By Brian Grimmer
In
a bar scene from a Vietnam War movie told from an American perspective, an
attractive teenage prostitute says to four American soldiers, “Each you fifteen
dollar. Me love you long time. Me so horny!” Even in 1987, when the movie Full Metal Jacket debuted, Hollywood
portrayed Asian women as little more than peasants and prostitutes. This scene
is iconic because it represents a common, if not fond memory that many American
soldiers remember from their tour of Southeast Asia. It is a similar view many veterans
have gained serving in various posts across Asia since America became involved
in Asian diplomacy by threatening war with Japan in 1853.
In
much of the United States, prostitution today remains a taboo, if not illegal
behavior in American society and is often associated with illicit drug abuse
and criminal activities. While this was not always the case, particularly
during the westward expansion of the United States, prostitution was becoming a
controversial subject within American society by the latter half of the 19th
century. Chinese involvement in drugs and prostitution were among the causes
that led up to Chinese immigration becoming an issue for American society (Lee).
Demand for a solution to these problems led to the formation and passage of the
Chinese Exclusion Act, and the later creation of the Asiatic Barred Zone Act.
What
enabled lawmakers to fuel the flames of public outcry against the Chinese and
garner support for the acts was that Americans saw Asian culture as foreign and
alien to the typical European-descended cultures that contributed to the social
ideals of 19th century society. When prostitution is combined with
other societal issues such as organized
crime and drugs, in this case opium coming from the Orient, the puritanical-elements
within American society rise up to protect the accepted norms and moral values
in place. It should be noted however that despite how strange Chinese culture
and customs appeared to the average American, many leaders such as Hamilton
Fish, an American statesman and politician, recognized the efforts of the
Chinese workers in building the interior of the nation at that time. He and
others spoke out openly against the anti-Chinese sentiment that pervaded the
nation quickly due to hyperbole over prostitution and drug use after passage
the Burlingame Treaty in 1869 (New York Chamber).
While
the Chinese-workers enjoyed some support as noted in the previous paragraph, many endured social limitations reinforced by law. Opium was then, and still is, a highly
valued illicit commodity in American society. It was this significantly large demand
that resulted in the development of opium dens appearing in the cities of
America to serve the opium users. The public’s reaction to the appearance of
these dens and organized prostitution in the communities where the Chinese
resided and the problems associated therein gave impetus to the formation and
enforcement of immigration laws, drug laws and morality laws (Ahmad).
Many
of the modern opinions towards drug-use and the current drug laws enacted into
law in America are a result of blatant racism that ran rampant in society
before, during, and after the Gilded Age. One shining example of this
association of drugs and certain immigrants is the rhetoric against Mexicans
because of their recreational use of cannabis as a relaxant after a hard day of
agricultural work in the farm fields of the American Southwest in the latter
part of the early 20th century (Chambers).
Despite
the 60-plus years of exclusionary treatment, today society views Asian-Americans
as a model minority. as such the group widely accepted in communities across
America. While problems still exist regarding assimilation of the Asian culture
into American society, even educators point out Asian gang-members do well
academically despite their criminal affiliations. Furthermore, for Asian women,
while sex is still attached to the stereotype, the focus is appears to be
shifting to their inherent beauty in the eyes of Western males rather than
prostitution. The fashion industry highlights this most visibly, as Asian women
become supermodels perpetuate the perception that they are exotic and sexy.
One
of the few positive aspects of the Asiatic Barred Zone Act is that there were
fewer Japanese-Americans living in the United States when World War Two
erupted. Because of the Asiatic Barred Zone Act, the number of Japanese living
in America was a manageable number and they were mostly located on the West
Coast. Comparatively low numbers of citizens combined with geographic density
allowed the concept of internment to be an achievable and viable despite its
reliance on a fear of disloyalty among these people.
Conversely,
the negative aspect of these laws is that it set up a mentality that Asians
were less than human. Senator Sam Reed, talking of racial purity and “preserving
the American race” during the debates over the act that bears his name and
which the Asiatic Barred Zone is a part of, felt the act was not limiting
enough as it allowed immigration access to Africans and some Pacific Islanders
(Arnold). Such government-sponsored hate is hauntingly similar to Hitler’s rise
to power in Germany. This policy of hate has been repeatedly exemplified by American
policies and practices such as the internment of Japanese-Americans, the atomic
and firebombing of Japanese cities during World War Two, and the serious
considerations of atomic and nuclear warfare against the North Koreans,
Vietnamese and Chinese during the Cold War. Many in the military today still
feel that the cultural uneasiness between China and the United States may still
erupt into warfare and plans are in effect to respond to any crisis in the
region as a result (Buckley).
As
the previously described scene from Full
Metal Jacket reveals, the Japanese would not be the last Asian people to
suffer due to American policy and legislation. These two acts are different in
that the first act solely imposed restrictions on Chinese immigration to the
United States and the second added many Asian and Pacific Island nations to the
list of peoples considered undesirable for immigration. As a result, the
Chinese were the first Asian people to feel the prejudicial nature of American
society as the country grew in a world of colonialism. The Asiatic Barred Zone
Act is similar in that it discriminates against Chinese yet again. When one
considers the 1907 Gentleman’s Agreement between the United States and Japan,
the Asiatic Barred Zone Act also becomes the second instance of discriminatory
politics directly affecting Japanese-Americans.
Unfortunately, American society
still tolerates such blatantly racist legislation, as Arizona legislators have
recently proven by their respective stances on immigration control. In times of
economic downfall, the immigrants become targets of discrimination due to
competition for employment. History further shows how society labels these
immigrants as drug users and criminals. Now, instead of Asians being restricted
in their rights, society popularizes those who cross the southern border
illegally as the newest and greatest threat to national sanctity, security and
the purity of the ideal American race.
Sources Cited:
Ahmad, Diana
L. The Opium Debate and Chinese Exclusion
Laws in the Nineteenth-century American West. Reno: University of Nevada,
2007. Print.
Arnold,
Kathleen R. Anti-immigration in the
United States: A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood,
2011. Print.
Buckley,
Chris. "China Warns U.S. to Be Careful in Military Refocus." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 09 Jan. 2012.
Web. 27 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/09/us-china-usa-defence-idUSTRE8080H320120109>.
Chambers,
Cheryl L. Drug Laws and Institutional
Racism: The Story Told by the Congressional Record. El Paso, TX: LFB
Scholarly Pub., 2011. Print.
Lee, Ericka.
"Closing the Gate: Race, Politics, and the Chinese Exclusion Act by Andrew
Gyory." The Journal of
Interdisciplinary History 30.4 (2000): 713-14. JSTOR. MIT Press. Web. 25
Feb. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/206776 .>.
Lim, James.
"Asian Models on the Rise in 2011?" New York Magazine. 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2011/04/will_2011_be_the_year_of_the_a.html>.
New York
Chamber of Commerce. The Chinese
Exclusion Act: Report and Resolutions Adopted by the Chamber of Commerce of the
State of New York, December 5, 1889. New York: Press of De Leeuw &
Oppenheimer, 1889. Web.
