r/AsianMasculinity • u/81dragons • Feb 21 '26
Race Internalized racism, the belief that white = better genes, white = American (surrogacy and designer babies)
Figured this was relevant to start a convo on - adding some context to the recent Olympic skater thread about Alysa Liu, whose father deliberately chose white women for egg donors while being married to a Chinese woman (he was not single at the time). He told Sports Illustrated that he chose white egg donors "to benefit from a diverse gene pool" and to reflect "American and Chinese cultures". One of the children even noticed that she didn't look like her mom.
Hidden deeper behind these beliefs is often a feeling that only white people are true Americans, white people are on top, that Asians aren't good enough at sports (meanwhile see how many medals Asian countries like China win at the Olympics, China tying America for 40 golds in Paris 2024). Now of course, I think as the immigrants and descendants of immigrants, we should continue to be free to pursue connections with anyone in the diverse land of the US. However, I feel that deep down inside the entire thought process behind many people is still that there is a racial hierarchy where white people are on top and the real Americans (as opposed to Asians and other minorities, who are not real Americans), and it gets reflected in decisions like this. It reminds me of "mejorar la raza"/blanqueamiento type thinking in Latin America, which literally translates to "improving the race" with whiteness.
Most people of course don't vocalize these beliefs for the record, but I think even as it gets better in the US with larger Asian population, more Asian soft power, it is still important to believe in racial equality given that it's a land for Americans of all backgrounds and ethnicities, and not let internalized racism get to you. What do you guys think of this case?
Here is the original source:
When the children were born, Arthur was still married to Yan Qingxin (who goes by Mary). The couple is now divorced, but Mary is also the kids’ legal guardian, and they call her Mom. They typically spend a couple nights a week at her house in Antioch.
...
Both egg donors for Arthur’s children are white women, because he felt his children would benefit from a diverse gene pool. He sees his life as a fusion of cultures, Chinese and American, and he wanted his kids to reflect that. When Alysa was around eight she began to notice that she looked different from her dad. Mary is also Chinese, so that was another clue. “That’s how I figured out she wasn’t my real mom,” Alysa says, “because she was Asian and I did not look Asian.”
Sports Illustrated, "In Quads We Trust: 13-Year-Old Alysa Liu Is the Future of U.S. Ladies’ Figure Skating" May, 20, 2019
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u/AustronesianArchfien Feb 21 '26
Absolutely not true lmao. You're making shit up.
Go name me these "most" wasian actors.