Yellow Fever

So, here I am again. After an inconspicuous two-year absence from blogging, the Scooter has returned.

Last weekend, the AllNighters took a trip up to Hahvahhd to sing with an all-female group, the Pitches. The logistics of moving 16 ADD-riddled college guys from Baltimore to Boston were daunting, but our highly capable treasurer (Joe Kim) worked everything out without a hitch. The actual concert was disappointingly intimate; only 25 people showed. The other guest group was a professional jazz ensemble from Australia; they blew us out of the water musically but we owned them on badassity.

One thing I noticed about Harvard that I've been missing at Hopkins: the brisk winter air of Harvard Square is infused with intellectual curiosity and engagement. Students, professors, and townspeople walk about in tweed and corduroy, and every snippet of conversation your ear picks up is freighted with insight. You just don’t get that feeling walking around Charles Village. We need a few good independent bookshops and more tweed.

Around four o’clock on the day of the concert, I noticed a flyer advertising a discussion on the “Asian Fetish.” Now, I admit that what caught my eye was a picture of a rather attractive and scantily-clad Asian model in a position of inviting repose. However, I’ve always been one to follow my instincts—and I had a couple hours to kill—so I made my way to the common room in the basement of Adams House. I also put in a call to Alistair (also notoriously appreciative of la femme asiatique), who met me at the forum.

About eight Harvard students (plus Alistair and I) gathered in the dark-paneled room. Although I didn’t know quite what to expect, the discussion soon proved engaging. Essentially, our aim was to determine:
-What is the “Asian fetish?”
-Why does it exist?
-What distinguishes a fetish from mere preference?
-Is the Asian fetish inherently racist?
The Asian fetish, we decided, is the tendency of some white males to be attracted almost entirely to Asian females. With a fetish, as opposed to a preference, this attraction is rooted in the pre-conceived power relationship between the dominant white male and the subservient Asian female. I don’t mean to imply that men with Asian fetishes are racist or sexist; rather, that on some subconscious level, dominance is a factor.

We also tried to figure out why white men in particular are often so attracted to Asian women. I put forth a theory of the “second best,” based on familial and societal expectations. Suppose that a white male is attracted by the exotic, by what is different from his own. Suppose also that he is influenced by preconceived notions (positive and negative) about females from a variety of races. It seems that the stereotypes associated with Asian females (quiet, intellectual, subservient) are also those that are most acceptable to white society. Thus, the white male finds himself tracking toward Asians as the second-most familial and socially acceptable group of romantic partners. In other words, the “Asian fetish” may not be a reflection of the racism or sexism of the male, but rather an outgrowth of societal expectations.

Walking back toward the center of campus from Adams House, Alistair and I remarked how rare such discussions are at Hopkins. Here was a topic—the Asian fetish—that would surely spark the interest of scores of students at our school. But how many would tear themselves away from studying Orgo to show up at such a roundtable?

Later, I shared this thought with a handful AllNighters while we waited for the show to start. Their reaction: “But we’re at a research institution, not a liberal arts school.” But really, does being at a research-oriented school preclude intellectualism? I would imagine that students at a research school would be just as inclined to intellectualism as liberal arts students.

The only example of real intellectual engagement at Hopkins that I can remember has been the Thursday night Writing Seminars readings in dark-paneled (important!) Gilman 323. Outside of these readings of student poetry and fiction, I’ve been hard-pressed to find anything intellectually stimulating on campus. Writing opinions for the News-Letter has been somewhat engaging, but not in an interactive way.

I think this lack of intellectualism has influenced me in a bad way over the last semester. I’ve found myself backsliding into procrastination and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Work seems less and less interesting when it isn’t being supplemented by intellectual interaction outside the classroom. Personally, I’d like to get rid of the television in our Homewood common room altogether, but I don’t think Jaan/Dave/Shivank could see it go so I don’t think that’s a possibility. Certainly, for next year I don’t want a TV or Playstation. More books, more guitar.

Maybe next semester I’ll start a discussion circle. Each week, we could have a new topic. The first one, perhaps: “The Asian Fetish: Fact or Fiction?” Who knows, maybe we could actually fill Gilman 323.

Anyway, I’m off to read by the fire…. “Reefer Madness,” a book about the American black market. I’ll tell you about it later.

As for comments: Please, do comment actively! I presume it'll take a while before many people are reading this page, as I haven't told anyone that it exists. But eventually I'd like to get a nice back-and-forth going.

-Scoots