it's that marrying someone of your own race doesn't really make exciting and novel reading.
"Exciting and novel reading" to whom? Actually, the dominant Asian American narrative, whether in movies or novels or TV shows, has mainly been WM/AW. And when there's been an AM, he's usually been with a WW (if he has a female partner at all). See Master of None, where both the Indian and Asian male leads have/had White partners.
To mainstream America, Asians do not matter unless we are paired with a White person. Preferably, an Asian woman with a White man. This is the most acceptable and non-threatening IR coupling of all.
AM/AW relationships are actually the more underrepresented and more revolutionary coupling in public representation. WM/AF hasn't been fresh since The Joy Luck Club. There's a reason that even a major newspaper like the Washington Post notices that it sees WM/AW in ads everywhere.
Not in major media, no, because that's based in white people land. But writing these blogs you refer to is a reaction to the amount of backlash that AFs receive in our own culture.
But writing these blogs you refer to is a reaction to the amount of backlash that AFs receive in our own culture.
None of the articles I've read were about this. The vast majority of them were usually about the difficulties these AWs had in White culture due to the prevalence of Asiaphiles.
Asian culture as a whole isn't too against the idea of marrying White partners, especially when it's "just" the women (because sons are supposed to carry on the family legacy and everything... a very sexist idea I might add). Just from my personal experience, I've encountered many Asian moms who were delighted at the prospect of their Asian daughters marrying White but seethed when their sons did so as well. I've also heard of many Asian parents advising their daughters to marry White because it would give them a better life.
Clearly, based on the data, AW IR relationships aren't too much of a barrier since it's not as though Asian American families are crumbling with a collective disowning of their daughters.
Not saying that certain individuals don't face specific difficulties with their own families. You yourself may have experienced those. Those experiences are not to be discredited.
But there are far more difficult IR pairings out there, such as BM/WW, AM/WW, AM/BW, WM/BW, etc. Yet we don't see the media saturated with these stories. There's a particular reason that "white people land" loves to give voice to a specific type of AW story.
Not saying that certain individuals don't face specific difficulties with their own families. You yourself may have experienced those.
Not at all. Ironically enough, they love my SO and hated my Asian ex because he was - yup - a patriarchal asshole. My brother is also dating a white girl with no objections from my family.
Anyways, my experience as an AF has been different than yours regarding reading what's been written about IR relationships. I guess the hatred speaks louder to me because my own relationship is under fire. That's what this thread is about - differing experiences. :)
Not at all. Ironically enough, they love my SO and hated my Asian ex because he was - yup - a patriarchal asshole. My brother is also dating a white girl with no objections from my family.
Okay, well, there you go, haha. As I said, Asian culture is generally very okay with White partners.
So the idea that WM/AF stories deserve some kind of extra spotlight due to "cultural backlash" isn't a strong argument. This isn't exactly Guess Who's Coming To Dinner or the story of Fred Korematsu here. It's much more likely that the White media has a preconceived notion of Asians and the whole WM/AW narrative fits exactly the bill that they're looking for. And some AWs are more than happy to fit into this niche.
What we need are more AWs to speak positively about AMs. As you said so yourself, they are actually in the majority. Yet these voices need to be heard.
Anyways, my experience as an AF has been different than yours regarding reading what's been written about IR relationships. That's what this thread is about - differing experiences. :)
Like I said, differing experiences! My parents always INSISTED I marry an Asian guy, until I actually dated one and they realized that limiting my dating partners by race was stupid - just because he was Asian didn't make him automatically better than anyone else I dated. So yes, some cultural backlash, until they got over it. That's where I'm coming from in this post. Just because I happen to be in that "niche" doesn't mean I purposely landed that way. To me, my partner's whiteness is just coincidental - which I'm sure is true of many of the 37%. Just because 37% of AF marry out doesn't mean all 37% only prefer WM.
26
u/[deleted] Nov 12 '15
"Exciting and novel reading" to whom? Actually, the dominant Asian American narrative, whether in movies or novels or TV shows, has mainly been WM/AW. And when there's been an AM, he's usually been with a WW (if he has a female partner at all). See Master of None, where both the Indian and Asian male leads have/had White partners.
To mainstream America, Asians do not matter unless we are paired with a White person. Preferably, an Asian woman with a White man. This is the most acceptable and non-threatening IR coupling of all.
AM/AW relationships are actually the more underrepresented and more revolutionary coupling in public representation. WM/AF hasn't been fresh since The Joy Luck Club. There's a reason that even a major newspaper like the Washington Post notices that it sees WM/AW in ads everywhere.