The Perils of Tolerating Discrimination

By Rena Xu

What do Gays and Asians have in common? Details Magazine has proven quite well-versed on this subject. Its April 2004 issue featured an article that jokingly compared stereotypes of homosexuals and Asian men, employing a barrage of allusions and puns that ranged from the politically incorrect (“Ryan Seacrest Hair: Shellacked spikes, just like that crazy cool Americaaaaaaaan!”) to the tasteless (“Ladyboy fingers: Soft and long. Perfect for both waxing on and waxing off, plucking the koto, or gripping the kendo stick”) to the downright obscene (“Delicate features: refreshed by a cup of hot tea or a hot night of teabagging.”)

At first, the appearance of such offensive comments in a nationally circulated publication was bewildering, almost unbelievable. But it didn’t take long to recall other examples of public racism against Asian Americans. The 1998 Olympics came to mind, when MSNBC headlines boasted, “American Beats Out Kwan,” in reference to Michelle Kwan’s second-place finish to Tara Lipinski. Never mind that Kwan was also an American, representing the USA in the Olympics. And apparently no one took to heart the protests that were made after the headline appeared; the mistake was repeated in 2002. Only this time, the “American”—that is to say, “white”—to which the headlines referred was Sarah Hughes: “American Outshines Kwan.”

Sadly, the “Gay or Asian?” article is not so much an anomaly as it is part of an alarming pattern of discrimination against Asian Americans. Abercrombie & Fitch previously sold shirts that read “Two Wongs can make it white” and displayed a stereotypical caricature of two “Wong Brothers” running a laundry service. AsianWeek.com reported how Shaquille O’Neal cracked racial jokes, repeatedly singled out Houston Rockets player Yao Ming for mockery and even threats of violence, and told a reporter to “Tell Yao Ming, ‘ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.’” The media, including The Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated and the Associated Press, ignored the incident and declined to report it.

Fox Sports Radio did not ignore this incident; instead, it replayed the taunts on air and declared them “not racist,” then encouraged listeners to call in with their best anti-Chinese jokes. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat decided to celebrate Yao’s first game in Miami on December 16, 2002, by passing out 8,000 fortune cookies to the crowd.

Each of these incidents is disturbing enough. But what is more disturbing is the reality that so little progress has been made to protest this trend—that for the most part, the discrimination has just been quietly tolerated. It is also clear that although racism targets underrepresented people everywhere, different minority groups have not achieved equivalent success in securing their rights within a racially intolerant society.

Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller was forced to apologize to Tiger Woods after cracking a racial joke. Denver Nuggets Coach Dan Issel was suspended for a racial slur against a Hispanic; Hispanic activists then campaigned to have him fired. Former Senate majority leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., was forced to resign after his highly controversial accolades regarding the late Strom Thurmond. These are just some of the instances in which other minority groups have defied acts of racism. One writer of AsianWeek surmised, “If a white [basketball] player had, for instance, made monkey sounds to taunt a black player, it would have been a national controversy.” Yet O’Neal’s actions and words against Yao were just as despicable, and America didn’t even blink twice.

We should be alarmed when David Wu, the only Chinese-American to ever be elected to Congress, has his citizenship repeatedly questioned and is denied entry to the US Department of Energy even after showing his Congressional ID. We should be furious when our society’s idea of entertainment is a Saturday Night Live sketch in which guest star Alec Baldwin quips, “I don’t pretend to know who these Chinese people are. I know they’re small, maybe one or two feet high. I know they sound funny when they talk. I know the womenfolk have sideways vaginas. But underneath their scales, they’re just like you and me.”

If there is any lesson to be learned from the past, it is that no one will stand up for vulnerable people if they do not first stand up for themselves. From 80-20—the national nonpartisan group working for greater equality for Asian Americans in American politics—to Asians Against Ignorance, there are already resources available to help combat discrimination and racial bullying. But they are only effective tools if Americans unite in their efforts to use them. In a country founded on principles of justice and equality for all, these lingering trends of discrimination seem out of place. And particularly in this day and age of global interconnectedness, such racism will considerably undermine the strength of America—not just for Asian Americans, but for all who call this country their own.

Rena Xu ’07, a Crimson editorial editor, lives in Holworthy Hall.