Asian American Psycho - by Chris Jesu Lee

The contrast between what America wants from Asian art vs. Asian American art

This essay was first published in the 2022 March/April print issue of Current Affairs.1 Thank you to Sharon Adarlo2 for the beautiful new artwork above. Follow her on Twitter at @sadarlo1. Americans love Asian psychos. The angrier the characters, the bloodier the drama, the better. Consider some of the most popular imported cultural works from Asia in recent times. There’s the Oscar-winning Parasite, a film seething with class rage that climaxes with an orgy of violence at a child’s birthday party. Last fall, nobody could take their eyes off of Squid Game, a drama series that likewise…

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