Long T. Bui introduces the Model Machine Method, a nuanced framework to understand the dehumanization of Asians through stereotypes of robotic efficiency and emotionlessness
When we think of Asian stereotypes, especially in the United States, we recall stereotypes of “Asians being smart” and a “model minority,” or an enduring stereotype of Asians as robotic or machine-like. Through a nuanced reinterpretation of the "model minority myth," Professor Long T. Bui introduces the "model machine method," providing a framework to understand the dehumanization of Asians and its impact on social, legal, and global contexts. The stereotype of Asians as robotic—mechanical, emotionless, and industrious—has deep historical roots and continues to influence contemporary perceptions. This article examines two of Bui’s books, which he presented in a dual book launch at the Orfalea Center on Wednesday, April 24th, 2024. The books featured in this launch were Model Machines: A History of the Asian as Automaton (Temple University Press, 2022), and the recently released Viral World: Global Relations During the Covid-19 Pandemic (Routledge, 2024). In these texts, Long T. Bui explores the historical roots, contemporary implications, and media perpetuation of this stereotype.
Historical and Contemporary Stereotypes
Long T. Bui traces the origins of the robotic Asian stereotype to significant historical events and cultural perceptions, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese laborers from entering the United States. This legislation was accompanied by pervasive propaganda that depicted Chinese people as inhuman and machine-like, capable of working tirelessly and emotionlessly. Long referenced various media forms that reinforced these stereotypes. However, finding this was not easy, and the information is not already collected and waiting to be viewed. “So I had to look at newspapers, propaganda, pornography, music videos, everything that even mentions Asians as robots. I had to build my own archive,” said Long. One of Long’s findings was Albert Einstein's private diaries, published after his death, where Einstein described Chinese people as industrious but filthy and stupid, akin to automatons. Long quoted Einstein’s words regarding how little difference there is between men and women among Asians; they are just the same. This dehumanizing view set a foundation for future stereotypes. Additionally, Long discussed political cartoons from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that portrayed Chinese laborers as octopus-like figures with many arms working at high speed. These images framed Chinese workers as a threat to American jobs and depicted them as monstrous, inhuman entities.
The Model Machine Method
He then introduced his "Model Machine Method," a nuanced reinterpretation of the "Model Minority Myth." This framework examines how Asians are often praised for their work ethic and academic success while simultaneously being dehumanized. Long coined the terms "Asian Robotism" and "Model Machine" to describe these perceptions. "Asian Robotism" refers to the behavior of Asians being interpreted as robotic, while "Model Machine" suggests that Asians are the best type of robots – efficient and skilled but lacking individuality. This perception precedes the model minority myth and is deeply ingrained in Western views of Asians. Long criticized the broader term that preceded his framework – "techno-Orientalism" – for being vague, abstract, and unable to highlight differences in how various Asian groups and geographies are perceived, and also cannot be used to describe Asians as robotic.
“Me Love You Long Time.” Media, Sex and the Asian body as Mechanical Substitute
Today, visual media is a potent tool for disseminating propaganda, and by extension absorbing it. This can be seen in examples Long provided in film and media. He cited the movie "Full Metal Jacket," where Vietnamese women were dehumanized as robotic sex objects. The movie itself is long, yet the Vietnamese only receive a few lines, with the famous example of a Vietnamese sex worker approaching some American soldiers and repeating “Me so horny, me love you long time.” Long saw this as the character acting like a broken record. “We know nothing about her character. Everyone gets a story and these people are seen as robotic figures just for sex for American men,” he said.
Long T. Bui highlights how visual media perpetuates the dehumanization of racialized groups, particularly Asian women, by portraying them as robotic sex objects, a stereotype that leads to their exclusion, exploitation, and potential harm
Long pointed out that these depictions are not isolated: at this time, the impression of East Asian sex workers as sex machines was popular. He offered a quote from a Korean comfort woman – essentially a military sex slave – paraphrasing “can you imagine what it was like, that you were lying there and serving so many soldiers? We're talking like 20 to 30 men a day and making me a sex machine. That pain came to me like electricity.” This account shows the stereotype becoming embodied, as the woman describes herself as a sex machine. This sentiment is globalized and even internalized. Long gave the example of Malaysia, and told us how “we start seeing self-orientalization happening and Asian countries participating in this idea of the Asian, especially Asian women, as women for sex and for labor. However, that labor is very sex specific.”What are the stakes in these discussions? Long put it very simply, “if you can dehumanize people, you can also exclude them, exploit them, or even exterminate them. “This is very important for thinking about the why, why should I do a history of this? Because it does have moral stakes to it.
Viral World: Global Relations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a resurgence of anti-Asian sentiment, as Asians were violently assaulted with racist scapegoating, and even blamed for the virus. Against this backdrop Long introduced his book Viral World : Global Relations During the Covid-19 Pandemic (Routledge, 2024), which is structured around key terms that emerged during the pandemic such as "foreign virus," "flatten the curve," and "physical distancing." He also created thematic sections like "quagmire quarantine query," reflecting the overlapping and chaotic nature of pandemic life. Long reflects on the global reactions to the pandemic, noting how authoritarian regimes used it to assert control, while others, like himself, sought to understand and document the profound changes it brought. He emphasizes the influence of cultural, media, global, ethnic, feminist, and queer studies in his analysis, underscoring the comprehensive nature of his work. He introduced the concept of "worlding," a term gaining popularity to describe the process of creating or reconstructing one's world. The pandemic, he argued, caused our worlds to simultaneously expand and contract, becoming more interconnected yet isolated. Long coined the term "viral worlding" to describe how the pandemic catalyzed global connectivity while exposing and challenging preexisting global relationships.
Long discussed a chapter titled "Corona Apocalypse," which addresses the apocalyptic rhetoric surrounding the pandemic. He gave examples of dehumanizing rhetoric between global politicians, social distancing creating “empty cities,” and critiqued how capitalism treated workers like expendable zombies during the pandemic, especially frontline workers who faced daily risks. The pandemic also greatly impacted social and political dynamics. Long noted how marginalized groups, such as Asians were often blamed for the virus. He discussed the stigmatization of LGBTQ+ communities in South Korea and the targeting of racial minorities by white Christian nationalists in the U.S. and drew parallels between these events and historical scapegoating during the HIV/AIDS crisis.
The event concluded with comments and questions from the discussants: Howard Chiang (middle), Professor of UCSB East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies and an affiliated member of the Orfalea Center’s Global Genders & Sexualities Research Cluster, and Travis Candieas (left), a Graduate Fellow at the Orfalea Center
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