Teen Wolf Teaches Its Teen Viewers

For those who are as big of fans of the MTV series Teen Wolf as I am, you might have noticed that the episode aired on March 3, 2014 gave a brief history lesson. In this episode, one of the main character’s mothers tells a story about her experience in a Japanese Internment camp in 1943. Her mother essentially called on an evil trickster fox spirit to help save her life in the relocation center called Oak Creek. Now this spirit is wreaking havoc on everyone in the town of Beacon Hills. In essence, Teen Wolf was trying to connect factual American history with Japanese folklore. (CLICK HERE to watch part 1 of the episode)

            It is understandable that certain details about actual Japanese Internment were not divulged in this episode because of filming aspects such as running time, editing and of course plot. In reality, what was portrayed during this episode was quite inaccurate. In the scenes that flashed back to life in the camps, all of the characters were highly done up with traditional 1940’s hair and makeup, glam and very nice clothes. It was also depicted that the living conditions in internment camps were adequate enough for the internees such that they lived in spacious bungalows, organized living quarters and comfortable arrangements. Once again, it is logical for MTV production teams to do this for the purpose of aesthetic value; however, the conditions within the internment camps were far from this glamorous and satisfactory.

            Typically, WRA camps were poorly structured in which circumstances were cramped to say the least, with thousands of Japanese-American citizens in one camp and too many assigned to one barrack. Necessities were also scarce; detainees only brought with them what was necessary or what they could personally carry at one time. The barracks were military style wooden establishments with no plumbing and poor insulation. As a result of absent plumbing, the ground would often fill up with septic fluid and water causing muddy terrain. Due to extensive supply rationing of all of the camps, food shortages became routine, thus along with these meager environments, internees were also not getting the proper nutrition. Although Teen Wolf did show some of the scarcity of supplies, it did not show to what extent the internees were actually suffering. 

            The Teen Wolf series on MTV predominantly has a demographic of teenagers who are in junior high or high school. In general, exposure to Japanese Internment seen in this episode was probably the first time its viewers had ever heard of Japanese Internment during World War II; there is little taught in schools about Asian American history as well as racism experienced by other ethnic or racial groups other than African Americans. Nevertheless, African American history in schools is not comprehensively explained.   It is not until students arrive to college or university and learn about the actual marginalization of Asian Americans, or another race for that matter. As a result, it is difficult for American society to develop any racial consciousness.

             People continue to be unaware and somewhat ignorant about racial consciousness because of the lack of education in schools; therefore, even the present-day conditions of Asian Americans are not recognized by the general public. Asian Americans are now seen as extremely smart, successful and self-reliant; however, this notion only promotes their exploitation and oppression. There is a sense of denial of the Asian American experience within American society. In addition, the lack of education on the history of Asian Americans furthers this misperception among different racial groups. It is no surprise that a television show made for teenagers will be one of the only opportunities for the truth to emerge. And even so, the information given during this episode of Teen Wolf is not that accurate, which does not aid in the hope for eradication of the racist views about Asian Americans.

 Teen Wolf fell a bit short last week by combining the tragedy of the Japanese-American experience of internment with Japanese mythology. While it made for good TV and an epic episode, the harsh reality still remains: Japanese Internment was not at all an isolated incident. It was a continuation of ostracism occurring throughout history and Asian Americans continue to be marginalized, exploited and dismissed.