Transformers: WTF Is Wrong With These People?

Monday, July 11, 2011



I'll admit that in some ways I do actually like the Transformers - big action + robots who turn into machines = letting my mind slip away into a non-work related food like coma - but I don't understand - and I never will - why movies decidedly insert racist speak and stereotypes into films that would be altogether the same without them.

1. Keiko Agena who plays Frances McDormand's aide speaks one line in the whole movie. I actually let out a loud noise of surprise when I heard her finally speak because I just expected her to run around and follow her White Boss just like she did in the whole film leading up to it (and compare that with John Turturro's assistant who plays a much larger role in the film and at least has some character).

2. A scene in the film where a worker who happens to be a woman is referred too as a "Latin Meltdown". Really?

3. At the place where Shia LaBeouf ends up working there's a floor called the "Yellow Floor". John Malkovich's character who runs the place is apparently into martial arts - all of which says White Guy loving the "Asian", but failing to see that calling something the "Yellow Floor" is kind of dumbass.

4. When Shia LaBeouf is interviewing for jobs, he bows to the Asian interviewer and also can't pronounce his name. This is the only person he can't seem to do this with. Nor does he bow to anyone else. It's like someone saying "Hello" and shaking hands to all the White People in the room but then when they meet a Black Guy goes for the fist pump and says "What's Up!".

5. In an elevator at LaBeouf's character's place of work one of the Asian American workers is drinking some milk (from an Asian store we're guessing) and someone says something to the effect of "Stop drinking that exotic milk". That's just old and tired.

6. And then there's Ken Jeong who's character in some ways I didn't mind, but on a whole basically spelled: traitor to the country + creepy + homophobic.

Yeah - maybe I shouldn't have spent my money on this MF after all.