Why Asian American males are sexually overlooked (undersexed) in the US - Term Paper Example

? WHY Introduction In out popular culture there is a tendency to assume sexual satisfaction equates with the size of sexual organs. Thus men assume alarge busted woman will be more passionate in bed White women tend to expect greater gratification with men who have a larger penis. Racially, black men on the average are considered to have the largest endowment, Asians the least and whites in between. Although this is probably true, the important thing from a sexual behavior point of view is the perception. Considering this, it should not be surprising that many women do not consider Asian males as likely prospects for sexual partnerships. Asian Birth Rates and its’ Consequences While sources indicate that Japan has a lower birth rate than China, both are very low with no signs of an imminent rebound.( East-West Center) Indeed, most of developed industrial Asia has decreasing birth rates. Even though war ravaged, Afghanistan has the highest birth rate in the region as it is the least developed. The more advanced countries such as Japan, South Korea, and China, after a period of rapid economic growth, are now slowing down. (Fogarty 2997) This means fewer employment opportunities for the young and well educated, including women. As in the West 2 incomes are required for a decent standard of living for young married couples, especially those with children. Also because Asian males are not inclined to share the burdens of domestic duties, women find it increasingly difficult to combine a fulfilling career with marriage and child rearing. Therefore, many have decided to chose one or the other, reducing the marriage rate and by extension the birth rate. If a woman decides to be a stay at home mom she would need to find a well heeled mate, difficult to do with income levels determined by age and experience. Although Japan has a very low marriage/birth rate it is slightly higher in rural than urban areas because extended families tend to live together and share the burden of child care. As well as decreasing birth rates, there is also a trend in Asia as there is in the West toward lower birth rates of males compared to females.( redOrbit 2008) Male births still outnumber female with the rates varying between 100 and 110 males for every 100 females. However, the gap is narrowing, possibly due to the effects of increased pollution. At first blush one would think that would give more opportunity for Asian males for permanent and casual relationships. The economic impediments of marriage and child rearing have been discussed above. In the case of casual sexual relationships it is difficult to find data but I think one can make reasonable assumptions based on demographic changes. With globalization and increased educational and career resulting from feminism, they are no longer dependent on marriage and support of local males. They are more able to pursue their own careers if they wish, chose not to marry and pursue sexual gratification with partners of other races who allegedly offer greater sexual prowess. Racial Humiliation as a Fetish The internet is flooded with sites catering to various fetishes including sexual, racial or both combined. A fetish is worship of an object/person because the worshipper attributes a potency or magical power to the object/person worshipped which they don’t have, or alternatively feel guilty because they have an excess of it. An example of the latter would be a powerful senior executive voluntarily surrendering and humiliating himself to a voluptuous leather clad mistress. In recent times it could be an Asian feeling inferior because of his small penis, submitting himself to being degraded by say a white or black mistress, in the hope if he does so well enough, the mistress will eventually reward him with some kind of sexual relief. It is difficult to explain the psychological need for fetish worship, but it seems to relate to an attempt to correct some kind of imbalance in one’s life. One website I saw was blatantly racist with a woman portraying herself as an Aryan mistress complete with Nazi swastikas degrading her “class” of blacks, Jews and Asians.( Racial Mistress.com) While role playing fetishes in themselves may be harmless, encouraging a racially based hierarchy has obvious social dangers. Japanese Bachelors A CNN website reported that a recent census done by the Internal Affairs Ministry found that there were 46.5% of young bachelors age 30 to 34 in Japan, compared to 8% in 1950.( CNN Travel 2011) About one third of women in the same age bracket were also unmarried. This fact of course helps explain Japan’s very low birth rate. However, according to the survey about 90 % of singles want to marry, which if true is probably higher than other Asian countries such as South Korea. This inability to find a life partner it reports is based on 2 factors, the unstable economy and difficulty in finding a suitable mate. Racial Comparisons of Self Esteem Some studies claim that Asians have low self esteem when compared to blacks and whites. However, Luczaj argues that this difference could be due more to how surveys pose their questions and to the perception of respondents from the different cultures. In other words, American whites and blacks tend to value consistency more than the Chinese so that if the former feel very good about their athletic/sexual prowess they may report positive self esteem even though they feel much less happy about a later question regarding their academic performance. In contrast, a Chinese student might indicate he is very happy about his academic ability but not happy with his athletic/sexual performance. The difference is that the Chinese student would more likely compartmentalize his responses, so that he would show high self esteem regarding academic ability and low self esteem with respect to athletic/sexual performance, rather than gloss over negative aspects in an effort to be consistent. Theses Chinese self assessments would however probably match the stereotypical expectation of many non Asians. Sex Norms of Asian Cultures In contrast to the individualistic culture of the US, Asian cultures tend to be more collectivist. In other words, sex there is seen more as the means of procreation rather than the source of erotic pleasure Ubillos, Parez and Gonzalez 2000). For example, sexually letting oneself go is seen as a source of masculine weakness in India, and in China there is a puritan sexual tradition which is against adultery, especially feminine. Although sex is viewed here as something natural without guilt connotations, at the same time it is seen as something to be ashamed of to openly talk about desires and sexual experiences. Of course when they immigrate to the US and elsewhere they bring this taboo attitude about discussing sex with them. The result is that young Asians from immigrant families tend to be relatively ignorant about sexual issues, and their lower rates of recorder HIV infection for example, are probably the consequences of failure to get tested as well as lower participation in casual sex. However, a recent conference in China indicates there is increasing tolerance by authorities for sexual activity once considered as deviant and outside the bounds of the law. ( Farrer and Stewart 2007) For example, formerly gays caught in sexual activity could prosecuted as hooligans. Now, although gay marriage is still not recognized by the state, gays are free to pursue their lifestyle and live together if they wish without fear of being charged. China’s liberalization of sexual rights could portend more liberalization of rights in general in the future and a shift to a more individualistic society. Asian Male Underrepresented in Porn While there are websites devoted exclusively to male Asian gay porn, they are underrepresented in mainstream heterosexual sites. One website alleged that this is simply a matter of oversupply of male stars in general combined with a lack of interest of Asian males to get into the industry.( answers.com) I take issue with this assertion. In general the porn industry caters to men as they tend to be more aroused by visual stimulation than women. Therefore male and female performers with the largest sexual endowment are usually preferred, that is men with a very large penis and women with a large bust and behind. Thus if Asian males are regarded as the least physically endowed race and considered asexual, it is hardly surprising they are underrepresented regardless of the passion they may bring to their roles. Myth of the Oriental Woman In contrast to the stereotypical effeminate Asian male, Western myths often portray Oriental women as beautiful exotic females with a voracious sexual appetite, often either in the style of gentle submissive geisha girls or strong dominant dragon ladies. ( Prasso 2005) However, the interracial appeal seems to go both ways since in addition to the allure of Oriental women for Western males, oriental women find Western men attractive as they feel not only can they provide better economic prospects for marriage, but also the freedom from the oppression of being controlled by men in strongly patriarchal societies. Historically, women in Asian cultures such as China have been taught by their culture that they are expected to be completely faithful to their male partner, that the sex act is only for procreation and if pleasure is derived from it, this should only be for the male partner, not their own. I happen to have been friendly for many years with a couple of mixed race. He was white and was an immigrant from the Philippines. The husband was interested in swinging ( in which couples openly exchange sexual partners) but even though dhe was an exotic dancer for many years, she resisted participation in this lifestyle. However, finally she relented and once she tried it, in addition to dancing, she not only became an enthusiastic swinger but also an escort (euphemism for prostitute). I suspect her initial reticence was because of her conservative heritage and her later embracing of open sexuality was due at least in part to a rebellion against this conservative heritage. Asian Underrepresented in Mainstream Media Asians, particularly males, tend to be underrepresented in mainstream media such as advertising, TV, magazines, and to a lesser extent film. When they are represented it is usually as a stereotypical caricature. Low representation in advertising tends to lower self esteem, especially in children.( Questia) Also when mainstream does use minority models in advertising the lowest representation is for Asian Americans, behind African Americans. While magazines targeting specific minorities had low representation of other minorities in their ads, those targeting Asian Americans had the highest representations of African American models. This low representation of minorities such as Asians in ads could hurt their efficacy since they do not see themselves portrayed and therefore are less likely to buy the advertised product. The stereotyping of Asians in the media affects how outsiders perceive them. In spite of more than 30 different ethnicities, Asian males are usually portrayed as a homogeneous group with one dimensional roles, such as waiters, cooks, servants, laundry workers, gangsters, nerd, villains, and kung fu masters furthering racism. Historical Context of How Asians are Shown in US Media While Asians for some time have constituted a significant minority in the US, many Americans have had little personal contact with them. Therefore their opinions are based on what the media, especially film and TV, depict.( Media Representations) Racial stereotypes, especially negative, originally come from actual historical events, but they crystallize into stereotypes with positive attributes ignored, depending on feelings arising from subsequent relations between the races. For example, no doubt the war against Japan in World War II caused Hollywood to pander to and foster anti Asian sentiment. Even though the war was only against Japanese Asians, the film industry did not differentiate between friend and foe and stigmatized all Asians as a homogeneous group. While I could not find reference to a movie of an evil Asian villain with a seductive daughter, theses stereotypical roles were certainly depicted separately. For example the film, Lethal Weapon 4, portrays a martial arts expert drug kingpin performing his criminal acts in a Chinatown, eventually taken out by a white and a black police officer. The stereotype of Asian males as undesirable romantic partners is fostered by the Joy Luck Club which depicts 4 Asian American women and their mothers all in failed relationships with their partners allegedly because of the latter’s coldness, money stinginess, abusiveness and/or promiscuity. Finally, the stereotyped image of Asian females as beautiful seductresses originated from the Western colonization of Asia, countries were women were possessed as commodities. This perception was reinforced by the US involvement in Asian wars when they were treated as prostitutes as in the film The World of Suzie Wong. No doubt at least some of these women in World War II were working as spies fo the Japanese giving rise to the notion that they were deceitful and evil Comparison with Depiction of Gay Asian Males While gay Asian males may not be portrayed in the above stereotypical roles to the extent straight Asian males are, this is only because there are fewer gay Asian roles at least in North American TV.( Espina 3012) Not only are there few minority roles including Asian, but there are also few LGBT roles in general. Therefore gay Asian actors suffer from both these handicaps. In fact G:LAAD ( The gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) representing the LGBT community in the media estimated the LGBT scripted characters in 2012 were 2.0% of all scripted regular characters on major US networks, so the proportion of gay Asian males would be even less. On top of that nearly all the roles obtained were not lead, but supporting. Finally, there is a perception in the non Asian community that most Asian males must be gay because in their eyes the stereotypical portrayal of Asian males is effeminate. Asian Media Portrayal of Asian Males In spite of extensive searching, I could not find Asian media portrayals of Asian males on the internet. The best I could do was an article by an Asian man living in San Francisco for CNN relating his dating experiences both within and outside his race.( Hung 2013) He states he initially only dated within his race as he found it easier with women being used to Asian habits different from American, He attributed difficulty dating outside his race to prejudice resulting from the Chinese Exclusion Act, the model minority myth of calculator toting conformists. and media portrayals of Asians as socially deficient sexless jesters. He then gave up his corporate career to pursue his real passions of cooking and writing. His success in these endeavors gave him a sense of direction and confidence which he found enamored him to other race women overcoming the handicap of his stereotyped racial image. Conclusion Even if there is some validity to the notion that Asians tend to have smaller endowment than other races, males sex appeal is not based solely on what a man has between his legs. Although not gay, I would expect this applies to the LBGT community as well. For one thing on a purely physical level, many women agree they get better organisms from receiving oral sex than vaginal. Secondly, since women are not as visually wired as men, their gratification depends at least as much on personality as physical traits. For example most experienced women like men who are confident but not arrogant, strong but gentle, decisive but willing to consider others’ views and a host of other personality trasits which can be at least as effective in arousing their interest as physiques. The media, especially films and TV, should play a bigger part in reducing stereotyped attitudes and giving Asians and other minorities more balanced, realistic, positive roles rough;y equivalent to their population proportions, This could start with the news media. Of course they have an obligation to report newsworthy negative stories involving minorities, but this should be balanced with positive ones say of rescues or outstanding community service. There should be more dram and comedy with multidimensional portrayals of minorities including Asian males, especially if they are based on actual positive incidents Of course, minorities should not be depicted as saints without flaws but in a variety of roles with positives as well as negatives. Public stereotypes will not change overnight, but I expect they will in time, and Asian men considered just as sexy as other races regardless of what their physical endowment happens to be. References 1). Espina, Alfonso “The Representations of Asians and LGBT in North America Youth Television” Huffpost Gay Voices April 11, 2013 retrieved from http://www.huntingtonpost.com/alfons-espina/minority_diversity_tv_b_1734532.html. 2). Farrer, James and Stewart, Devin “Chinese Sexual Culture” Policy Innovations July 2, 2007 retrieved from http//www.:policyinnovations.org/ideas/commentary/data/Chinese_sexual_culture 3) Fogarty, Phillippa “Gender Issues Key to Low Birth Rate” BBC News Nov. 20, 2007 retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/70960992.stm. 4).Hung, Michael “Opinion-Asian Americans can be Sexy too” CNN In America Feb. 20, 2013 retrieved from http://inamericablogscnn.com/2013/02/20/holdopinion_asian_men_can_be_sexy_too/ 5) Luczaj, Sarah “Self Esteem Across Cultures. The Chinese Dialectical Self” Nov. 2009 Counseling Resources retrieved from http://counselingservice.com/features/2009/11/10/self_esteem_across_cultures. 6).Sheridan, Praasso 2008 “The Asian Mystique” retrieved from http//:www.amazon.com/Asian_Mystique_Dragon_Ladies_Oriental. . 7). Ubilios, Silvia-Paez, Dario-Gonzalez, Jose Luis University of the Basque Country Culture and Sexual Behavior” Psicothema 2000 retrieved from http:///www.psicothema.com/pdf/339pdf. 8). Answers Entertainment and Arts retrieved from http.//wikianswers.com/Q/why_are%271_there_no_male_asian_straight_porn_stars 9) “Asian American Males in the Media” Media Presentations of Asians retrieved from http://sitemiku.umich.edu/psy457_tozzle/asian_american-men. 10). “Declining Male Birth Rate Baffles Scientists” retrieved from http//www.redorb.com/news/source//1412472/declining_male_birth_rate_baffles_scientists. 11) “Declining Birth Rate Raises Concerns in Asia” East-West Center retrieved from http:www.east-westcenter,org//news-center/east-west-wire/declining_rate_raising_concerns_in_asia 12)(, “Minorities in Advertising “ Questa retrieved from http://www.questra.com/communication/advertising_and_public _relations/ 13) “Racial Mistress-White Power” retrieved from http:racialmistree.com/?p=20. 14) “Survey- Half of Japans” Young Bachelors Just Cant Find a Wife” CNN Travel 2011 retrieved from http://travelcnn.com/tokyo/survey_half__japans_single_men_cant_find_wife_721251.. . . . . Read More