On Aug. 21, Adam Goodman, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures, issued an apology to the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) for “racially demeaning language” in its recently released film, “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard.”
The apology was given in response to JACL’s expressed disapproval of the racial slurs present in the film as well as a comically depicted hate crime scene against an Asian American salesman.
“On behalf of the studio, I want to extend our sincerest apologies to the Japanese American Citizens League and the greater Asian American community for the racially demeaning language used in the scenes depicted in the film,” stated Goodman in an e-mail to national executive director and CEO of the JACL, Floyd Mori.
“We are encouraged that Paramount recognized its error in using a racial slur and violence against Asian Americans as comedy … this movie indicates that there is an ongoing need for groups such as the JACL to be vigilant in the fight against discrimination,” responded Mori.
Some of the other groups that joined the JACL in issuing objective statements to the racial depictions in the movie are the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC). The JACL is the nation’s largest and oldest Asian American civil rights and community advocacy organization. ♦