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GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Are AA Women the Real Victims of Prejudice?
sian women get a free ride at the expense of Asian men. That's the received wisdom here in the U.S. This belief appears premised on the suspicion that American society sees Asian women as sexy exotics in need of rescuing from the cold clutches of Asian men who don't know how to smile except evilly.
The real victim?
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Credit Hollywood for its tireless casting of Asian women as sexual accessories to white heroes while suppressing the very existence of Asian men except as unsavory paper tigers. Credit too the TV networks that uncover bevies of talking Asian women but rarely their male counterparts.
In fairness this media fantasy of the Asian race was partly inspired by recent history. Devastated and impoverished Asian nations sent tens of thousands of war brides and orphans, followed by several million desperate immigrants willing to hock their identities while toiling to build new lives.
Male-dominated societies toast new women as exotic sexual prospects while suppressing new men as an exploitable lower class or even enemy aliens. The women get all the breaks and the men get all the lumps. Even worse, the women have their heads turned and adopt a scornful attitude toward their own men. So goes the complaint of some AA men.
The women have a different take. Sexual predators bearing insulting stereotypes must be fended off while coping with women who see them as unfair competitors. Add to that the pain of being scorned as sellouts by AA men for no more reason than their apparent welcome by American society. Worst of all, complain AA women, is being begrudged the right to take simple pleasure in their own identities. How much easier just to face straightforward racial prejudice!
Do Asian women really have an easier time in America? Or do they suffer from the double-whammy of insulting stereotypes from non-Asians and unfair persecution from Asian men?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:55 AM)
As I see the opinions here in this website there are many AM opinions that scream resentment towards Asian women. And I think this creates discord among us. Some of the digs you take at us are subtle (I won't name names), while others are obvious.
First, AF are called sell-outs whenever they have ideological opinions that part from their AM. Second, AF are chastised by AM if they date non-Asians. Third, AF actresses are ostracized if they play roles oppositing WM.
First, there are few highly visible AF (like Michelle Malkin) that do have opinions that part from the Asian community in general. Yet, they are only a minority. They do not represent the majority of us AF. But whenever such an AF appears, all hell breaks loose and all the AM starts screaming anti-AF sell-out rhetoric. It's like we're all blamed for something a small number does. AF don't do this to their AM when an Asian brother sells-out the Asian community. And that does happen. Just as there are AF sell-outs, there are AM sell-outs. There is a significant number of AM who bash AF and the Asian community in general. But AF bear the brunt of your resentment. Keep in mind most of us are on your side, AM.
Also, when an AF have an opinion that parts from AM, it is not necessarily selling AM out. Please don't label every difference as a lack of loyalty to you. We can't all have the same, identical viewpoint. We are different in our gender and experience, so our perspectives are different. We, AF, respect your opinions, AM. And we ask that you please respect ours, especially when it differs.
Second, it is tiresome to keep seeing opinions that label AF as sell outs when they date non-Asians. How come AF get so much crap from AM for this? AF don't chastise their Asian brothers for dating non-Asians. And from reading the countless opinions here in this website, many AM here simply want white women. So why complain and complain about AF & WM when the many AM here just want WF? Also, the number of AF dating WM really isn't as large as it is exaggerated to be. Most AF prefer AM. I, personally, love AM. I find AM the most charming and compatible for myself. And everywhere I look I see Asian-Asian couples. So please stop eyeing the few that are out-dating and focus on the many of us here standing by your side. (And even those who are out-dating, that alone does not mean they're sell-outs.)
(Some of my AM friends have admitted that they prefer WF and would pursue them exclusively if only there was a larger market for AM-WF dating. They resent AF for having more opportunities to out-date.) Is that the motive behind the many AM who screams "sell-out, sell-out, sell-out" whenever they see AF & WM paired? ……they're jealous?
Third, please stop hating every AF actress who play roles oppositing non-Asian men in the media. They're just actresses playing a part produced, directed and written by someone else. They're not the source behind the idea. They're just trying to work. Also, there are many films that have AM oppositing WF and other non-Asian females but no one seems to scream "sell-out, sell-out, sell-out." And in some of those movies where AM & WF are paired, the AF are bashed to compliment the AM & WF relationship.
Also, do we bash AM for playing negative roles? For instance, do we bash that Asian actor in Sixteen Candles for playing a crappy role that denigrates AM? No. We know he has limited opportunities. So please afford the same empathy for the AF counterparts.
One person here wrote that AF are now experiencing some kind of "mainstream acceptance" today in relation to reasons behind the few AF selling-out. But sell-outs will be sell-outs regardless and there are just as many AM sell outs as there are AF sellouts. Yeah, there are more opportunities for AF in the media, but those roles aren't leading ones. The AF is like a foil. She's there second to the male protagonist. But in Asian movies where AM are paired with WF, the AM is the hero, the protagonist. So even though AF have a relatively larger representation in Hollywood, to call it "mainstream acceptance" is totally a gross exaggeration.
Also, someone here posted something very true about the way AF are portrayed in Asian media. Courses in college taught me that Hollywood is selling out AF as Suzy Wong prostitutes. But this is also true in Asian media. In Chinese films, AF are sexualized, portrayed as really dumb, or other times demonized as the villain. Given these options, being portrayed as sexy and desirable aren't so bad.
To say that AF are experiencing "mainstream acceptance" is a skewed perception. True, there are relatively more positive images of AF in the media. However there are countless negative depictions of AF that continue to co-exist with the relatively positive ones. AF are more often portrayed in Hollywood as dumpy, un-attractive foreigners than anything else. Most often, AF are depicted as inferior to WF and white people in general.
For instance, there is a current commercial on MTV where a young, shapely blonde gives a business lecture to a middle-aged, unattractive Asian woman. It is a five-minute clip and the Asian woman is made out to look ridiculous in contrast to the "smart blonde." On the Lifetime Channel -- a network supposedly catering to all women -- only white women are celebrated in their interviews and shows. One of their shows, "Strong Medicine," has female doctors of all races -- except Asian. Asian women appear in that show only as patients and people with problems that the white female doctors "fix." Moreover, in "Gilmore Girls," Rory (a white female protagonist) is constantly depicted as smarter than every girl around her -- including her Korean gal-friend who regularly spouts "I hate math; I'm not cut out for science" and the like. These are only a few examples. There are plenty far worse.
A few AM have said, "but there's more positive representations of AF than AM." And that's true. But remember, it's all relative. And we, AF, aren't leaving you behind in any form. And even with this relatively more positive image of us, we (the majority) still love you, still dating you, still married to you, still fighting for justice along side you.
Also, the more positive representations of us in mainstream media is a relatively recent development. We have largely been hated by mainstream society throughout history. The number of WM liking AF has never been significant. Sure, it's increased today, but it still is much smaller than it is exaggerated to be.
I mean, sure, it is nice to see that we are appreciated in the media. But this appreciation is only a very thin slice. The current positive images of us are not some ruling ideology that requires imminent dismantling. And another thing, images in the media change in time, so who knows how long the positive images of AF will even last. So please find it in your heart to give us a break.
We are not leaving you behind in any way. We love you.
Asian Female Perspective
Wednesday, May 15, 2002 at 01:41:24 (PDT)
T.H. Lien,
My point was that ABC and HK girls are equally horny and open to petting, or at least from my experience. I was just stating that what you are seeing in HK is due to lack of privacy in general on the island.
"Back to square one."
Now I'm lost. About why HK think ABC girls are easy? Or About why HK girls are equally easy as their ABC counterparts?
AC Dropout
Tuesday, May 14, 2002 at 15:42:20 (PDT)
Hannybunbun, I think the two main factors in negative images of any race are probably not having any exposure to people of other races, and what you pick up or are taught by your parents. The media to a lesser extent.
curious girl
Tuesday, May 14, 2002 at 10:53:55 (PDT)
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