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1. The Primary Contradiction » Letter to Rosie O’Donnell on 15 Dec 2006 at 5:05 am

   […] Posted by Yolanda on 14 Dec 2006 at 10:25 am | Tagged as: General, White Male Supremacy, Corporate Media, People of Color, Arts and Pop Culture, Capitalism UPDATE 12/15/06 4:00am: Yesterday morning on The View’s broadcast, O’Donnell issued a weak non-apology on the air. It was scripted as part of on-air comic banter, so I’ll let you be the judge of whether it was sincere or not. For more information and analysis, please check out the excellent updates/screeds from Racialicious and Reappropriate. Thanks to everyone for their support. […]

2. Exploding Aardvark » “CHING CHONG, CHING CHONG” on 16 Dec 2006 at 3:48 pm

   […] Ugh! Black/white racism and Rosie’s lame apology (Racialicious) […]

Comments

1. the Unknown soldier wrote:

   I’m speechless…Whatever meager respect I ever had for the view or Rosie has gone up in the smoke of unchecked privilege and rampant white supremacy and stupidity

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 4:44 pm ¶

2. Nadia wrote:

   ah yes, the classic “i’m sorry IF anyone was offended.”

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 4:58 pm ¶

3. Donovon Ceaser wrote:

   I didnt’ see the Rosie thing. (But Holy shit)

   I did the last half of the CNN special. Which, they were talking so fast, i barely had time to think. Secondly, where do they pull these people from anyway. Couldnt they have gotten a professor of African American studies, or a sociologist or something on there? And why cant’ they have , let’s say, a white person who studies these things also talk about anti-Black racism, so that we can see a consensus among different races , but equally educated opinions.

   That being said. I COULD NOT BELIEVE, they asked the hispanic, and the asian kind how they felt about white people and black people. It was TOTALLY like their race didnt’ even exist.

   Being from Louisiana, where the racism is LARGELY a black/white thng, I was never really aware of what asian Americans face. Until I went to college and asked them, and I found out they deal pretty much with the same things I dealt with. But to see them COMPLETELY ignored in this special, that OUTRAGED ME!!

   My question is, what or how can the other non-Black minorties ( and jesus , especially after 9/11 you would think they would talk about Arab Americans) organize to make their voices heard? How can those of us who are are Black help them do that?

   Also, why aren’t the Black people who discuss this issue bringing this issue up?

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 5:00 pm ¶

4. Anonymous Coward wrote:

   This made me want to vomit. I pray that Asian Americans have enough fortitude not to accept this as an apology. I can’t believe how much I hate Rosie, she’s practically laughing in our face. Thanks for reducing all of us to the level of a child. That’s right, we’re all just confused self-absorbed children with bruised egos on a playground. This whole controversy in Rosie’s mind is still ambiguous, a supposed quote unquote making fun.

   It’s one thing to defend your actions, it’s another to use Asians as your defense. This is why I get pissed at the wishy washy polite responses Asian Americans offer up. We think this gives off some air of dignity, when really it’s portrayed as us having no resolve. Judy, Rosie’s Asian hairdresser found the comment “kinda” offensive. I’d love to know how exactly one kinda mocks, or kinda insults. Apparently it can be done. And this is the weak Asian American method of saving themselves from embarrassment that lends support to Rosie’s justification that it was only a joke. I heard harsher criticism from Joe Scarborough of all people.

   For an ultra-liberal like Rosie, this is a classic conservatives technique. Let’s try and make them fight each other so their criticism of us is softened by their apparent disarray. That’s why the conservative/republican clubs in college just loved to bring in the anti-gay gay republican or the black ultra-conservative. While the apology was difficult to stomach, what had to hurt the most were the two Asian women enthusiastically nodding and clapping in agreement. Thanks for undermining the (supposedly) unified Asian American voice on this one. Worldly sophisticated Asians appear on the view and their applause only proves that it is only those fringe Asians who think ching chong is offensive. And who comes off looking good, Rosie, daring defenders of intellectual freedom, who has to “put herself out that on a limb” all for the sake of comedy. I feel sick now, so I’ll end it at that.

   P.S. … Perhaps the proper question to ask was “are there any Asian Americans in the audience?”

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 5:26 pm ¶

5. Stefanie wrote:

   “For an ultra-liberal like Rosie, this is a classic conservatives technique. Let’s try and make them fight each other so their criticism of us is softened by their apparent disarray. That’s why the conservative/republican clubs in college just loved to bring in the anti-gay gay republican or the black ultra-conservative.”

   Good point. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for members of any group to have differences of opinion and at times disagree on important political and cultural issues. People are, after all, first and formost, individuals. I’d like to see more movement toward viewing all groups as muti-faceted and complex in their opinions (and not have a Black conservative feel like she’s selling out her group by having certain opinions which her life experiences have led her to form, for example). White people, in my experience, are usually free to do and say what they will and not be accused of being less white . Also, whites by and large do not have the actions of one white person reflected onto the whole race and have outsiders pick apart any divisions that may occur between whites. Everyone should feel such liberties to be themselves and not have to constantly “represent”.

   So it really does suck how outsiders sometimes point to these divisions within minority groups to justify something bad, like Rosie is doing here. If those two Asian American women were not offended, then, fine. Whether or not they should be is a separate issue, but the fact is that everyone will take things differently. But how Rosie is treating these two individuals as spokespersons for their entire race is BS. “We have it on good authority that my ‘ching-chong’ joke was actually not really offensive. See? These two Asians say so!”

   So what? So they don’t find it offensive? What about the thousands of others who did?!

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 6:09 pm ¶

6. Y. Carrington wrote:

   Carmen…I’m sorry about your technical troubles! That shit ain’t no joke.

   As for this “apology,” forget Rosie, and forget ABC. I figured that shit would be lame, but not like this. They didn’t even hold her accountable. A non-apology as part of on-air schtick? Please.

   Folks, if Rosie had joked about Black folks, I wouldn’t have even asked for a damn apology. I NEVER want these fools to apologize, ’cause they don’t ever change. Hollywood gives one all the incentive NOT to change. Racism, misogyny, and crass consumerism sell, and sell bigtime.

   I’m sorry if I sound hostile, but I am pissed.

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 6:11 pm ¶

7. kim wrote:

   this is the third time i am trying to post, so forgive the small caps, but i’m scared i’m going to get booted off again.

   re: reappropriate:
   until the problem of conspicuous blackness ceases to be a problem, and conspicuously so, then every person of color along the spectrum from White to Black will have problems with…well, folks at either extreme. but you know where i’m going with this.

   black people seriously think that black problems exist in a vacuum, and other poc’s don’t catch various shades of shit? i cannot believe that. the world is too broad, power too enticing, and minds too small to believe that doors open for others just because they knock.

   where does this idea that other people don’t catch hell come from? who really thinks that?

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 6:31 pm ¶

8. nina wrote:

   Wow, that was one lame ass apology. “Oh I’m sorry, but I’ll probably do it again, hahahaha! Too bad for you.”

   And who the hell were those two twits?

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 7:00 pm ¶

9. Rob wrote:

   I want to find out how those two moronic Asian women are.

   Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 7:34 pm ¶

10. Carla wrote:

    At “unbeknownst to me” my stomach flipped and I had to turn it off it was such a pathetic attempt at spin. As a black person, though, this is samo, samo–white privilege is a mother, and it’s in full effect in this country.

    Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 7:50 pm ¶

11. Rob wrote:

    Speaking of which, I think the White Privilege entry on Wikipedia needs some work.

    Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 9:49 pm ¶

12. justin wrote:

    Please don’t insult those two women or give them a minutes silence for the death of their self respect. They are like those men who had to rap their way out of a ticket.
    we should all really be thanking god for the murderous impression the acupuncturist made on the blonde.

    Posted 14 Dec 2006 at 9:56 pm ¶

13. Meg wrote:

    “unbeknownst to me it’s offensive” - dumbass, it’s taken how long to make a not really apology apology? And she’s so clueless other people have to point it out to her. If she was genuine then you’d kinda have to just get over it, but she clearly thinks she’s in the right.

    I’m sure there are people who can make my next point more intelligently, but here I go: I wonder if the idea of “positive stereotypes” are in play here. Rosie clearly would never have made the joke about the way black americans stereotypically sound/talk or arab americans. And this extra sensitivity compared to her (and others’) attitudes to asians is related to the idea of them being very rich, very smart and very advantaged compared to others including the average (i.e. white) american. So that allows you to mock someone in the way you might make fun of a scrooge but not a tiny tim, and then never apologise for it.

    Posted 15 Dec 2006 at 3:16 am ¶

14. SolShine7 wrote:

    I wrote O’Donnell and Walters a complaint via the ABC.com website the other day. And I hardly call what Rosie said as an apology. It was a load of junk. It looks like I’ll have to write them ANOTHER letter and I urge the rest of you here to write them a letter knowing how you feel too.

    Posted 15 Dec 2006 at 8:28 am ¶

15. Y. Carrington wrote:

    SolShine, here’s my letter:

    “Ms. Donnell, thank you for proving my suspicions correct.”

    Sincerely, Y. Carrington

    Posted 15 Dec 2006 at 8:31 am ¶

16. larry wrote:

    I believe that racsim is no longer the biggest challenge facing blacks.

    Today it is something very different, though it came about because of racism.

    I started a blog to discuss this new problem

    http://holdingusback.wordpress.com/

    Posted 15 Dec 2006 at 9:27 am ¶

17. gene matlock wrote:

    How to Alleviate Our Racial Problems Right Now! In Gene Matlock’s articles archives in the E-Zine, Viewzone Magazine; second article down from the top. Based on the revolutionary ideas of Philadelphia’s Police Commissioner.

    Posted 10 Oct 2007 at 5:45 pm ¶

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