Episode 12: Purity Culture, American Imperialism and the Dehumanization of Asian Women
// Trigger Warning // During this episode, we discuss sexual violence and rape, hate crimes and racism, and historical trauma. If you need to at any point, pause, step away or just stop listening, I understand. Unpacking generational pain and grief can be incredibly difficult. It is important to create safe spaces for critical conversations because it is these very unfiltered and raw conversations that allow us to deconstruct oppression and hate.
Peeling Back the Layers of Hate
Religious hegemony, white supremacy, and misogyny are all deeply connected. To truly understand the complexity behind the Atlanta shootings that resulted in the murder of 6 Asian women, we need to unpack white American imperialism and conservative Christian ideologies around sexuality. Citing “sex addiction” and the need to “eliminate temptation” as his motive, the perpetrator furthered deep-rooted narratives that shed light on racial and gender-based power dynamics. In Episode 12 of Art of Citizenry Podcast, Manpreet Kaur Kalra is joined by Tara Teng, Rachel Faller, and Cara Shorey Choi for an unfiltered conversation about the fetishization and dehumanization of Asian women and the great danger of purity culture. Together, they deconstruct the ways in which these narratives feed into conversations about human trafficking and the stereotypes placed on communities of South East Asia.
A History of Anti-Asian Racism
Anti-Asian racism is systemic. From terrorizing the very Chinese immigrants who built America’s infrastructure in the 1800s to Japanese American incarceration during WWII, anti-Asian racism is baked into America’s history. It continues to manifest through harmful imperialist narratives that further the dehumanization of Asian communities - perpetuating exploitative power structures in the form of white supremacy, giving validity to hate and violence. They are furthered through stereotypes that fuel microaggressions, exotification, and sexual violence.
To understand the complex intersections of hate that influenced the horrific shooting in Atlanta, Georgia that killed 8 individuals, 6 of whom were Asian women, we need to unpack white-American Imperialism and conservative Christian ideologies around sexuality.
White supremacy continues to terrorize anyone outside the bounds of whiteness. Hate, however, is further compounded by various forms of systemic oppression. Religious hegemony, white supremacy and toxic masculinity are all deeply interconnected. Though, to truly understand how this reality intersects with anti-Asian hate, we must first deconstruct a history of white sexual Imperialism.
Imperialism is this notion of exerting force over another community, culture, or country to expand power and control.
Deconstructing American Imperialism
In his book, Half the Sky, Nicholas Kristoff writes extensively about his perception of human trafficking in the Global South as a white man. His perception is what he perceives as reality, though as we know, these conversations are so much more nuanced. In his chapter titled “Prohibition and Prostitution,” Kristoff writes:
“Western men do not play a central role in prostitution in most poor countries. True, American and European sex tourists are part of the problem in Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Belize, but they are still only a small percentage of the johns. The vast majority are local men. Moreover, Western men usually go with girls who are more or less voluntary prostitutes, because they want to take the girls back to their hotel rooms, while forced prostitutes are not normally allowed out of the brothels. So this is not a case where we in the West have a responsibility to lead because we’re the source of the problem. Rather, we single out the West because, even though we’re peripheral to the slavery, our action is necessary to overcome a horrific evil.”
From green lighting white saviorism to vilifying non-white men, there are a lot of issues with this passage. For the sake of this episode; however, I want to draw your attention to how Kristoff insists that “Western” men have played no role in the sexual exploitation of women throughout Asia, disregarding a history of dehumanization and objectification perpetuated by American imperialism that continues to exist today.
During the Philippine Revolution of the late 1800s, the U.S. essentially established control over the Philippines as a result of the Spanish-American war. From living under Spanish rule to now American rule, Filipinos resisted and fought against American colonization for over a decade. This left hundreds of thousands dead, resulted in widespread famine, and a complete depletion of resources. It also resulted in a booming sex industry catering to US military men.
We saw this same course play out during the Vietnam War, during which the US Military base was stationed in Thailand and housed tens of thousands of American GIs. It became a center for R&R, Rest and Recuperation or Recreation, an actual component of US Military Policy. R&R became synonymous with sex work. Nonetheless, fueling a sex industry built on dehumanizing Asian women. In fact, Pattaya Beach in Thailand used to be a fishing town before the Vietnam War, now it is one of the largest red-light districts in the world.
Sex work is common around military bases. However, the issue with sex work in South East Asia is that it is colored by colonialism. When your whole understanding of a country is that it is less than or that it is inferior, you begin seeing the people of that country as less than or as inferior. We see this in the global development space as well. In an earlier episode about mission trips, I explored how for some reason we believe a 14 year old from America with no experience can build homes better than skilled labor in the Global South. If we don’t trust that 14 year old to build our home, why do we trust them to build the homes of communities rebuilding after suffering from years of colonial exploitation? It comes back to toxic white supremacy, cultural and religious hegemony, and in the case of Nicholas Kristoff and those he represents, white saviorism.
Eliminating Temptation: The Role of Purity Culture in Hate
"You have to talk about the specific culture where this is coming from which is white patriarchal, misogynistic, Christianity. Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Christianity. We have to talk about that because that is where these boys are essentially being radicalized. And I know that is a really strong word, but that is where they are being taught to perpetuate violence against women when they don't deal with their own internal issues." - Rachel Faller
Fetishizing Asian women is racist. Blaming them by calling them “temptations” is misogyny. In Atlanta's murder spree, the perpetrator cited “eliminating temptation” as his motive. He is also a member of a Southern Baptist church. Turning a blind eye to the deep-seated role of religious hegemony is oppression and allows for colonial power dynamics to continue permeating. For this man, faith shaped his understanding of sexuality, an understanding rooted in toxic masculinity and purity culture. Arguing that this hate crime is isolated to any one aspect of hate is disregarding the layers of oppression that led to the murder of these women.
If you don't see my humanity because you view me as this fetishized fantasy, it is so much easier for you to perpetuate harm and violence upon me because you don't actually see me as a person and as human. - Tara Teng
Racism compounded by heteronormative patriarchy and subjugation of women creates harmful environments that breath life into hate. How we see the world is deeply influenced by the narratives we are surrounded by. Citing sex addiction as his motivation, the perpetrator of the Atlanta hate crime not only deflected blame, but also reminded many within the Evangelical Church of the great danger growing out of purity culture.
Take Action
Over the last year, over 3,800 incidents of hate against Asian Americans have been documented. Please visit StopAAPIHate.org to volunteer, donate, and access helpful resources.
Identity, the human experience, discussions of racism, and discussions of oppression are messy and not clear cut. It's all complex and nuanced. It's a never-ending journey. Try to see the individual, the human, the person you're interacting with in the moment of circumstances in which you are engaging with them or their story. We want clear cut lessons and takeaways, but sometimes we walk away with bits and pieces that come together or become clearer in different ways and at different times later on. - Cara Shorey Choi
Connect with Our Guests
Tara Teng is an Embodiment Coach who works in the intersections of spirituality and sexuality. She helps people find their way back to their bodies, overcome shame, and dismantle purity culture in a way that is in alignment with their values and beliefs so that they can build a healthy, sexual ethic and thrive in freedom and wholeness. Aside from her 1:1 coaching, Tara hosts women’s circles, workshops, online classes and retreats throughout Vancouver, BC on the topics of theology, justice, embodiment, sexuality, and relationships. She also has spent ten years working to advance the socio-economic status of women, diminish sexual violence and end human trafficking alongside collaborative work with community stakeholders, lawmakers, and some amazing organizations. Her advocacy work has helped to pass new laws in Canada that protect victims of human trafficking and she has established Canada’s first Municipal Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.
Connect + Support Her Work: Website, Patreon, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook + Tiktok
Rachel Faller is an entrepreneur by trade and a creative at heart. She dedicates most of her time to rectifying harm within the garment industry using a systemic approach- encouraging people to think about the root of systemic injustice and tackling these issues at their core rather than simply treating the symptoms. Rachel is a co-creator of tonle – a zero waste, ethical and sustainable fashion line that is both a brand and a manufacturer. Alongside a small but mighty 60-person team, tonlé is setting a new standard for the fashion industry: That is, to create a business where everyone benefits and thrives. Tonlé believes in horizontal leadership structures and designing from materials that others consider waste, as well as addressing the root causes of the industry’s problems: namely, capitalism, colonialism, misogyny and white supremacy. Rachel is also a co-founder at Reclaim Collaborative, and writes at Just Fashion, a medium publication that explores the intersection of justice and fashion. Rachel’s personal and community care practices include crafting, painting, mending, gardening, and foraging.
Connect + Support Her Work: Website, Instagram, Twitter
Cara Shorey Choi is a High School English and Film Studies teacher, and a mother of two mixed race Asian American babies. She has two Bachelor degrees, one in English Literature, one in Film and Television, and an MEd in Secondary English Education. She is mixed race, Vietnamese American and white, and regularly trying to learn, consider, and teach about intersectionality.
Thank You
Art of Citizenry is a community supported podcast dedicated to decolonizing storytelling. This allows me to have unfiltered and nuanced conversations that challenge how power plays out in conversations about social, economic, climate, and geopolitical justice. We unpack history to really identify ways we can build a more equitable future, one that is restorative and just.
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