Showing posts with label chinese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chinese. Show all posts
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Casual to Deadly: Anti-Asian American Racism
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From casual to pandering to deadly, there have been several disturbing reports about anti-Asian American racism in the news. In the more casual forms of racism, it seems that the whole using someone’s name as a way to retrieve an order at fast food places has gone horribly awry. About a month ago a Chick-Fil-A cashier at a store in Irvine, California assigned racist names to two customers and even typed them into the printed receipts (images here). And, just in the past few days, a woman went into a Papa John’s pizza chain in New York City and got called a racist name on her receipt (see that receipt here). Here’s an idea – maybe we could just go back to the “we’ll call your number when your order is ready?” system.
AngryAsianGrrlMN sums this up well when she writes:
The pandering form of anti-Asian American racism is coming through, not surprisingly, the presidential campaign. John Huntsman, Republican candidate and former Ambassador to China, is fluent in Mandarin and, rather remarkably, spoke Chinese during the Republican presidential debate recently. Huntsman and his wife have also adopted children from China and India. All this “foreign-ness” has proven too tempting for some of his political opponents who are using these facts to pander to peoples’ racism and xenophobia. As AngryAsianMan notes:
Among the most disturbing news are the details that are emerging surrounding the death of Private Danny Chen in October, 2011. Chen, 19, grew up in New York City’s Chinatown, and is thought to have committed suicide in Afghanistan after enduring racial taunts and bullying (although some now question whether it was suicide at all). A group of his superiors allegedly tormented Chen on an almost daily basis over the course of about six weeks in Afghanistan last fall. They singled him out, their only Chinese-American soldier, and spit racial slurs at him: “gook,” “chink,” “dragon lady.” They forced him to do sprints while carrying a sandbag. They ordered him to crawl along gravel-covered ground while they flung rocks at him. And one day, when his unit was assembling a tent, he was forced to wear a green hard-hat and shout out instructions to his fellow soldiers in Chinese.ethnic slurs. At other times, they forced him to do push-ups or hang upside down with his mouth full of water.
From casual to pandering to deadly, there have been several disturbing reports about anti-Asian American racism in the news. In the more casual forms of racism, it seems that the whole using someone’s name as a way to retrieve an order at fast food places has gone horribly awry. About a month ago a Chick-Fil-A cashier at a store in Irvine, California assigned racist names to two customers and even typed them into the printed receipts (images here). And, just in the past few days, a woman went into a Papa John’s pizza chain in New York City and got called a racist name on her receipt (see that receipt here). Here’s an idea – maybe we could just go back to the “we’ll call your number when your order is ready?” system.
AngryAsianGrrlMN sums this up well when she writes:
This is the kind of casual racism that isn’t talked about, but that Asian people deal with on a regular basis. We are the invisible minority, and we rarely get the kind of attention that other minorities do.I’ll just state the obvious here and point out that these incidents didn’t happen in the distant past or some rural backwater, but in supposedly tolerant, cosmopolitan urban areas in the present, putatively post-racial era.
The pandering form of anti-Asian American racism is coming through, not surprisingly, the presidential campaign. John Huntsman, Republican candidate and former Ambassador to China, is fluent in Mandarin and, rather remarkably, spoke Chinese during the Republican presidential debate recently. Huntsman and his wife have also adopted children from China and India. All this “foreign-ness” has proven too tempting for some of his political opponents who are using these facts to pander to peoples’ racism and xenophobia. As AngryAsianMan notes:
“It’s an election year, so you know what time it is. Racist campaign ads! This latest gem is from someone claiming to be a Ron Paul supporter, attacking Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman for his “un-American” values. … Here we go with another round of equating China with all things evil. Complete with an extra Oriental soundtrack — never has Mandarin made to sound so sinister. [This video] is one of the most unabashedly racist attack ads we’ve seen in a while.The ad asks whether Huntsman’s values are “American” values or Chinese? And, then rather sinisterly photoshops Huntsman into a portrait of Chinese leader Mao Zedong while thoroughly mixing the fear-mongering metaphors and comparing him to the “Manchurian Candidate.” This kind of strategy is what some people refer to as “dog whistle racism,” in other words, political campaigning that uses coded words and themes that appeal to conscious or unconscious racist concepts and frames. For example, the terms ‘welfare queen,’ ’states’ rights,’ ‘Islamic terrorist,’ ‘uppity,’ and ‘illegal alien’ all activate racist concepts that already exist within a broader white racial frame.
Among the most disturbing news are the details that are emerging surrounding the death of Private Danny Chen in October, 2011. Chen, 19, grew up in New York City’s Chinatown, and is thought to have committed suicide in Afghanistan after enduring racial taunts and bullying (although some now question whether it was suicide at all). A group of his superiors allegedly tormented Chen on an almost daily basis over the course of about six weeks in Afghanistan last fall. They singled him out, their only Chinese-American soldier, and spit racial slurs at him: “gook,” “chink,” “dragon lady.” They forced him to do sprints while carrying a sandbag. They ordered him to crawl along gravel-covered ground while they flung rocks at him. And one day, when his unit was assembling a tent, he was forced to wear a green hard-hat and shout out instructions to his fellow soldiers in Chinese.ethnic slurs. At other times, they forced him to do push-ups or hang upside down with his mouth full of water.
Chinese Britons have put up with racism for too long
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Chinese Britons are often referred to as a "silent" or "hidden" minority. For although we are the fourth-largest minority ethnic group in the UK, we are virtually invisible in public life, principally the arts, media and politics.
On the surface, the Chinese seem relatively content and well-to-do, with British Chinese pupils regularly outperforming their classmates and Chinese men more likely than any other ethnic group to be in a professional job. Consequently, we are often overlooked in talks on racism and social exclusion.
But academic and economic successes do not negate feelings of marginalisation. A 2009 study by The Monitoring Group and Hull University suggested that British Chinese are particularly prone to racial violence and harassment, but that the true extent to their victimisation was often overlooked because victims were unwilling to report it.
Growing up in the north of England in the 80s, I had few role models. Popular culture was dominated by white faces and occasionally black and south Asian, but never east Asian. I'm not sure that much has changed since.
Shouts of "Jackie Chan!" and kung-fu noises from random strangers continue to greet me in the street, perhaps followed by a "konichiwa!" Just a few days ago, a friend was having a post-hangover drink in a trendy east London pub, only to be accused by the manager of being a DVD pedlar hassling his clients.
Going to drama school in London was a revelation; I was told I couldn't perform in a scene from a play because it had been written for white people. The scene was two girls sitting on a park bench talking about boys, and the year was 2006. Worse was when it came from my contemporaries; one (white, liberal, highly educated) helpfully suggested I did a monologue from The Good Soul of Szechuan instead, and another rushed up after one performance to tell me how delighted her parents had been that I'd spoken perfect English (I'm from Bradford).
In hindsight it was good preparation for a profession where, on my first job, the Bafta-winning director chuckled to everyone on set that I'd trained in kung fu, and where any character who speaks in some kind of dodgy east Asian accent is considered hilarious.
I have friends who are shocked that such things actually happen. They are usually most surprised at the fact that it's happened to me. Why? I suspect mainly because, like them, I am part of the educated middle class, and things like that don't happen to people like us.
Well, they do, and quite often. And frankly, it isn't surprising that prejudices are rife in a country whose media perpetuates the very images that evoke stereotypes and cultural misunderstandings: Chinese characters rarely appear on our television screens, but when they do, you can bet they'll be DVD sellers, illegal immigrants, spies or, in the case of last year's Sherlock, weird acrobatic ninja types. Many Chinese viewers were outraged at the portrayal of east Asians in this show, but typically, few complained.
Sadly, the British Chinese are reticent about speaking up for themselves, and simply do not have the numbers to make the same noise the black and south Asian communities do, whose vociferous and galvanising voices have been making waves against racism for decades. Racism is one of those horrendous, soul- and confidence-crushing things that, when faced with, you'd much rather forget or pretend didn't exist. So we tend to brush it off, pretend it never happened, or laugh along with the rest rather than come across as bad sports. We Chinese have become dab hands at this, living up to the stereotype of the smiling but silent Chinaman.
If we are to make progress in understanding the true extent of racism in this country, we all need to be a lot braver in confronting truths about how we live. It's about swallowing our pride and being less afraid of telling the world how racism affects us and really thinking about the people across Britain who have come to accept racism as a part of life. It's about standing up in classrooms, television studios, offices, pubs and public transport, not just for ourselves, but for friends and strangers, too.
Denial gets us nowhere. But awareness, thoughtfulness and courage could make millions of lives so much better.
Chinese Britons are often referred to as a "silent" or "hidden" minority. For although we are the fourth-largest minority ethnic group in the UK, we are virtually invisible in public life, principally the arts, media and politics.
On the surface, the Chinese seem relatively content and well-to-do, with British Chinese pupils regularly outperforming their classmates and Chinese men more likely than any other ethnic group to be in a professional job. Consequently, we are often overlooked in talks on racism and social exclusion.
But academic and economic successes do not negate feelings of marginalisation. A 2009 study by The Monitoring Group and Hull University suggested that British Chinese are particularly prone to racial violence and harassment, but that the true extent to their victimisation was often overlooked because victims were unwilling to report it.
Growing up in the north of England in the 80s, I had few role models. Popular culture was dominated by white faces and occasionally black and south Asian, but never east Asian. I'm not sure that much has changed since.
Shouts of "Jackie Chan!" and kung-fu noises from random strangers continue to greet me in the street, perhaps followed by a "konichiwa!" Just a few days ago, a friend was having a post-hangover drink in a trendy east London pub, only to be accused by the manager of being a DVD pedlar hassling his clients.
Going to drama school in London was a revelation; I was told I couldn't perform in a scene from a play because it had been written for white people. The scene was two girls sitting on a park bench talking about boys, and the year was 2006. Worse was when it came from my contemporaries; one (white, liberal, highly educated) helpfully suggested I did a monologue from The Good Soul of Szechuan instead, and another rushed up after one performance to tell me how delighted her parents had been that I'd spoken perfect English (I'm from Bradford).
In hindsight it was good preparation for a profession where, on my first job, the Bafta-winning director chuckled to everyone on set that I'd trained in kung fu, and where any character who speaks in some kind of dodgy east Asian accent is considered hilarious.
I have friends who are shocked that such things actually happen. They are usually most surprised at the fact that it's happened to me. Why? I suspect mainly because, like them, I am part of the educated middle class, and things like that don't happen to people like us.
Well, they do, and quite often. And frankly, it isn't surprising that prejudices are rife in a country whose media perpetuates the very images that evoke stereotypes and cultural misunderstandings: Chinese characters rarely appear on our television screens, but when they do, you can bet they'll be DVD sellers, illegal immigrants, spies or, in the case of last year's Sherlock, weird acrobatic ninja types. Many Chinese viewers were outraged at the portrayal of east Asians in this show, but typically, few complained.
Sadly, the British Chinese are reticent about speaking up for themselves, and simply do not have the numbers to make the same noise the black and south Asian communities do, whose vociferous and galvanising voices have been making waves against racism for decades. Racism is one of those horrendous, soul- and confidence-crushing things that, when faced with, you'd much rather forget or pretend didn't exist. So we tend to brush it off, pretend it never happened, or laugh along with the rest rather than come across as bad sports. We Chinese have become dab hands at this, living up to the stereotype of the smiling but silent Chinaman.
If we are to make progress in understanding the true extent of racism in this country, we all need to be a lot braver in confronting truths about how we live. It's about swallowing our pride and being less afraid of telling the world how racism affects us and really thinking about the people across Britain who have come to accept racism as a part of life. It's about standing up in classrooms, television studios, offices, pubs and public transport, not just for ourselves, but for friends and strangers, too.
Denial gets us nowhere. But awareness, thoughtfulness and courage could make millions of lives so much better.
Jeremy Clarkson slammed for joke about death of 23 Chinese cockle-pickers
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In a column for a tabloid newspaper, Clarkson mocked the sport of synchronised
swimming as "Chinese women in hats, upside down, in a bit of water",
adding: "You can see that sort of thing on Morecambe Beach. For free."
It comes after Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, received 30,000 complaints
about Clarkson when he said during a TV interview that public sector workers
who went on strike in November should be "executed in front of their
families".
Last month he was again accused of offensive behaviour when he mocked Indian
culture in a Christmas special of Top Gear, the BBC motoring programme. And
there were further allegations that he had trivialised suicide by suggesting
that people who throw themselves under trains were "selfish".
Tracy Brown, a Morecambe town councillor, said: "I choose to ignore such
comments and treat them with the contempt they deserve. In fact, this is
beneath contempt.
"He is just trying to make himself look big at other people's expense.
Many people around here were deeply affected by the tragedy."
Ms Dai Qingli, a spokeswoman for theChinese Embassy, said: "We deplore and
oppose Mr Clarkson's comments, which are insulting and show a woeful
disrespect of decency and moral standards. We regret that The Sun has
publicised such remarks. "
Philip Ling, a member of the Chinese Lib Dems who contested Bromsgrove for the party in the 2010 general election, called the comments "insensitive".
He said: "It is time for Jeremy Clarkson to take a step back and think about what he writes."
The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire.
The 21 men and two women were aged between 18 and 45 and were working illegally for gangmasters.
Shortly after the tragedy, then MP Ann Winterton had the Tory whip removed after making a joke about the Morecambe Bay tragedy at a Whitehall dinner party.
Philip Ling, a member of the Chinese Lib Dems who contested Bromsgrove for the party in the 2010 general election, called the comments "insensitive".
He said: "It is time for Jeremy Clarkson to take a step back and think about what he writes."
The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire.
The 21 men and two women were aged between 18 and 45 and were working illegally for gangmasters.
Shortly after the tragedy, then MP Ann Winterton had the Tory whip removed after making a joke about the Morecambe Bay tragedy at a Whitehall dinner party.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Why did the BBC put a bowl of rice on the Mandarin/Chinese child's head?
What are the people at BBC thinking? the french and the Spanish speaking children are wearing hats while the mandarin speaking child has a bowl of rice on his head. why did the BBC used a bowl of rice? what kind of message are they trying to send?
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Nordic confectionary giant redesigns 'racist' logo
source
The Finnish company Fazer is to change its “Kinapuffar” packaging following
complaints and a Swedish row over the “unremarked racism” faced by people of
Chinese or Asian origin.
Debate erupted after a columnist in a Swedish newspaper Helsinborgs Dagblad
highlighted the logo on the chocolate covered rice-crisp sweets as an
example of everyday prejudice.
Patrik Lundberg, a Swede of Asian origin, claimed that even in multicultural
and liberal Sweden “to joke and laugh” at the Chinese remained funny despite
the fact that stereotyping of other ethnic groups was unacceptable.
”All it takes is to stretch your eyes with your fingers or say L instead of R,
then the audience explodes with laughter,” he wrote.
”I have an East Asian appearance. Not a week goes by without strangers saying
'tjing chong' or 'look, a Chinese' when I pass. Not a month goes by without
someone asking if I like rice or arguing that it is in my nature to be able
to eat with chopsticks.”
Mr Lundberg compared the Chinese puff sweets to a controversial Swedish ice
cream branded “Nogger black” that was withdrawn after complaints by
anti-racist campaigners in 2005.
Following a flood of complaints the confectionary maker promised to scrap the logo.
”We have taken on board the feedback that we have received, and are going to change the packaging,” said Sofia Liljefors-Edlund, a Fazer spokesman.
It is not the first time that Fazer has changed its sweet wrappers: three years ago a golliwog-style caricature of a black child, known as “Laku-Pekka”, was removed from liquorice bars.
In 2001 another Finnish confectioner, Brunberg changed its traditional marshmallow-filled chocolate sweet called Neekerinsuukko, “Negro Kiss”, to Suukko.
Following a flood of complaints the confectionary maker promised to scrap the logo.
”We have taken on board the feedback that we have received, and are going to change the packaging,” said Sofia Liljefors-Edlund, a Fazer spokesman.
It is not the first time that Fazer has changed its sweet wrappers: three years ago a golliwog-style caricature of a black child, known as “Laku-Pekka”, was removed from liquorice bars.
In 2001 another Finnish confectioner, Brunberg changed its traditional marshmallow-filled chocolate sweet called Neekerinsuukko, “Negro Kiss”, to Suukko.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Fox Nation Patriot Wishes The Chinese Had Stomped The Black Georgetown Basketball Players “To Death”
source
Fox Nation claims to be a community of patriots “committed to the core principles of tolerance (and) civil discourse.” But as we’ve proven repeatedly – when we pointed out how readers want President Obama assassinated and the racist glee over the Williams’ sisters loss at Wimbledon, e.g. – the site has proven to be anything but. The latest example of “love” for country and “tolerance” is the shocking bigotry shown and hatred toward the American basketball team from Georgetown University. In the comments linked to a post about the brawl that broke out between Georgetown and a Chinese basketball team, at least one Fox Nation reader wished the Chinese had stomped the Americans to death. Why? As one “patriot” asked, "WOULDN'T IT BE NICE if BLK people really believed they are AMERICANS FIRST???" As another put it, “The majority of blacks are rude, overbearing and evil no matter where they go in the world.”
Fox Nation claims to be a community of patriots “committed to the core principles of tolerance (and) civil discourse.” But as we’ve proven repeatedly – when we pointed out how readers want President Obama assassinated and the racist glee over the Williams’ sisters loss at Wimbledon, e.g. – the site has proven to be anything but. The latest example of “love” for country and “tolerance” is the shocking bigotry shown and hatred toward the American basketball team from Georgetown University. In the comments linked to a post about the brawl that broke out between Georgetown and a Chinese basketball team, at least one Fox Nation reader wished the Chinese had stomped the Americans to death. Why? As one “patriot” asked, "WOULDN'T IT BE NICE if BLK people really believed they are AMERICANS FIRST???" As another put it, “The majority of blacks are rude, overbearing and evil no matter where they go in the world.”
Thursday, July 14, 2011
the Globe and Mail singling out Chinese Canadians and allowing racist comments
The Globe and Mail wrote and article singling out Chinese Canadians for their low rates of military service. This paper ignore WW2 where many Chinese Canadians who joined the Canadian forces despite the fact they were treated as second class citizens not allowed to vote, the racist Chinese exclusion acts was law where chinese where barred from immigrating to Canada, etc. racist comments are from racist chicken hawks who most likely never served in the military, refused to join and claiming Chinese Canadians are not interested in becoming Canadian for exercising the same right to not join the military. Other comments from racist chicken hawks who neve joined the forces include telling Chinese to go back their homelands and requiring immigrants to be forced to join the military.
link to the racist globe and mail article
Chinese Canadian Military Museum Home Page
link to the racist globe and mail article
Chinese Canadian Military Museum Home Page
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