Yellow Fever
According to the Urban Dictionary:
Yellow Fever 1. A slang term used to mock non-Asian males who have a clear sexual preference for women of Asian descent to an obsessive degree. Wasn’t too widely known until the release of “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” Symptoms may include a fascination with Hello Kitty, Japanime, Mr. Chu’s Asian Beaver, Japanese culture and language. Some may claim to be improving Asian standards of living by offering a larger penis size, which is usually an obvious lie. Other symptoms of yellow fever include stalking, half-hearted attempts to learn Japanese/Mandarin/Cantonese/Korean and whacking off to Sailor Moon videos.
2. An infectious tropical disease carried by mosquitoes.
While Yellow Fever is not a crime, it can be annoying. When I first came to Los Angeles, a beautiful Japanese friend informed me in hushed tones, “Please, beware of the Asian Freaks.”
Asian Freaks?
Huh?
Is this similar to “Beware the Ides of March?
All too often, we are conditioned by Asian culture to go out of our way to be polite.
I’d never heard the term, but I was soon deluged with various men asking me, “Where are you from?” And when I said, “California,” they responded, “No, where are you FROM?” Total strangers have informed me, “I’m looking for an Asian wife.”
As if I asked Or cared. Don’t look at me, Dude.
If someone is annoying you in this manner or makes you feel uncomfortable, there’s nothing wrong with being polite — initially. (“Thanks, I’m not interested.”) If this doesn’t work, let someone else hold the title of Miss Congeniality. Be curt and walk away. Ignore stupid questions. (“Do you speak English?”) He doesn’t deserve to know you, even something as simple as your name. Pretend to be deaf, dumb and mute. I have pretended on several occasions to not speak English. Looking Asian can be handy.
You should probably resist the temptation to snarl, “Why the HELL are you so obsessed?” but it can be very effective under the right circumstances; time-appropriate bitchiness is a wonderful thing.
All too often, we are conditioned by Asian culture to go out of our way to be polite. Being a nice person can’t outweigh the need to react properly in uncomfortable or threatening situations. If a weirdo, Asian Freak, or inappropriate suitor is intent on playing hardball, fight back. Don’t appear weak. Listen to your gut instinct — if someone seems to want something from you, they do. If they seem strange, they are. If they have Yellow Fever, I’d watch out. Because in reality, me not love you long time.
An actor and women’s safety advocate, Candace Kita is the author of “The Hottie Handbook: A Girl’s category_ide to Safety.” As a safety specialist, Candace has been interviewed by People, Good Morning America, the Jay Leno Show, Inside Edition, the Los Angeles Times, 48 Hours, the LOGO Network and WHO Australia.