Bling Empire and Soup's Conversation

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    After watching a few episodes of Bling Empire, I wasn't sure what to make of it. My bias towards reality TV shows may be clouding my judgement, but personally, I felt uncomfortable watching the cast member's extravagant lifestyle and (in my opinion) ridiculous feuds over jewelry. The representation of Asian Americans that the show was offering did not sit well with me. Knowing that all of them received money only through inheritance rather than their occupation makes me somewhat resentful of them rather than admiring them. Coming from a somewhat poor family makes me believe that being a hard worker comes with its own benefits besides money. This show overall just conflicted with my personal beliefs surrounding money and luxurious living. 

    I really enjoyed listening to Soup and hearing what he had to say about his experience being Lao in a predominately Hmong community. Everything that he was saying was relatable to my experiences as a Thai American living in a mainly white neighborhood. The cultural aspects that he brought up made me really think about whether or not I want to acknowledge and/or carry on the traditions that my parents have shown me. After class, I immediately called my mom telling her that she MUST teach me Thai so that I have something to offer my kids one day. I feel as though my sudden acknowledgement of my culture and primary language will bring me closer to my family, as well as give me more insights of what it truly means to be a Thai American. 

    Connecting Soup's talk with Bling Empire, I would have appreciated more cultural contexts and incorporations to offer the audience more than the luxuries and "dramas" of being rich. 

Comments

  1. Ethan SwansonFebruary 28, 2021 at 4:43 PM

    I definitely agree with you that the thing that annoyed me most about Bling Empire was how ungrateful the people seemed about their money. I also come from a relatively poor family that really values hard work. I do think that the show does somewhat flesh out Asian American representation and it might end up being a good thing overall.

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  2. Nina AustriaFebruary 28, 2021 at 8:50 PM

    It was definitely interesting seeing the stars fight over things like jewelry; while watching I found myself thinking a lot about how much of the fights were scripted / what was real and what wasn't. I'd really like to believe that the stars were told to act ungrateful and petty for the sake of entertainment.

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  3. Ace BMarch 9, 2021 at 7:03 PM

    I also agree with Nina I think the spotlight was given to Asian Americans but they were puppets to Hollywood. I also wouldn’t agree that this is the best form of Asian representation I think this is what America would like to stream globally to show off their wealth and lifestyle, playing into this desire that America is such a great country.

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  4. AmyMarch 21, 2021 at 10:38 PM

    I wonder what you thought about the article's claim that, because the show insisted on depicting Asian Americans like every other reality show did, that it was an important moment in the mainstreaming of Asian American identity on screen. So the people in Bling Empire are no different then people on shows like Keepin Up with The Kardashians or Jersey Shore and that this is what is remarkable about the show. It is an all Asian American cast show but the people in the show but the depictions of people in the show are true to genre and, thus, not stereotypical at all.

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