Look what this up-tight jack*** said about Dat's jokes.





11 / 24 / 2003

No joking matter - Comedian Dat Phan: Topical funnyman or race-baiting opportunist?
CON: Koala-like ethnic jokes are used as a crutch




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By DANIEL WATTS
Opinion Editor
A couple years ago, The Koala printed a personal ad directed at Asians at UCSD: "To all the Asians: Nobody likes you, good day."

The campus reacted in outrage, as UCSD's resident sensitivity police pounced on the case. Fmr. Student Affirmative Action Committee Chair Ernesto Martinez made the rounds of the college councils, asking for their collective condemnation of the Koala. Thurgood Marshall College Student Council even demanded that the Koala hold a fundraiser and donate the money to those adversely affected by the ad. Administrators were concerned about UCSD's "campus climate," and the message such an ad would send to prospective students.

When comedian Dat Phan took the stage Nov. 17 at Price Center, he plunged headlong into an evening of jokes consisting of Asian stereotypes that would put the Koala's paltry personal ad to shame. He walked on stage, squinted his eyes, and adopted a false Asian accent. Most of the act involved railing against his immigrant mother and her substandard command of English ("Food too spicy! Slurp! Too spicy, Dat Phan!")

The act was almost entirely composed of exaggerated caricatures of Asians, played to perfection by Phan.

And yet, there were no protests. No one shouted him down; no one begged the student government for help; no one started a petition to keep him from ever appearing on campus again.

Instead, he was cheered. He was hailed as "an ambassador for Asians" in pop culture. As one of the first successful Asian comics, Phan was heralded as the dawn of a new era in comedy.

But Phan wasn't just a good comic who happened to be Asian. He used his ethnicity as a crutch, relying on recycled clichés and a heavy fake accent to please the crowd.

Phan ended with a question-and-answer session, explaining to one audience member that his ultimate goal is to see a great actor, who happened to be Asian, win an Academy Award ‹ not because he's Asian or played a stereotypically Asian role, but because he was a competent actor.

Ironically, Phan is working against that ideal. Instead of succeeding on the merits of clever, well-written jokes coupled with adept timing and delivery, he resorts to the accent to get laughs.

Some of his fans appreciate him because he's speaking to their own experiences. Their own family sounds like Phan's fake accent, and they find an opportunity to rebel against them by laughing at it. There are others, however, who did not appreciate Phan's histrionics. As his act inspired the admiration of wannabe rebels, it also instilled loathing in many more who don't appreciate being mocked.

Phan can be funny when he's not using his crutch. Small segments of his act commented on the 1980s, McGruff the Crime Dog's inappropriate flasher-style clothing, and Phan's childhood experiences of building GI Joe fortresses out of tampons. He's a talented performer, and he needs not rely on the fallback of racial jokes to stay in business. He could succeed on his own merits, advancing his cause while not pillaging his heritage. Most successful comics do not rely on their ethnicity to carry the day ‹ including some of Phan's own heros.

When asked who his favorite comedians were, Phan held up Bill Cosby as the epitome of comedic genius. He complimented the fact that Cosby does "intelligent humor, he doesn't just do ethnic humor." Rather than follow his idol's example, Phan continues to depend on Americans' tolerance for racial jokes for his livelihood.

Such a dependence is not healthy for his career's longevity. As recent experience with the Koala has shown us, society's tolerance of such racial humor is on the decline.

When the Koala distributed "Jizzlam," a publication that mocked Muslim women who wear traditional garb, one of the most repeated refrains heard from Muslim protestors was, "You're making fun of my mom! You don't understand ‹ these are my sisters, my mother, my aunts who wear this. It's an attack on all of them."

During one encounter, the Koala responded that these mass protests did not happen when the publication mocked other ethnicities or religions. The protestors insisted that if others were ever attacked the way they were, they would rally to their side as well.

As Phan mimicked his mother for the umpteenth time, an audience member called out, "That's my mom!" Evidently, the condition was met; but the protestors did not follow up on their promise.

No one rallied to "defend" the Asians being attacked by Phan. In fact, Phan's appearance was co-sponsored by the Vietnamese Student Association and Sixth College Residential Life. The same people who might have sided with the Muslim Student Association against the Koala actually sponsored this similarly racial humor.

Rightly or wrongly, Phan's act perpetuates racial stereotypes. There can be no doubt about that. However, this campus, which responded so quickly and decisively to the Koala's exploitation of racial humor, ignored Phan's similar transgressions. It blindly supports him because he's a successful minority, overlooking the damage he does to perceptions of Asians. Phan's success does not mean future success for Asians. Wailing in a fake accent about his mother does not open any doors.

Phan himself is not oblivious to the damage he causes or the problems his reliance on stereotypes poses for his future. His Web site explains that he eventually plans to stop using racial "Asian material" in his act. Good for him ‹ but he never should have started.


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Copyright © 2003 UCSDGuardian
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Typical college journalism. The real critics know how talented Dat Phan is.