America today is undoubtedly influenced by Hollywood and the media. This vast industry portrays and adds to the culture in the United States, but has been known for its limited and somewhat shallow cultural diversity, as emphasized by the lack of African American nominees at last year’s Oscars. In order to view a more diverse selection of media, many Aragon students watch foreign movies and television shows. As senior Stephanie Shu, a Korean and Taiwanese drama fan, says, “It’s cool that because of technology we can watch stuff from other places without leaving our homes, so you can still get that insight without actually having to travel abroad.”
Despite the endless options that come with foreign media, such as Korean, Taiwanese, British and Indian, this content is fairly unknown to most of the United States population. Hollywood is known as fairly dominant in the film industry and therefore overshadows other producers. Senior Geth Wu explains, “I think it’s just the lack of exposure, and especially since Americans have so many TV shows that you kind of have to watch the Americans [ones] first.”
The limited reach of most foreign media in the United States could also be due to the American audience’s unwillingness to embrace differences. For one thing, shows produced by different cultures may display cultural nuances that are not seen in the United States. Shu says, “I think in Asian families especially, you’ll see a lot more filial piety,” or the value of respect for one’s elders, but one of the more central differences that the Taiwanese and Korean dramas that Shu watches is their portrayal of dating. “There’s a lot more pressure just to be dating in general, and to get married early, whereas in the U.S. it’s kind of like you do you on your own schedule,” she explains. Perhaps the unfamiliarity of these concepts dissuades Americans from watching them.
The lack of adoption of foreign media is also, in some instances, more of an active effort. Anime watcher and senior Virginia Chau says, “I think [foreign media] won’t get as far because I feel like a lot of people are afraid to say what they like because people have their opinions on everybody.” Fortunately, some are nonjudgemental of media like anime, allowing the culture associated with these shows to bring people together. An example of this on a large scale is Comic Con. “I feel like that’s one of the places where people can actually be their own selves and do what they like pretty much … It’s almost like another form of Halloween,” says Chau.
Along the same vein, industries that adapt more to American culture have the potential for growth in the United States. “[Bollywood movies] will get big because they’re also adapting stuff for American culture … there’s a lot of [dubbing] happening, so I think a lot of movies will come out in English too,” explains junior Kamal Kolluri. Dubbing is a process in which the audio of a movie is translated into a different language, then replaced back into the movie.
Additionally, certain series like HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which is primarily filmed in the United Kingdom, are already extremely popular in the United States. But what separates this show from other series? One possibility is the exciting, extreme content. Along this same idea, Wu comments on a reason for the appeal of American shows, “They have a lot of violent shows and stuff like that, and work more with audiences who are aggressive.”
Despite this, many Aragon students believe foreign media should be adopted more by the United States. Shu concludes, “It’s just really important for people to see different perspectives, and there’s always that danger of the single story.”
