soslow:

The problem I always have with articles like this, and this, is how they accept, and are many times built entirely around, the premise that there is a special, unparalleled longing in the West for Asian women. When talking about sexual attraction, for example, there is no other ethnic group for whom a special fixation is called a “fetish.” For everybody else, the person has “a thing” or is “into [insert ethnic group here].”

I think this distinction is telling. What the prominent use of the word “fetish” implies is that a specific attraction to Asian women constitutes not just a strange attraction, but a kind of perversion. After all, the term “fetish” applies to an object or nongenital body part that induces an erotic response. So the term reduces Asian women to inherently nonsexual entities. It is only the perversion of the “fetishist” that turns these women into valid targets of sexual attraction.

However, I think this Jezebel article about Kari Ferrell (the “hipster grifter”), oddly enough (for a purportedly feminist blog), plays into this line of thinking most gratuitously. Sadie, the author of the piece, first seeks out Asian-American women to corroborate the claim that white hipsters in NYC are “loathsome Asian fetishists.” This is supposed to give the argument credibility. And then she proceeds to outline the stereotype this “fetishism” is based on: the supposed meekness, submissiveness, and passivity of Asian women. And then she argues that the “hipster grifter” must have played into these stereotypes as part of her fraudulent methods.

Of course, what’s completely obvious from everything we know about Kari Ferrell is that she was none of these things. She was said to have been extremely brash and sexually aggressive, coming on to men with lines about blowjobs and throwing “hotdogs” down her “hallway.” Heaven forbid that some of them may have taken her up on it! Also, she was noted to have become extremely stalkerish—even scarily so—once she made headway in a small circle of friends. In other words, she was the exact opposite of the meek, submissive, passive Asian female stereotype. And even though much of the information contradicting this interpretation is present in the very same article, Sadie insists on pushing it, seemingly unable to see these contradictions at work.

I think this is becoming one of the last “acceptable” forms of ethnic discrimination in the U.S. I say this because virtually nobody speaks out against it, and it can be seen coming from some of the most unexpected sources, those who actively advocate for civil rights and social justice.

Momus wrote a really great piece on the subject recently. In it, he envisions an alternate present based on the 1950s beatnik period, when white people were particularly infatuated with “hip” black subculture. In this alternate reality, there is a black female “hipster grifter” ravaging the hipster community with various con games and frauds. Can we imagine an outfit like Jezebel publishing an article entitled “Did Beatnik Grifter Play on Loathsome Hipster Negro Fetish?”

And the answer is: of course not. Not only would they not have published such an article, but more importantly, it would never have even entered their minds to do so. That is what makes this form of racism so pernicious, because it seems sensible even to many of those who would consider themselves open and progressive, and somehow manages to pass in the culture as valid social criticism.

I officially call bullshit.

• Reblogged from so/slow

teachingforthefuture:

I know many teachers and parents live in fear of the Sexting epididemic. It is scary to think that your child or your students are participating in dangerous or risky behavior. It’s their job to stress us out and our job to worry about them.

However I think the risky texting fear is getting out of hand. The people at Fox News put up a list of the secrect teenage text language to try to exploit your fear and anxiety (I know you’re shocked).

If you follow the link you will see some familar lingo such as l33t meaning elite and some terms that I think someone made up for this story such as FOL as in fond of leather. Some of the specifics of the terms listed sound more like terms of creepy AOL Chatrooms than texts between teens. This is the kind of stuff that local news casts use to keep you watching and parent sites use for linkbait. At best it is annoying, but it is often just making a confusing thing more confusing.

Luckily the people the good people at Fox News are able to shine some light on what’s reallying going on with a more recent article, Secret Sex-Message Codes Your Teen Is Using — or Probably Not. It’s way more likely that kids are coming up with their own terms and acronyms amongst their friends than anything else. Most likely there isn’t some secret sexting language, but rather some kids being risky in their own way.

Like with anything there is no list or magic parenting bullet that will keep your kids chaste and pure. You’re going to have to go incognito as their parent or trusted adult and do what you think is best.

No one said this was going to be easy.

• Reblogged from Teaching for the Future