Asian fetish: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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== Criticisms ==

===Racism===

Many people consider the term "Asian fetishist" to be racist, complaining that the activistspeople who use the term treat all cases of sexual attraction as objectification or fetishism, dismissing the possibility of normal "interracial" relationships. InUsers such casesof the activiststerm may be accused of being "angry Asian men"<ref>{{cite news | first=Joyce | last=Tizon

| url= http://www.asianweek.com/2000_02_03/feature_asianmale.html

| title= A Threatened Manhood? Exploring the myth of the angry Asian male

| publisher= Asian Week | date= February 3, 2000 | accessdate=}}

</ref> or just racists. Proponents of this view claim that such interracial or "mixed" relationships are unfairly being held up to greater scrutiny than non-interracial ones. Some critics find irony that in an attempt to fight negative stereotypes about Asians and minority Asian populations, new stereotypes about interracial couples are being created and spread.

===American phenomenon===

Another common criticism is that it is primarily a term used by Asian -Americans, and doesn't represent the view of Asians around the world, where sensitivity towards the image of Asian women can be markedly different (eg. [[Singapore Airlines]]' [[Singapore Girl]] campaign). This criticism is that Asian-Americans, being a minority population, are generally-speaking more insecure and confused about identity issues, and therefore more concerned about [[dating disparities]] than Asian populations in Asia.

===Asian origins===

Asian culture is also a frequent target of criticism itself, implying some level of hypocrisy when decrying exploitation of Asian. While present in most if not all cultures, [[prostitution]] is a thriving industry in many Asian countries[http://www.amrc.org.hk/Arch/3309.htm][http://www.iastate.edu/~rhetoric/105H17/nnguyen/cof.html]. It is not unheard of for poor rural parents in countries like Thailand [http://www.sexwork.com/Thailand/traditiions.html] to sell off their daughters (a practice common in Japan a century ago as well). Asia, especially Japan (#5 in internet porn [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/24/porn_hosting_league]), also produces and exports for the world market distinctly degrading styles of pornography (eg. rape themes, 'lolita' themes) are common in some. Moreover, some traditional values discourage women from standing up for their rights or speaking out against abuse or harassment. A good example being the [[chikan]] subway groping attacks which were epidemic in Japan until authorities final cracked down. It can be argued that these factors coupled with the low status of women in many Asian societies has unintentionally spread negative messages about Asian women and Asian culture in general.

===Stigmatization===

Other critics contend that the [[stereotype]] of an "Asian fetish" is a means of discouraging [[interracial couple|interracial relationship]]s or [[miscegenation|race mixing]] by stigmatizing them all with ugly stereotyping. In the past, racial supremacists opposed such relationships, though today in the United States, critics of interracial dating are sometimes from other ethnic groups, which in turn may be considered "reverse" racism[http://www.modelminority.com/article113.html#examiner]. One reason Asian women may have a preference for non-Asian men could be unhappiness with certain perceived aspects of Asian culture, a scenario presented in the novel ''[[Joy Luck Club|The Joy Luck Club]]'', which presents Asian men as sexist and domineering. On the contrary, the film [[M. Butterfly]], vehemently criticizes white men who are attracted to Asian women, suggesting they have some kind of [[pathology]].

===Clash of cultures===

Men from Asian countries may also have a clearly defined image of the role women should play in a married relationship, which may run counter to modern cultural norms in other countries.

Men from Asian countries may also have a clearly defined image of the role women should play in a married relationship, which may run counter to modern cultural norms in other countries. This "clash of cultures" may result in resentment on both sides, with some Asian females out-dating as a means of indirect criticism of Asian men or negative aspects they perceive of traditional Asian family values. Conversely, Asian men criticizing Asian women who date other races can be seen as part of the same struggle to either adapt and preserve identity and culture in a changing world.[http://www.modelminority.com/article159.html]

===Exogamy===

It can also be suggested that those who prefer to date partners from other ethnic groups may in fact be acting in the more healthy manner, while those who exclusively date individuals from within their own ethnic group may be the ones expressing unhealthy tendencies. This is because dating individuals who are more closely related means any children will be more likely to suffer from genetics defects caused by [[inbreeding]]. <ref>Thornhill, N. 1993. The Natural History of Inbreeding and Outbreeding: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.</ref> Individuals who date more exotic partners thereby avoiding "[[incest|incestuous]]" relationships will have healthier off-spring thanks to the benefits of [[outbreeding]]. There are many conditions that are more likely where in-breeding takes place<ref>Dorsten, L., Hotchkiss, L., and King, T. 1999. The Effect of Inbreeding on Early Childhood Mortality: Twelve Generations of an Amish Settlement. Demography. Vol. 36. No. 2. pp. 263-271.</ref>, one example would be [[cystic fibrosis]] when a couple of [[european]] origin have children, another example would be [[Sickle-cell anaemia]] when a [[Black]] couple have children. The problems of inbreeding are even more obvious when the relationship between couple is even closer, [[inbreeding]] among the Pakistani population is a current issue in the UK [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4442010.stm] due to the large numbers of children born with genetic defects. Therefore the drive to date individuals who look different from oneself ("[[exogamy]]")or have a "sexy foreign [[Accent (linguistics)|accent]]" may derive from an innate drive to seek the healthiest combination of DNA possible for one's offspring by out-breeding as far as possible.