Yellow Fever Outbreak Averted

It certainly seemed like an ad geared to Asian-fetish white guys. It appeared in the June Learning Annex catalog: "How to Attract & Date Asian Women." With teasers like "How to be an Asian woman magnet," and "How to flirt in Chinese."

The course, a new offering, was abruptly canceled a week before its June 12 launch. It was to have been presented by Ming Tan, a Chinese-American writer who grew up in New York City. She's described in the Annex brochure as an "Asian relationship expert of the Asian & American Professionals Network's AsianSocials.com," and "author of How to Attract Asian Women."

Tan says she understands the course was canceled after a flurry of protest from Asian-Americans who thought it was targeting Asian women as playthings. Tan says the course, like her book, would teach American guys, Asian and not, how to approach Asian women in a way that won't offend them. The problem, she says, was twofold: that the book has a tongue-in-cheek attitude, and that the title was misinterpreted as a catchphrase for Asian fetishers.

The fetish thing, Tan says, wasn't intentional. Nevertheless, protest e-mails were sent to both her and the Annex. Comments were posted on Asian websites like asianavenue.com and igoo.com. Some protesters threatened to shut down Tan's own website, attractasianwomen.com.

The igoo.com controversy started when "chungtita" posted the Annex ad on the site's message board. More than 30 responses came in over the next few days. Comments included: "Wow. That is what you call one dumb ass bitch. I hope she gets married to some ignorant yellow-fever idiot," and "Ming Tan sold out to Mr. Capitalism..."

Tan had her defenders. "You people have it all wrong. This is not just for white guys," one wrote. "I was at one of Ming's events in May and she was very nice." Another added, "Ming Tan is so misunderstood here. Before you pass judgment, why don't you read her book in its entirety?"

"Angryasianman.com" blasted the Annex course on his site. Angryasianman, aka Phil Yu, regularly denounces perceived racial injustices. "Singling out Asian women is degrading them as some sort of a prize to be had," he says. "I don't see other ethnic groups being targeted this way."

I ask members of a "relationships forum" at asianavenue.com what they thought of all this. "Aznxtreme777" responded: "Let me guess. U r an idiot. And u need a bigger idiot to tell you how to rope Asian girls, right? I thought so."

The national director of the Annex, Steven Schragis, has his own explanation for why the course was canceled. It was his decision, he says. He claims he wasn't aware of the protesting e-mails, and there was only one phone call he knew of.

"It's not a class that should have run. It seemed a bit offensive. It wasn't appropriate."

And only three or four guys enrolled for it anyway, he adds.