Comedies like Harold and Kumar that are targeted at college-age students really push the envelope when it comes to racial comedy. Comedy genre in general tends to get away with mocking racial stereotypes, but how far is too far?
I'd never watched a Harold and Kumar movie before but my boyfriend convinced me to watch Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFhzFRoiM3Q&NR=1
Here's a clip from a particular scene that I found hard to watch. This is from a scene on an airplane where a little old lady looks over at Kumar and imagines him as a terrorist because of his ethnicity. In her image, Kumar taunts her and gestures the plane crashing and exploding, clearly mocking what happened during 9/11.
I understand that this is comedy but I think there's some things that just aren't funny. There's some things that should just be left alone. It's one thing for the old lady to picture him as a terrorist and it's another thing to picture him crashing the plane.
This is just the beginning for Harold and Kumar. If anyone of you has seen the movie then you know how much it is filled with mocking racial stereotypes. I did end up watching the whole movie even though I'm not a big fan of racial comedy. For me, it was kind of like watching a car crash. It was horrible but yet I couldn't look away.
I'd never watched a Harold and Kumar movie before but my boyfriend convinced me to watch Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFhzFRoiM3Q&NR=1
Here's a clip from a particular scene that I found hard to watch. This is from a scene on an airplane where a little old lady looks over at Kumar and imagines him as a terrorist because of his ethnicity. In her image, Kumar taunts her and gestures the plane crashing and exploding, clearly mocking what happened during 9/11.
I understand that this is comedy but I think there's some things that just aren't funny. There's some things that should just be left alone. It's one thing for the old lady to picture him as a terrorist and it's another thing to picture him crashing the plane.
This is just the beginning for Harold and Kumar. If anyone of you has seen the movie then you know how much it is filled with mocking racial stereotypes. I did end up watching the whole movie even though I'm not a big fan of racial comedy. For me, it was kind of like watching a car crash. It was horrible but yet I couldn't look away.
as streotypical as it may be, and offensive to some, i find it funny, maybe im a minority on this but sucker i am for stupid comedy
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to browse through the comments left on this video on youtube. An overwhelming number of them commend this scene for its humor. Lots of "Lol", "Lmao", "Best part! haha" type of comments have been made.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they put this in the movie to make a point- that these stereotypes are unjust and ridiculous. Perhaps they were intentionally added to express the frustration of people who wrongfully experience this racism in everyday life. Though it may be uncomfortable to watch, it may make others feel better that this inequality is being commented on and bringing attention to society as a whole.
ReplyDelete