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Ching chong chinaman... The PC W/OMay 05 '05 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Ching Chong Chinaman
Sitting on a Fench
Trying to make a dollar
outta 35 cents
1. What words do you choose to take offense at? No word in particular - it depends on the context, person saying it, tone of delivery etc. I've been called a stingy chink affectionately, and on some occassions (lets not mention when) a "c*nt" to very good effect. Say, for example, if Vin Diesel were to get up close behind me, put his hands around my waist, and growl into my ear "You sexy chink c*nt, even when you're pms-ing I want to do your sideways pus*y" I wouldn't have a problem. But if that junior exec who can't get the spreadsheet right after 5 revisions whispered "bossy b*tch" I'd have his balls for breakfast. A few years ago I did get upset by an ex boyfriend who called me a "banana" - meaning yellow on the outside and white on the inside. That upset me more because it showed that he had no idea who I really was, more than the label itself. Nowadays if anyone calls me that particular term, I simply laugh it off - people can and will say many things about other people, it doesn't mean they are true. I've found that I can't change the perceptions of others (especially when they are only gossiping about you and have never even met you), so changing the way I feel about their perception is the only way to stay sane (and sleep at night). 2. Are you actually a part of the group that these words are aimed at? tick tick tick. All yes except for the sideways pus*y (seriously, those are an urban legend) 3. WHY do you take offense at them? I don't, unless the intent is to insult / degrade. Specifically with the term "oriental" - I'm not offended unless it's some leery sleazy guy with suzie wong on his mind or some hoity toity nose in the air type who thinks all chinese pluck rice paddies and wear those triangle straw hats. I can see why some would be bothered by it (specifically the older generation), but life's too short to sweat the small stuff - unless we're talking about water retention. 4. Not to aim at anyone in particular, but it's the first example that popped in my mind: Jew. Can you take this word and make it a positive? For example, what are the good traits of members of the Jewish community? Can you not apply those to the short form of the word and just say wow! Thanks! and take it as a compliment? (That was an example, apply this to any of the words you currently take as a slur) Well, jews are thrifty spenders and big savers. We chinks like that sort of thing. *wink* 5. Name 5 positives for: Just like to point out that some folks would get just as riled by the "5 positive factors" since they also contribute to the "stereotypes" that everyone seems to be keen to get rid of. But hey! Look, there goes a monkey's bottom! Black Good color, very slimming, hides minor stains well. Also intimidating when used for car windows. Oriental/Asian Good takeaway food and fried rice is a good way to get rid of leftovers. Jewish To whom I give thanks for the entertainment industry (apparently, according to my father, who I don't always believe). Hispanic Sorry, in the wrong part of the world, nada a clue what would be good / bad about them. (insert other pet groups here) Pet groups? Like dogs or cats? Or Chinchillas? Anyway, i have nothing against any of them. Except for cats when they make my allergies act up. So, I'm ok with bald cats. 6. Now, whenever you hear the derogative's of those terms, can you not apply the positives to them in your mind? Well, I never had negatives in the first place. It's just a factor isn't it? If someone were to tell me "so-and-so is a (whatever)" - it would just be a fact tipping me off on their background upon which I could have a nice conversation with them, no? I prefer labels like "stupid" or "flaccid" or "brain dead" or "boring". They are usually much more useful to me. 7. If someone chooses to take offense at a categorization, should we all enable that and switch terms? The current African American comes to mind.. what was wrong with Black? What was wrong with Negro, for that matter... I think when an inequity is corrected then terms (which had heavy negative connotations associated with them in the past) need to be changed. For example, "Colored" - to me (although i'm chinese) - is a very negative (and inaccurate) categorization. Negro (in my opinion, i'm not actually in a position to really say anything about the term), seems to have very close ties to slavery and it was often used as a derrogatory term - negroid, nigg*r etc. So I can understand how someone could use that term to put themselves "above" another. Many people append their ethnicity to the country of their birth - I call myself Malaysian Chinese. Others I know call themselves Malaysian Indian, Singaporean Chinese, Singaporean Malay - which is just what happens in a racially diverse country. African American, to me, is exactly the same as that. It's a neutral categorization which is simply a description of that person's background. I have a friend (lets say Sally) who calls herself an Italian Australian. Sally once got into an argument with a British colleague who emphatically stated that she was not Italian, she was only Australian. Sally's counter was: - All her ancestors down to a one, were Italian - She grew up in an Italian culture - She lives by Italian traditions - She speaks fluent Italian - She knows all the traditional Italian songs Yet Sally's colleague still insisted that because she was born in Australia, she had no right to lay claim to her "Italian-ness" and is only an "Australian". The funny thing was, to Sally's (very upset) reply of "Well, the Brightmans' (who are both anglo-British living in HK) little boy Toby was born in HK. Does that make him Chinese?" the colleague only said "Well, that's different, he's got a British Passport". Leading to the perplexing conclusion that a non-ethnically asian person who did any of the following would be called a Chinese: - An 80 year old retiring to China (it's cheap) and for some reason taking on a Chinese or Hong Kong passport - Any child born in China or HK who does not have a passport to any other country. Clearly, to Sally, the "Italian Australian" categorization best matches the way she thinks of herself. Did she have a right to be peed off? To her, it was as if she was stripped of her entire cultural identity - so from her pov, yes, it is important. Personally I think i have the right to call myself whatever I want, and others have the right to call me what they want. If pigeon-holing is their thing, then that's their problem. I've met some real slimy sh*ts with mouths of liquid gold and now try to look past what comes out of someone's mouth and look instead at what their hands and hearts are doing. ------------------------- Join the fun at doc's - On Political Correctness  |
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