The reaction to Lin's success shows basic racism.

by deipokfo0 on 2012-02-20 13:55:47

I didn't see it the first time I watched the movie. The second time, I slapped myself. After hearing so many Asian American men talk about it, I started writing about Yao Ming. I began to notice prominent actors being relegated to passive roles, almost treated as furniture in films. Some people can't help but push back; they're afraid. The culture doesn't have too much better for Asian American women, but at least they're seen as sexy, a staple of all performers, which doesn't exclude them. Men, as a friend described it years ago, are like undergoing a vasectomy. Most of the country has been thrilled since draft day watching Jeremy Lin reject D-League obscurity to steal the Knicks' backup point guard job. Very few people seem unhappy about the shift that the boy from Taiwan immigrant parents watching fits into for all-American boys. Intuitively, many fans know diversity increases a sport's intensity and legitimacy. The movie "Moneyball's" success is partly due to its emphasis on blind spots in big-time sports. As we believe, sports represent the closest thing we have to a true meritocracy—they really do—but we still know the dogma of scouts and domestic politics influence obtaining and maintaining jobs in the field. As another gatekeeper stereotype, it blocks kids from even trying out for sports skewed towards different ethnicities.

Some reactions were predictable. I knew I would be criticized for comments on athletes' gender appeal or appear to someone, years after junior high, as desirable. What I didn't expect was how many people of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese descent would break media habits and thank me for portraying Asian men as non-asexual.

I clearly remember these opinions earlier this week when a certain national columnist, whose name or promotion I won't mention, chirped racist remarks about Jeremy Lin's masculinity. It was the kind of comment that only diminishes the commentator, making him feel inadequate and threatened by Lin's success.

When Yao Ming made his first visit to China as a Warrior nearly 10 years ago, I was assigned to write about him and his transition from a superstar in Shanghai to the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. I thought it was too early to predict he would be excluded from the game in America. Perhaps Jeremy Lin's breakthrough will help change this situation. Yao Ming became an international icon, but he played as if leaving his hometown behind, a big man not allowed dynamic performances like Lin's role as a guard could offer. I'm sure his picture has hung on the walls of many young people, now some want to play like him, some admire him for breaking barriers.

Lin has everything: a Harvard degree, a three-pointer against Kobe and the Lakers that led to a victory over the Raptors, Madison Square Garden fans cheering every time he touched the ball, and even the U.S. President enjoying some Linsanity.

But during the pre-game press conference, Yao Ming's off-court potential became obvious. He had star quality and gentle wit that transcended language barriers. Although female sports reporters should never say as much, what I wrote seemed pure to me: Yao Ming had the aura of a teenage heartthrob and a Madison Avenue icon.

Yet, it remains difficult to hold down more than a great athlete, burying a talented actor because he doesn't resemble the leading man (read: image executive) or suppressing a brilliant engineer because she happens to be a woman. There's no business driving difficulty or faster against stereotypes and cultural expectations.

For the term starting in the mid-1980s, many Americans believed Japan owned everything. They sold us our favorite things and became an economic powerhouse, bouncing back with TVs and cars. Some were violent, but how much was simply dismissed or belittled. It's shocking now to see certain movies from that era.

"Fatal Attraction" contained scenes mocking Japanese accents so nauseating it almost overshadowed the entire movie's sexist undertones.

Girls playing like him would always be told they aren't feminine enough years ago. Some still might say. Their dominance in conversations is ending, if they don't know, they should.

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He greatly reinforced the invisibility imposed on Asian Americans over generations. Or more accurately, he's playing basketball the way he always has and dispatching his social stumbles.