person has ever visited Japan before. You are the dumbest person on the internet!

[–] ElChompiras 8 years ago

You think Japan has it hard? Try living in Mexico. I know as I am.

[–] BulmaPunkRocker 8 years ago

I was born and raised in a Southamerican country, under a terrible right-wing military dictatorship, so I kind of understand what you say.

The thing is Mexico, as most Latinamerican countries, is strongly Catholic, so suicide is considered by most people (even the ones struggling with depression and poverty, etc.) as a unthinkable thing to do. Most Latinamericans see suicide as a tabu thing. Not in Japan. In Japan there's no shame in suicide, that's the difference, so people don't look for help, also because of the stigma on mental health.

Greetings from the end of the world.

Please excuse my terrible redaction, english is not my native language

[–] Strazdamonas 8 years ago

The reason Catholics consider suicide shameful is becuase in the middle ages it was useful to stop people from ending their own lives when they couldnt take the slavery anymore so they had to be scared of "eternal hell" to keep working. A slave that kills himself is lost money after all.

---------------------------------------------
Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] mikeyflatley 8 years ago

Nobody carez. We have our own mental illness issuez esp wid mass shootinz and gunz.

If Japan has high suicide rate, only Japanese govt can fix dis. Only jap ppl can solve dis. Maybe not be too driven by monetary success or dismantle any rigid class system. Life is mo than material goodz and ego.

There is no white wash bec it's bout makin moula and nobody hear will watch a jap lead.

Werd 2 ur mudda, bruddafckka

[–] jajceboy 8 years ago

It's whitewashing only if it's an Asian character played by an white American actress. But there's no indication the character is Asian or Japanese, it seems that she in fact is an American. So what's the deal?

I am shocked that you seem to think Japan is only inhibited by Japanese and Asians, and therefore only them should be portrayed. A lot of Westerners live and work in Japan, and a lot of them are white or non-Asian. Frankly it makes more sense to make films about them if you want to sell it to a Western audience.

And it is business. Statistics and documentaries show that a lot of people from all over the world goes to this forest to commit suicide. It's not restricted to Japanese people only.

Honestly, the OP is only looking for reasons to feel offended to have something to moan about.

[–] fadelman 8 years ago

Suicide is a medically recognized form of medical depression. For any horror film (or any genre of film for that matter)to use it as a means of entertainment is just wrong. Apparently, none of the screenwriters have ever had a loved one commit suicide. I went and saw the film to see how they handle the issue and those who compare it to J-Horror films are off-base. Japan wouldn't allow the production to film in the forest (out of respect to the families who lost loved ones there), so they used one in Serbia and the film is a piece of junk. It's one of those horror films that will do good on the first week of release and then disappear on home video a few weeks later.They are purposely made just for that fact alone. Anyone (including myself) who lost a friend or family member due to suicide should just avoid the film. Unlike Japan, it shows no respect to the families of suicide victims. It opens wounds that take years to heal.

[–] brokendreams37 8 years ago

Suicide is a medically recognized form of medical depression. For any horror film (or any genre of film for that matter)to use it as a means of entertainment is just wrong.

It's called art! Don't like it? Don't watch it.

[–] speciesevolution 8 years ago

So I guess that means any movie relating to any kind of mental illness shouldn't ever be made? That's a pretty bleak statement that encompasses a whole boatload of films you feel shouldn't exist. Look it up - the list of movies that involve suicide and/or some type of mental illness is very long and varied, ranging from comedies to dramas to thrillers. Some are clearly better made than others, but to say they shouldn't have been made because they touch on a sensitive topic sounds pretty repressive to me. Here is just a small sampling - are they all so horribly insensitive in your eyes? A number of them are critically acclaimed:

"Dead Poets Society"
"A Beautiful Mind"
"Rain Man"
"Psycho"
"The Deer Hunter"
"As Good As It Gets"
"Mommie Dearest"
"Leaving Las Vegas"
"Adam"
"What About Bob"
"Silence of the Lambs"
"Mr.Jones"
"The Fisher King"
"Girl, Interrupted"
"What Dreams May Come"
"Harold and Maude"
"Monster"
"Basic Instinct"
"The 3 Faces of Eve"
"Benny & Joon"
"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"
"One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest"
"Awakenings".....

Crimes are tragic too, so by your logic there should be no films involving any crimes either lest someone be offended. And don't forget physical illness, war, racism, poverty, slavery - we shouldn't portray any of those awful things either I suppose? What does that leave? And if we shouldn't portray them in film, surely they shouldn't be on TV or in books either. Quick, let's hold a book-burning right away!

Geez, I'm not sure I'd want to live in the world you're envisioning with this kind of broad statement. It's a fictional story based in a real place with an unpleasant background, but it's just a movie. I've seen it myself. You have every right to your opinion that you didn't care for it, and I have every right to have enjoyed it and not found anything about it disrespectful to mental illness or those touched by suicide (which don't always go hand-in-hand... spoken as one who has both lost a loved one to suicide, and as a survivor of my own attempt in the past). Entertainment often reflects society - the good and the bad - and sometimes influences it too. This movie simply tells a story that is no more disrespectful to families affected by suicide than a film about someone dying of cancer is dissing anyone touched by cancer, or one involving a car crash would disrespect someone related to a car crash victim. We all have our own sensitivities, but that doesn't mean everyone will share the same views or that the entertainment world should be chastised for touching on them.

[–] CosyCatNap 8 years ago

"What About Bob" is a comedy (GASP) about anxiety. As an anxiety sufferer, I love it. 

I wonder if they'd make it nowadays, in the age of PC. Sadly I don't think so.

But I have love in my heart - Yes, as a thief has riches, a usurer money

[–] BulmaPunkRocker 8 years ago

As far as I remember, none of the films from that list features cheap scares and rotten ghosts of the deceased. Not even the thrillers.

Please excuse my terrible redaction, english is not my native language

[–] speciesevolution 8 years ago

My original response was actually to Fadelman's comment that "Suicide is a medically recognized form of medical depression. For any horror film (or any genre of film for that matter)to use it as a means of entertainment is just wrong."

Fadelman was technically incorrect in this statement anyhow - suicide is not a medically recognized form of depression - it is the physical act of taking one's own life, which may or may not be the result of depression. Depression itself, however, IS a medically recognized condition.

To your comment, even though the point was that the poster felt any genre of movie depicting suicide is wrong, there are horror/thrillers out there that include suicide, ghosts, and scary *beep* too. I thought the last list was long enough, but here are a few that touch on those topics AND have spooky jumpy stuff to offer as well:

"The Grudge"
"Sixth Sense" (ok, that's a thriller more than a horror)
"The Others"
"The Conjuring"
"Woman in Black"

Clearly I watch too many movies....... :)

[–] BulmaPunkRocker 8 years ago

Thank you for the clarification.

Japan itself made a lot of so-called "J-Horror" films where the main subject was suicide (Jisatsu Sâkuru -probably the most popular-, Densen uta, Ju-On, etc.). I am not against films about suicide, even dark comedies, but I think this movie in particular is disrespectful to thousands of real life people who committed suicide in Aokigahara.
The same subject (suicides in Aokigahara), with a more interesting approach, a good screenplay, no yûrei nor zombies, but maybe more like a psychological thriller, I think it may be interesting and respectful.

Greetings.

Please excuse my terrible redaction, english is not my native language

[–] magentamarzipane 8 years ago

Should murder, war and natural disasters similarly be avoided as topics of films? People who die in any of those ways leave behind them grieving friends and families as well. Should anything that is broadly viewed as entertainment confine itself to pleasant days at the beach and heartfelt family reunions lest anyone be troubled by bad memories? Common sense tells me that I should not and will not go see films that have suicide as a major theme because I am extremely prey to suicidal thoughts. If other moviegoers are not troubled by suicidal thoughts and have not experienced any personal loss because of a suicide then they have the right to see films that I prefer not to and I do not feel even a tiny bit disrespected by their choice. Bad stuff of an almost infinite variety happens all the time and I do not sense that this film presents suicide as anything but tragic. If I'm wrong and it actually portrays suicide as either humorous or shameful, perhaps I'd be offended.

[–] litcity 8 years ago

Are you stupid? You're trying to restrict what artists can talk about? Fascist much?

[–] Strazdamonas 8 years ago

For any horror film (or any genre of film for that matter)to use it as a means of entertainment is just wrong.

You're wrong.

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Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] speciesevolution 8 years ago

There is nothing more annoying than a scathing post that bashes a movie from someone who has not bothered to see the film or taken the time to find out what the actual story line is. If the guy who wrote this had done either, he would know that an important part of the story is that the lead character is indeed a NON-ASIAN AMERICAN visiting from the US. She is NOT Japanese, nor is she FROM Japan, nor does she know anything about the Forest's dark history before having to travel there looking for her sister. Through the movie she (and the audience) learn about it - it's part of the journey of the story.

Not only is his assumption of whitewashing completely absurd, so is his theory that the tragic topic of Asian suicide is being "erased". First of all, ALL suicide is awful, regardless of your racial background, social status, level of wealth, age or any other factor. As someone who once attempted suicide many years ago and was lucky enough to be unsuccessful, I can assure you that I was not offended in any way by this movie (which I actually WATCHED before presuming to post here), nor did I feel the movie-makers treated the matter with any kind of disrespect or insensitivity. That's simply not the case at all here. They had an interesting story to tell and they told it. You can like it or not like it, but WATCH THE FILM and give an INFORMED opinion, or keep your ridiculous, off-base, self-serving assumptions to yourself. And visit a chiropractor - I'm sure that chip on your shoulder is mighty heavy....

PS: A movie like this will almost certainly RAISE AWARENESS of the history of this Forest, and the unfortunate incidence of suicide (in Japan as well as in general), not "erase" it. I didn't know anything about the forest nor the alarmingly high rate in that country in particular, but having seen the movie I'm now interested in learning more about both. I'd say that's pretty much the exact opposite of your concerns of it making things "invisible".

[–] kaydenpat 8 years ago

Very well put. I didn't really think about the whitewashing angle in regard to this film until reading your post. I'm really not sure why Hollywood keeps whitewashing films when audiences have shown over and over again that we are completely able and willing to watch movies starring/featuring non-Whites. It's inexplicable that they keep doing this when we have blockbusters like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Fast & Furious which have diverse casts.

[–] jajceboy 8 years ago

I'm guessing you don't know what whitewashing means, do you?
The character is a Caucasian American, not Japanese or Asian. How is it white-washing to cast a white actress in the role?
I can understand the Emma Stone controversy cause it was white-washing but this isn't. It would be whitewashing if the main character is supposed to be Asian or Japanese yet was played by a Caucasian.

Because Japan isn't only populated by Japanese people, you know. A lot of Westerners live there, and visit it. Like the main character here. To assume you should only hire Japanese people when dealing with Japan is a bit naive really.

Also interesting that you mention Star Wars, seeing how much controversy it got for hiring a black guy to play a stormtrooper.

**This is so much more worse than whitewashing**

This is so much more worse than whitewashing