KevJumba

KevJumba, real name Kevin Wu, is one of the top subscribed YouTubers of all time. He began making videos back in 2007 and currently has a little over 2 million subscribers. Known for his hilarious video blogs addressing a wide variety of topics, KevJumba, had his start in the YouTube industry by a simple upload entitled “I have to deal with stereotypes.”

Though he may encounter such stereotypes, coming from a Chinese background himself, it isn’t true for all Asians. While he comically does his best to defend the fact that he isn’t cheap, a nerd, and does have a social life, he does insinuate the absurdness of the general concept of stereotypes. In addition, he discusses stereotypes that other cultures may carry as well. With over 3 million views, the video was featured on YouTube ultimately boosting his YouTube career.

Over the years we see KevJumba begin to stray from the Asian stereotype rants and tackle other subjects. While his videos do vary, he nevertheless mentions Asian stereotypes in a humorous manner. In “Ask KevJumba,” his second most viewed video with over 14 million hits, he famously refers to the different grading scale Asians use compared with those who aren’t Asian (see time 0:48-2:12).

In most of his videos, a life sized poster of Yao Ming, a Chinese basketball player he commonly refers to as his hero, is also featured on his wall. With a recent reference to him wanting to be a Korean popstar and featuring famous reoccurring Asian American guests in his videos such as Jeremy Lin, Justin Chon, and Jamie Chung, KevJumba never forgets his Asian culture. Having been featured on the CBS News, The Amazing Race, and Cartoon Network, KevJumba has definitely risen in popularity over the years. He has even started a second YouTube channel, JumbaFund, in order to raise money for charities.

His first couple of videos dealing with stereotypes did receive some mixed reviews. While some of his viewers completely agreed with the Asian stereotypes, many got upset at the rest of the mentioned stereotypes that dealt with other races. On the other hand, one viewer was in complete agreement with the said French stereotype,

“I’m French and snails are my favorite food. I’m such a stereotype. ”

However, another viewer wrote,

“I don’t think any of this is true.”

As shown by these two examples, whether these stereotypes are true or not depends on the individual themselves. Perhaps one’s personal experiences actually addresses these issues and perhaps not.  As an Asian myself, I can hardly recall being described as cheap, a nerd, and lacking a social life. Maybe I’ve been called a nerd, but this isn’t true and is based entirely off the idea that all Asians are smart. This is not to say that I don’t identify with any of these stereotypes, I’ve definitely known other Asians that fit one or two of these descriptions, but this is based on their own experiences. Some come from a fairly wealthy family and others do not. Some take their education seriously and others don’t try as hard in school. The accuracy of stereotypes pertaining to one’s life depends on his or her surroundings and experiences, not on one’s race in general.

As time went on however, KevJumba did make it clear that his videos were not meant to be taken seriously. Though he doesn’t always have the complete support of all his viewers on every issue discussed, the general feeling of his Asian themes videos is that they are all quite entertaining. Though he vlogs on other topics, he always finds a way to bring it back to Asian American issues, the true reason for his fame. What are your thoughts on the way he approaches these issues? Is it discriminating against his own race when he uses such stereotypes? Or is it okay for him to use them because he is Asian himself?