N-Word vs. J-Word
There's a national movement to abolish the use of the N-Word. Can a similar effort be launched for racist terms directed at the Asian American community?
When Seinfeld alum Michael Richards let loose an angry, N-word filled tirade late last year at a local Los Angeles comedy club the reaction was immediate: national media outlets ran wall to wall footage of interviews with African American leaders and politicians demanding an apology; Grainy footage of Richards' racist outburst ran regularly on local news stations with the full diatribe available on YouTube.com for all to see.
Partly in response to the Richards' incident there is now a national "Abolish the N-Word" grassroots movement to get rid of the N-word. A Web site has been launched (www.abolishthenword.com) and several city councils, including New York City, Paterson, and the Westchester County Legislature, have heeded the message and passed supporting resolutions.
But when it comes to racist terms, it seems that a different standard is being applied to the Asian American community. When derogatory words and phrases like "Jap," "Chink," or "ching-chong" are used freely - even by celebrities - it seems the mainstream does not consider these terms as racist or demeaning as the N-word.
So is it about time for the AA community to run a similar campaign, an "Abolish the J-word" grassroots movement? Many think it's a good idea, in concept, but whether it would work is highly sketchy.
"The reason there's such a debate over the N-word is because it has, to some degree, been reclaimed by black people. The N-word doesn't exist solely as a racial slur - it is used in many different contexts, with many different meanings," said Carmen Van Kerckhove, president of New Demographic, an anti-racism training company. "That same ambiguity doesn't exist with anti-Asian slurs like 'Jap,' 'Chink' and 'Gook.' As far as I know, there aren't many Asian Americans who have reclaimed these words to use as terms of endearment amongst themselves."
"As far as banning Asian slurs in conversation, I wouldn't be for it ... Besides, how do you educate people about racism if you can't mention some of the racist terms that've been used against minorities?" said Guy Aoki, founder of MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans).
"But in entertainment, it's even more important that when Asian slurs are used, it's clear that they're hurtful. My pet peeve is that whenever someone calls someone a 'Chinaman' on television or in movies, there's no retort or come back from someone saying it's a racist term," he said.
Although the Richards' incident is the most recent example of the mainstream media's distain for anyone non-black using the N-word, a blind eye is often turned when it comes to celebrities and comedians who use derogatory terms directed at the AA community
Just a few weeks after the Richards' outburst, "The View" host Rosie O'Donnell made her now infamous "ching-chong" commentary. Although the incident got a lot of play in the AA community, the mainstream all but ignored the story and O'Donnell herself refused to apologize at first, commenting on her blog that AAs needed to get a sense of humor. A few days later she gave a joke-filled apology about her use of a Chinese "accent."
In recent weeks a band named "The Ching Chong Song" was banned from appearing at Bryn Mawr College after local AA student groups protested. The band has since changed its name to "Church of Lurch." And we can always rely on comedian Sarah Silverman and her stock "Chink" joke. The joke raised some eyebrows a few years back but she continues to use it in her act today.
The list of examples is endless.
"Let's face it: White people are afraid of angry black people. They know they'll riot or launch angry protests if they're not happy about something," said Aoki. "Blacks also fought in the civil rights movement and stood up to be counted. We all know of the ugly legacy of slavery which lasted for centuries, so there's more sensitivity about how blacks will respond. Asians are just these funny-looking foreign people who lay low, do well in school, and don't get along socially with anyone."
"It has a lot to do with the way history is taught in our schools. We're all familiar (at least in broad terms) with the history of slavery and the struggle for civil rights. But few of us learn about the long history of anti-Asian discrimination in this country," said Van Kerckhove. "As a results, words like 'Chink' and 'Jap' and 'ching chong' aren't recognized as having the same kind of historical context of oppression as words like 'N-word.'"
Kovan Flowers and his wife Jill founded the Abolish the N-word Web site last April and the campaign has gained more momentum since the Richards' tirade. The couple started the Web site in response to the increasing use of the term by young African Americans, especially today's hip-hop artists.
"You still have to keep in mind that this word was used as a hateful word. (To use it) is a blatant disrespect to our ancestors," said Kovan in an interview with the Herald News.
But not all African Americans think the "Abolish the N-word" campaign is a good idea.
"Morally and logically I have always been opposed to the use of the N-word for all of the obvious reasons. A negative thing is a negative thing, you cannot change it only cancel it out," said Michael King who runs the African and Asian American Unity Web site (AAAUnity.com). "So yes, in that respect I am all for the effort to abolish the use of the word. But, in terms of constitutional rights this campaign is treading the line of trampling freedom of speech."
Sandra Tanamachi knows first-hand the difficulties involved in a national campaign to rid a community of its racist terms. She spent 12 years fighting to rid "Jap Roads" and "Jap Lanes" in several Texas Counties.
She's more hopeful when it comes to a campaign to abolish the J-word.
"With the help of our national JACL and of our chapters across the United States, in addition to our Japanese American veterans associations, and Japan-America Societies across our country, we may be able to be successful," she said. "I have found that there is strength in networking."
King believes more education is needed before racist words aimed at the AA community will start to disappear.
"We spend more time teaching our children how to make money without even considering teaching them how to be decent human beings. It is no wonder how such demeaning terminology such as J-words and N-words can so easily fall off the lips of people," he said.
"Ultimately, I think it is a matter of how we go about re-educating people regarding this word and how we go about phasing it out. Laws do not change the heart and it is the heart that truly changes the world."
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