Asian Men in the Media

Asian Men get the Shaft

Actually, they don't. Shaft was cool, suave, tough and sexy. But in today's movies there is no Asian Shaft.

When I created a site about white men and Asian women I overlooked one thing-- Asian men. Many Asian men pointed out that one reason there are so few white women with Asian men is the Media's portrayal of Asian men. My first thought was "what a bunch of whiners!".

Keep in mind that I grew up with Sulu, Speed Racer and Kwai Chang Kane (yeah, yeah, I know he wasn't really Asian etc..) on my TV, so I always thought Asian men were cool. But as I thought about it I realized two things.

• you hardly ever see an Asian man with a white woman
• you hardly ever see an Asian man with ANY woman...even Asians.
• when you do see Asian men with Asian women, they are usually portayed as domineering or unmanly.
• Asian women are shown more often with white men than Asian men.

I came to the realization that there was a problem. In fact, I can think of no other group that gets such bad press as Asian men in the movies.

So Why Should a White Boy Care?

Other than the fact that it ain't fair? When we allow one group of people to be portrayed differently we open the door for the media to be unfair to all of us. Now certainly Hollywood has a right to say what they will, but we have an equal right to say how distasteful we find it. I suppose the bottom line on fairness is a lot of these people that get stereotyped are my friends and to stereotype them is to stereotype me.

Now I am actually a bit more selfish than that. One thing that concerns me is the fact that a lot of Asian men resent us white men who date Asian women. A large part of that resentment stems from the perception that we are somehow trying to be better than them. Hollywood has been no help in healing this divide. Movie after movie shows Asian men as villains and white men with Asian women.

Positive Portrayals

Now I am not saying (heaven forbid) that there should be fewer white men with Asian women in the movies, but rather than there should be more portrayals of Asian men in good roles.

When researching this topic I found dozens of articles from Asian men (and women) where they listed movies that portrayed Asian men in a bad light. They even attacked my favorite movie, The Joy Luck Club. But not one of them mentioned the rare jewel...a movie showing an Asian man in a positive light. There aren't many of them, but they are out there.

Here are some positive media images:

• Pushing Hands - An Asian man who handles tension between his Chinese father and CaucAsian wife. Although Tai Chi is a major theme in this movie, the movie is not a martial arts film per se.
• Snow Falling on Cedars - Features an Asian man whose Asian wife is totally devoted to him. This film shows a lot of things about our attitudes past and present towards Asians in America.
• Anna and the King - About a dozen white women I know are drooling over Chow Yun Phat in this movie. A real breakthrough production.
• Vanishing Son - Stars Russel Wong, the closest thing to an Asian Shaft.

• Science Fiction - This seems to be the only medium that recognizes there is such a thing as Asian American. Star Trek, Space Above and Beyond, Babylon 5 and many other SF shows have nonstereotypical Asians in lead roles.
• Martial Arts - I think a great deal of credit is due to Bruce Lee. His movies made Americans look at Martial Arts and Asian men in a whole new light. Unfortunately, Hollywood showed it's usual lack of originality and decided Martial Arts were the only roles for Asian men. Good Martial Arts movies with Asian men: Mr.. Nice Guy (Jackie has a woman of each color), Romeo Must Die, and Dragon the Bruce Lee story.
• Cartoons - This is the only place I ever see Asian/Asian couples (who aren't over 60). King of the Hill, and Mulan are examples.

When Harry Kim Met Sally

One of the best examples of positive media images is Star Trek Voyager's Ensign Harry Kim. Plugging Harry Kim into a search engine turned up a lot of websites for women who want to drool over Garret Wang's photo.

Star Trek has always shown positive images of interracial relationships:

Sulu, the helmsman from the original Star Trek was frequently seen dating white women. With his maverick attitude and wry wit he hardly fit the typical Asian male stereotype.

Miles and Keiko, from The Next Generation and Deep Space 9 are shown having a warm loving relationship. There is nothing exotic about them. They are a model marriage, with two lovely children; they prize their family above all else.

Initially Harry's best friend, Tom Paris, a CaucAsian, was portrayed as the man who was wise in the ways of women. But as the show progressed it became apparent that Tom was all talk, (by the way, this is a negative stereotype of CaucAsian men). Now Tom is settled down. Harry on the other hand is turning into quite the stud. He has boldly gone where no Asian man has gone before...into the welcoming arms of white women. Here are a few examples of Kim's romantic adventures:

• In an alternate timeline, we see what Harry's life was like on Earth. He was engaged to a white woman.
• Harry pursues, albeit unsuccessfully, the busty Borg babe, Seven of Nine. So much for the stereotype of domineering Asian men wanting submissive women.
• Harry is pursued by one of the Delaney sisters..."Yeah she does like me, " he says, "but she's the wrong twin. I like the other one."
• Harry practices Captain Kirk style diplomacy with an exotic looking alien. Paramount billed this episode as "The steamiest Star Trek yet!" This episode is a must see for any Asian man. It deals with a lot of issues facing the Asian American man, including the perception that they are n'er do wrong clean cut straight A students with no passion. Harry deals with with these stereotypes head on, without sacrificing his nobler qualities. And, in the same episode...
• Harry becomes a role model for the busty Borg babe who tells him that he has taught her about love.

These shows have been developing Harry as a man of complex emotions. He is currently struggling with a tenancy to fall for unattainable women, a comedic theme that comes up in several episodes. Nevertheless, there is a sense that he will be a fine spouse when he finds the right woman.

Harry reminds me of some Asian American friends I have. He is more polite and soft spoken than his friend Tom. He is a little shy about his relationships; he doesn't sit around in the mess hall bragging about his latest romance. His friend has to ruthlessly harass him to get anything about his relationships from him.

Finding someone to love is a rough road. However, if Asian men need a good example to following their quest for love, Ensign Harry Kim is it. In fact, I think he is a good role model for all of us.

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