12.22.07
Posted in Politics, Activism and Empowerment, Community Offenders, Racism, China at 3:11 am by george_lou
So, what do you get when too many Asians put a non-Asian on a pedestal? Well the Japanese tend to do an overabundance of asskissing, but I’ll save that for another article. So let me answer the question. The truth is, when Asians put a non-Asian on a pedestal - or simply give them respect - these non-Asians will respond with the extreme opposite, disrespect.
The best examples come from Asian female/non-Asian male couples. All too often you’ll hear stories of weak-minded Asian women allowing their non-Asian boyfriends to talk smack about Asians. How many non-Asian guys with Asian girlfriends really respect our culture? My best guess is: not enough. Okay, I just had to get that off my chest. Now let’s talk about the news article here - “Spielberg urges China again to help end Darfur ‘genocide’.”
In the article, film director Steven Spielberg, who is currently serving as an artistic advisor for the Beijing olympics, decides to show a bit of disrespect. Apparently, for the second time Stevie appealed to Chinese president Hu Jintao to do something about the situation in Darfur.
I have a few words for Stevie: dont bite the hand that feeds you! They hired you so keep your mouth shut!
During these times of nonstop anti-China news coupled with purebread ethnocentrism, it’s no surprise Stevie, or most people, would jump on the anti-China bandwagon. Can you believe this man, who has been hired by China, shows his appreciation by practially saying, “Thanks for the job, but I will now put you down.”
Unfortunately, this is a subject difficult for many to grasp. So allow me to teach it: if someone hires you, you dont put them down. Why? Because it’s disrespectful. And if your boyfriend/girlfriend talks smack about our culture, ask for respect. Believe me, too many people dont know any better.
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12.20.07
Posted in Activism and Empowerment, Fun Facts, Racism, China at 9:10 pm by mark_chang
Now William, you should know that tossing out a tasty morsel such as “micro-aggression” is going to get me out of bed to chomp at the bit ; )
So I offer a snippet from the “Communication” chapter of my upcoming book (written from the perspective of a Chinese person, modify nationality as appropriate) which will hopefully get the wheels turning so that others may develop more clever ‘jeu d’esprit’s …
“Where You From?”
You meet somebody for the first time and one of the first things he asks is … “So where are you from?”, probably in front of others.
10. The playful response:
“I’m from an island called Chakalakalaka. It’s in the South Pacific”
9. The surprised response:
“Where am I from? Wow, you just come out guns ‘a blazin’ don’t you?”
8. The coincidental response:
“Ha, I was just about to ask you the same thing, how ironic is that? I’m from China and you? Oh <offender’s country (if they say USA ask “so you’re a Native American?” and keep pressing for their origins>, so tell me, are you intrigued by the mysteries of the Orient?”
7. The questioning response:
“Why is that always the first question I get asked? Do you get asked that? How come my friend Bob Smith never gets asked that?”
6. The professional response:
“China, and where are you from?”
5. The metrosexual response:
“Oh I’m a local (or U.S. city or state or origin), oh do you mean what is my nationality? I’m Chinese, is that ok? And what’s your nationality?”
4. The friendly response:
“China. Hey we’ve all got our flaws right?” Follow up with a playful slap on the shoulder while laughing as if you’ve just made a hilarious joke.
3. The camraderie response:
“Born and raised in the USA baby.”
(when asked about your nationality) “American citizen by birth baby just like you.”
(when pushed to describe your genetic stock) “My ancestors came from China, oh <slight pause> maybe I’m not just like you, <slight reflective pause> aw man, now this is gonna keep me up at night.”
2. The antagonistic response:
“Fresh off the boat from China, yup I’m one of the bad guys. Working for low pay driving down your wages, corrupting your gene pool with our exotic women. Getting good grades and forcing you to spend money on affirmative action programs. Ha ha ha, oh not funny? No good? Aw c’mon lighten up.”
1. The angry response (to a smart ass):
“Your mother’s pussy, bitch.” (the watered down version would be: “why do you want to know (or what does it matter) where I’m from?”
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Posted in Racism at 4:22 pm by william_lee
This article mentioned something that I was always thinking about but could never quite put my finger on– micro-aggression. From the article:
Here are some really good ones that I have often encountered myself:
- [when entering my brother’s apartment buliding with a grocery bag, the doorman said:] Which apartment are you delivering to?
-
- [when riding the elevator in my own corporate office building, carrying a plastic bag containing the lunch I just bought for myself to eat at my desk, a woman said:] The service elevator for deliveries is in the other elevator bank.
- Where are you from?
- No, I mean… where are you REALLY from?
Got any good ones?
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12.17.07
Posted in Politics, Activism and Empowerment, Community Offenders, Racism, Education, China at 7:44 am by mark_chang
December 17 marks the anniversary of The Magnuson Act being signed into law (in 1943).
Proposed by U.S. Representative Warren G. Magnuson (Washington), it made moot the Chinese Exclusion Act allowing immigration to the United States from China for the first time since 1882
It allowed for 105 Chinese immigrants to enter the United States each year. These immigrants were to be hand picked by the U.S. government.
Coincidentally (or not?) this came at a time when the U.S. sought China as an ally in WWII.
Regardless, a number of us are thankful for the passage of The Magnuson Act.
The Chinese Exclusion Act Of 1882 is the first and only act ever to target a specific nationality unfavorably.
Exclusions were extended to other (non Chinese) Asians via The Immigration Act of 1924.
Although in either a “omitted” or “repealed” status, currently “Exclusion of Chinese” headlines Chapter 7 of Title 8 of the United States Code (http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title8/chapter7_.html).
The Canadian version of the story is The Chinese Immigration Act (or lack thereof) Of 1923 which was repealed in 1947.
Currently, there are small movements to bring back the Chinese Exclusion Act while larger U.S. movements target the boycott of Chinese made goods.
The following incidents provide some insight into the “zeitgeist” of the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act:
The Chinese Massacre Of 1871
An angry mob of Anglos and Latins (over 500 strong) ransacked LA’s Chinatown. Robbing, raping, pillaging and murdering between 18-23 (of 178 total residents) Chinese people. The corpses were hung on display in various parts of the district.
As is the norm when it comes to anti-Asian violence, no one ever spent a day in jail for the crimes (you know “technicalities”, etc. …)
The Rock Springs Massacre Of 1885 (Wyoming)
Several white miners armed with rifles went into mining rooms occupied by Chinese miners and either robbed them first then shot them or shot them first then robbed them (does it really make a difference?) resulting in 28 deaths.
None of the assailants were convicted (that’s the surprise of the century) and received a post “trial” ovation.
The cause was attributed to lower wages paid to Chinese workers (much like today where Asians, specifically Chinese receive the lowest pay for the the same work) driving down the wages of the white workers.
Chinese Massacre Cove (Oregon, 1887)
A gang white men robbed, killed and subsequently mutilated 31 Chinese men.
No one was ever convicted (another chalk mark in the “believe it or not” column).
Washington State riots:
The Tacoma riot (1885)
The Issaquah riot (1885)
The Seattle riot (1886)
Then of course there’s the infamous Anti-Chinese riot of 1880 in Denver where
2000 rioters beat and robbed Chinese residents and hung an elderly man from a lamppost.
The Australian version of anti Chinese rioting would be the Lambing Flat Riots.
With anti Asian sentiment on the rise due to increased immigration for high tech grunt work and unfounded paranoia of rampant disease and an economic takeover, the only question is whether we have learned from our past and are now in a better position to defend ourselves more effectively?
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12.14.07
Posted in Politics, Culture, Racism at 6:13 am by telly_wong
Why can’t race relations in America be hip and
harmonious like those on 21 Jump Street?
Blacks, Hispanics and Asians have little trust for each other and hold prejudiced views towards other ethnicities, according to a new poll by New American Media which surveyed 1,105 adults from the three groups.
Some key findings include:
– 44% of Hispanics and 47% of Asians are “afraid of African-Americans because they are responsible for most of the crime”
– More than 50% of Blacks and 46% of Hispanics said Asian business owners do not treat them with respect
– 50% of African Americans said Latin American immigrants “are taking jobs, housing and political power away from the black community”
– 61% of Hispanics, 54% of Asians and 47% of African Americans said they would rather do business with whites than members of the other two groups.
In regards to the American Dream, Hispanics and Asians believed that hard work will lead to prosperity while more than 60% of African Americans dismissed the American dream as not working for them.
However, the three minority groups did manage to agree on a few things:
They all believed that the United States would be a better place if Blacks, Asians and Hispanics held more authoritative positions at universities, in business, media and government. They also said they believe racial tensions in the United States will ease over the next 10 years. Well, that’s great. Too bad the world’s supposed to end before that!
People, let’s try to achieve some respectable level of racial harmony before we all go supernova. How’s that?
– Telly Wong
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12.11.07
Posted in Sports, Chinatown, Interviews, Activism and Empowerment, Community Offenders, Media and Entertainment, Racism at 3:14 pm by mark_chang
In the lead up to a potential bout, in is the norm for boxers not only travel to watch their potential future opponents but also to engage in some trash talk as well when interviewed.
Recently Edison Miranda traveled to Canada to watch Jean Pascal in a bout, after which he provided the usual interview filled with bravado (published on www.fightnews.com/). Only this time I was shocked to hear his racially disrespectful closing statement, which was the aforementioned: “You are nothing more than a Chinatown boxer.” (translation: “You are a pussy”) which read less as an insult to Pascal and more as an insult to us.
The only thing Miranda did was exercise his right to freedom of speech. Maybe we should do the same (freedom of speech works both ways) and contact any stations televising his upcoming bouts (or any Warrior’s boxing events for that matter) indicating that we intend to boycott the sponsors.
The next Miranda bout is on January 11, 2008 and ESPN2 (contact page: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?page=contact/espntv) intends to televise both Pascal and Miranda the same night. Maybe a nice note (or nastygram, your choice) to boycott the sponsors of the program would be worthwhile.
Miranda is promoted by Warriors Boxing, the Executive Director of which is Leon Margules (leon@warriorsboxing.com), may want to send him a nice note as well.
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12.07.07
Posted in Activism and Empowerment, Community Offenders, Media and Entertainment, Racism, Crime at 6:41 am by george_lou
If I had all the time in the world, I would find all the Hollywood movies with characters in yellowface. What is yellowface? It is the act of non-Asian characters wearing makeup to obtain East Asian facial characteristics. Needless to say, these characters engage in ultra offensive portrayals of how they think Asians behave in real life. Do you know where these stereotypes - funny accent, slanted eyes, buck teeth, etc. - of us started?
Listing these types of movies would bring light to Hollywood’s racist side - the side I wish more Asians were aware of. Unfortunately I dont have much time these days.
Enter Philip W. Chung of Asianweek. Thank god this man has put together the most up-to-date list of yellowface movies. In the article, “The 25 Most Infamous Yellow Face Film Performances,” Chung ranks the twenty-five most offensive Hollywood movies. Keep in mind it’s only the top twenty-five. There are so many more.
Think yellowface movies are just historical footnotes? Nope. Three of them were released this year!
Here’s several famous culprits that stand out in yellowface history:
Eddie Murphy
Ricardo Montalban
Tony Randall
Katharine Hepburn
John Wayne
Rob Schneider
Mickey Rooney
Nicolas Cage
Do any Asians feel comfortable seeing these roles? I would hate to pay for a movie only to see such racist crap.
So what are we to do? BOYCOTT anything and everything that’s offensive to any Asian.
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11.08.07
Posted in Media and Entertainment, Racism at 8:22 pm by telly_wong
Smart Dog: “I now learned I’m not black at all”
Another week, another celebrity gets caught using racial slurs.
In case you’ve been trapped in a refrigerator, reality TV star/bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman is in deep doody these days after a recording of him going off on a racist tirade was made public last week.
In a secretly taped conversation with his son Tucker, Dog urges him to break up with his black girlfriend while using the N-word like he was Richard Pryor. Here’s a tidbit from the father-and-son talk: “I don’t care if she’s a Mexican, a whore or whatever. It’s not because she’s black, it’s because we use the word “n*****” sometimes here. I’m not gonna take a chance ever in life of losing everything I’ve worked for for 30 years because some f***ing n***** heard us say n***** and turned us in to the Enquirer magazine. Our career is over! I’m not taking that chance at all! Never in life! Never! Never! If Lyssa [Dog’s daughter] was dating a n*****, we would all say ‘f*** you!’
But Dog insists he’s not a racist.
This week Dog went on the offensive (no pun intended), doing interviews with “Hannity & Colmes” and “Larry King Live” where he apologized profusely (*yawn*) and made startling revelations like “I didn’t know really know until three or four days ago what that meant to black people” and “I now learned I’m not black at all.” Is anyone buying this crap?
I watched both interviews and I gotta say, I was laughing my ass off watching Dog sit there with his head hung low and looking shameful like he just raped a stable of farm animals.
Ever since the Michael Richards N-word incident, the mainstream media (particularly the right wing) has treated racism like some kind of devastating and pitiful psuedo-disease akin to drug addiction and alcoholism; as if the offenders are victims of supernatural forces that temporarily possessed their bodies. The likes of Dog and Michael Richards say these things because this is how they feel. Does that make them racists? I don’t know. However, the idea that they can undo or make amends for how they feel is completely ludicrous.
But if there’s any lesson to be learned here, it’s this: if you are going to use racist language, double-check that you’re not being secretly tape-recorded.
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11.06.07
Posted in Activism and Empowerment, Racism, Health, Education, Crime, Sexuality at 12:15 am by george_lou
Researchers from Western Carolina University have concluded that sexist humor can promote discrimination against women.
The study focused on male reactions after being subjected to either a) sexist jokes, b) comparable non-humorous sexist statements, or c) non-sexist jokes.
The news article points out 3 important findings. First, men with a high level of sexism were less likely to donate to a women’s organization after reading sexist jokes. Second, those same types of men implemented larger funding cuts to women’s organizations as opposed to other organizations. Third, participants believed that other participants would approve of funding cuts to women’s organizations when sexist humor was present.
Well, well, well. You dont have to a minority to know that this is all obvious. As a matter of fact, we have pointed this out before here on Fall Out Central. Remember Allport’s Scale of Prejudice? It is a measuring stick for different levels of prejudices. It starts with Scale 1, which is Antilocution - a group freely makes jokes about a minority group. Then escalates up to Scale 5 - Extermination.
Tip to the researchers at Western Carolina University: sexist jokes can very well lead to physical attack, even worse. It should be noted that their research is based on verbal interaction that takes place not in the presence of the victims. In other words, the sexist jokes are not said face-to-face to a woman.
And what if those sexist jokes are said to directly to a woman? We have also pointed out in the past that routine discrimination puts minorities under significant stress that can lead to chronic illness.
Good job guys at Western Carolina University. Now ignorant people can stop using the excuse, “Well it’s just a joke.”
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11.04.07
Posted in Politics, Activism and Empowerment, Racism at 1:04 am by george_lou
Britain’s Prince Charles is supposedly declaring a cease-fire in his troubled relationship with China. He will do so by attending high profile events with the country’s ambassador to London and some of its leading businessmen and women.
The events include an awards ceremony to honor the Chinese community in Britain, and host a lunch for a group of the country’s “new rich”.
WOW. Charlie, what a good man you are. Too bad it’s all an illusion to improve your useless image. Attending a couple of events to pat Asians’ backs is hardly a “cease-fire.”
Lets take a quick look at Charlie.
Back in 2005, Prince Charles sued a newspaper for publishing his thoughts about China during the 1997 handover of Hong Kong. First, he called it the “The Great Chinese Takeaway.” Second, referred to the leaders as “appalling old waxworks.” Third, labeled Jiang Zemin’s speech as “propaganda.” Now that’s not very nice of you Charlie. Learn some bloody respect.
Now let’s take a quick look at his ancestry.
Hear of the Opium Wars? Here is the truth in a nutshell: Britain was importing opium to China. China refused to take anymore. Britain invaded China and continued to import opium.
Charlie, here is the best way to kiss up - return what your family stole during the Opium Wars.
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