Paramount Apologizes for “The Goods
August 22nd, 2009 | Published in In The News
Following widespread protest from Asian-American advocacy groups such as JACL and MANAA, Paramount has issued a public apology for a scene in Jeremy Piven’s The Goods. The scene in question “humorously” depicts the lynching of an Asian-American man by car salesmen, evoking memories in the community to the real-life murder of Vincent Chin by Detroit auto workers.
Adam Goodman, President and CEO of Paramount, contacted the JACL following the controversy:
“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.”
Paramount pulled all advertising material for the film using the scene in question and has agreed to meet with leaders in the Asian-American community to foster continuing dialogue on the issue.
The protest itself occurred in front of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles and was a joint effort by several Asian-American groups, including the JACL, MANAA, and Racebending.com.
See below for detailed coverage:
ABC Local News Coverage
Angry Asian Man: Protest The Goods
The Nikkei View: Paramount Offers Apology
MANAA: Pictures from the Protest
