Ching Chong

I know this video is old, but it still makes me furious when I watch it. What makes it worse is that there was no action taken by the View or ABC, and Rosie O'Donnell's "apology" was even more insulting. This was her reaction after hearing the complaints of Asian American viewers : "This apparently was very offensive to a lot of Asian people. So I asked Judy, who's Asian and works here in our hair and makeup department. I said, 'Was it offensive to you?' And she said, 'Well, kinda. When I was a kid people did tease me by saying ching-chong." This occurred around the same time as the Don Imus controversy, in which he call the Rutger's girls basketball players "nappy headed hoes". Although he made a public apology, he was still fired by CBS. This incident recieved a lot of public attention and media criticism, but the same couldn't said about the racist remarks made by Rosie O'Donnell. I understand that she is a comedian, and what she said must be put in to context, but I still feel that the Don Imus and Rosie O'Donnell incidents were very similar, yet completely different consequences resulted from it. Why is racial 'jokes' fine and dandy when they are made towards Asians but when similar remarks are made against African Americans they are seen as racist? Are Asian jokes funnier than black jokes? or is it that Asian people are just less sensitive? Well, I don't think any of these are the case. I believe Asian Americans are just as furious when they watch this video as those African Americans who heard Don Imus call the Rutgers girls basketball players "nappy headed hoes". The difference is the way the communities reacted to these incidents. The African American community have leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to speak out against Don Imus, but the Asian American communties lack these powerful figures. African Americans were able to rally behind these leaders and put pressure on CBS to take action against Don Imus, while Asian Americans are only able to write individual letters of complaints, which is a far less effective way of pressuring a corporation to take action. I believe the only way Asian Americans will be taken seriously and recieve the same level of respect as other minority groups is to have powerful leaders who are willing to fight for our integrity and at the same time be supported by his or her community. Who will be the one to take up this challenge is yet to be known....

Jiawei