Yellow Fever: Don't Let it Get You Blue

If you're unfamiliar with Yellow Fever (I'm not talking about the disease-unless you consider being attracted to a particular race a disease), it's an infliction commonly found in white males living in California, New York, or anywhere else where Asian females are in abundance. Formerly used to describe the condition of white guys who love to date Asian girls, the term "Yellow Fever" has evolved to describe the entire cultural phenomenon of innumerable white guy-Asian girl interracial couples and the resulted emasculation of the Asian American male as a thoroughly undesirable species on the dating scene. (There's an amusing video on YouTube-what video is not on YouTube?-called "Yellow Fever" that has a few useful words to offer on the topic, almost as useful as the ones in the rest of this article.)

Obviously, not every white guy dates an Asian girl and not every Asian girl dates a white guy, but a lot of them do. As a former student at UCLA, I got to observe this personally. The white guy-Asian girl couple is the most common interracial couple on-campus. It ma not be an exaggeration to say that it's the most common interracial couple in all of Los Angeles.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with white guys and Asian girls dating each other, but the problem is that too many Asian guys are complaining about the white men "stealing their women" (I'm an Asian guy myself, by the way).

There are many theories that try to explain why there are so many white guy-Asian girl couples. Asian girls are "submissive," so white guys won't have to deal with the independent-minded BS that comes with white girls. White guys are bigger and more masculine whereas Asian girls are more petite and feminized, making them a match made in heaven. White guys treat Asian girls better than Asian guys do. Now, historically, women haven't been treated well in Asia, but the same goes for the rest of the world. We men just need to learn to treat our women better in general.

The theories go on.

As I'm sure you can tell (please tell me you are able to), all these theories are folly. People who are a little more level-headed have come up with another solution (same as the conclusion of the "Yellow Fever" video, made at UC San Diego): confidence. It's no secret really. That's not to say all Asian guys lack confidence and all white guys have confidence. It's just a generalization. A generalization that's true.

I realize that some Asian girls simply don't look at Asian guys. Well, forget about them. They're not worth your (Asian guys') time anyway.

Confidence. Easier said than done, right? Well, I'm no one to give advice, but this article would be a cheat if I didn't at least try.

Forgive the stereotypical approach, but there's no better place to start for a mass audience: It's enjoyable to watch anime and play videogames, I know, but if you find yourself watching that new Naruto AMV or playing your friend in Halo 2 instead of going out with a pretty lady or if you're still dreaming about Lara at night, then you might have a problem. This sounds like common sense. This paragraph should've been excessive, but sadly, I know it probably wasn't for some.

Next: you have to put some effort into grooming yourself. I'm not telling you to become a vain little pretty boy who checks himself out on the sideview mirror of his car and then on that of every subsequent car parked next to his. Get a haircut every once in a while. I'm not talking about a $5 job at a barbershop. Treat yourself to a salon every now and then. Wear clean clothes. Shower! Man, I can't believe this is actually an issue for some guys. Exercise not in hopes of getting girls but to stay healthy. You don't have to be hot, but you have to be hygienic. You might be too lazy to put in this extra time and effort, but think of it as a form of respect for the ladies. They put in the time for us.

Having a car helps, but it's not mandatory. You shouldn't be interested in a girl who's only with you for your car anyway. That goes for those silly compulsory gifts on "monthly" anniversaries too (you should give because you want to make her feel special, not because you peeled off that page on the daily calendar). This is all quite high school. With all due respect, especially to high school students, we must all realize that not only are sixteen-year-old boys morons but sixteen-year-old girls are also some of the hardest to please in the world.

You have to know how to talk(believe it or not, your audio presentation is more important than your visual presentation). And look at her when you're talking to her. Most people are too afraid to make eye contact, which is very, very natural, but you're not listening to each other wholly unless you're looking each other in the eye. It's a whole new level of communication. It closes the distance between two people, which is scary, since people like their space (at least in this country).

Lastly but most importantly, you have to have a positive attitude. This must sound like something your elementary school principal told you all those years ago, but it's true. You have to think positive, concentrate on what you have and what you want, not what you don't have and what you don't want. Forget about all that "opposites attract" pizzazz. In this case, like attracts like. Girls, people are not interested in people who wallow in self-pity. Now you might think that some people are noble philanthropists, but some people are really in need of help whereas some people just need to realize that they need to learn to help themselves.

Don't think about how the white guys are "stealing" our Asian girls. Think about how we're losing our Asian girls. The problem isn't always with the other guy. Be positive about yourself, and seek improvement from within.

If you're positive about life, things will work out. If you're negative about everything, then you'll get everything you focus on, which is everything you don't want. Your attitude, your mentality, your outlook on life, call it whatever you will, it shapes your entire being. It is your core.

Everyone knows our star of the solar system, the sun, right? Nuclear fusion, the creation of energy, takes place in the solar core.

So, to all my Asian American brothers, if Yellow Fever is getting you blue, don't let it. It's not going to help.

Disclaimer: I know nothing about women.