Apparently, “Slanty Eyes” Photos are The New Pink
by Guest Contributor Jenn Fang, originally published at Reappropriate
A few months back, Miley Cyrus (a Disney Channel ingenue better known for pop-star alter ego, Hannah Montanah, whom she transforms into by donning a blonde wig — wait, isn’t that the storyline of the Jem cartoon?) raised a blogosphere uproar for this picture of her (centre) at a party where she and her friends pulled their eyes back in a ludicrous “imitation” of slanted Asian eyes.
The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) released a statement criticizing Cyrus.
The photograph of Miley Cyrus and other individuals slanting their eyes currently circulating the Internet is offensive to the Asian Pacific American community and sets a terrible example for her many young fans. This image falls within a long and unfortunate history of people mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent.
“Not only has Miley Cyrus and the other individuals in the photograph encouraged and legitimized the taunting and mocking of people of Asian descent, she has also insulted her many Asian Pacific American fans,” said George Wu, executive director of OCA.
Cyrus issued an official apology, but also wrote on her blog that she was only “making goofy faces” and was not intentionally “making fun of any ethnicity”. Clearly, Cyrus did not fully grasp the context of her “goofy face” — yellowface makeup, including prosthetics that have purposely slanted eyes have been used in historical and contemporary media to disguise White actors as villainous or buffoonish Asian caricatures.
In the mid-1960’s, British actor Christopher Lee wore yellow makeup and invisible tape on his eyes to portray the insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, an infamous character who originated many of today’s modern anti-Asian stereotypes. (Inset shows Lee today, without makeup).
Nicholas Cage, whose latest spate of movies seem to have all been mediocre remakes of Asian blockbusters, resurrected this yellowface tradition – complete with slanted eyes – as Fu Manchu in Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse two years ago. (It should be noted here that Tarantino fully intended to don yellowface, himself, to play the role of Master Pai Mai in Kill Bill, Vol. 2).
Similar cosmetic techniques were used in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to transform Mickey Rooney into the offensive caricature of Mr. Yunioshi.
Yellowface (and other forms of color-face) makeup is still evident today, with Rob Schneider donning slanted eyes to play an offensive, stereotypically Asian preacher in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.
Beyond these mainstream media examples, any Asian American can recount how their fellow schoolyard children would pull their eyes back, just as Cyrus did, to taunt us about our Asian features, perhaps even singing about “Chinky chinky Chinese” and “dirty knees” as they did so.
In that light, it’s hard to wonder how Cyrus could argue that her “goofy face” was not meant to poke fun at any particular ethnicity? Then again, Cyrus and her friends are clearly over-paid, over-privileged teen socialites, worshipped by pre-teens for the very qualities that make her ignorant of real life race and race relations: she lives a charmed life never having to face the realities of poverty, privilege and race. She is surrounded by paparazzi and gossip rags who know better than to turn on their Cash Cows of The Moment, and who would rather condemn an “over-sensitive” minority community than to chastise a celebrity for offending millions of non-White Americans.
One has to wonder, though, why Cyrus and her friends made such an obvious anti-Asian gesture in the first place? Is she playing some sort of game of Public Relations Chicken with the American people? Is there a mass “What Race Can I Offend the Most” Facebook Meme out there I’m not aware of? In short, is the celebrity ”slanty eye” photo what’s hot in the streets these days?
Clearly, because just this past week, yet another Disney Channel teen sensation, Joe of the Jonas Brothers, was caught making “slanty eyes” in this photo.
While the Jonas Brothers have yet to officially confirm that the photo is of Joe Jonas, one blogger writes this:
So far, neither Jonas nor his reps have confirmed or denied that the photo is indeed the singer. But a number of clues, beside the stark resemblance, suggest it is him. The person in the photo is wearing a purity ring, just like all the Jonas brothers wear and a name tag on the shirt clearly begins with a “J” as in Joe.
Okay, so I don’t know anything about the Jonas Brothers, except that apparently I can see them in concert, in 3-D! I did a Google Image search, and apparently, this is the guy, Joe Jonas, supposedly pictured above. I admit, I see the resemblance — no one could camoflauge those crazy-lookin’ eyebrows!
This shit is racist and offensive, people. I’m frankly exhausted of this sequel to the Cyrus debacle, with teen pop sensation thinking it’s okay to irresponsibly mock an entire race of people. Beyond the actual examples of Jonas and Cyrus making insensitive, racially-offensive “goofy faces”, I’m insulted by the press’ deliberate and willfull mockery of our community’s attempts to raise awareness about the racism of these acts. Cyrus received notoriety for her “slanty eyes”, with few gossip outlets taking the outrage of the Asian American community seriously. No doubt, the same will be true for Joe Jonas.
Clearly, racism is the new pink. It seems to be all the rage to mock and offend. Shoot, maybe we’ll even see a “Slanty-Eyed Photo” Tent at next year’s New York Fashion Week. Without a doubt Miley Cyrus and Joe Jonas have spent nary a single thought on the millions of young Americans who will look to their “slanty-eyed” example to model their own schoolyard behaviour. I am nearly 27 years old and far out of the Cyrus/Jonas Brothers fan demographic, but it saddens me to think that there might be a group of young boys or girls who might have seen these photos of their teen idols and decided it’s okay to make the same “slanty-eyes” faces and sing the same “dirty knees” songs that I was subjected to in my youth.
(Hat-tip: Eugene Cho. We need a meme wherein Asian American bloggers make the “big eye” photo and post it on our blogs.)
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Mammith wrote:
I wonder how long it will be till we hear another non-apology, this time from the Jonas camp? I’m betting on a ‘I’m sorry you’re offended’.
The only question to my mind are these people just clueless and not understand why pulling a ’slanty-eyes’ is stupid or do they know exactly what they’re doing and pull out the stupid excuses later on just to protect themselves?
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 7:22 am ¶
atlasien wrote:
“prosthetics that have purposely slanted eyes have been used in historical and contemporary media to disguise White actors as villainous or buffoonish Asian caricatures.”
I agree, but I think it’s perhaps even MORE irritating and insulting that white people with taped eyes used to play serious characters as well as villains and buffoons.
Take The Good Earth (1937): a white woman with taped eyes won a freaking Oscar for playing a Chinese woman.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 7:46 am ¶
Goosey wrote:
Rob Schneider IS Asian and he took it there. Damn, what a disappointment.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 8:31 am ¶
Grace aka blackbelt wrote:
Picture what would happen if Miley or anybody decided to “just make a face” like an African-American.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 8:59 am ¶
Eva wrote:
My friends and myself used to do that stupid “slanting” of the eyes nonsense when we were like five years old. That was during the 1960’s and I can’t remember people saying that was racist, my mom said it wasn’t nice but that was it. Also I didn’t go to school with Asian children, my school was mostly white with a few black students. There wasn’t even a Hispanic student until the 1970’s.
However I’d expect people to know better today, you can turn on the TV today and see all races. I don’t buy that Cyrus didn’t know it was offensive, if my mom told me it wasn’t right in 1965, how can she not know?
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 9:09 am ¶
Jess wrote:
I don’t buy Cyrus’ non-apology apology.
[Personal note: The "Chinese, Japanese" rhyme I remember -- barely -- from my youth (this is the 1970s, when i was in grade school). Heck, I used to do it once in a while too.
There were really no Asians in the neighborhood, except my mother. She caught me doing that and I got a lecture (worse than a slap in this case, because my mom just told me-- a 6-year old-- that I hurt her feelings). In fact, racist words, jokes, et cetera, were absolutely unacceptable in my house.]
Off personal: the yellowface tradition is understandable (not okay, but more understandable) in the 30s. I can almost let Christopher Lee by on his (he needed the work).
I don’t let Rooney get a pass for his role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, especially since you could edit out the scenes he is in and the movie holds together well (better, even. Was the studio in some kind of contractual agreement for Rooney to get screen time?) But his goes beyond simple yellowfacing and into stereotype of the most offensive sort.
The Grindhouse thing I am not sure about – I haven’t seen it — but I could see how you actually would not want an Asian actor there, for the same reasons that casting a real Italian in My Blue Heaven would not have worked either (Steve Martin got the role there). But I go back and forth on that one.
Rob Schneider is not funny under most circumstances, his yellowfacing is just plain wrong.
Maybe — on the bright side– we’re starting to notice this stuff because it is less acceptable, you know? Like, it isn’t that there are more people making racist gestures and comments, it’s just that we’re all more willing — as a society — to notice and call it out.
Ultimately, that’s not a bad thing. Miley Cyrus isn’t going to suffer any, so our sense of retribution isn’t satisfied. But she might think about what she does a mite more carefully.
And all this has a touch of irony. I mean, the influence of Asian pop culture is pretty pervasive and getting bigger all the time, from HK movies to anime (for the latter look at a Saturday cartoon from 1978 and look at one now — and you can pick any cartoon — it’s obvious). I’d even argue that a lot of the “gadget” culture in the US is a result of influence from the electronics makers in Japan, who pioneered miniaturization (and commercialization) of transistors. (And brought their design sense to the US — so much that we no longer notice it).
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 9:11 am ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
@Grace –
Search “ghetto parties” and “blackface” on this site and you tell me.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 9:26 am ¶
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist! wrote:
terrible… just bloody terrible.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 9:55 am ¶
CVT wrote:
I go back and forth on this one. Obviously, it’s a dumb-ass move by Cyrus (and I guess, Mr. Jonas), but the intentions are debatable.
Because these are kids. So often, I catch out one of the kids I teach saying something pretty awful, only to sit them down and find out that they really don’t know how bad it is (I don’t know how often I’ve had to teach a kid how bad words like “gook” or “chink” are). And trust me – I know these kids well, and they feel pretty damn bad when I explain it to them (no “I’m sorry you were offended” here).
So – I can somewhat believe that they weren’t fully aware of how wrong and racist what they were doing was. They knew it wasn’t cool, but not the full extent. But it’s the lame-ass apologies and work of the ADULTS around them (to blowback on “oversensitive” minorities) that brings my rage. And when adults do the same ish (Spanish basketball teams, etc.)? No step back for me.
The kids I teach? They get the conversation, and they come out getting it – intending not to do it again and (better yet) to educate their friends about it. These spoiled-ass celebrities? Get told by adults it’s “not a big deal” and they don’t learn a damn thing. If Cyrus’ handler actually sat her down and explained some things, it’s possible she would have a real apology and maybe even try to make up for it. But that’s not what the adults around her are for – they’re making money and using their power. And so – “I’m sorry you were offended . . .”
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 10:05 am ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:
@ Mammith
The picture has been around for a bit and it hasn’t received the kind of press/response that the Cyrus picture received. I don’t think an apology is on its way – not even a non-apology apology. But I hope I’m wrong (not about the non-apology apology – no one wants that).
I have a feeling that the fact that the Cyrus picture went public not that long ago has decreased press and public interest in this Jonas business rather than the opposite. “We already talked about this” when it should be a case of “Obviously, we have to talk about this again.”
@ Jess
“The Grindhouse thing I am not sure about – I haven’t seen it — but I could see how you actually would not want an Asian actor there, for the same reasons that casting a real Italian in My Blue Heaven would not have worked either (Steve Martin got the role there). But I go back and forth on that one. ”
Full disclosure: I barely remember ‘My Blue Heaven.’ But I’m curious about reasons why one might not want to cast an Asian actor in Cage’s ‘Grindhouse’ role. I mean, I can think of a couple, none of them good. It’s possible that we’re approaching this in very different ways.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 10:24 am ¶
pm wrote:
There seems to be a bit of a fad for this sort of thing amongst the Spanish
e.g.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/11/olympicsbasketball.olympics20081
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2559578/Beijing-Olympics-Second-Spanish-team-photographed-making-slit-eyed-gesture.html
Some have defended it, rather dubiously, on the grounds that Spain has no colonial history with East Asia, and there are very few East Asians in the country, so therefore the gesture doesn’t have the same malicious meaning behind it as it would in a country with connections to the region.
Is there any validity in that? Being insensitive to people who simply aren’t present in your society maybe isn’t quite the same as mocking those who are?
I’ve noticed, for example, the US media is less sensitive to jibes at South Asians than at East Asians.
Things that seem to be acceptable in the US would not be so in the UK, with its history of involvement in South Asia and South Asian population. I seem to remember a ‘comedy Indian’ on Letterman that would seem like something out of the enlightened 1970’s to a UK audience.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 10:30 am ¶
jillian wrote:
Unfortunately, the songs are still circulating. My mom teaches first grade and she likes to let her kids present playground songs, etc. they’ve learned to the rest of the kids in her class. She never screened these things before a couple of girls sang one particularly offensive number (I think it may have actually been the Chinese, Japanese one.) She was mortified, stopped them at once and spent some time explaining to the class what was wrong about the song.
The problem I see with Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers is that they may be teenagers, but huge chunks of their audience are much younger. I kind of feel like these two are being pampered jerks, but they’re teaching kids too young to potentially know better that it’s OK to do these things. Also, I think it says way too much about our society that when Jamie Lynn Spears got pregnant there was a huge outcry about making sure parents had interventions with their daughters so they wouldn’t think teen pregnancy is cool and yet no one thinks this needs to be a parental teaching lesson.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 10:41 am ¶
atlasien wrote:
It’s great to make blackface and yellowface comparisons if we’re discussing common ground. They don’t have the same historical context, but they’re definitely connected.
But it’s really not OK when a comparison is used in a way that insinuates blackface doesn’t exist anymore or isn’t a problem anymore or somehow sucks attention away from something else more important. That’s counterproductive and insulting to black people.
In fact, I think yellowface actually contributes, in some ways, to white resentment of black people.
Explanation:
White people often have problems realizing how insulting yellowface is. I was deeply offended by it, even when I was a small kid watching a few episodes of “Kung Fu” with a taped-up David Carradine. But so many white people have been exposed to white people playing/mocking Asian characters that they think it’s some warped form of appreciation.
It’s very similar to how they’ll argue that Indian mascots “honor” Native Americans.
So some people have these warm fuzzy positive childhood associations with yellowface and other racist mockery, and because the people vigorously protesting this mockery have been fairly small in number, they can ignore the negatives very easily.
And then they start thinking, if they haven’t before, “well why can’t we pretend to be black people too?” But because black organizations in the U.S. have been a little bit more successful in communicating anti-blackface messages, and because they’ve been at it in an organized way for longer, they run up against vocal complaints a lot quicker.
So then they start getting mad about how the black people think they deserve “special treatment”…
It sounds tenuous but I think it’s a real connection. I’ve read enough stupid comments by people complaining “why can’t I exercise my God-given right to dress up like a ___” that I think I understand some of the thought processes going on.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 10:43 am ¶
Jaya wrote:
“Rob Schneider IS Asian and he took it there. Damn, what a disappointment.”
He’s Asian? What? How?
About Miley Cyrus: the thing is, its very easy to forget that this kid, for all her fame and fans and money and (I hate to admit it) influence, is still a minor. She’s what, 16 years old? That’s what complicates it, for me. I do think teenagers need to take responsibility for their actions, and I don’t think she’s too young to understand the seriousness of this, but for the criticism to pile on her like this seems a little misdirected. A sixteen year old in any other circumstance, caught doing something stupid and racist, would get in to trouble, but someone would talk to her parents as well. (Where’s the criticism of Billy Ray Cyrus, or her Disney handlers — the adults in her life — for not teaching her better values?) No one would see that teenager as an emblem of society’s racism towards Asians: they would see her as a misdirected kid, who simply needs a bit more education and needs to be forced to see things with a bit more empathy.
She’s famous, but she is also a child. No child should occupy the place she does in this country. She’s become an icon to little girls, but the flipside is that everything about her has become fodder for gossip predators like Perez Hilton. People seem to take pleasure in slut-shaming her, criticizing everything from the clothes she wears to whom she dates. The media excuses itself by telling us that “if she chooses to act like an adult, she should be treated like one”. But she really is just a kid. An an incredibly immature one, at that. I don’t deny for an instant that she’s probably a giant over-indulged pain to be around. But that level of attention and public hatred will fuck any child up. (Look at Britney! Do you really want another Britney??)
But the point is, no child is without potential. It would be different if she was 26 and slanting her eyes at the camera. She’s 16 and has lived in a bubble her entire life. I think her actions are heinous, but she’s not entirely to blame for them. If she gives a half-assed apology, its probably because she actually does not realize what she did was wrong, and was told by her Disney overlords to “clear things up”. Someone needs to sit her down and tell her why people are angry at her.
They need to also give her space to grow up into a balanced person, but that’s unfortunately never going to happen, as long as she is treated like a cash cow, not a human being.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 10:45 am ¶
akoma wrote:
Umm…isn’t Rob Schneider filipino? Does he think that gives him some sort of excuse?
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 10:55 am ¶
Ruchama wrote:
He’s Asian? What? How?
His mother is Filipino.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 11:08 am ¶
Sean wrote:
CVT
That’s in line with what Jenn said: “She is surrounded by paparazzi and gossip rags who know better than to turn on their Cash Cows of The Moment, and who would rather condemn an “over-sensitive” minority community than to chastise a celebrity for offending millions of non-White Americans.”
Unfortunately, nobody is going to strangle the goose as long as it’s laying the golden eggs.
Latoya (post # 7)
You beat me to it. The first thing that came to my mind was all those so-called “ghetto” fraternity/sorority parties. When I saw the picture of Miley slanting her eyes, I started to think they decided to change the theme this year.
Nevermind “what was Miley thinking.” I’d sure like to know what was on that Asian dude’s mind.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 11:11 am ¶
Lola wrote:
@ Sean, I think the Asian guy in the photo was the victim, he probably didn’t know they were making those faces or he was caught off guard and did not know how to react.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 11:46 am ¶
Paz wrote:
@atlasien:
I disagree that yellowface opens the door to blackface. There is a history of slavery, Jim Crow laws, minstrel shows, etc in this country, and while harassment/prejudice towards Asians goes back in time as well, it is not as widely known as the history of slavery. Furthermore, I think in the MSM Asians are deemed as more “exotic” than African Americans, making people feel like it’s ok to imitate them because they’re funny and different. I think also since African Americans have a stronger presence in the media than Asians, it is less acceptable to overtly make them into a caricature. (Key word overtly. I recognize it does happen, but I think in more subtle ways, often disguised as ghetto.) The NY Post cartoon created a stir, but I feel like if a cartoon mocking Asians in a MSM publication was released, the only public outcry you’d hear would be from Asian American groups.
I remember I started to watch a little bit of Lisa Lampanelli’s standup, but I had to turn it off. She freely uses the words “chink” and “spic” but for African Americans, it remains “the n-word.” Really, so disparaging remarks towards African Americans are off limits but somehow Asians and Latinos are ok?
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 11:54 am ¶
Lizzie (greeneyedfem wrote:
According to Wikipedia, it’s Rob’s maternal grandmother who is Filipino — so who knows how exposed he was to Filipino culture growing up?
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 12:02 pm ¶
Ironic wrote:
Joe Jonas’ picture was taken a few years ago—not that this fact excuses his behaviour—so, it’s not a racist sequel to Miley Cyrus’ photo, thus starting a new racist trend. It’s a prequel.
And he did release a statement apologizing for offending people. It sounded a lot more sincere that Miley Cyrus’.
Also, I’m not a Joe Jonas’ apologist (I can’t stand those kids), but just getting the facts out.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 12:44 pm ¶
Paz wrote:
Rob Schneider could have born and raised in the Phillipines, for all I care, it still doesn’t make his character any more acceptable.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 1:05 pm ¶
Jess wrote:
@A.D. Nix–
I was just thinking that in My Blue Heaven, for the joke to work, casting a ‘real’ Italian — Robert DeNiro or Joe Pesci — it might not have been as funny as Steve Martin, who is so obviously a caricature. You could do either, but for the cartoonish look of the film the director (IIRC) said that casting an ‘ethnic’ would have been too realistic.
In a similar vein, I wasn’t thinking that you would of necessity exclude an Asian actor, but you might cast a more obviously cartoonish caricature, a white guy dressed up as fu manchu or whatever can work. But that depends on the movie and what ‘look’ you are going for and how the film is set up, and I can’t say for sure because I haven’t seen it. But I can’t imagine Tarantino wasn’t conscious of it, so unless he did something like that with Grindhouse — well, that’s why I am on the fence.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 1:13 pm ¶
Rosa wrote:
Grindhouse:
That picture is for the fake trailer “Werewolf Women of the SS” and it was directed by Rob Zombie, not Tarantino. And since they were remaking/poking fun at grindhouse movies from the 60s and 70s, isn’t this more of a criticism 0f the movies that did have white people in Asian roles instead of miscasting?
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 1:21 pm ¶
atlasien wrote:
@Paz: I”m actually not saying that yellowface enables blackface. If there weren’t any Asian immigrants at all in America there would still have been blackface. I just think that the greater acceptance of yellowface, along with other forms of racial mockery like Indian mascots, contributes to white confusion and resentment.
Ideally, we could communicate a clear, consistent message that none of this stuff is acceptable.
The Lisa Lamparelli stuff you cited…. so she uses “chink” and “spic” but won’t use the full “n-word”. I draw a different conclusion from that. I bet she stirs up a lot of racist emotions of resentment in her fans… “we can’t say the full n-word. How come those other words are OK but the n-word isn’t? It’s because black people demand SPECIAL TREATMENT”. I think the racist resentment built up around the concept of “special treatment” harms black people just as much as the greater ability to say “chink” harms Asian people.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 1:33 pm ¶
cat m. wrote:
i am SO on the big eye meme.
I’ma read this blog and go all the way back… but quick comment on Schnider.
The fact that he’s Filipino makes it worse because he should know how AAM have been portrayed and that what he does is not some “reclaiming” but perpetuation.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 1:54 pm ¶
That guys wrote:
Clearly, if this had been any other ethinicity there would be a big media outrage. But, of course, it’s about chinese people so no one gives a shit. Fucking travesty.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 2:06 pm ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:
@ Rosa
Interesting. If criticism is the goal, maybe this connects to other conversations about the levels of “getting it.” Getting the criticism vs. getting to enjoy a little yellowface. Or, as often happens, getting that it’s meant to be critical but still enjoying a little yellowface.
@ Jess
I guess I would have to question the function of the cartoonish caricature in both cases.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 2:36 pm ¶
Rosa wrote:
@A.D. Nix
It’s true about the possibility of not getting it. Also, they could have been thinking the joke was mostly Nicholas Cage more than Nicholas Cage in yellow face, but then that would be priviledge, right?
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 3:52 pm ¶
brownstocking wrote:
Okay, so I can get down with this being the prequel, and thus, Miley might get blown up a little more because we (public) were on a slightly higher alert….?
Miley’s going to be on GMA tomorrow, and I may have to TiVo. Do y’all think she’ll be asked about the racism?
And for whomever said this is this year’s “ghetto party,” I shudder, but I can totally see that discussion happening:
A: Dude, the hoodrats and pimps are mad cuz we did blackface last time, let’s pick someone else.
B: Yeah, let’s make fun of Asians, they always do better than me on exams.
A: But let’s invite that one dude, he’ll get this is all in fun.
Whatevs. solidarity in promoting the Big Eyes meme!!!
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 4:19 pm ¶
G.K. wrote:
@atlasian
Just for the record, I can’t stand Lampenelli—both me & my sig nif saw her on Leno one night while she spewed what she called her “jokes”–I just found her not only not funny, but her jokes were just downright racist—even my sig nif didn’t like what he was hearing. Not using the “n-word” has nothing to do with wanting any “special treatment”, I just don’t want to hear it because it’s just plain damn disrepectful and hateful—I can’t stand it when black folks use the word, either—-and “chink” and “spic” are just as hateful and nasty as the “n-word”, as far as I’m concerned. We just want the word not used out of basic decency and respect, but apparently that’s too hard for some racists to get, I guess. Lampenelli just thinks she’s being cool or hip by not being so-called politically correct, but to me, she’s just repeating the same old racist BS jokes about non-white folks that have been around for years—-she isn’t saying or doing nothing new or original.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 5:07 pm ¶
Jess wrote:
A.D. Nix–
I was just thinking about Tropic Thunder — I thought the guy played by Downey Jr. worked because it ultimately points out quite explicitly how offensive and stupid blackface is, so that joke works, at least for me (I mean, I think any actor who is asked to play another ethnicity should watch that movie and think about what they are doing, you know?)
But I would be curious if that worked for you, and how you might apply it elsewhere (or what you would do differently and how that might apply to other movies).
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 5:43 pm ¶
anna wrote:
@ Jaya
“A sixteen year old in any other circumstance, caught doing something stupid and racist, would get in to trouble, but someone would talk to her parents as well. (Where’s the criticism of Billy Ray Cyrus, or her Disney handlers — the adults in her life — for not teaching her better values?)”
I totally agree – I think her handlers/parents have dropped the ball somewhere: did you hear the comments she made about Radiohead?
http://www.usmagazine.com/news/radiohead-miley-2009133
I’m wondering if she’s not just, well — a brat.
Posted 02 Apr 2009 at 10:36 pm ¶
Lauren wrote:
Picture what would happen if Miley or anybody decided to “just make a face” like an African-American.
________
Can we not do this, please? I can’t tell you how much this bugs me.
Posted 03 Apr 2009 at 8:49 am ¶
RMJ wrote:
@ Lola –
I think he’s actually doing the big-eyed meme that others have suggested in response to this. His eyes are opened wide, as is his mouth.
I don’t think he’s unaware of the faces that his companions are making. He’s being forced to play along and make a corresponding face to make their actions blameless through:
a)the active presence of a member of the victimized group (i.e. “my asian friend thought it was funny, so it’s not racist!”) and
b) negating their racism through a reciprocal racially tinged expression (i.e. “he’s making fun of us, too, so it’s not racist!)
This photograph and everyone in it looks posed, and I’ve seen similar racist pictures that included him that have not been as widely circulated. I would guess that his friends are doing this with his consent, as sad as that is. It’s shameful that they insisted on forcing their non-white friend into a mockery of his own race. I know I am often pressured to mock myself and my traits or beliefs to make others comfortable with their own prejudices, and I’m not even a POC. You’d think that wouldn’t be acceptable in this day and age, but peer pressure can be awful and insidious.
Others were discussing Cyrus’ responsibility in this. I think it should be noted that the folks surrounding her are probably older – her boyfriend is 20, and I would guess that many of the others in this picture are of similar age. These people are out of their teens. Miley should know better, but her older friends should REALLY know better and should be setting a better example.
Posted 03 Apr 2009 at 9:43 am ¶
Jasmine wrote:
Well the Jonas Bros are 1/8 Korean. And also we need to look at the fact that when you are young you do stupid things like slanting your eyes. I know I used to do it a lot in elementary and middle school it was fun at the time and I have now come to point where I realize it is racist.
Posted 03 Apr 2009 at 11:50 am ¶
Naida13 wrote:
I keep wondering why any excuse is made for Ms. Cyrus, purely on the basis of her age. Sure, she’s young, but do we think that magically at the age of 18, or 21 or 26 or 30 she will suddenly “get it?” At what point do we stop saying, “well, she’s just a kid.” If no one explains it to her now – she sure as hell isn’t going to figure it out on her own later. It’s my personal feeling that by the age of 16, Ms. Cyrus is more than capable of 1) understanding that something she has done has upset people and 2) finding a way to discover why that might be on her own. She’s a big girl, now. She can work it out.
Posted 03 Apr 2009 at 11:58 am ¶
JLC wrote:
@ Jasmine
“Well the Jonas Bros are 1/8 Korean.”
And this means what? Even if they were 100% Korean, would that excuse their racist conduct? That conduct denigrates all Asians. Just because they’re Asian does not give them permission to do this.
Posted 03 Apr 2009 at 3:46 pm ¶
Lisa wrote:
I wish I had something profound to offer this thread, but this whole Cyrus/Jonas situation just makes me sick.
Sick. Sick. Sick.
Posted 04 Apr 2009 at 3:45 pm ¶
Grace aka blackbelt wrote:
I’m not sure what rule I broke. Honestly. When I said what would have happened if the same thing would have happened if Miley “made a face like an African American,” I must have set off some bomb. I subscribe to this post because I am interested in the issue of racism and have a personal stake in it. When I came to this country they didn’t even know where Korea was. My family was called gook and chink and heard the rhymes, told to go back to my own country, am I built sideways. And all that.
Somehow after all these years, Americans don’t seem to understand that Asians face racism, too. So when this slanty-eye thing goes on, people don’t seem to see it as racist. I have so many white friends who say to me “I knew there was racism against blacks, but not against Asians!’ I meant that it might seem clearer to the general public if it had been black face. (Do you remember that whole Ted Dansen embarrassment?) I never said it’s easier for blacks or that racism is gone or anything like that. It just seems to me that *reasonable* people understand there are issues against blacks but DON’T BELIEVE IT EXISTS for Asians.
I got an anonymous comment on my personal blog which, I guess, was a response to my one sentence comment:
“This is for your comment on Racialicious and I ask what am I bitch your damn mother?!! It REALLY pisses me the hell off when non-white folks have the nerve of nerve to cry ‘if this were the blacks’ when first off you know DAMN WELL you don’t give a c-r-a-p about black people. AND you seem to believe that racism is ‘over’ for black folks and we NEVER have to deal with it anymore BULLS##T!! Or did you NOT see the Post ‘monkey’ cartoon and the ‘watermelon’ e-mail bottom line black people did and STILL DO have to fight against stupid,hateful,bigoted stereotypes MOST of the time with NO HELP from a-n-y other races. So think about THAT before you go on your ‘ompression olympics’ kick!!”
and a follow-up:
“Furthermore it is not I repeat NOT my job to worry about what’s pissing off or offending you!!”
I just can’t deduce all this from my 14 or so words.
Posted 06 Apr 2009 at 12:07 am ¶
Melissa wrote:
@Rosa
That was my thought on Grindhouse. It was poking fun of those style of movies so I don’t have an issue with it. I thought it was supposed to point out the weird stuff in older movies with a satirical look. Sort of like Robert Downey, Jr. in Tropic Thunder.
Posted 24 Apr 2009 at 5:46 pm ¶
Pecunia wrote:
“Cyrus and her friends are clearly over-paid, over-privileged teen socialites, worshipped by pre-teens for the very qualities that make her ignorant of real life race and race relations: she lives a charmed life never having to face the realities of poverty, privilege and race.”
– And she is the current idol that our little girls look up to. If I had a daughter I would seat her as far as possible from the TV whenever Hannah Montana comes on.
Posted 17 Aug 2009 at 4:31 pm ¶