“Shortcomings” (2007) is a graphic novel by Adrian Tomine. It tells of Ben Tanaka and his lack of success with women. He is a 30-year-old Japanese American who runs a cinema in Oakland, California. He has never been with a white woman – but wants to be. Just then his Japanese American girlfriend leaves for New York for four months.
Early on he says:
Why does everything have to be some big statement about race?
But trying to make nothing about race winds up making everything about race.
I found out about this book a year ago on some blog and saw it a week ago by accident at the library. And then, just now while I was making my tea, I started reading it. I did not even get my tea till I got to the end. It is over a hundred pages long but with all the pictures it has maybe only 20 pages worth of words.
Trying not to give away the plot:
Ben Tanaka finds fault with everything and is himself something of a loser. The only woman who truly likes him, his best friend, is a lesbian. No one is completely honest with him so things are not always what they seem. His cluelessness is made even worse by being so self-centred that I laughed through most of the book.
His Japanese American girlfriend finds his porn. But what gets her upset is not that all the women are naked but that all the women are white! He plays it off, but she is on to something.
He sees his thing for white women as being completely innocent and not kind of strange. But he sees Asian women with white men in a completely different light: white men are just using Asian women, they do not love them, they have some kind of sick fetish, etc.
And while he is dreaming of white women, he fails to see the true beauty right in front of him of his own not-white girlfriend. Something the story makes clear.
His unexamined internalized racism bites him yet again when he seriously believes the stereotypes about the “size” of Asian men.
His best friend is full of insights about him, but most of it seems to be wasted on him – but not on us.
The San Francisco Bay Area view of New York made me laugh too. One character, seeing New York for the first time, says:
… and over there is the Brooklyn Bridge. Doesn’t it make you feel like you’re in some nostalgic movie about being Jewish or something?
Since the book is so short and since not everything is what it seems, it is probably worth reading a second time.
I would not have bought the book with my own money, but it was worth getting out of the library. And it does make me interested in his other books. Or if he writes another Ben Tanaka book.
See also:
Lol why is it when the notion of “interracial” relationships pops up, a white person is always half of it? That has gotten so old.
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I find the idea of this book very interesting..the most telling themes are the ones barely explained by the author. I will pick it up. Can you recommend any others like it?
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It sounds quite interesting… I am going to look it up on Amazon!
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Gen,
Lol why is it when the notion of “interracial” relationships pops up, a white person is always half of it? That has gotten so old.
True, interracial dating = white + non-white is getting old (there are many interracial couples where nobody involved is white). Still, I do think this story required white people as love interests, because it shows internalized racism, and racism in general better.
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“Lol why is it when the notion of “interracial” relationships pops up, a white person is always half of it? That has gotten so old.”
I second that, i had a girl in my jack and jill group who had a japanese dad and a black mother, someone should write a book about that.
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also, why do people need wp to like them in order to validate their worth? this is something that forever boggles my mind…
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Lol why is it when the notion of “interracial” relationships pops up, a white person is always half of it? That has gotten so old.
Agreed!!
I second that, i had a girl in my jack and jill group who had a japanese dad and a black mother, someone should write a book about that.
Japanese dad, black mother would make an interesting post or a post on blasians in general.
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Gen,
“Lol why is it when the notion of “interracial” relationships pops up, a white person is always half of it? That has gotten so old.”
Probably because whites are more numerous and more evenly distributed throughout the U.S. Many people live in areas where there are few Asians, for example. Also, white supremacy.
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I read Summer Blonde a few years ago. Tmoine’s graphic novels never disappoint me. You might also like Love an Rockets
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Individual realizations about identity shouldn’t be minimized, it reminds me of people who say, ‘get over the slavery thing.’
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I haven’t read the book, but according to your synopsis it doesn’t seem to address the fact that there are a whole lot more white men with asian women compared to asian men with white women and the racism behind that disparity. If you’re one of those people who believe women in America are colorblind as it pertains to dating, you are extremely ignorant. If you’re one of those people who believe the disparity is natural because white men are just naturally superior compared to asian men, you’re evil. Furthermore, I think the book portrays asian men in a very negative light.
I don’t know about you guys, but whenever I read the words “internalized racism”, I always feel as if the writer is blaming PoC for internalizing the racism as oppossed to white people for actually creating the system of racism that makes people suffer.
Noone seems to have any empathy whatsoever for asian men.
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“He sees his thing for white women as being completely innocent and not kind of strange. But he sees Asian women with white men in a completely different light: white men are just using Asian women, they do not love them, they have some kind of sick fetish, etc.”
In other words, Asian men are hypocritical reverse racists and white men are completely innocent. Well, isn’t that nice.
“And while he is dreaming of white women, he fails to see the true beauty right in front of him of his own not-white girlfriend.”
Because when it comes to dating and marriage, it’s usually asian women who face discrimination. How about a story where a woman of any race realizes asian men are not completely worthless.
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hunter,
“I haven’t read the book, but according to your synopsis it doesn’t seem to address the fact that there are a whole lot more white men with asian women compared to asian men with white women and the racism behind that disparity.”
This I agree with…
“If you’re one of those people who believe women in America are colorblind as it pertains to dating, you are extremely ignorant.”
I doubt abagond believes that. But it’s pretty clear that men aren’t colorblind either, at least in regards to serious relationships.
“If you’re one of those people who believe the disparity is natural because white men are just naturally superior compared to asian men, you’re evil.”
See first sentence in second comment above starting with “I doubt…”
“I don’t know about you guys, but whenever I read the words “internalized racism”, I always feel as if the writer is blaming PoC for internalizing the racism as oppossed to white people for actually creating the system of racism that makes people suffer.”
It’s pretty clear you’re new here. Welcome. 🙂 I suggest you have a look at some older posts if you think abagond does not acknowledge the racism of whites.
On the other hand, I have to say, most Asians I’ve met don’t have any interest in contemplating if they or other Asians have internalized racism or not, even when it’s glaringly obvious. It’s like they put their fingers in their ears and go “lalalala”. It’s quite an interesting phenomenon.
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I do not agree with main character’s views on interracial dating and, from the way he is presented, I doubt Tomine does either. But given that Ben Tanaka, the main character, is an Asian American man with internalized racism that he does not face up to, his point of view would seem reasonable to him.
Tomine is himself a Japanese American man from the same time and place as Ben Tanaka. I doubt he is trying to make Asian American men look bad. Most people do not write about this stuff, but silence only serves to make internalized racism stronger.
One of the best ways to bring out Ben Tanaka’s internalized racism would be through the whole issue of dating whites. Because in America internalized racism is in relation to whites.
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tenacitus said:
“I read Summer Blonde a few years ago. Tmoine’s graphic novels never disappoint me. You might also like Love an Rockets”
You are right about that: I loved “Poison River”, book 12 of Love & Rockets.
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hunter said:
“I don’t know about you guys, but whenever I read the words “internalized racism”, I always feel as if the writer is blaming PoC for internalizing the racism as oppossed to white people for actually creating the system of racism that makes people suffer.”
That is not how I feel about it:
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Natasha W:
“On the other hand, I have to say, most Asians I’ve met don’t have any interest in contemplating if they or other Asians have internalized racism or not, even when it’s glaringly obvious. It’s like they put their fingers in their ears and go “lalalala”. It’s quite an interesting phenomenon.”
I see this too among just people of color in general.. especially among upper middle class young people. Not too shocking considering that many are the most “assimilated” in cases. Not shocking though… Every race has a different relationship to social issues and act accordingly, for better or worse.
Interracial relationships with whites as default are rehashed so much because society has unresolved issues with it. It’s that simple. There are particular dynamics and movtivations because of the racial heirarchy that go unsaid beyond blogs like this one. They are yet to be discussed in the public space. Yes, we exoticize them in films and television but do we really examine it substantively?
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On a sidenote, what about porn in this case? While porn with white women certainly show main character’s preference in women, it is also true most of the (mainstream) porn not involving white people is really, really racist and sick. So not watching “ethnic porn” is not always a sign of lack of preference for specific race of (wo)men.
As for internalized racism, white racism is guilty for POC internalized racism. It’s not something POC do on their own and without white influence. It’s similar to “identification with the aggressor” defence mechanism, I think.
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I’m a bit mystified by this “internalized racism” issue. There are around 40 million blacks, 40 million Hispanics, and a few million Asians living in the US. These numbers appear sufficient for these groups to create their own social worlds where they set the standards. Indeed, there are black neighborhoods, clubs, magazines, tv channels, and so forth. The same goes for Hispanics. I’m sure Asians have similar institutions in areas where they have settled in large numbers, like Calfornia. Still, there is a great deal of talk over the psychological damage inflicted by “white influence.”
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I don’t know why you find that surprising, FG. You may live in your own community but still being affected by white culture. This can lead to internalized racism.
(Just like you can live outside US and be affected by the American culture- like I am).
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You can easily tell if a product has been tailored or not for your usage.
You want to know the damage of western influence on others, it’s easy, you just have to check your bodyweight.
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@ Gen
Cosign 100%. I’m sick to death of the idea that interracial pairings MUST include a white person. I would be more interested in learning about interracial relationships that involve people of color. I live in California and I’ve met a Latina married to an Asian man. I know of another Latina who is married to a man from India. I know a Black woman who has a child with a Mexican-American man. Clearly white and person of color is not the only possible interracial pairing. Can we as people of color get off of this whites are the center of the universe kick that so many of seem to have?! Give it a rest already. Geesh.
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@ Peanut
I’ve often wondered the same thing. Some people of color do seem to act like they found the prize at the end of the rainbow when they are involved with a white person. What’s worse is when a white person acts like he or she is doing you, the person of color, a favor by expressing an interest in you. Abagond, please forgive me if I’m derailing. :^)
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@Peanut—
“also, why do people need wp to like them in order to validate their worth? this is something that forever boggles my mind…”
Mine too! I did a post on that very subject and I named it “White Approval Addiction—You Got It!”
I thought it was well written, if I do say so myself! 😉
http://nachalooman.wordpress.com
Sorry Abagond for the shameless self promotion ;-D
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Never mind interracial pairings among racialized people. How about adding inter- ethnic pairings among people of African descent? For example, a Trinidadian marrying/dating a Jamaican, a Grenadian marrying a Bajan, , a black Canadian marrying a Black American, a Ghanaian marrying a Yoruba, the lists is inexhaustible. I’ve seen all these pairings by the way.
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@Herneith
Exactly. Jamaican married to Ghanian and all that lot
Inter-ethnic tribes Yoruba/Fulani etc.
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>>I’m a bit mystified by this “internalized racism” issue. There are around 40 million blacks, 40 million Hispanics, and a few million Asians living in the US. These numbers appear sufficient for these groups to create their own social worlds where they set the standards. Indeed, there are black neighborhoods, clubs, magazines, tv channels, and so forth. The same goes for Hispanics. I’m sure Asians have similar institutions in areas where they have settled in large numbers, like Calfornia. Still, there is a great deal of talk over the psychological damage inflicted by “white influence.”<<
The Dutch have been living dry behind their dykes for centuries, but they're still very aware of the presence of the sea "over their heads," and it does affect their national psychology in ways different from people who don't live their lives with the sea over their heads.
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Where I live you see White men with Asian women everywhere. Yes, I live in the O.C., near Irvine, and have yet to see a Asian man with a White woman. Same is true, to a lesser extent, between Hispanic women and White men. When I engage community members in this discussion I ask them to name famous Asians, at least one Hollywood actor, who is not associated with martial arts movies. Well you know the result, very very few come up with anyone other than Arnold from Happy Days or Lucy Liu. It has given me a whole new appreciation for what the Aisan community, and specifically, Asian men, struggle with. Though, must say, as a female trying to work in L.A., it’s understood in my firm that many Asian men prefer to not work with women, so that discussion happens up front before being assigned work with an Asian client. I have empathy for this character in the book, and how by virtue of his immutable heritage he is relegated as non-dateable. A sad, but hopefully, changing viewpoint.
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It has always bothered me–the number of non-white men I hear complaining about being unable to hook up with white women.
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@Mira
There’s so much porn made in east asia where race is rarely mentioned. It’s readily available/free thanks to the internet. If someone really wants “ethnic” non-racist porn, there’s always a way.
I have a blasian cousin. She’s so adorable. I second coverage on interracial that has nothing to do with whites.
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kpp,
It’s good to know. I mean… it’s good to know that it can’t explain main character’s behaviour.
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I have a feeling I missed out by not reading Love & Rockets. I asked an idiot white guy what it was about years ago. I didn’t think he could fuck it up because he was a reader of the book. But he for sure did fuck it up if race was a theme.
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“fails to see the true beauty right in front of him”
Kiwi, you are not alone on this. I have been there too. It’s awful and disgusting.
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@ Kiwi
I maybe, sorta kinda, have a similar story. However, unlike you I did not take my bravery pills today, and so, won’t be sharing this story that, you know, might have happened!
😛
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