#the love life of an asian guy

As a person of color, I’ve learned to expect a certain level of whitewashing from Hollywood. Jake Gyllenhaal as The Prince of Persia? Dude, wtf? Random white dude as Goku – wow, WOW, take it easy, buddy!

And yet, Hollywood execs surprised us with yet another bottle of fuckery by casting Emma Stone as Allison Ng, a character described as a quarter Hawaiian and a quarter Chinese. Let me lean in closer so I can say that again:

Emma Stone, a blonde haired, blue eyed WHITE WOMAN, was chosen to portray an ASIAN-HAWAIIAN PERSON with an Asian last name. I don’t approve of whitewashing, especially when Asian characters get swapped with white ones (see: Ghost in the Shell), but this is a new level of lazy bullshit. How can you go 80% of the way, write a script ABOUT AN ASIAN PERSON but not cast an Asian actress? That’s like making a movie about the Jackson 5 set in the 1960s but casting Honey Boo Boo as Tito and a ham sandwich as Michael – did you even try, bro?!

Hollywood continues to whitewash because white folks don’t see ethnicity as an IDENTITY. They don’t believe race and ethnicity can effect your opportunities and personality in real life, or in a fictional movie. Instead, race is treated like a COSTUME you steal from one person and give to another. In fact, white culture has ALWAYS taken ethnic labels and slapped them onto white products.

We needed more R&B artists so we slapped a label on Justin Timberlake.
We lacked diversity in the workplace so we made a category called “White Latinos.”

And yet, when they do consider our ethnicity it’s used in a way to exploit us: to paint us as uneducated thugs, awkward math nerds, and illegal immigrants. They never meet us half-way and write a script about normal ass POCs, acting as if we’re either born into our designated stereotype or we’re colorblind.

If you wanna know how white folks feel truly feel about us, take a look at ANY Hollywood movie and observe the POC characters. When white men were at their peak of Black male intimidation, they made ‘Mandingo’ and 'Birth of a Nation.’ When they were afraid of Asians, they filmed 'Fu Manchu’ and 'The Interview.’

If we can accept the writings of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston as expressions of Black thought, why aren’t we accepting racist Hollywood films as expressions of white ones?

Think about it.

As a person of color, I find it exhausting trying to tell non-POCs that race and racism DOES indeed exist. I end up saying to myself, “I’m not crazy. I know what I saw and I know that it’s real.”

Truthfully, I think people of color see the world differently. We see it for what it is and what it should be. The “white” version of America in one eye and the darker, more sinister one in the other. And to explain to a white person that I see things differently is like telling them that, well, I’m “seeing things.”

But what if I weren’t a straight, cisgendered male? What if my identity had even more layers of complexity that made it even harder for society to understand? This is the reality I feel exists for many trans women of color. It’s like their vision is split into four:

1.The happy America that everyone wants you to believe is real
2. A racist America that white people don’t wanna admit exists
3. A sexist America that straight men built
4. A transphobic America that is alive and well

In essence, trans WOC may experience life from four separate corners of their identity. Take for example the 2015 Oscas: a trans WOC might be proud of Neil Patrick Harris’ for hosting the show since it’s a good sign for the LGBT community, annoyed that men host the Oscars 90% of the time, bothered by his joke about trans people, yet excited to watch since it’s an entertaining event.

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have to explain three different points-of-view: as a woman, as a member of the LGBT community, and as a person of color. It’s like having to write an essay in three different languages when everyone else gets to write in one. Even worse, if you complain about sexism AND racism AND transphobia, you could be labeled as “excessive.” Like you’re being greedy or attention seeking. In the end, most people fail to see the entirety of your annoyances and you’re left thinking, “what’s the point in understanding one part when you didn’t listen to the other? why care about my issues as a Black woman but not as a Black trans woman?”

I know I’m not the most qualified person to discuss these issues, but as someone learning to become a greater and greater ally, I find it useful to flesh out these thoughts. I will never see the world from the eyes of a trans WOC, but if more people tried, maybe we wouldn’t need to have these conversations to begin with.

Note: I apologize in advance if I used incorrect pronouns. Still learning.

White people say it all the time:

“Black people have all Black colleges, why can’t we have all white universities?”

“Asians have Chinatown, what about a Whitetown?” 

The idea of racial exclusion is an interesting concept but it’s also one that people misunderstand. In many ways, one can argue that EVERY ethnic group practices exclusion. However, not all types of exclusion are the same.

In a nutshell, the goal of racial exclusion is quite simple: preservation. To preserve one’s culture, community, resources, and members. Creating ethnic boundaries allows you to siphon off what’s yours and what’s mine, what I worked for and what you worked for. These are my local businesses, those are your neighborhood delis. You eat there, I’ll eat here. So long as we don’t cross paths or go into each other’s neighborhoods we’re good, right?

Not quite.

The difference between racial exclusion among ethnic minorities vs. white communities is subtle, but very potent. Let’s take a few examples.

Why are Asian-Americans racially exclusive?

Simple: most Asian-Americans are first or second generation immigrants, so racial preservation functions as a way to bring back “the old country.” Inside these enclaves, we can speak our native language, eat our “smelly Asian food” and talk about topics that relate to our shared immigrant struggle. It’s comforting and for once, we don’t have to feel like an outsider. We don’t have to feel like “the Asian guy.” In this side of town, we’re just “the guy.”

Why are Black communities exclusive?

Black exclusion is a way for Black folks to finally get what they deserve: a piece of equality that can’t be found when it’s run by non-black folks. From racist, Asian-owned beauty stores to white-owned Fortune 500 companies, as a Black person, it’s easy to be overlooked and cast under the shade of anti-blackness. But through the magic of Black exclusion (or Black owned), you can buy hair products at a decent price (without the racist, Asian cashier following them around) or get your Doctorate from an HBCU without having to deal with bigoted academic advisors accusing you of harassment.

Now, here’s where White exclusion differs: 

White exclusion is just as much about keeping whiteness IN as it is about keeping non-whites OUT. What do I mean? Well, if you’re a white person, you CAN come into our ethnic communities, move into a Chinatown apartment, or join the Asian-American math club. However, as a person of color, you CAN’T enter predominantly White communities in the same way. 

There are thousands upon thousands of businesses, cities, neighborhoods, restaurants, health clinics, universities, production companies and entire industries that lack any semblance of diversity - from congress, law enforcement, to the management team at your Wal-Mart. And guess what? They have every intention to keep it that way. Hell, not even Nat King Cole could avoid the effects of White exclusion. After purchasing a home in an all white neighborhood in the 1950s, six KKK members burned a cross on his lawn as a welcoming present.

”What about Black colleges? Why are HBCUs allowed to accept only Black people?!”

Ummm, can you NOT? Look, dumbass: HBCUs are HISTORICALLY Black, not exclusively Black. So technically, the Lee Wang and Tyler McBrusselChowders of the country can and do apply to Morehouse College just as easily as their Black counterparts - they just choose not to. As for the POCs joining predominantly white schools?

HELL.
FUCKING.
NO!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you will find no shortage of all-white elementary schools. You’ll have an all black, poor kindergarten on one side of the bridge and a well-funded, all-white public school on the other. How? They draw in racially exclusive school zones to push out Black families.

Bottom line: White exclusion IS about short handing ethnic minorities whereas Black/Asian/Latino exclusion has always been about salvaging the scraps in order to create livable situations. Minority exclusion isn’t taking away from White folks whereas white exclusion does (limited government funding, limited job opportunities, limited housing options, limited representation in the media, limited representation in politics, etc.) One form is exclusive as a means of survival, the other as a means of oppression. 

It’s like if one kid had two cookies and another have nine thousand, and the kid with nine thousand said, “But moooom!! The other girl isn’t sharing with me! I already have him two of mine!”

BRO, do you even logic?

Whenever we talk about racial stereotypes, why is it that our first line of questioning is:

“Is this stereotype true?”
“Is there truth in this?”
“This MUST be true! All stereotypes come from somewhere!”

Maybe it’s just me, but I think a more appropriate question is:

“Who BENEFITS/SUFFERS from this stereotype being true/false?”

Let’s test this out:

Stereotype 1: Mexicans are lazy 

Who benefits: White middle-class Americans.

Why: If white people believe that Mexicans are inherently LAZY, they can justify job discrimination and the resistance to immigration reform. By believing in the stereotype of the lazy Mexican, Americans can accept their mistreatment and low wages because, “hey, Mexicans are lazy and should be paid and treated like lazy people.” It’s basically an excuse to not give a shit.

Stereotype 2: Black Women are hoes and they’re freaky in bed

Who benefits: White slave masters

Why:By believing in the impurity of Black women, slave masters were able to rape and kill Black women over the belief that, “Hey, her virginity is probably destroyed by the other men she sleeps with. And since she’s overly sexual, she will ENJOY what I do to her.”

Stereotype 3: Black Men are Biologically Stronger 

Who Benefits: Lazy White Men

Why: By accepting the notion of biologically superior Black Men, White men have an automatic excuse if a Black man defeats them in sports. “But he’s Black! He’s naturally gifted!” No, bitch, that Black Man beat you because he has a stronger WORK ETHIC. He out ran you in the 500 meter dash because he spent MONTHS working out his legs and trained into the late hours of the night. You were just lazy.

Icould go on and on about the various stereotypes that exist, but I’ll leave that up to you. So from now on, when someone brings up a stereotype, I want you to REALLY think about it, resist the urge to find the “truth” and ask yourself:

If enough people believe in this racial stereotype, whose lives will be destroyed and whose will be improved?

Just a thought for today.

(One of my favorite posts from the page. Had to repost it here.)

White people have a funny way of remembering history.

“You’re not even a slave, so how would you know how bad the slaves had it?!”
“But the Black Panthers were just as bad as the KKK!”
“I think Martin Luther King Jr. would be ashamed if he saw you race baiting!”

History is written by and for white folks, romanticizing one side of history while shading the other. They’ll plaster images of sad, poor white folks during The Great Depression but will omit stories of those same white folks stealing and killing Black folks. They’ll loath the existence of the L.A Crips and Bloods but will fail to recognize why these gangs formed in the first place (they were young, poor Black kids who were denied entry into the Boy Scouts.)

Now, people of color (POC) have an opportunity to change that. The more we write, rant and discuss, the more receipts we collect so if one day, 30 years from now, a white dude says, “oh yea, the Baltimore riots started because Blacks were attacking the police!” we POCs can be like,

NOT SO FAST, MR. MCNOODLEBERRY!

Then we’ll pull out our iPhone90, show them this blog and be like: