On Air Now
The Capital Weekender with Kem Cetinay 7pm - 10pm
Netflix's Rim of The World is being called out for 'racist' jokes in the movie
30 May 2019, 18:50
'Rim of The World' on Netflix is being criticised for problematic stereotypes and jokes about Black and Asian people.
Netflix viewers have criticised the platform's latest sci-fi thriller, Rim of The World, for jokes and stereotypes deemed to be problematic by some. Rim of The World tells the story of a group of kids at a summer camp who team up to save the world when an alien invasion hits Earth.
Viewers are calling the film "racist" and "cringy" for jokes and stereotypical depictions of Black and Asian characters. In particular people have called out comments and jokes made to an Asian character named ZhenZhen.
In one scene, the main character Alex addresses ZhenZhen in Mandarin and the film's subtitles refer to her as "fair princess" for no good reason. Another moment sees a camp counselor (played by Vine star Kingbach) yell and gesture wildly because he assumes ZhenZhen cannot speak English.
Some viewers have reacted strongly, calling out the way other characters spoke to and treated ZhenZhen early on in the film.
Started RIM OF THE WORLD. A kid says "excuse me" (literally: " I'm sorry") to a little Chinese spy and it's translated as "I offer greetings my fair princess" and then when he says his name "I humbly submit my name is Alex." You know what we Chinee call that? FUCKING RACIST.
— Walter Chaw 周瑜 (@mangiotto) May 26, 2019
Rim of the World on @netflix is one of those movies that still thinks it’s ok to make fun of Chinese or Japanese people. I’m watching it with my kid and even he said “That’s kind of racist.”.
— Swamp Thang! (@fatserpico) May 25, 2019
Ok Netflix let’s not with the Asian racism on Rim of the World. Skip this racist trash everybody.
— Familiar Darkness Coming Soon!! (@FamiliarComic) May 29, 2019
i had such high expectations for rim of the world when i first saw the asian girl but they just ended up forcing stereotypes on her and making SO MANY racist jokes about her ethnicity 😐 netflix do better
— 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐧 (@bashlacroix) May 28, 2019
The film's apparent comic relief, Dariush, was also a point of contention for some.
The first time we meet the character of Dariush, he is literally dancing to Lil' Pump's "Esketit" while wearing a gold chain and silk two-piece. Viewers expressed the belief that the Black people on screen were being portrayed as "caricatures".
Rim of the World on Netflix: white male scribe creates obnoxious black male charaxs who make racist comments to all-knowing Asian charax and then black charaxs make faux political comedic commentary about race. R u serious? No thanks!!!
— Keith Josef Adkins (@keithjosef) May 26, 2019
I feel like I should be enjoying #Netflix rim of the world, but I’m not. It’s stereotyping is off putting. Especially with the black characters.
— EBE (@look316430099) May 25, 2019
Rim of the World (Netflix) is racist.
— The New FERRARI SHEPPARD (@stopbeingfamous) May 27, 2019
Rim of the world is so overly casually racist idk whether to laugh or cry
— summer! will be back after the 16th (@mapofnamjoon) May 25, 2019
Aside from complaints about problematic jokes and stereotypes in the film, people also called out the fact that the cast was so young and yet the dialogue was overly sexual in some parts.
