All Comments on 'Orientalism and 'Yellow Fever''

I'm a dull white dude, and hope what's dull about me in Anglo American culture (intellectual, workaholic, and family-oriented) would make me exciting/worthwhile for a woman of Oriental ancestry.

I like the contrast in physiques and values between us, hoping a spark of passion and mutual respect/enjoyment can make a lifelong romance happen, something I think very unlikely with Anglo women.

I've become prejudiced against women from my own background because they don't appreciate my qualities, and they don't offer me the opportunity to explore new worlds and philosophies.

Sure, there's a few Anglo women interested in Buddhism and otaku culture, but they're rare birds. Unfortunately, the ones I've encountered are merely having a bit of a larf honking off their parents before returning to Anglo standards of romance.

Anyhow, my two cents on the subject. I liked the historical retrospective as the culture s have encountered each other.

I like the Indian Canadian comedian Russell Peters' routine about "you can run but you can't hide from the brown man." "We gonna fuck you, literally, and it might as well be now, since sooner or later, we will get to do it...since there are over 2.5 BILLION of us Brown folks..." <p>

I didn't mean to start out giggling over the notion that Rudyard Kipling was an "illustrious" man... it's just that it sounds so funny... since my conception of that brother was a neanderthal with a pen in his breast pocket who goes around writing about how the neanderthals are supposed to be the smart guardians of everyone else... and what they needed to do in order to carry out the various grandoise plans to make sure the glorious neanderthalensis line of descent keeps its glorious past even as it moves ahead to prepare the species for inter-stella traveling.... <p>

Or something like that... But in any event, Russell Peters vulgarity about the brown man eventually fucking everyone else, until they too are more or less brown, is really true: with the Indian population rising to the 1.5B mark in the next 2-3 generations, and with the Chinese (although plateuing off) still reaching that same mark in the next 2 generations, too... that combination, of just two Asian countries, is roughly over 40% of the world's total population. <p>

And when you throw in close to 300M Indonesians, 100M+ Japanese, close to 100M Koreans, close to 100M Thais, 100M+ Vietnamese, 100M+ Philippinos, 200M+ Pakistanese, so on and so forth.... The Asians will either cannibalize each other, starve to death, or take over much of the world... if not like what my ancestor, the Great Khan, did in the 12th century... than through mind-boggling DEMOGRAPHY... <p>

The world will unlike ever again to see a time, or place, where a few million Dutch or Portugese or bloody Brits controlling --- as absolute masters --- hundreds and hunbreds of millions of Indians and Chinese...<p>

'Tis why many Whites, especially Conservatives who want to "take America back" and "return her to the 1700s," during the real Boston Tea Party era...... 'tis why they are so nostalgic for those "good ole days" when they reigned supreme... here in America, as well as elsewhere in the world.... and all they had to do was reach for the little whip and dozens of Indians and Chinese were scattering, kowtowing.... asking for direction to go... to make themselves "useful" to their Rudyard Kipling masters....

Thanks for the history lesson, but you describe a different world from the one I know and lived.

Let's start with lumping a group of linguistically, culturally, and historically distinct people into the oriental category. This is about as useful as discussing Europeans as caucasians. Yes, they are, but Germans are not Swedes who are not Irish who in turn are not French. They have different languages, cultures, and traditions. Laughably, the English language is most likely what Asians have in common, besides brown eyes.

Would you call Jet Li an emasculated Asian male to his face? Maybe when I was a kid, but like my childhood, those times are long gone. Girls like taller guys, so our stereotypical Asian guy will likely have a small handicap, but good looking guys seem to do OK everywhere. At least judging by the muscular, tall, and undeniably Asian guy with the hot girlfriend at the gym. I knew a missionary (caucasian female) who married a Japanese guy. This isn't the 1950s.

I have to laugh at the objections to people preferring the way some women look. I don't hear the same objection to Rod Stewart's obsession with blondes who look like his first wife. We all have our preferences. All Asians do not look alike and some gentlemen do not prefer blondes.

The submissive Asian woman myth - where ever did that come from? Since I objected to the lumping of all Asians together, lets stick with the Japanese. Are you familiar with the terms honne and tatemae, perhaps simplistically expressed as reality and facade? Japanese women are

generally polite in public, which is not the same as saying they all like or respect you personally. It also does not remotely mean they are not every bit bitch on wheels when the situation calls for that. It is just done privately, not publicly.

Last, the so-called war brides. Since the overwhelming majority of our military personnel were male, many single and of marriageable age, it isn't surprising to me that the majority of marriages were with foreign women. It takes a determined and brave girl to give up her language, country,

customs, friends and even family to go to a strange country with a guy she might not really know all that well. I've been blessed and honored to have that experience. It's lasted 35 years, I hope for 35 more. She's still cute, funny and charming, but submissive? Hah! She's not interchangeable

with any other woman on the planet.

Some stereotypes, like the guy teaching English and ending up with a really cute girl - well, it is like the lottery. Every once in a while, somebody wins.

None of this disproves your thesis. My experience has been different.

you'd have more people on the end of the tale if those intellectuals hadn't got here first.

Of course we don't have to be totally paranoid. Two reasons. The first guy that accidentally found himself in Japan(Willy Adams;1600)was so well received he never wanted to go home. The other? My sobrinos are a quarter Japanese and (like me)a bit of Norwegian and a lot of Scot. If that's the racial soup we're creating I ain't scared of it. Is this a relevant comment? Maybe not...Mancelt.

I skimmed most of your essay but the deal with the china doll view of asian women is really played out. Its mostly used now to shame western men who stray from the flock of western women. While they themselves can play about with whomever they wish or not, as with... Asian men.

They get the shaft often because most western women discriminate against them going for "tall dark and handsome", which usually varies in its exact definition of males each generation. Western women also don't do too well overseas because they've grown into the feminist mindset with everything should be "their way or the highway". Mix that in with a patriarchal asian male and its a non starter for a relationship other than a one night stand. American women don't have a stellar reputation as wife material overseas and now at home many western men are looking overseas. Apparently that makes them racist, looking for just a sex doll mate. Not you know, a partner who isn't likely to treat them like a mule then chuck them out the door when no longer needed (can get most of the cash earned in the marriage).

I started by reading every word in the first paragraph. By the end of the first page, I was skimming. It wasn't worth finishing the essay. You severely over analyze the topic. Interracial porn is simple. Opposites attract. Opposing skin tones in porn make each actor strand out more vividly during the scene. If you find bigotry in an erotic story, then by all means call the author on it, but connecting the entire genre to sweeping accusations of racism is unfounded. It's 2010. Get over your grudge and have some fun.

You would have seen that the current stories are black masters and white whores not White men/Masters and poor yellow girls. Thailand & other sex spots are not about white domination over the East but simply male over female.

Very thoughtful. It's a shame that for some people, the interracial category is really just code word for eroticized racism. While I can understand that it can make for an interesting plot device, so many times, particularly with Asian and Indian characters, dehumanize them to a point where they're really just a flimsy trope.

Not only is it small-minded...but worse, it's boring!

To me, most of the plots of black/white interracial scenes comprise of , "Look at my big black penis little white lady, being black, I'm at least 10 inches. You can't but help want it, I'm so much more virile than that candle dick your husband has." "Yes Mr. Black Man, you're so right, I mean, you intruded onto my crappy marriage and though I was reluctant at first, you showed me the light." The husband just quakes in impotent rage and arousal.

With Asian and Indian stories, it often is, "Look at my huge white penis, beautiful Indian lady who has an Indian accent or China girl that looks like some Anime character made meat." "Ooh Mr. White Man, my husband isn't the half the man you are, you big Nordic barbarian. It's so...I shouldn't like, but I do, long time!" Then the Asian or Indian husband sits there like an impotent lump. His arousal isn't even important.

Not that I don't think women of color aren't hot. I often have them in my own stories, but honestly, make them people first...

Again, thank you for giving a bit of history and perspective to this issue.

Interesting and well written essay.

But visitors from Asia also went to Europe in a very different time. Here is a little known nugget of history - the Samurai who went to Spain during the 16th century and stayed. They obviously had sex with the local (white) women as their descendants are still around today.

https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2013/06/11/inenglish/1370961238_162476.html

This was a fantastic and thought provoking essay. Im sorry some people are so unwilling to use their brains that they take a well written exploratory essay as some sort of attack. One can analyze roots of fetishes without condemning or glorifying.

In Terms of Pop Media I think that's already changing already as so far I know of at least two instances where an Asian Man is having a Romantic Relationship with a White Woman or at least a Woman with a completely different culture. The First being in the Film 'The One' Starring my Man Jet Li and the other being in the Day Time Soap Opera "Days Of Our Lives' where the Japanese Male Character Li Shin is or rather has dated at this point with the Gabi DiMera played beautifully by Camila Banus. And not only that but also Currently in the MCU we have our first Asian Superhero in Shan Chi. First Introduced in his first solo film (which is not very good by the way IMO) Shan Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. And in terms of Real Life I am currently married to a Asian Male. So you're right things a slowly changing, I wished they would change a little Faster but at least they are Changing.