THE INFLUENCE OF FICTIONAL NARRATIVES ON REALITY: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE - ANALYSIS OF RACIAL STEREOTYPES IN AH BOYS TO MEN AND AH BOYS TO MEN 2

Abstract

The Cultivation Theory (Gerbner & Gross, 1976) is but one of numerous theories warning of the affective power of media in influencing reality. Through the repackaging of pre-existing attitudes, “comfortable fictions” (Holte, 1984, p. 101) are created for the target audience. Considering Singapore’s tumultuous history in maintaining harmony across her heterogenous cultural landscape, it is significant to consider how local films may be racially coded and proliferating racialised narratives in society. In seeking to uncover racial stereotypes found in Jack Neo’s Ah Boys to Men and Ah Boys to Men 2, this paper conducts a critical discourse analysis utilising Deleyo’s (1991) theory of focalisation and linguistic theories of cooperation, linguistic politeness and impoliteness to investigate how Neo constructs racialised identities and positions them in relation to each other. Upon analysis, Neo is revealed to elevate the status of Chinese characters as smart, skilful and successful in comparison to characters of minority races that are portrayed pejoratively and introduced as comedic embellishments. Malays are normalised as foolish and incompetent and PRCs are alienated as foreign, selfish and unwelcome in society. Tokenistic inclusions of minority characters and the repackaging of xenophobic sentiments as comedy lulls observers into perceiving the film as racially inclusive and racialised jokes as harmless, engendering prejudice against minority races and normalising narratives of minority races as supporting embellishments of the Chinese-majority. Given the affective influence of media over reality, these narratives are likely to be internalised by the films’ observers and translated into their day-to-day perceptions. In Singapore’s bid to maintain a harmonious multiracial society, it is crucial that citizens are taught to be sensitive to narratives that perpetuate unhelpful or hurtful categorisations and generalisations. By being critically aware, even hurtful and discriminatory narratives may be reflected upon by observers and utilised as conversational topics for the betterment of society.