Trackbacks & Pings

1. thelesbianlifestyle.com » Blog Archive » Rosie: Not My Ideal by a Long Shot on 09 Jan 2008 at 11:20 am

   […] you remember the Ching chong incident? If not let this refresh your memory. After she made her ching chong mockery she remained wholly indignant on the […]

Comments

1. Animelee/Andrew wrote:

   I wonder if a Chinese-American came on The View and started making jokes about lesbians. Would Rosie find it funny?

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 11:47 am ¶

2. Y. Carrington wrote:

   Dear fellow “minorities”—if bigtime showbiz stars say that racism is funny, then dammit!—it’s funny! We should just learn to “get over it” and have a “sense of humor.” I mean, golly!—we’re just sooooo uptight about everything. Can’t we just stop complaining about everything and get a life—jeez!

   But of course, I’m the person who “hates” white people and blames them for everything, so what do I know?

   Oh—if only I could be as enlightened as you and your fans, dear Rosie.

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 1:12 pm ¶

3. Anonymous Coward wrote:

   I agree with you Carmen, she has become even more offensive AFTER the incident. I truly despise the “you don’t get it” argument. Yes, we “got it”. Myself and everyone else above the age of four “got it”. It’s the imperative of a fool to gratuitously expound on what we already “get”. The only one who doesn’t seem to grasp the self-evident is rosie. As it was so glibly voiced by her spokesperson, I would love for rosie to step forth and explain the joke for us, since it was so cleverly disguised in poetic metaphor that it left the Asian American community confused.

   I’m equally disgusted by the Asian American Journalists Association’s pathetic response regarding this incident. Reading it practically had me nodding off. You’re journalists, you’re capable of writing better than a poorly constructed form letter.

   Why the gratuitous ass kissing?

   “We find it especially disturbing that this incident comes from a well-loved personality and a television program aired on a respected network.”

   When African American organizations wrote their disapproval of Michael Richards did they have to say “we object to statements on lynching but we would like to note his hilarious portrayal of Kramer and applaud his successful 11 year run on television?

   This letter not only lacked any heart, it was filled with passive flaccid language. She was not “trying to mimic the Chinese language”, she was insulting us - period. As Guy Aoki mentioned, dancing around with a spear and making tribal grunts is not “trying to mimic the African language”. Secondly we don’t need to “call attention to what we consider a mockery” - it IS a mockery. What is it that Asian Americans had to consider? How stereotypical of us Asians, so scared to offend those that publicly mock us. That’s sad. We Asian Americans have no stomach for outrage… we get to “feel strongly” and “find things especially disturbing”.

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 1:24 pm ¶

4. Kai wrote:

   I love it, now we who have heard such mocking yellowface sounds our entire lives learn from a Hollywood publicist that there’s actually some nuanced ethereal humor, which maybe someday we Asians will eventually “grasp”, in the titanic phrase “ching chong ching chong”.

   That’s frackin hilarious.

   Imagine just how low is the mental bar in the cranial-stem area of the publicist who wrote that statement, if “ching chong” is seen as, and publicly described as, a complex joke. Now that’s funny.

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 2:00 pm ¶

5. Julia Stepchild wrote:

   I have to say, the idiots commenting on Gawker are making me want to break something… Several “they’re just being overly sensitive and pc” crap comments…

   http://www.gawker.com/news/clips/rosie-odonnell-chingchonggate-response-i-no-solly-220832.php

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 2:12 pm ¶

6. Y. Carrington wrote:

   Okay y’all…what the hell’s a “nontroversy?”

   Gawker kids…oh so hip.

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 2:24 pm ¶

7. gatamala wrote:

   @Anon Coward
   “How stereotypical of us Asians, so scared to offend those that publicly mock us. That’s sad. We Asian Americans have no stomach for outrage… we get to “feel strongly” and “find things especially disturbing”. “

   I wonder…if it would take an Asian-American more “outrage” to get someone’s attention, as opposed to AfAms - or even Latinos? Hmmmm Iguess some folks only associate racism w/ Krameresque invectives against Blacks. Perhaps the stereotype (as opposed to the loud AfAm steoreotype) unfairly forces Asians to have to “scream” 3x as loud to get half the attention? I think the wishy-washy letter is a result of the perversion of discourse in Dumi’s post (below).

   *****

   rosie’s crass dismissal of her bare bones racism and gwen’s miseducation of Margaret Cho are prime examples of white supremacy [no red-laced Docs or swastikas needed folks]. This IS white POWER.

   They show their belief in their inherent superiority not only by degrading you at will, but by dictating how you should feel or react to the insults!!! Remember, THEY know better than you. They have used “rationality & logic ” to defend their humor. Your gut reaction based on years of personal humiliation AND reasoned deconstruction of their actions/arguments is purely “emotional”; therefore, it is not worthy of respect. As they clearly consider Asians to be no-wave-making, emotionless, automatons…your opinions are not only unworthy of respect, but contemptible.

   Rosie, Gwen & their apologists may not talk [all] the talk like jackbooted racist skins, but they surely walk the walk.

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 3:01 pm ¶

8. Rob wrote:

   #6

   I think it’s fairly obvious in meaning that it’s “much ado about nothing.”

   America, where only white opinions matter.

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 3:29 pm ¶

9. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

   I’m glad to see that in contrast with Gawker’s commenters, almot all the commenters on the Best Lesbian(ish) Day Ever blog agree that Rosie was racist, and they recognize the long history of racism behind the “ching chong” meme. Check it out:
   http://tinyurl.com/y7qey7

   Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 3:53 pm ¶

10. SolShine7 wrote:

    I find it offensive that Rosie didn’t have the common decency to break her usual blog poetry response and straight up say “I’m sorry, please forgive me. I’ll work on changing my views and want to make amends with the Asian-American community,” or something along those lines. Writing in a poem on such a serious issue is extremely insulting. Rosie is ready to pounce on anyone who utters anything even slightly homophobia but on this she wants Asian-Americans to just laugh it off like it was nothing. That’s so uncool. I didn’t want her on The View in the first place and I hope they replace her VERY soon.

    Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 4:30 pm ¶

11. makethelogobigger wrote:

    ” was news all over the world
    even in china”

    Fucking PR people. Unreal. Ok, even if it was, would you still do that to people in China?

    Nice try. Now, go back and do what you do best: sit there, be a blowhard and take over an entire show.

    Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 6:44 pm ¶

12. Corbin wrote:

    Damn, I wonder what would’ve happened if Lisa Ling was still on the show…

    Posted 12 Dec 2006 at 1:52 am ¶

13. jazmin wrote:

    i passed by fox news last nite and bill o reilly was interviewing a young asain male and he was telling him about how hurt asian americans were by rosie’s comments, then a$$ hole bill goes to say “do you think maybe asian americans are being a bit too sensitive and just dont get the joke” im sitting here thinking wtf she blatanly descriminated againts them and your taking up for her, what the hell! you cant make that comment NOT racist

    Posted 12 Dec 2006 at 10:51 am ¶

14. Rob wrote:

    On the flip side, Joe Scarborough from MSNBC called Rosie on it and said it was racist and she wouldn’t have done it to blacks.

    Maybe some individuals that don’t have white guilt and can actually think logically.

    Posted 12 Dec 2006 at 12:00 pm ¶

15. Anonymous wrote:

    i just read about rosie o’donnell’s. rosie’s comments are completely offensive and insulting. and clearly, by her blog commentary, she does not understand the difference between an ACCENT and a MOCKERY. the chinese accent is not CHING CHONG. her blog commentary is very narrow-minded and racist in nature. i grew up being teased and the “ching chong” comments were common. if people like rosie o’donnell continue on making jokes like this, racist slurs will never end. as a national network, ABC really needs to a) stop things like this from airing and b) own up to them if/when they happen. comedian or not, rosie’s comments were NOT funny. talk about off colour and poor taste.

    Posted 12 Dec 2006 at 4:22 pm ¶

16. al wrote:

    one of the most ridiculous things about this is that the joke doesn’t make sense -unless- you think chinese is funny. ‘this is news in china! oh man, can you imagine chinese people talking about this? ching chong!’ i actually -don’t- get the joke. why is it funny that danny devito being drunk is news in china?

    i defended rosie o’donnell once to my brother. it’s somewhat relevant to add that my brother is gay and i’m straight. he was really irate about her having been in the closet so long, and then that people were commending her for coming out instead of criticizing her for having kept it secret for so long.

    i said something stupid and straight, “can you blame her? i mean, it was her carreer.” and my brother said, “yes. i can blame her. we can all blame her for putting her selling out and pretending for the sake of her carreer.” (this is a paraphrase). and i think he was right.

    don’t get me wrong, i don’t think that gay people have to come out even if it means they will lose their jobs. it’s just that when you’re a celebrity and you’re talking about losing your celebrity and having to get a normal job, not talking about losing your livelihood or being physically assaulted (which are real fears), it seems like the right thing to do is come out, for the sake of the people who -would- lose their livelihood or who -would- be hurt back in the real world.

    there isn’t much point to this. it’s just that while she is a famous lesbian, her ‘well loved’ status seems to be more by the straight mainstream than anything, and i’m not surprised that the folks at the lesbian blog would be comfortable calling her on her shit.

    Posted 12 Dec 2006 at 5:07 pm ¶

17. Jaye wrote:

    This is the exact shit that makes my blood boil. It’s time that Asian American took a stand against this so called innocent light hearted, aww, c’mon it’s just a joke, don’t take it out of context BS.

    Personally, I’ve always had a zero tolerance policy whenever someone makes these types of remarks to me in public and where I work. It may make me look “overly sensitive” or trying to make mountains out of molehills but damnit, I’m doing something about this shit! Sometimes its damn embarrassing to make a scene in a public place in front of strangers if it makes these assholes (even the so called well-intentioned ones) think “hmm, keep my mouth shut and save myself a lecture and public humiliation” than we’re in the right direction. When the day comes, there’ll be an open discussion about Asian American race and everybody else where the “ching chong” mockery won’t be an expectant presence, but for now it’s one step at a time.

    Posted 12 Dec 2006 at 8:51 pm ¶

18. juju wrote:

    Rosie O’Donnell is such a hypocrite. it’s okay tomake fun of asians, but not gays. She is so hyper sensitive about anything homophobic yet its okay to joke about asians. Please, this was not a little offensive! It was HIGHLY OFFENSIVE! She should apologize along with Barbara and ABC tv.

    It is so hypocritical that is is okay to make fun of asians and not blacks and jews. Rosie is a racist.

    Posted 13 Dec 2006 at 2:25 am ¶

19. Andy wrote:

    If you think the AAJA’s response was pathetic, then write your own, strongly-worded letter. I wouldn’t care for an apology at this point, but let them know that you are offended. My letter is already in the mail.

    Posted 13 Dec 2006 at 4:43 am ¶

20. Anonymous wrote:

    This is Joe Scarborough’s clip:

    http://tinyurl.com/y25dkf

    And btw, it is possible to make fun of Chinese non-offensively.. look at Russell Peters.

    Posted 13 Dec 2006 at 4:47 am ¶

21. Meg wrote:

    Did she ever address this issue on the view - or has it all been through her website?

    I don’t know if anyone has seen a lot of Sid Caesar stuff but from the clips I’ve seen of him he does impersonations of languages and actually fools you into thinking he can speak them - it’s not “ching chong” he actually mimics patterns/sounds of different languages and does it quite effectively. I haven’t seen much of his stuff cos he’s a bit b4 my time, but he’s quite impressive. If rosie wants some lessons she should look him up. You can do it without resorting to old school racist crap.

    Posted 13 Dec 2006 at 8:28 am ¶

22. Minter wrote:

    Who cares, she’s fat.

    She just wants to take it out on people she deems less worthy than her., unfortunately for her race doesn’t determine that. Unlucky Rosie.

    Posted 13 Dec 2006 at 6:13 pm ¶

23. Brian wrote:

    Living well is the best revenge … although racist (does it distinguish by race? Yes.) … It is not intended to demean. It is intended to mock … the same way that someone might use a voice of a new york Jew at a deli, or a Black American’s speech pattern to do a skit about a guy in a club… Mocking is not quite the same… If someone came on her show and made a joke about lesbians, she wouldn’t care … but if someone came on and said that lesbians were immoral and should have no rights to adopt? Then she would be rightfully angry. A comedians job is to poke fun at the differences between us in a way that is hopefully enjoyable to the majority without being hateful to any one group. It is a hard line…. When it comes down to it … do any Asians really care whether people think immigrant accents are funny (Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, Italian, Russian, Indian, Pakistani) ? They are funny. When people start yelling at Koreans simply because they own grocery stores, or saying that the Chinese guy is the one leaking our Atomic secrets, or that the Jews run the media and banking and want to take over the world, or that blacks are untrustworthy, then start the presses and blast that guy. When someone says my grandfather talks funny… I say hehe… smile politely, and move on.

    Respectfully yours,

    Brian

    Posted 21 Jan 2007 at 12:02 pm ¶

24. Pugsley Addams wrote:

    Cindi Berger, publicist for O’Donnell said, “She’s a comedian in addition to being a talk show co-host. I certainly hope that one day they will be able to grasp her humor.”

    ————–

    Ok, now, not only do Asians talk funny, but they also do not have a sense of humor either…

    Posted 23 May 2007 at 3:40 pm ¶

Post a Comment