This news blurb is running in the the NY post about GQ editor Jim Nelson, who is talking about the DVD “The Secret”, and says: ….”visualize what you want (an Alfa Romeo? Leather pants? An Asian whore?), think positively, and ‘the universe will . . . make it happen for you.’”.
When asked by PageSix about it - he basically says that it was satire - he was making a point about obnoxious and noxious attitudes of westerners - that they - or should I say we - believe we can pretty much have anything we want - including pimping whores. Asian whores.
I haven’t read the article (in the May issue of GQ) - so I can’t quite say who is right and who is wrong on this because I’ll have to read it in context. But I will say this:
If it is indeed satire, if it is done to provoke rather than condone - because let’s face it - there are enough men and women in this world that think “Asian woman” is equal to “whore” - than the Asian American Journalists Association needs to tread lightly.
I’m not saying the AAJA shouldn’t be saying anything, because men’s magazines like GQ should have some understanding of history, the significance of words, and the understanding that some of their readers might not get the point (if there was one). But there’s a difference between racism and xenophobia, and trying to make a point against it using incendiary language.
