Black Negritude and Asian Subjectivity: Margaret Cho's Performance as Political Resistance
Overview
This essay examines Margaret Cho's comedic performances through the lens of negritude theory to analyze how she challenges racial stereotypes and hegemonic narratives about Asian identity in America. The paper argues that Cho's comedy constitutes a form of experimental politics and subjectivity that exposes oppression experienced by Asians while promoting alternative perspectives on racial identity.
What this essay covers
- Introduction establishing negritude as a critical framework for understanding blackness and Asian identity
- Analysis of Cho's performances as forms of political engagement that challenge stereotypes through emotional oscillation between sadness, sarcasm, irony, and reality
- Discussion of how Cho's comedy exposes systemic oppression and transforms Asian experiences into positive representations
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Black Negritude
The negritude is a concept that can be used to criticize and understand different aspects of blackness. In light of this concept, we can see that Cho's performances were a form of subjectivity that challenged the hegemonic narratives. Margaret Cho's performance was an engagement in experimental politics, further hinged with her struggle with her own identity. The stereotypes are based on people's perceptions and how Asians. Cho uses remarks from her producer to challenge racial perception while engaging her comedy audience in one of her own experiences. Through the actions, we can see that Cho is placed into the political limelight. She engages in different roles that reveal her identity as well as disregard. Further, the mood or emotion through the performance oscillates between sadness, sarcasm, irony, and reality. This is a clear demonstration of how Cho engages in unique political narratives that lead to a different form of Asian subjectivity that challenge the prevalent stereotypes within the country.
Based on the concept of black negritude, Cho is challenging the prevalent stereotypes to develop a unique perception about Asian identity. The aim is to take a critical look at issues experienced by Asians and transform them into positive traits. In this regard, Cho’s comedy promotes political engagement, especially the racial perception arising from white supremacists. The Asian identity is still missing context, confusing whether they should consider themselves white or black. Through her confessions during standup actions, Cho exposes the oppression and other ills bewailing Asians in America.