The Single-Color Rainbow

[Update, 1/6/2007: An anonymous person commented that one of Fleshbot's "Top 10" is actually latino rather than white. However, I think you will see that my argument still holds true throughout this post.]




Yesterday, MOC Blog (one of my favorite blogs and a daily visit) pointed out Gay Fleshbot's list of Top Ten Crush Objects of 2006. As is so typical of such lists, it was heavily weighted toward the 18% of the world's population that is white. In fact, eight of the ten models chosen were white, with just a token Asian guy and Black guy. Now, don't get me wrong, I think Fleshbot is a great site, and they have said kind words about OYGA in the past. In fact, they have had 2 posts already in 2007 focused on Asian men, so they are already more balanced than the vast majority of sites out there.

Too many gay men see the world through Abercrombie- colored glasses and never realize the beauty that walks past them each day shaded in beautiful browns, yellows, reds, and blacks.But, the gay internet in general is a reflection of an infection that extends throughout the gay community around the world. It is the thinking that, if you climbed to the peak of Beauty Mountain, you would find a 22-year-old, 6-foot 2-inch, slim, toned, blond-hair, blue-eyed white guy with a 9-inch dick reigning as king, surrounded by near-clones of himself. This idea, originating in the prejudices of the past and propagated throughout the world by the studios of Hollywood, California, has so infiltrated contemporary thinking that most gay guys view the world in this manner without any suspicion that other perspectives even exist. They see the world through Abercrombie-colored glasses and never realize the beauty that walks past them each day shaded in beautiful browns, yellows, reds, and blacks.

What makes this narrow view of the world even more unbelievable is that nature practically screams out every moment of every day the message of the beauty of variety. The most dazzling star of the solar system, our sun, joins forces with the water that brings us life to broadcast from the highest points in the sky that multi-colored emblem of beauty, a symbol that we claim represents the highest ideals of the gay community. But would a rainbow inspire awe if it was solid orange? Perhaps we would note its presence, but do you think people would pull over in their cars and get out quickly to take pictures of a solid orange band? No, it is the diversity of colors that draws our eyes upward.

And which color of the rainbow is the one that makes it beautiful? Which one is the most important? Or conversely, which one can be removed without the rainbow losing any of its effect? At the Gay Games in Chicago last summer, one of the most memorable moments of the week was when all the participants stood together in Soldier Field during the opening ceremonies and the lights were shut off, revealing an illuminated gay pride flag created by thousands of tiny colored pen lights.



It was a breathtaking effect, and yet, it was mitigated slightly by our realization that there was no yellow band in the flag. To this day I do not know why there was no yellow band (perhaps the manufacturer didn't make yellow pen lights?). And although it did not ruin the effect completely, it was obvious to all that something was missing that should be there.

This basic understanding does not stop with the rainbow. It continues throughout nature, in nearly every conceivable corner of the planet and beyond. And humans understand it almost instinctively. Can you imagine:

• A "Top 10 Most Beautiful Flowers" list consisting of a daffodil, a lily, and 8 roses?
• A "Top 10 Most Beautiful Animals" list with a giraffe, a peacock, and 8 leopards?
  
• A "Top 10 Most Beautiful Places on Earth" list with one location in China, one in Kenya, and 8 in the United States or Europe?
  

Each of these lists would be instantly recognized by anyone as being imbalanced and incomplete. And yet, many of the same people who would mock the absurdity of these lists go through life applying just such a standard in their estimation of human beauty.

So, to Fleshbot, I love you guys and think your blog is great, but I'm just afraid your list is a reflection of a cultural myopia that ought to be addressed patiently but firmly. I hope you will use the excellent platform you have built both to entertain and inform (which you do every day in a superior way) but also to educate and contribute to an essentially-needed shift in cultural views of beauty throughout the gay communities around the world.

That is why this blog exists. It is not to promote Asian men as somehow more beautiful than others, but rather to contribute in a small way to the understanding that beauty comes in many forms, and Asian men are but one example of that fact.

So, in tribute to the 6 out of 10 people in the world who are Asian, here is the "OYGA Top 10 Asian Crushes" for your enjoyment. I think any of these guys could hold their own against the monochromatic competition!

10.


9.


8.


7.


6.


5.


4.


3.


2.


1. Jerome Ortiz - still the most beautiful man in the world (and one crush where Fleshbot and I are in complete agreement!)


Hey, you don't want to go back to work yet, do you? Why not check out the Men of Color Blog? Just click the banner!

How I Met Your Mother's Asian Insensitivity?

One of my favorite shows on TV, now in its second season, is the CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. It is consistently one of the most clever comedy shows on TV, only surpassed (in my ever-humble opinion) by the new show 30 Rock. Plus, How I Met Your Mother stars both Willow and Doogie, and you can never go wrong with either of them.

Last night I was belatedly watching Monday's episode on my DVR, an episode with a brilliant concept that didn't quite pull off as a whole, though it had some fabulous gay-themed humor in it. But overall, it seemed the writers were just a bit off their game.

In the episode, Barney (played by my first-ever celebrity crush/recently-outed actor Neil Patrick Harris....some of my earliest masturbation was in high school looking at pictures of him back in his Doogie Howser days) is [ironically] visited by his gay black brother James, played by Wayne Brady. How Barney a white guy and James a black guy are brothers is a mystery that is one of the running gags of the episode.



Barney is the ultimate dedicated single guy, avoiding commitment at all costs. James, apparently, is the gay version of Barney. So the two of them--since they never were competing for the same person--would help each other to score hookups (Barney helping James to pick up guys, and James helping Barney to pick up girls).



One example of this partnership, though, actually has me wondering if I should be upset or if I am reading more into the situation than I should. During a flashback, James is shown in a gay bar lying on his back, seeming not to be breathing.



Barney calls out to a group of guys and asks if anyone knows CPR. Quickly, a rather cute Asian guy standing very close by volunteers.



Barney looks at him, scowls, and then calls a tall, muscular (but, in my opinion, much-less-attractive) black guy from across the room to come help.



The basic concept of the joke was very obvious, that James did not actually need CPR, but rather he and Barney were trying to set up an opportunity for James to make out with a hottie. When the first candidate did not measure up to expectations in spite of being medically qualified and close by, a "better" helper was selected although he was unqualified and farther away. It is a rather over-used comic idea, though the basic idea is funny.

But there was one problem. That is, the first, more-qualified guy was attractive. Sure, the second guy was the exotic muscular look, but the Asian guy was very cute. In fact, had I seen the two of them in a bar, there's no question I would go after the Asian guy (yes, I hear you snickering that that is not a big surprise, but my first boyfriend was black, so I definitely find black guys attractive just as I do Asian guys....and Latino guys, and white guys, and... :-).



The only apparent reason for his rejection seemed to be his ethnicity. It seemed as if the underlying thought was, "Asian guys simply are not as desirable as others." For an episode that, at its best points, used humor quite effectively to illustrate the absurdity of homophobic attitudes that are often-present in society, that joke seemed off the mark and unhelpful.

So, did anyone else see the episode? Am I making sense? Or perhaps I'm overreacting and being too sensitive?

Didn't see it? Well, you're in luck! For at least the next couple days (until the next episode airs, I believe), you can watch the episode for free on Innertube (click here). To view the episode, click on the Innertube graphic near the top right, and select the episode "Single Stamina." The CPR scene is about 3 minutes into the second segment.

I'm glad to get feedback from you all about this.

A World of Color (Introduction)

In celebration of the fact that I can once again post to my blog, I am going to begin a series of posts today that I had originally intended to save for a later date. But I hope you will see that I have put significant effort into these posts, and perhaps that will help to stir up some excitement for this blog again after its unexpected compulsory hiatus!



At the start of September, I stepped aboard an airplane and left a very dreary Chicago for cheerful, relaxing Cancun, Mexico. The entire vacation was picture-perfect--exactly what I needed to regroup after a number of months filled with stress and anxiety.

One of the wonderful things about a vacation such as this, in which cell phones are left behind, internet and e-mail unavailable, and normal life responsibilities put on hold, is that we have opportunities just to step back and reflect on things that we tend to overlook in the hustle and bustle of life. The scent of the ocean breeze. The wonder of a simple melody sung by young children. The blessing of a healthy body that can take in all of the amazing sensory experiences of the world.

As I boarded the ferry that would take me to Cozumel Island and my first-ever snorkeling experience, I looked out at the beaches of Playa del Carmen, 45 minutes away from Cancun. My camera captured this picture of the warm, clear day, with its amazingly-white beaches, lazy clouds floating in a deep blue sky, and most memorably, the deep turquoise blue water that attempted to steal the spotlight from all the rest of the surrounding beauty.



The picture of that scene, imprinted both on a photograph and in my mind, started me thinking about the world of color in which we live. From the fiery colors of a summer sunset to the fragile hues of a flower's petals, ours is a world of endless variety and range in color.

I often am teased about my wardrobe. When somebody asks me what is my favorite color, I generally will respond, "cheerful" or "bright". The few outfits in my closet that are sedate and restrained generally don't get worn too often.

It is hard-wired inside us to crave variety. Perhaps not everyone will wear loud, tacky shirts without shame or self-consciousness, but we all enjoy seeing the season's new colors. It is this craving that compels us to stop and point when we see a rainbow appear in the sky. Nobody has to teach us that the strands of color lined together in the rainbow are "beautiful." We know it instinctively. It resonates from somewhere deep within us, just as we would agree as to the beauty of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel or the grandeur of nature's landscapes.



So why is it, I wondered to myself as I thought of the Caribbean waters, that so many cannot see the beauty in the variety of colors among the people of the world? A person would be regarded as odd or foolish if he said, "I'm only into orange clothing. I won't wear any other color, because orange is the only color I like." None of us would criticize the person for having a preference for orange clothing, perhaps it being his favorite color. But to be so limited in his taste that he cannot see beauty in any other color of clothing? We would feel sad for the person because he has so limited himself from the beauty that is so easily accessible around him in clothing stores everywhere.

The comparison here is obvious. Society would label a person as odd or eccentric if he had a monochrome wardrobe, but it barely bats an eye at a statement such as, "I'm only into white guys." One of my main motivations for starting this blog was a realization of how my life has been enriched and beautified by my interactions with people of different "colors" and the observation that relatively few places on the internet celebrate the beauty of diversity and variety. If I had unlimited time and no life, I could start several more blogs, celebrating the beauty of men of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Those who have visited the sister blog to this site, Auto-Gratification, have undoubtedly recognized this love for the beautiful men of the world.

So I invite you to join me over the next several days, as we explore the amazing World of Color in which we live. May we each do our part to help those within our spheres of influence to see the beauty in all people, regardless of their background, language, culture, and yes, color.

And, as always, some colorful Asian guys for you....