Description


This article is from the American misconceptions about Japan FAQ, by Tanaka Tomoyuki ez074520@dilbert.ucdavis.edu with numerous contributions by others.

MYTH: Japanese men are either asexual or sex-hungry monsters

in the US media (TV and movies) Asian men are usually portrayed as asexual, unromantic creatures. Alan Hu wrote in a Usenet article:
Asian men are portrayed as: asexual martial arts masters, asexual viet cong guerrillas, asexual servants, and asexual geeks.

This is related to the following myths.
MYTH: "Japs are wimps in bed."
MYTH: "Japs have rice dicks." (Tiny penises)

when Asian men's sexuality is portrayed at all, the portrayal is
usually negative. This was especially strong in the American
anti-Japanese propaganda during WW2. See, for example, the
poster in John W. Dower's book "War without mercy", Page 189.
the caption reads:
The sexual fears underlying Yellow Peril and
anti-"colored" sentiments are revealed in the poster of
a Japanese soldier carrying off a naked white woman
(figure 13). ...

this was a part of the American propaganda, "evil, sex-hungry Japs".
THIS IS THE ENEMY. BEWARE OF THE JAPS.
We must protect our innocent women from the evil Japs!

There is nothing unusual about that. at the time, similar
anti-US propaganda was going on in Japan too. What is unusual is that similar American propaganda is going on TODAY, in a subtler form.
--- US media (The NY Times, etc) was so overjoyed to
report on the "comfort women" issue.
--- US media (even NPR) is so happy to report anything
sexually-perverted about Japanese men.

Movies like "Rising Sun" and "Black Rain" (directed by Ridley
Scott) provide ideas and images for the TV shows described below.

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Newsgroup: soc.culture.asian.american
Date: Sat Oct 08 01:07:16 EDT 1994
From: jpark@soma.UMDNJ.EDU (John Park)
Subject: Some more racist television?
Summary: tired of it.
Keywords: Anti-Asian racist television, boob tube, idiot box,
brain washer.


Did anyone see episode of "Law and Order" on Thursday on NBC?
It was about a Japanese guy who was described as some sleazy rich guy who took advantage of American blonde white girls. The Japanese guy got killed early by a blonde American woman who claimed that she had battered wife syndrome... One of the regular protagonists of the show made some fairly annoying anti-Asian comments. Towards the end there was a message about the ignorance of Japan bashing but only after wading through a thicket of stinging racist diatribes about Japanese (& therefore directed toward all Asian) men.

The next day on FOX, the "Mantis" episode was about the Yakuza kidnapping the daughter of a mob guy... The screenwriters in this show made these Asian men super cruel, and a big organized crime threat to "America's city streets." They threatened to kill the scared daughter, and "wage war" on the white American mob. One or two of the regular protagonists on this show also said some pretty stupid and ignorant/racist remarks without being challenged or refuted by any of the other characters. For example, he called an Asian criminal suspect a "ninja turtle."
Later on, the black hero talked about Japanese's racism towards blacks, and honor of his father who was an air combat pilot or something like that (to further accentuate hatred towards
Japanese/Asian men, to the viewer who is following the story),
right before he fights a duel in this insipid, racist, and
hypocritical TV show.

Hmm, I guess these two prime time TV shows hit the usual buttons to provoke hate and fear i.e.: "they're out to take and rape our women, and take over our country...."

I wonder how this affects all the children who saw these and
other anti-Asian racist manipu-tainment shows. I mean, not just
non-Asian kids who watch such television, but also Asian kids as well...

Does Michael Crichton have connections with the screenwriters on these TV shows? ;-|
-JSP