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The Asian men's rights movement, often shortened as MRAsians, is an anti-feminist subculture among Asian-American men.[1][2] The movement has been linked to harassment of Asian-American women, feminists, and public figures,[2][3] and associated communities are characterized by misogyny, anti-blackness, and Asian-supremacist views.[4]
The MRAsian movement emerged as a response to the historical emasculation of Asian-American men produced by discriminatory laws and stereotypes found in media depictions.[5] According to researcher Angela Liu (pseudonym), the "hypermasculine ethnonationalism" found in the works of Asian-American author Frank Chin has had an important influence on MRAsian ideology.[6]
Masculinity
According to Angela Liu, MRAsians desire visibility for Asian-American men and seek to be perceived as ultramasculine.[7] They believe that emasculating stereotypes of Asian-American men are linked to disenfranchisement from political power[7] and difficulties in heterosexual dating for Asian-American men.[8] They argue that as a result of this disempowerment, Asian-American men do not enjoy male privilege.[7]
Interracial dating by Asian-American women
According to Liu, MRAsians believe that societal stereotypes of Asian-American women as sexually desirable grant them political power and an ability to gain societal privilege through white-adjacency.[9] MRAsians see Asian-American women who date white men as being complicit in white supremacy or engaging in "white worshipping".[10] Women that MRAsians deem to be undermining Asian-American interests are labelled as "Lu" or "Aunt Lu", by analogy to Uncle Tom.[11]
Opposition to feminism and social justice advocacy
Liu notes that MRAsians view Asian-American feminists' criticism of misogyny within Asian communities as malicious.[11] "Progressive Asian activists" and "boba liberals" are viewed unfavorably.[2] In the context of the MRAsian community, the term "boba liberal", originally a leftist term, has evolved to mean those who are seen to have betrayed Asian interests.[12]
Anti-blackness and race relations
MRAsians believe that mainstream social justice advocates in the United States have ignored Asians in favor of Black people and have failed to respond adequately to violence against Asian Americans committed by Black people.[2] They have harassed critics of anti-blackness and cultural appropriation within the Asian American community.[2]
/r/aznidentity
The Reddit community /r/aznidentity serves as a hub for the MRAsian community.[2] Several Asian American woman public figures have received harassment after being criticized on the subreddit.[13] The subreddit encourages the use of fake Twitter accounts with an attractive looking Asian man as a profile picture to amplify their viewpoints.[2][14]
Members of the MRAsian community have harassed Asian Americans that they deem to be race traitors or to have harmed the interests of Asian-American men.[2]
MRAsians have criticized and harassed various Asian American public figures, including author Celeste Ng and actors Constance Wu and Ken Jeong; the former two for dating white men and the latter for participating in what they perceive to be negative on-screen portrayals of Asian Americans.[2] Harassment from MRAsians has caused some Asian American public figures to become reluctant to engage in public discourse on sensitive issues.[13][3]
One Yale student received online harassment and threats from MRAsians after she criticized anti-Black racism in the Asian American community.[2]
Researcher Angela Liu indicates that MRAsians' opposition to feminism is an "incoherent solution" to Asian American men's issues.[15] Liu notes that much of the academic research into discrimination against Asian American men is rooted in feminism,[15] and that the cultural emasculation of Asian American men is a result of White supremacy and not feminism.[16] She also argues that MRAsians who see Asian women as privileged confuse sexual desirability and societal privilege, noting that non-white groups stereotyped as desirable are subjugated and fetishized, rather than privileged.[17]
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