PROTEST RACIST FOX TV THIS THURS. IN HOLLYWOOD
by Dragon-unleashed Sunday, Jul. 13, 2003 at 2:59 PM

"Banzai" is the most obnoxiously racist show to have been on a major network in some time. Premiering on FOX Sunday evening, the show is so full of anti-Asian racist stereotypes that it takes one's breath away. From the announcer's painful pidgin "Engrish", to the kanji writing characters flashed onscreen that make absolutely no sense... this show is a throwback to the days of "Charlie Chan."

banzai.gif, image/png, 243x450

How on earth this reprehensible drek actually got produced and broadcast is beyond me... but one thing is certain, FOX must hear our HOWLING PROTESTS loud and clear! A protest has already been called by Asian Americans to take place this coming Thursday in Hollywood. Everyone should join this picketline to demand that Fox immediately CANCEL this utterly deplorable and unacceptable program.

The official FOX website for "Banzai" can be viewed at:
http://origin.fox.com/banzai/

... once there, be sure to click on "Boards", you will be taken to the message board area of the site. It must have taken FOX completely by surprise to see their message board ABLAZE with protest messages calling "Banzai" racist and demanding it's immediate cancellation! Many Asian Americans are posting their opposition to the horrid show... but many non-Asians are as well. The messages are overwhelmingly against the show... and with the click of a button you can easily contribute your own comments against this racist bilge. Let FOX know what you think!

****
"ModelMinority - A guide to Asian American Empowerment" website has posted a call for a protest against FOX and it's racist broadcast:

PROTEST BANZAI!
Location: Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
Address: 1755 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90028
Time: 8:00 a.m. Thursday, July 17, 2003

ModelMinority web is located at:
http://modelminority.com/article462.html


****
The Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), posted the following article:

Have you seen the promos for "Banzai" and it angers you? Want to do something but do not know what you can do? Afraid your 2-cents from the 2-percent will be ignored? We at MANAA thought of something we can do that's very effective and you can do from the comfort of your own home!

Fox acquired the British show that will showcase the most offensive, negative Asian stereotypes and will play them through the summer every Sunday at 8:30pm starting July 13th. MANAA has tried to stop this from airing, when that failed we asked to augment it, (reducing the awful stereotypes)...and, as you can see, very little was done.

We may not have the numbers to stop this from airing nationwide, but there are enough of us living in LA, NY, San Francisco, and Hawaii to stop this show from airing in these regions. We can call this the, "Not in our house!!!" campaign. Local stations to the Fox network have the power to take this off the air in their region for fear they might suffer in ratings or political pressure. The most famous example of this was when certain stations in the Bible belt and in the south choose not to air the "Ellen" episode where she admits she's gay (due to pressure from various religious groups). Although this action was negative, we can still use this tactic to our advantage. So here what we do:

1) Write letters, e-mails, and make phone calls to the stations below. Can't do just one... must do all three.

2) Tell them, "I understand you are not responsible for Banzai, but you do have the capability of not airing this on your station. Asians constitute a huge percentage of this city's population and we will not watch your channel's programming every Sunday until you take this off your air. And tell your affiliate relations executive at Fox that your station's viewers are threatening to boycott your channel"

3) And like shampoo, repeat if necessary. Hey! A project to do over 4th of July weekend!

If this show loses its audiences in the these major markets, the overall national rating will hurt and we'll have this off the air in no time. Plus the network will finally understand DO NOT TAKE US LIGHTLY!

Here are the stations:
LOS ANGELES - KTTV FOX 11
E-MAIL: programming@fox11LA.com
PHONE: 310/584-2005
ADDRESS: Programming: KTTV
1999 South Bundy Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90022-5235

SAN FRANCISCO - KTVU FOX 2
E-MAIL: can't find email but you can give feed back at http://www.ktvu.com/contact/
PHONE: 510/834-1212
ADDRESS: Programming: KTVU
P.O. Box 22222
Oakland, CA 94623

NEW YORK - WNYW FOX 5
E-MAIL: can't find e-mail but you can give comments on http://www.fox5ny.com
PHONE: 212/452-5555
ADDRESS: Programming: WNYW
205 East 67th Street

New York, NY 10021-6099
HAWAII - KHON FOX 2
E-MAIL: khon@khon.emmis.com
PHONE: 808/591-2222
ADDRESS: Programming: KHON
88 Piikoi St
Honolulu, Hi 96814

The MANAA website can be viewed at:
http://www.manaa.org/

add your comments