Although the United States is in the midst of a cultural reformation concerning media representation, East Asian males in particular are perennially penalized for adhering--and for not adhering--to their cultural values. Marvel Comics is experiencing a resurgence in popularity due to its string of lucrative motion pictures, and the few Asian males who are featured on the silver screen and/or on the pages of comic books are virtually imprisoned within a White American racial frame--a group of subconscious assumptions White Americans have about other races. Comparably, Black males are disposed to despotic discrimination and are indefinitely imprisoned similar to their Asian counterparts. While Asian boys and men are generally classified as asexual, intellectuals, and socially awkward, Black boys and men are classified as hypersexual, ignorant, and sociopathic. The stark dichotomy of these two demographics deserves a deep analysis considering they perpetually persist on polar opposites of the American masculinity spectrum. Despite the divergence, Asian males and Black males face similar struggles that have not been widely addressed. The assumptions regarding their presentations of masculinity more often than not are used to justify their treatments in the workforce, and their treatments are routinely reflected in Marvel comic books and motion pictures. This study notes how Marvel Comics and the American workforce maintain the same sterotypical ideas of Black and Asian capabilites.

Authors:
Ramal Johnson, The University of California San Diego, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Mr Ramal Johnson is a University Doctoral Student at The University of California San Diego in United States

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