The "Me So Horny" Defense

Headline: - Atlanta spa shooting suspect's 'bad day' defense and America's sexualized racism problem - by Nancy Wang Yuen

Tuesday, six Asian women were shot dead at three spas in the Atlanta area. Two other victims, a white man and a white woman, were also killed. Investigators said the white male suspect told them that he has a "sex addiction" and targeted the spas to "take out that temptation."

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Nancy Wang Yuen has written an article addressing the problem of hyper-sexualized racism in America. It is an educational piece of journalism that brings to light the historical mistreatment and racist denigration of Asian women in western society. 

When Nancy discusses the hurt she felt from a white Georgian male shouting "me so horny" and "me love you long time" at her in Atlanta's airport, she opens a Pandora's box of abusive behavior and victimization Asian women in America have been subject to far too long. In today's "Me Too" era, it's time we address this hurtful form of racist behavior disguising itself as a complimentary gesture and/or come on. 

Many American men like myself, watching the Vietnamese hooker scene from the 1987 film "Full Metal Jacket," were young, innocent consumers of a war movie, unaware it was "part of a long history of cultural depictions of Asian women as prostitutes." When popular music artists dubbed the hooker's voice into songs featuring lines from the movie (Me so horny/Me love you long time) it heightened the hypersexualized racism toward Asian women. 

I myself, must own up to the fact that those songs played a small part in how I began viewing "Some" Asian women at that time. I never thought of my views as anything more than an awakened awareness of the sexuality of Asian women. Unfortunately, not all American men are willing to separate the antics of a fictionalized cheap hooker from a beautiful, respectful lady of like culture or race. 

We can partly blame American stereotypes and Hollywood, but much of the burden rests on an individual's upbringing and exposure to different cultures, as well as, education. There was a time, not long ago, that white men caught dating African-American women were ostracized, and both charged with a criminal act against society. During that time, African-American women were depicted by white society as low-life, dirty, evil, diseased, witchcraft-voodoo women who preyed on good white men. These lies (and laws) were meant to frighten young white males away from women of color and chase them into the waiting arms of so-called soul-saving white women. And more times than not it was the women of color who needed saving from the white wolf.

Our society is changing, but not fast enough. The six Asian women who died at the hands of a white male shooter will not see a world where all women are treated with kindness and respect. We owe it to them and all victims of sexist violence to remove the stereotypes that lead to abuse of women and continue to change our perceptions of women and race.

Today I removed an old post that shared my thoughts and memories of the "Me so horney/Me love you long time" film scene and music.

We must be accountable as a society and protective of our most vulnerable. If one is victimized, then all are victimized. And the one could be your mother, sister or daughter.

Prayers for the 8 victims and their families