Romance on a Global Stage by Nicole Constable - Book Report/Review Example

s Romance on a Global Stage by Nicole Constable As the world becomes more and more integrated as a result of rapid globalization, individuals find themselves interacting with people belonging to a variety of ethnicities. These interactions were further enhanced with the advent of the internet and ever since the start of the 21st century, cultural interactions is experiencing a steady increase in cultural interactions and romantic long-distance relationships over the internet. There are more than 350 matrimonial and dating websites on the internet that match the profiles of men and women with people from all over the globe and romantic union clearly demonstrates the amalgamation of the global community. Nicole Constable has discussed this aspect of the society in her unique study and compiled it in her book titled “Romance on a global stage: Pen pals, virtual ethnography and mail-order marriage’, where the substance of her prose focuses on real individuals in a romantic or matrimonial alliance with people in a different country and culture. (Constable, 2003, p. 198-208) The basic premise of the relationship centers on men from the west and eastern women; primarily Filipina or Chinese women. Constables work is not only based on theoretical evidences but also anecdotal that gives the readers a general insight into the matter. Marriage is one the most universal concepts and as mentioned earlier, as the internet is becoming more and more synonymous with the world’s population, online relationships and mail-order marriages have become extremely common and as a result the differences between the value system between people belonging to various cultural backgrounds have become even more pronounced; however, the values have undergone a series of change in recent, as a result the global community has become more uniform. The cyberspace has opened up new doors for the contemporary society; from chartrooms to websites dedicated to help people find their ideal life partners but often people don’t get the perfect happily-ever-after to their story and there is another side to the picture. Many couples have to come to terms with the racial and cultural stereotypes that pervade their society regarding their potential spouses. Online dating and mail-order marriage is a long-distance relationship, and couples are able to stay in touch only through the internet, telephone or the conventional method of writing letters to each other. (Piper & Roces, 2003) Sometimes, individuals also pay visits to their significant others in their home country until they finally immigrate. The cost involved is very high and often the immigration procedure takes a really long while due to rampant bureaucracy and red-tapism that further prolongs the waiting period for the husbands and their wives. During this time there are a number of issues that the couples face and must resolve in order to ensure a prosperous future together. The Asian women, who have applied for an American visa, have to endure the biting remarks of their peers that their husbands might have found someone else. Often officials working at the immigration office or INS are governed by their prejudices and biases towards various cultures and races and in order to vent out their anger, they delay the procedure and make the wait longer for couples. In case of Freddie, who had a Filipina wife was subjected to the anger and frustration brought about by the immigration procedure due to the fact that the immigration had a personal grudge against people from the Philippines and thought they did not deserve to be allowed in the country. Their grudges and anger towards the race is a deep-seated one and has it origin in the country’s history whereby, Philippines chose independence instead of becoming a pert of the United States. However, the current economic situation of the country cause the people to move to America in pursuit of greener pasture but before that they have to face the immigration bureaucracy and discrimination at the hands of the immigration officers. They constantly live in this shroud of fear and insecurity because of the stereotypes about American people which was established as a result of the sexual revolution in the United States. Furthermore, the fact that Asian men and women are often enticed by the thought of living in the United States, they may use matrimony as a way of getting immigration into the country. Women from the west often face no problem in attaining immigration to their spouses’ home country but the main problem is for Asian women because of the rising number of cases regarding human trafficking and sex slavery that further creates a number of barriers for them. It is an undeniable fact that the cyberspace did in fact open new doors for people, but it also paved ways for people to execute their nefarious activities amongst which human trafficking, sex slavery and prostitution are some of the problems that have become extremely popular as a result of these activities over the internet. Many Asian prostitutes often make arrangements with American men online and after gaining immigration into the United States they become sex workers in the country. Often sex predators lure women from impoverished nations such as the Philippines with promise of marriage and dreams of a life in United States, and force them into sex slavery and since these women were completely reliant on their husbands and have no way out of this unfortunate situation. (Piper & Roces, 2003 & Constable, 214-215) The fact that trafficking has become so rampant as a result of this, authorities have tightened and increased regulation in order to curb this problem; however, the reduction in such cases as a result of increased regulations is infinitesimal but creates a great problem for those who actually wish to start a life together. Moreover, trafficking is not the only issue that women face; incidents of domestic violence and abuse are much more common in couples who met each other through internet or any other type of correspondence. There are a number if factors that determine the susceptibility of these women to abuse at the hands of their husbands as outlined by Uma Narayan, she said, “Immigrant women, who are less skilled in English, unfamiliar with U.S laws and customs, and cut off from family and friends are more vulnerable to domestic abuse than others” (Constable, 2003, p. 218). Men who have mail-order brides often subject their partners to horrific and bizarre forms of abuse and Nicole Constable has backed her search with examples that highlighted the plight of these women. In one case, a woman married a Canadian man who verbally and physically abused her and after she left he petitioned for a new wife. Though, the man is now blacklisted but this clearly shows how women unwittingly fall into this trap. In one case, a woman married to a Dutch man was physically abused and forced to pose nude in the snow for pictures. However, such cases are only cautionary and there are incidents where couples belonging to different cultures are able to set their differences aside and lead a perfectly happy married life and the example of Frank and Angel epitomizes this aspect and though they have had minor problems but overall, their marriage is a happy one. (Constable, 2003, p. 206) However, it is true that women who find their partners through correspondences are susceptible to domestic violence, but the stereotype surrounding them is not completely justified and often these stereotypes often lead men, who are looking to abuse women. Therefore, the widespread image of Asian women as mail-order brides or passive victims of domestic violence is not only inaccurate but also jeopardizes them and projects an erroneous idea about them that they are willing to do anything or marry anyone, just to get to the United States. On the other hand, due to a rise of feminist movements in Asia, women have become more assertive and contrary to the pre-conceived notions about they are more independent and proactive towards abuse and violence. (Piper & Roces, 2003) Works Cited Constable, Nicole. Romance on a Global Stage: Pen Pals, Virtual Ethnography, and “Mail Order” Marriages. University of California Press. 2003: P.p 198-208, 206, 214-215, 218, Piper, Nicola & Roces, Mina. Wife or Worker? Rowman & Littlefield. 2003 Read More