Breaking all the molds
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Asian men get stereotyped pretty badly, but in NYC, mold-breakers roam freely!
It’s not every day that you meet an Asian man that is so OBVIOUSLY counter to the popular stereotype that you have to stand up and take notice. I’m not saying that all Asian guys are the same, but stereotypes exist for a reason--they are “generally” true. Of course there is individuality, but on the surface, there are also many similarities. But these men that i encountered sort of blew that all away from the moment i laid eyes on them.
I will list these unusual Asian men in the order in which i ran into them. (Disclaimer: i am not writing this to encourage one behavior over the other but rather making a general observation about Asians in America.)
1) Leering cat-caller
I’m not sure if this guys should be proud of his accomplishment or not, but this gentleman had obviously spent some time exploring other means of expressing himself. Unlike most of the Asian men that i pass in the streets who will barely meet my eye, this guy passed by me and Susan and yelled, “Hey Baby!” or something to that effect, while leering shamelessly. Kudos to you, ogling man. Way to tell people that Asian men are not too wussy to try to pick upl a girl on the street ...or is that gentlemanly?
2) Old homeless Japanese man
I didn’t realize how not used to seeing homeless Japanese people I was until i ran into this man outside my apartment building. There’s a small community of homeless guys that live on the steps of the nearby church, so encountering them has become pretty routine. But the Japanese guy really threw me off. I mean, think about it. When was the last time *you* saw a homeless Japanese dude?
3) Japanese guys with yarmulke
Well, if you’re from LLJC, then you’ve definitely seen David F. with his yarmulke, but i figured that’s pretty unusual. And then i saw this guys in his early 20s sitting on the subway headed uptown, yarmulke just chillin’ on top of his head. According to one of my Jewish friends, proselytizing is discouraged, so it kind of makes me wonder what this guy’s story was. Especially since he was Japanese! In a country that doesn’t really accept Western religions, being of the Jewish faith must be, well, challenging.
4) Young Amerasian with mullet
Yes, apparently the mullet is alive and well even in NYC. This kid looked totally normal from the front. I mean, he had sort of a conservative “old guy” haircut for being so young. And he did seem kind of awkward. Ok, so maybe he was REALLY awkward, but being a teen is tough. Then he turned around to expose his flowing tresses of brunette hair that originated at the nape of his neck. A MULLET! Yes, you can be Asian AND wear a mullet. Be warned: you will be judged, but at least you can know that you’re not alone.
So that about sums up my non-stereotypical Asian male revue!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAT!
hahahah… leave it to you to talk about asian mullets on ur blog =) and yay!! i get to see you soon. have a safe trip back… and maria’s - here we come!!! =)
Posted by kimi =) on 11/17 at 08:33 AMWow, you lucky girl--I have not seen these rare breeds of Asian men. The closest to the first type that I’ve witnessed was when a group of 20-something “thugs” checked me out from within their rice rocket. Leave it to Chinatown, baby!
Posted by on 11/17 at 01:20 PM“When was the last time *you* saw a homeless Japanese dude?”
((wry look))
It depends on which [spam word] you live in.
Posted by Ramone on 11/20 at 04:10 PM