History Main / AsianRudeness

This trope is often PlayedForLaughs (with cultural posturing all too often a part of such humor), but can also be PlayedForDrama, especially among children of Asian immigrants growing up among these clashing cultures. It might even cause StopBeingStereotypical. Can also overlap with AsianStoreOwner as well as with ArrogantKungFuGuy, or (in Japanese media) {{Bokukko}} or even TheIdiotFromOsaka.

This trope is Often PlayedForLaughs (with cultural posturing all too often a part of such humor), but can also be PlayedForDrama, especially among children of Asian immigrants growing up among these clashing cultures. It might even cause StopBeingStereotypical. Can also overlap with AsianStoreOwner as well as with ArrogantKungFuGuy, or (in Japanese media) {{Bokukko}} or even TheIdiotFromOsaka.

* Ming Lee from ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' falls into a lot of this trope for the stereotypical "helicopter parent", doing things ranging from spying on Mei at school and trying to fight with the security guard to causing a scene at Daisy Mart when she mistakes Mei's drawings of Devon, the clerk, for a sign that he's a groomer. Needless to say, her overly demanding and coddling behavior proves to be a constant source of embarrassment for Mei, which winds up inadvertently fueling her transformations.

* In ''Film/GreatWhite'', Jijo is consistently obnoxious, opinionated, superior, demanding and condescending from the moment he arrives, up until [[spoiler:he accidentally causes Benny's death]].
* Zigzagged in ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce''. Evelyn is a very grumpy, disgruntled person to her family and customers. This mostly comes from her ongoing existential crisis and dissatisfaction with her own life choices. Over the film as she confronts her relationship with the world, she softens to those around her. Her father Gong Gong is also generally a [[{{Jerkass}} mean bastard]]. But he is [[spoiler: surprisingly accepting of his grandduaghter's sexuality.]] Completely averted with [[TheAntiNihilist Waymond]], Evelyn's AllLovingHero husband.

* ''Series/TheNightOf'' has a theme of professionals being rude and callous toward others in various ways. The Asian herbalist is rude in a stereotypically Asian way. He's mostly silent, and when he does speak, it's in curt, blunt and often rude statements. His accent isn't very strong, so it's not a case of him simply not being very proficient in English. That's just his personality.

* Eddie Raja in ''VideoGame/UnchartedDrakesFortune'' is an Indonesian [[RuthlessModernPirates modern pirate]] who is heavily-prone to cursing in Bahasa Indonesian, mainly towards anyone who annoys him, [[HairTriggerTemper which happens...a lot.]] Nate himself is not Asian, but he curses over a PA in Bahasa to get one of Eddie's men to open a door.

* Kahn and his family from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', who are Laotian, abuse people verbally on a consistent basis. In Kahn's case, though, it's not a simple clash of cultures; he really ''is'' a JerkAss who openly insults his neighbors by calling them hillbillies. Although in later seasons he mellows out significantly and even becomes friends with Hank. It's also explained that he's bipolar and his rude personality is a side effect of his medication. Kahn's daughter, Connie, averts this trope. She is very polite, and is frequently ashamed by her parents' rudeness (though she doesn't suffer fools gladly and can be pretty nasty to people who get on her bad side).

** The titular girl Kim gets mad at pretty much everything and anything. She is never seeing smiling and constantly talks in an angry tone. Gendy Alimurung of LA Weekly described Kim as a character who is "angry about boys... racism, sexism, fitting in, not fitting in, love, her hair, her depressed friend, perfect people, stupid people, blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, the weather, religion, apologies, her dolls and her mother."

** Averted with Kim's Dad who is much more calm and soft spoken compared to his wife and daughter.

* Zigzagged in ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce''. Evelyn is a very grumpy, disgruntled person to her family and customers. This mostly comes from her ongoing existential crisis and dissatisfaction with her own life choices. Over the film as she confronts her relationship with the world, she softens to those around her. Her father Gong Gong is also generally a [[Jerkass mean bastard]]. But he is [[spoiler: surprisingly accepting of his grandduaghter's sexuality.]] Completely averted with [[TheAntiNihilist Waymond]], Evelyn's AllLovingHero husband.

The concept of course does not apply only to the Chinese--but given that China is the dominant regional culture, the rest of Eastern Asia has subsequently been associated with such rudeness. Japan is the major exception; [[JapanesePoliteness their people are known for strict adherence to etiquette, respect, and politeness in all situations]]. Although this is very much averted historically with both the Chinese and Koreans viewing the Japanese as rude and backwards.

** A sadistic Japanese game show (hosted by Creator/MikeMyers)[[SeriousBusiness excessively -- even cruelly -- punished contestants for failing to answer questions correctly]]. Creator/ChrisFarley [[HopeSpot manages to make it to the finals without suffering any harm]], but then gives a slightly incorrect answer and is given electroshock treatment.

* Wrestling/SatoshiKojima in Wrestling/RingOfHonor claimed he couldn't understand what the referee was trying to tell him (stop cheating) because "[[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish I'm Japanese, goddammit]]!"

* Creator/JimmyOYang mentions how during his time at ping pong camp, his dad tries to give a motivational talk to him but still manages to insult him:

* Ming Lee from ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' falls into a lot of this trope for the stereotypical "helicopter parent", doing things ranging from spying on Mei at school and trying to fight with the security guard. to causing a scene at Daisy Mart when she mistakes Mei's drawings of Devon, the clerk, for a sign that he's a groomer. Needless to say, her overly demanding and coddling behavior proves to be a constant source of embarrassment for Mei, which winds up inadvertently fueling her transformations.

** Kim's mother is even worse, being an ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife who talks angrily to her daughter all the time and wants her to not make friends and instead just focus on schoolwork.

This trope is Often PlayedForLaughs (with cultural posturing all too often a part of such humor), but can also be PlayedForDrama, especially among children of Asian immigrants growing up among these clashing cultures. It might even cause StopBeingStereotypical. Can also overlap with AsianStoreOwner as well as with ArrogantKungFuGuy, or (in Japanese media) {{Bokukko}}.

Some of this perceived "rudeness" stems from a massive CrossCulturalKerfluffle--essentially an unfortunate result of applying the tone and meter of native Asian languages to those where that kind of speaking characterizes the way rude people talk, i.e. tonal languages vilified as rude or uncouth. Differing cultural notions of what is rude and what isn't don't help; [[http://www.beijing-visitor.com/index.php?cID=412&pID=1082 Chinese Etiquette]] can be as foreign as the language, and may even make one come off as an EtiquetteNazi.

* Miss Swan in ''Series/MadTV1991'' demands to be let into a store past closing hours, refuses to cooperate with pretty much anyone, and loudly and casually makes derogatory remarks about gay people, calling them "monkey in the bush". The actress who plays Swan claims the character is based on her Hungarian grandmother, and the TV execs claim she is based on Bjork, so the "Asian" ethnicity is not solidified -- but many suspect that these claims are to avoid accusations of yellowface and racism, rather than to provide insight for legitimate character background.

* Miss Swan in ''Series/MadTV'' demands to be let into a store past closing hours, refuses to cooperate with pretty much anyone, and loudly and casually makes derogatory remarks about gay people, calling them "monkey in the bush". The actress who plays Swan claims the character is based on her Hungarian grandmother, and the TV execs claim she is based on Bjork, so the "Asian" ethnicity is not solidified -- but many suspect that these claims are to avoid accusations of yellowface and racism, rather than to provide insight for legitimate character background.

* ''FAG'': Occurs in WizWar100's parody video when he portrays an angry reviewer who bluntly curses and is rude to the viewers. He speaks in {{Engrish}}, thereby making the rude character an Asian stereotype.

The concept of course does not apply only to the Chinese--but given that China is the dominant regional culture, the rest of Eastern Asia has subsequently been associated with such rudeness. Japan is the major exception; [[JapanesePoliteness their people are known for strict adherence to etiquette, respect, and politeness in all situations]].

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* In ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', the Chinese characters Syaoran and Meiling act a lot ruder compared to the mostly nicer Japanese characters, at least at first. While Syaoran eventually softens up, Meiling never truly stops being snide and sarcastic, even post-CharacterDevelopment. Despite being a Japanese work, the Chinese are still seen as foreigners in Japan, hence this trope being in effect in manga and anime.

* Creator/MargaretCho does an impression of her mother that relies on this trope but tends to be decidedly affectionate. Most of her mother's brashness comes from trouble with the English Language (the only one Margaret speaks) and urgent concern for her daughter. In her rush to {{Mama Bear}}ing, some things just come out wrong.
* Creator/JasperCarrott noted after a visit to Hong Kong that spoken Chinese could make "I love you and wish to have sex with you" sound like "I intend to wrap barbed wire round your testicles and pull it tight, then to batter you senseless with a concrete block." He suspected it would be impossible to express love or affection in Chinese -- it wasn't that sort of language.

* Lois from ''Film/BadSanta'' snaps at everyone and never stops scowling.
* ''Film/ColdPursuit'': The main character's Asian sister-in-law levels a perpetual DeathGlare at him when he visits his brother. However, since disaster immediately follows his visit, she might have cause.

* Chang in ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'' is definitely not interested in making friends with any of the other inmates.
* Played with on ''Series/LasVegas'' in the case of Polly the Korean manicurist. She's rude as anything, not because she's unusually bossy or callous, but because she doesn't hesitate to prattle on and on about her sex life in mixed company.
* Spoken of approvingly in an episode of ''Series/{{QI}}''. The characters discuss how unfortunate it is when job interviewers make applicants talk about how excited they'll be to get some menial service job and what they'll "bring to the company" -- and how with that in mind, it's nicer to see people who look openly miserable with their jobs. Phill Jupitus says he and his friends used to go to a Chinese restaurant specifically because they were treated like shit there and found it hilarious, that one time they were interrupted mid-meal and told to move to another table on a different floor of the restaurant.

* ''Series/FrontierCircus'': In "The Inheritance", a Japanese acrobat and judo expert joins the circus, and quickly alienates the rest of the circus with his arrogance.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' has had some fun with this over the years.
** Creator/JohnBelushi portrayed an ultra-intense samurai delicatessen owner in some skits.
** A sadistic Japanese game show (hosted by Creator/MikeMyers)[[SeriousBusiness excessively -- even cruelly -- punished contestants for failing to answer questions correctly]]. Creator/ChrisFarley [[HopeSpot manages to make it to the finals without suffering any harm]], but then gives a slightly incorrect answer and is given electroshock treatment.
* ''Series/SamuraiGourmet'' is Japanese, but still manages to grab this trope because the "madam" of "The Demoness's Ramen" is a horrific Chinese lady. In fact, hers is the only meal of the series that Kasumi gets no pleasure from, and that's saying a lot.
* Miss Swan in ''Series/MadTV'' demands to be let into a store past closing hours, refuses to cooperate with pretty much anyone, and loudly and casually makes derogatory remarks about gay people, calling them "monkey in the bush". The actress who plays Swan claims the character is based on her Hungarian grandmother, and the TV execs claim she is based on Bjork, so the "Asian" ethnicity is not solidified -- but many suspect that these claims are to avoid accusations of yellowface and racism, rather than to provide insight for legitimate character background.

* Kanae Tsuji, a Japanese doctor from ''Videogame/TraumaCenter: New Blood'', is based on this type of character in American dramas.
%%* The female Panderans from ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' play this to the hilt.

* Dr. Yi Suchong in ''VideoGame/BioShock'' is a Korean MadScientist who has no regard for medical ethics and is a thoroughly unpleasant person.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Cookie Kwan is a minor ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' character -- as she puts it, #1 on the West Side (although she also works on the East Side... but stay out of the West Side!). She's been a minor recurring character ever since this appearance. In "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish", the Simpsons decide to try out the Happy Sumo Japanese restaurant. As they enter the front door:
-->'''Chefs:''' ''(holding up kitchen knives)'' ''IRASSHAIMASE!''\\
'''Simpson Family:''' ''AAAH!!''\\
'''Hostess:''' Please, do not be alarmed. Our chefs are just saying "Hello".\\
'''Homer:''' Oh, okay. ''(to chefs)'' ''HELLO!''\\
'''Chefs:''' ''AAAH!!''
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** Stewie recalls a MallSanta who was Asian and unpleasantly rude.
** Peter fights with Mr. Washee Washee, the Griffins' dry cleaner.

* Kahn and his family from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', who are Laotian, abuse people verbally on a consistent basis. In Kahn's case, though, it's not a simple clash of cultures; he really ''is'' a JerkAss who openly insults his neighbors by calling them hillbillies. Although in later seasons he mellows out significantly and even becomes friends with Hank. It's also explained that he's bipolar and his rude personality is a side effect of his medication. Kahn's daughter, Connie, averts this trope. She is very polite, and is frequently ashamed by her parents' rudeness (though she doesn't suffer fools gladly and can be pretty nasty to people who get on her bad side).
* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': Uncle is verbally caustic on a regular basis, even to his family, but there are occasions when he is extremely polite. Tohru's mother is also quite... acerbic, to say the least. It could simply be a case of ScrewPolitenessImASenior in their cases, though.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Lê Chiến Kim, confirmed to be of Vietnamese extraction by the show's creator, is a downplayed example in the first season. He has occasional JerkJock moments such as bullying Ivan over his crush on Myléne or needlessly antagonizing the zookeeper's new panther. The second season [[CharacterizationMarchesOn largely drops these moments]] in favor of showing Kim as a cheerful CloudCuckoolander.

This is in fact a relatively recent development. During the Imperial Era, China was referred to as the "land of ceremony and etiquette"--concepts which were exported to (and can still be found to some extent in) neighboring Korea and Japan, although these are generally not as rigorously applied there as they were in China. Traditional Chinese etiquette was born out of centuries-old Chinese religious practices, which are [[MindScrew notoriously multi-tiered systems]]. However, as China was being torn apart by Western powers and Japan during the New Culture Movement, there was a dedicated effort to "modernize" the country. The results were an overthrow of the monarchy, an attempt at simplifying the Chinese writing system, and the abandonment of many Chinese cultural elements such as highly formalized speech, traditional Chinese clothing, Chinese superstitions, and coming-of-age ceremonies. This was further exacerbated by the Communist Revolution, which viewed these rules as "bourgeois capitalist traits", and this trope was born as a result.

* Stand-up comic John Pinnette (who is quite fat) had a bit about being thrown out of an all-you-can-eat Chinese Buffet:

* Johnny Gat from the ''Videogame/SaintsRow'' games is a serial murdering gangster who swears like a sailor and is this trope at best to people he genuinely likes.

* Eddie Raja in ''VideoGame/UnchartedDrakesFortune'' is an Indonesian [[RuthlessModernPirates modern pirate]] who is heavily-prone to cursing in Bahasa Indonesian, mainly towards anyone who annoys him, [[HairTriggerTemper which happens...a lot.]]