Ken Jeong: “Community”

By: Guadalupe R.

Ken Jeong is an Asian American actor, comedian, and physician that portrays Benjamin Chang in the NBC comedy show, Community. The Asian character, Ben Chang, which is portrayed in this show, does not really fit the ‘model minority’ role (stereotype) that is mostly played by Asians throughout the media.  

In the show, Ben Chang is a dynamic character that continuously changes through the progression of the show. He is an interesting character that at times is portrayed as outgoing, narcissistic, and loud; while other times, he is portrayed as an unbalanced man with serious issues of self-pity and depression.  And neither of those personalities, expresses the model minority stereotype of the typical shy, academic, and submissive Asian that is mostly presented on screen.

Chang’s portrayal of employment also defines the model minority stereotype in the sense that Mr. Chang is not a successful Asian with a distinguished career. In fact, Mr. Chang had false teaching credentials which he used to work as a spanish teacher in Greendale Community College. After being fired for false information –he enrolled as a student in Greendale in hopes to obtain his real teaching credentials. However, after being divorced and left ‘homeless’ he became the campus security guard. As a security guard Mr. Chang created a ‘regime’ among the students where things had to be done his way. After being fired again, he began working in a sandwich shop.

Mr. Chang’s character is evidently different from the Asian characters that the American public is used to seeing; especially since most Asians have successful jobs in the medical and dental fields (as is the case for Ken Jeong- who is in real life a licensed medical doctor). But why is it that the director of this show was not heavily criticized like the director from the film, “Better Luck Tomorrow”? Is it because they are two completely different genres that must portray Asians differently?

I would say, yes, a comedy show is much more lenient on its roles and expectations. Is it fair? Probably not, since any genre has the ultimate purpose to -entertain.