I have to admit that I was briefly amused when I first watched William Hung shake his bon-bon and sing his heart out in hopes of being the next American Idol only to be met with a cold, horrified and stony silence from Paula, Simon and Randy. It was then that I started to feel a small, miniscule twinge of guilt for laughing.

Obviously, I was not laughing with him. But, hey, he had been rejected and the season was still young. Eventually, the guilt disappeared. Hung went home, and the show went on. And that, my fellow readers, is where it should have ended.

Yet somehow, it did not. What promptly ensued instead was a rash of fan sites, record deals, talk show appearances, campus performances, merchandise and even an online petition of over 100,000 signatures to send Hung to Hollywood. Why the mania?

The most obvious common thread and underlying motivation behind those who most publicly perpetuate the Hung phenomenon is obvious – money. Let us remind ourselves that we not only live in an extremely money-driven economy, but also in an entertainment climate people will do anything, no matter how soulless, to make a buck. For today, let us focus and consider the deeper, more disturbing and often over-looked motivations that are dogging on this bewildering mania.

Let us first examine the image of William Hung. Obviously, he is an Asian American. Oh, and he can’t sing. So far, he’s not very profitable, now is he? Now throw in the fact that he has a Chinese accent, buckteeth, dorky fashion sense, a non-existent sex life, a future career as an engineer and an overall awkwardness. The end result? The stereotypical Asian male. If Hung spoke perfect English and looked like the Asian Brad Pitt, would he have gained such popularity? No.

The difference is that Hung falls into the negative stereotype of the Asian male during a time when it is apparently still okay to laugh hysterically and poke fun at the accented Asian foreigner. If Hung were Latino or black, the media would not dare make a joke out of him. The repercussions would be huge. So why is it okay and acceptable by the vast majority of the media, television viewers and even some in the Asian American community for such degradation to go on?

Many of Hung’s fans will go as far as to say that they are laughing with him and not at him. After all, Hung appears to be having a good time, is profiting and has also publicly stated that he hopes he can use the current momentum to help develop his future career as a musical artist. Now tell me, what exactly is so funny about the former that would have millions of people laughing with him? Do people laugh with Britney as she has a good time, profits and works on future albums? I don’t think so. Let’s face it, America – William Hung is being laughed at.

Furthermore, as an Asian American myself, it horrifies me that William Hung is possibly the most public representative of Asian American people for the vast majority of the American population. It probably wouldn’t be so bad if there were more positive images of Asians in the media. But aside from the high SAT- scoring Asian nerd in the high school movie or the Kung-Fu master/martial arts god, this segment of our society is pretty much invisible.

Hung’s popularity is a perpetuation of the negative Asian male stereotype as well as a huge roadblock in the never-ending quest for the embracement of diversity and pursuit of equality. Ridicules like this are a sign that our country is backtracking instead of moving forward.

Fortunately, the Hung phenomenon will inevitably die into a vast sea of 15- minute stardom. And when that time comes, I can only hope that people will realize the extent of their ignorance. As for William Hung, maybe he is the one laughing at us for our foolishness. But either way, it is a twisted tale that I hope people will someday look back at in shame.

Jennifer Choi is a senior in English. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].