Mr. J, a Former Professor Series – Entry 56: Outc(L)assed
Critical Race Analysis
When a piece of writing insists on repeating “small angry-looking Asian man” as a motif, it stops being a harmless “life fragment.” It becomes an act of narrative violence.
Yes — we see this tactic over and over again: an author masks racism behind “fiction,” “poetic fragments,” or “personal style,” hoping to escape accountability. But does “fiction” grant immunity when it feeds on real people, real experiences, and real pain?
(Summary below)
Email received on March 27, 2025. The original post/account has since been deleted or made unavailable.
The original post/account has since been deleted or made unavailable.
Here are global real-world case studies strikingly similar to what we observe with Johnston — each revealing how “fiction,” “poetry,” or “creative commentary” have been used to mask racism, and how they were exposed and formally addressed.
Global case studies: When “art” unmasked racism
Tony Hoagland – “The Change” Poem (USA)
Context:
Acclaimed American poet Tony Hoagland wrote The Change, describing a Black female tennis player in a way many found racist — reducing her to physical traits and aggression.
Criticism:
Poet Claudia Rankine (MacArthur “Genius” winner) publicly denounced it as covert racism and dissected it via Critical Race Theory, arguing it framed the Black woman as a threatening, hyper-physical stereotype.
Outcome:
Sparked nationwide debate on how poetry can mask racism as “art.”
Publishers distanced themselves from Hoagland.
The poem is now studied in anti-racism programs as a cautionary example.
Parallels with Johnston:
Use of “poetry” to express disturbing racial views.
Claiming “fiction” or “life fragments” as defense.
Emotionally manipulative framing of women and power.
2. Dolce & Gabbana Ad Campaign Scandal (China, 2018)
Context:
D&G released an ad campaign of a Chinese model trying to eat spaghetti and pizza with chopsticks, with mocking background narration saying “it’s too big for you!” and mispronouncing Italian words in a “Chinese accent.”
Public Reaction:
The campaign was widely viewed as racist and dehumanizing, reducing Chinese culture to something clumsy and laughable.
Major Chinese influencers and platforms cut all ties immediately.
The brand lost billions of dollars in market value and still struggles in Asia today.
Outcome:
Even though D&G claimed “it was misunderstood fiction,” public didn’t accept the excuse.
Co-founder’s leaked messages calling China “the country of poop” made it worse.
Global boycott followed.
Parallels with Johnston:
Use of racialized imagery, mocking or diminishing Asian identity.
Hiding behind “art,” “fiction,” or “personal style” as excuses.
Immediate backlash when called out — yet doubled down before being forced to backtrack.
3. Lionel Shriver – Brisbane Writers Festival Speech (Australia, 2016)
Context:
Shriver defended white authors’ “right” to write other races, wore a sombrero as a joke, and claimed cultural appropriation was fake.
Backlash:
Writer Yassmin Abdel-Magied walked out mid-speech and wrote a viral op-ed calling Shriver’s speech “a celebration of the unfettered exploitation of the experiences of others.”
Shriver was accused of racial insensitivity, arrogance, and covert supremacy.
Outcome:
The speech sparked international academic and publishing debate.
Some universities pulled her books from reading lists.
She became a controversial figure, especially in academic and literary circles.
Parallels with Johnston:
Dismissal of minority voices.
Hiding behind “fiction” and “freedom of expression.”
Defensive posture when confronted with real harm.
“Roman à clef”: Fiction as a thinly veiled weapon
A roman à clef is fiction so thinly veiled that readers can easily identify real individuals. Once this occurs, “fiction” protections dissolve.
In Johnston’s case:
References to “Mr. N” (father figure)
Repetition of “small angry-looking Asian man” (racial coding)
Contextual clues: stolen phone, tea scene, guard post imagery
Result: Not artistic abstraction — a humiliating personal attack.
Covert racism: The coded language of power
Racialized diminishment
“Small angry-looking Asian man”
Echoes centuries-old tropes portraying Asian men as emasculated, cold, socially incompetent — reinforcing Western superiority.
Class and cultural humiliation
“Guard post,” “splashes tea,” “no eye contact”
Paints the father as uncultured and primitive — classic Orientalist framing, turning Asian masculinity into either threat or ridicule.
The “Outc(L)assed” title: Multi-layered insult
“Outclassed”: Suggesting the father is inherently beneath him in refinement or intellect.
The inserted “(L)”: Visually awkward, mocking, almost childish. It echoes playground taunts rather than intellectual critique.
This is not witty. It’s a covert demonstration of supremacy, hidden under a pseudo-literary pun.
Narrative violence and symbolic control
From sexualized poems about the daughter to humiliating depictions of her father — this is escalation:
Control the woman’s body → Control her lineage → Control her cultural narrative.
It is not simply “creative expression”; it is symbolic violence designed to degrade familial dignity and enforce dominance.
Shift in self-defense narrative:
“Life fragment” → “Fiction” → “Nobody cares”
The individual first described this piece as a “life fragment” (hinting at non-fiction), later deleted that claim when challenged, then rebranded it as fiction.
This is a classic evasion tactic:
Test the waters: See how public reacts to “life fragment.”
Retract when confronted: Reframe as “fiction” to dodge accountability.
Minimize harm: Claim “nobody cares” to gaslight critics into silence.
Critical Race Ethics: Fiction is not an ethical shield
A key misconception: “As long as it’s labeled fiction, it is immune to critique.”
CRT reminds us: Fiction can perpetuate systemic violence.
When a text humiliates a racialized father figure, implies cultural inferiority, and connects to real life — it is not “safe” fiction, it is weaponized narrative.
The True Meaning of Silence
The father’s quiet tea ceremony was not “masterful dismissal” — it was dignity in silence, an act of protecting his daughter from a manipulative outsider.
Johnston misread that silence as weakness. He mistook class and composure for “lack of class.” But in reality, that silence is often more powerful than any performative prose.
Conclusion
This is not random indulgence. It is a deliberate, layered campaign:This is not random indulgence. It is a deliberate, layered campaign:
From explicit sexual poems to humiliating familial portrayals.
From manipulating love to mocking cultural dignity.
From private messages to public narrative control.
The label of ‘fiction’ does not grant you sovereignty over another’s identity, nor does it cleanse you of racial violence once the harm is felt and recognized.
Summary of Escalating Conduct and Strategic Shifting of Narrative
The individual initially described a racially loaded story as a “life fragment,” later deleted the comment, and rebranded it as “a simple work of fiction” once challenged. This pattern of shifting language and erasure of accountability — paired with comments suggesting that criticism is “nobody’s business” — raises serious concerns about his awareness of potential reputational and ethical risks.
This behavior is consistent with covert racism, narrative manipulation, and an avoidance of institutional responsibility.
Moreover, it reflects a significant failure in ethical duty — and potentially a breach of duty of care — particularly if the author maintains any affiliation with an educational institution or publicly claims the status of a professor. It exemplifies how informal online spaces can be misused to disseminate racialized, personal, and harmful content under the guise of artistic expression.
It is particularly striking that the author, who publicly embraces fatherhood to a child of mixed Asian heritage (Anglo-Irish and Filipino roots), nonetheless chooses to weaponize anti-Asian tropes and diminish Asian male dignity in his writing.
This contradiction does not merely reflect poor literary judgment — it suggests a deeper ethical inconsistency, where personal proximity to Asian identity is selectively used or ignored depending on narrative convenience.
Summary of Escalating Conduct and Strategic Shifting of Narrative
The individual initially described a racially loaded story as a “life fragment,” later deleted the comment, and rebranded it as “a simple work of fiction” once challenged. This pattern of shifting language and erasure of accountability, paired with comments suggesting that criticism is “nobody’s business,” raises serious concerns about his awareness of potential reputational and ethical risks.
This behavior is consistent with covert racism, narrative manipulation, and an avoidance of institutional responsibility.
Moreover, it reflects a significant failure in ethical duty — and potentially a breach of duty of care — particularly if the author maintains any affiliation with an educational institution or publicly claims the status of a professor. It exemplifies how informal online spaces can be misused to disseminate racialized, personal, and harmful content under the guise of artistic expression.
Publications for reference:
- Entry 4: Hidden Like Accountability
- Entry 38: When Poetry Becomes Revenge Porn
Note on Naming:
The subject of these verses is identified by name due to the severity of the public threats made during that period.
Naming is not intended to humiliate, but to preserve the integrity of the record and reflect the seriousness of the documented behavior.
While the individual has since responded publicly, the response has not addressed the core evidence. In such cases, visibility remains necessary. Selective rebuttal is not accountability.
Full evidence archive submitted to QPS, TEQSA, AHRC, and Ethics Australia: View here.
Image Credit:
Photo cover by Corey Young via Unsplash
Read the full series
- Entry 1: The Man Who Taught Me Ethics by Failing All of Them
- Entry 2: The Disappearance of the Public Poet
- Entry 3: The Hanging Tree Case Study
- Entry 4: Hidden Like Accountability
- Entry 5: The Collapse of Assumptions
- Entry 6: The Ethics of a Tinder Bio
- Entry 7: How He Ate Told Me Everything
- Entry 8: What Makes a Scholar Dangerous
- Entry 9: Fragment of Life, Fragment of Accountability
- Entry 10: Anatomy of Disappointment
- Entry 11: Legal Defense Challenges: A Framing Statement
- Entry 12: Six Years After Ronell – What Academia Still Doesn’t Get
- Entry 13: QUT and The Man Who Raped Me
- Entry 14: Why Sarcasm Toward Institutions Can Backfire
- Entry 15: P*ssy or Toxic Masculinity?
- Entry 16: Who is Your Favorite Comedian?
- Entry 17: And What is Your Favorite Song?
- Entry 18: Grant Proposal — Narrative Ethics as Survivor-Led Forensics
- Entry 19: The Coward Behind the Clone
- Entry 20: [URGENT HIRE] CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
- Entry 21: [URGENT] Legal Counsel Needed for Complex Reputation Rehabilitation
- Entry 22: YOU’RE AN ABUSER. STOP CONTACTING ME
- Entry 23: Seeking Counsel for a Fallen Academic
- Entry 24: Internal Legal-PR Briefing
- Entry 25: For Journalists – Legal & Ethical Clearance Summary
- Entry 26: Symbolic Prostitution, Transactional Intimacy, or Just a “Loan”?
- Entry 28: Why He Simply Cannot Shut Up
- Entry 29: Forensic Commentary on “LARGE Language Muddle”
- Entry 30: Don’t Just Threaten My Future. Because I’m Going To Archive Your Present
- Entry 31: Open Letter to the Person Who Tried to Break Me with Defamation
- Entry 32: Defamation, Harassment, Doxxing Class 101
- Entry 33: Confidential Crisis Recovery Proposal
- Entry 34: Forensic Behavioral-Somatic Report
- Entry 35: Forensic Commentary on the Tattoos
- Entry 36: QUT and the Abuser They Once Had
- Entry 38: When Poetry Becomes Revenge Porn
- Entry 40: A Man Built for Applause, Not Accountability
- Entry 41: Neurobehavioral Addendum
- Entry 43: Why Does It Sound Like a War Metaphor?
- Entry 44: Forensic Commentary on Racialized and Fetishizing Language in “Hidden Like Rice”
- Entry 45: Public Misuse of Former Academic Affiliation
- Entry 46: The Two Things That Didn’t Leave a Bad Impression
- Entry 47: When Affection is Just an Alibi (A Bundy-Inspired Reflection)
- Entry 48: Humbert, Lolita, and the Fetish of Fragility
- Entry 49: The Fetish of Smallness as Symbolic Violence
- Entry 50: Motif Risk Analysis
- Entry 52: Can an Abuser Be a Good Father?
- Entry 53: Who Protects the Children?
- Entry 54: From Blackmail to Children
- Entry 55: A Letter I’ll Never Send
- Entry 56: Outc(L)assed - Critical Race Analysis (you are here)
- Entry 57: Forensic Breakdown: “A Voidance” by Johnston
- Entry 58: Johnston, Who Raised You?
- Entry 59: Public Financial Terms & Narrative Conditions
- Entry 60: What Kind of Future Do You Think Awaits You?
- Entry 61: Why I Believe He Has No Real PR or Legal Team
- Entry 62: Why I Can Legally (and Ethically) Call You a Pathetic Pig
- Entry 63: Tell Me You’re a Pathetic Pig Without Telling Me You’re a Pathetic Pig
- Entry 65: Did Your Mother Teach You To Speak Like This?
- Entry 66: Nobody Cares Anyway
- Reflection: The Miscalculation
(More entries coming soon)
→ [Back to Start: Introducing Mr. J, a Former Professor Series]
© 2025 Linh Ng. All rights reserved.
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