Golden Globes 2020 nominee Brad Pitt is an icon of white masculinity. His whiteness is rarely acknowledged, yet it's whiteness that's used to put Asian males in their "place"—on screen or off.
The white-controlled media machine mocks and demonizes Asian men just as it deifies white men—which is why I looked up to Pitt growing up. I thought he represented what being a good man was. After all, Hollywood usually makes Asian men look horrible so who would aspire to that?
During Pitt's Fight Club era, he inspired me to buy a leather jacket, work out, bleach my hair blond, and wear colored contacts. Like many Asian Americans who've done similar things, I thought I was just trying to be cool and fit in. But what I really was doing was masking my Asianness. So when Angelina Jolie adopted Maddox (born Rath Vidol) in 2002, it felt like he'd won the lottery and proved the American Dream was real: An orphaned Asian kid saved from his "poor, backwards" war-devastated country of Cambodia and brought into the home of white American royalty.
I'd already begun my journey to re-embrace my Asianness by 2016, but when news broke that Brad Pitt was accused of lunging at Maddox when the 15-year-old tried to defend his mom during his parents' argument, it felt like whatever remained of that Dream finally shattered.
To be clear, no one knows what happened on that private jet besides those who were involved or witnessed it, but what we do know is the incident prompted Jolie to immediately file for divorce and request sole custody of the kids, and that Maddox doesn’t want to speak with Pitt. Initially I didn't want to talk about this due to Maddox's age and because his parents are some of the most powerful people in the world. But he's now around the same age I was when I dyed my hair. So if the deification of Pitt was that damaging to me, what's it like for Maddox?
If Pitt & Jolie had been paying attention, they would know Asian American kids like Maddox don't have many heroes that look like them on screen (Can you name even one prominent Cambodian American actor?). So how could a father of two Asian sons mock Bruce Lee—one of the only ones Asian Americans have?
Because anti-Asian racism is so entrenched in Hollywood and American culture, and white saviors perpetuate it too. It's how Tarantino—who's supposedly "inspired" by Asian films—could write a disrespectfully inaccurate and downright racist portrayal of Lee and be unapologetic about it. Even Jolie in her best efforts—such as her film adaptation of First They Killed My Father—almost fetishizes the trauma of war in Cambodia and downplays US involvement. One wonders if Maddox chose Korea for college because K-pop gives a positive Asian male rep he's rarely seen. For all their power in Hollywood—even the UN—you would think Pitt and Jolie would've done more to correct the lack of positive AsAm male representation for the sake of their sons (or at least avoid taking it away). But they haven't. Their life imitates their art and vice versa.
All of this begs the question: if an Asian kid is "saved" from Asianness, who can save him from white saviors?
I don't know the answer, or if Maddox is even asking, but he should know he's not alone—because it's a question that many Asian Americans like me are also asking.
(Please don't repost or edit my work. Clicking "Share" and liking my page is always appreciated.)
Logan Lewis
Chinks are the biggest whiners in the world and they haven't caught on that no one cares.
Brandon Miller
Is this screen cap of brad pitt fighting bruce lee posted anywhere outside of Yas Forums? Because it looks like we actually triggered some chinknposters LMAO
>draw literally the same face as woman but change hairstyle >Asian "man"
Thomas Lewis
this is what happens when you leave your birth country
Nathan Allen
I was fine with them taking a bit of a jab at Bruce for fun but they made him fucking arrogant in the movie. The way he boast about beating Clay? BS. RL he said He’d get his ass kicked by him.
Why does Quinten hate Bruce? He apparently wanted to make it even more humiliating.
Dominic Price
kek nice catch
Logan Myers
that asian guy doesn't look manly at all
Luis Thompson
>Fact: Filipinos are the most insecure race in the world
The monkey on the left can barely keep those ridiculous glasses on with that fucked up ape nose of his lol.
Jeremiah Martin
>All his strips are about whites and rascism >One strip shows asians are not better with teir rascism and stereotyping within asians. After this strip he should stop all the "i am a poor asians guy in america"
Leo Rodriguez
WAAAAAAAAAAAH MAI FAMIRY ON 100K DORRA A YEAR ME SO OPPLESSSSSSS SYSTEMATIC OPLESSION ME NOT FAAK HUWAITO GYARU PREE
What a retarded webcomic. Pitt got divorced from Jolie ages before Once Upon A Time In Hollywood ever began shooting.
Brody Sullivan
Reminder he's a Pinoy and hates East-Asians. He pretends to care about Bruce Lee when in fact he seethes whenever a yellow gook is more successful than his maid lifestyle.
>filipinos are on almost the exact same income level per capita as whites >everything in this comic can also be applied to one ((percenter)) whites and every other group of whites VELI OPLESSION PREE
What I don't get is where the whole slew of insecure Asian men came from. I don't remember this shit happening five years ago, maybe I missed it. But in highschool I had a few asian friends that were normal dudes, and when I went to uni I ended going the judo club cause they didn't have wrestling and most of the asian guys there were normal chill dudes. But shit I'm almost graduating and I see a ton of these insecure asians and I don't get where they came from. Thanks for reading my blog
Microaggression, but the real question is did he actually experience those things or is he imagining things for this comic?
Carson Cooper
yes their lives are meaningless
Carson Powell
>goes to a southern town >complains about all the white restaurants >doesn't go to the black family owned BBQ joint found in every small town in the south His loss.
Bentley Carter
>where should I go to eat? >*tells him all the non-racist places* >hmm no thanks I will go to everywhere except where you suggested >oh no, racism! this is why filipinos are a servant race
Carson Myers
What's wrong with the first sandwich shop he went to?
Asher Miller
This guy is slave morality incarnate. Probably hates /ourpinoy/
