Is this casual racism? Along the lines of ching chong jokes?

[Cimcardishan]

I'm BBC (British born Chinese) and feel that it seems more permissible to be casually racist about Chinese than other racial groups. A few years ago there used to be a Chinese tea advert with a kung fu monk and really bad accent which just felt wrong to me. I don't think that kind of advert would have been made about jerk chicken or naan bread for example.

Someone just posted on my FB jokes with Chinese accent, one liners, eg.Tie my shoe Tai Mai Shu

OK, thats pretty rubbish but it was a long list of them. It wasn't to me personally.

I found it old fashioned and un PC. I feel if someone posted this with Jamaican or Indian accents it would be disapproved of.

Am I being oversensitive?

[TempusEedjit]

I never understand why some people will come onto these threads to staunchly defend their right to offend others. Why would you do that?

[ChocPretzels]

Flat you're right, I am so sensitive, because all my life in this country I've been singled out: not for my sparkling personality, my beautiful hair, my great navigation skills etc. But singled out due to my physical inheritance. God I must stop being so sensitive

No one ever stops me in the street or shout out at me because of my many great qualities, but because they see me as.... Chinese. (I know this because of the comments they are "helpfully"making, I don't feel the need to repeat them to justify myself here.)

[BrandNewAndImproved]

It's not diminished, the op kept stating it wouldn't happen to those other cultures and actually it does.

How many black men have big willies jokes have you heard, growing up a BMW was called a black man's willy ect and you hear the innuendo for it fairly frequently on comic TV shows and films. That's just one example. I remember the Jackie chan films, soo much joke setting up the same way lenny Henry does it. Why should one person because of their ethnicity make jokes about the whole of their race. But then some stereotypes are funny and true, it's a hard line and everyone's line will be different.

I'm not diminishing it, I'm just pointing out it is still acceptable as the op thinks it isn't.

[TempusEedjit]

flat when I was a teenager I had a stranger spit in my face in the local high street and say to me "we know what you did in Vietnam, bitch". Even more upsetting is that not one person came up to me afterwards to ask whether I was ok.

If your Essex accent has ever caused you to suffer something along those lines then I admire your chilled out attitude.

[Cimcardishan]

When I was in my twenties and lived in London these experiences were rare. Racial slurs from childhood a distant memory. I did not feel particularly Chinese or different, just a Londoner.

This was posted by a friend where I live out in a small English village. Its a small, predominantly white community and people my age have discussed how the golliwog ban was ridiculous. They say all of this stuff and I m a coward and do not speak up as I don't want me or my family to be isolated

[Cimcardishan]

They think golliwogs are not offensive. They sometimes mention that my children don't have chinky eyes. And I say nothing.

[Aeroflotgirl]

Yanbu at all, I completely agree with you. It is not acceptable at all, complain to Ofcom if you see some more like that.

[CastaDiva]

You're not in the least over sensitive, OP. And your village sounds like mine. I moved here from London and people who seem otherwise like perfectly pleasant human beings come on with stuff I thought had died out a generation ago. I do a lot of challenging.

To the person with the Irish colleague whose accent is so apparently hilarious, you sound incredibly ignorant, and one day you'll do it to the wrong person.

[Mmmmcake123]

OP I really feel for you.
Hearing racist comments out of the blue can take you by surprise I think.
A Chinese friend of mine asked me if I thought there was racism against Chinese people in the UK. She took me by surprise tbh and I had to think. I replied 'nobody dislikes Chinese people as far as I know, I've never heard a word against them'. We chatted and where we live Chinese people are just people, there is a big community (pay taxes - sorry if that annoys anyone), so couldn't think of any bigots that may have an issue. I really didn't know how to answer but it bothered me.
The following day I asked my 12 year old about it and she understood immediately. She said, it's in lots of films, you know there's always a batty old Chinese woman (rolled eyes in disgust). She had always found this odd and thought it was just the USA. Mickey Blue Eyes springs to mind.
It's completely out of order.

[UninventiveUsername]

My dp's family (in London though admittedly a more white area on the outskirts) make racist jokes and I am white so they think it's OK to say that stuff in front of me. It's a big reason why I try and avoid spending too much time around them. They might have worked out a bit that I'm not keen as they don't seem to do it so much nowadays. It is hard for me to accept their nice sides as I know they have these views. The first time I met them they made some joke, I don't remember it exactly but I remember how stunned I was. I had no idea people still said things like that. I knew there were racists but I imagined them to be in your face, violent thug types, not a normal family.

They mainly do the 'jokes', but once I got a bag stolen and dp's dad's first response - "Black girl was it?" (No it wasn't but that's not the point.) He didn't say it to me but I overheard and was literally open mouthed.

One thing I don't understand is does that mean all their (pil's, sil's, bil's) friends feel the same way? Or do they feel shocked like me? They are sexist too but people seem more ok with this generally whereas I thought racism was more frowned upon, or maybe this kind of racism is OK to people because it is a joke? Sil is only 26 and seems very popular. She says things a lot like "You know how black people...[insert stereotype here]." and then laughs like it's hilarious. I don't understand what the friends must think. I have ASD though so struggle sometimes to understand how social things work.

Anyway yanbu op. Sorry to have gone on, I don't get to talk about this much and sorry you get shit like that.

[HamaTime]

I saw a thing ages ago where people were interviewed in the street and asked to do a Chinese accent, which they did, then they were asked to do a Jamaican accent, which they didn't. It would have been edited I guess and there will have been people who would have refused to do either but I'd bet there weren't many who would do the Jamaican accent and not the Chinese one. When they were asked why they wouldn't do the Jamaican accent non of them said they didn't know how. They either said it would be racist or because they were scared of black people so wouldn't mock them, which is in itself, racist.

I don't think there is much doubt that Chinese people suffer from 'model minority' type racism and I do think there is a sense that racism against Chinese people is as 'bad' because the oppression isn't as visible (because of model minority bias)

[maiscout]

flatonthehill

This isn't really about accent though. Most of the Chinese people in this thread are bbc so would have an English (or wherever they're from) accent.
It's people being ignorant and seeing a Chinese person, assuming that we would speak with a Chinese accent. It's not even the accent I mind, but it's always done in a mocking tone, usually accompanied by stupid gestures and sometimes eye pulling...

[UninventiveUsername]

What is model minority racism and bias, Hama?

In the scenario you said I don't think attempting the accents is racist itself, but I think the fact they did one and not the other is racist. As they either think it's racist and so won't do Jamaican but yet still will do Chinese, or if they are scared of black people which is racist. I think if someone had actually attempted both that would be OK.

[Chippednailvarnish]

YANBU.
I've actually had someone comment on "how good my English is". I was born in London and have lived here all my life, so why the fuck they thought I wouldn't be able to speak English is beyond me. There is a much more relaxed attitude about racism towards Chinese people, I'm not sure why.

[Bambambini]

I love trying to do accents so I might be a bit hypocritical - but the guy at a recent Christmas lunch who insisted in speaking nearly all lunch in a OTT Scottish accent really started to annoy me. Right mate, it was funny for half a minute but stfu now.

[Katarzyna79]

chipped I'm south Asian but I just started getting crap when I started wearing so called muslim dress, before than no problems ever. The ones who have a gripe with me, when I reply in English they seem shocked, I know they expect Arabic, Urdu, hindi I don't know what but I speak none of those languages and to be honest its more senior folks, so I'm more accepting of their ignorance.

but I agree racism towards Chinese, thai, Malay, Taiwanese, Japanese is ignored as if it doesn't matter so much. I think maybe its due to a lack of exposure in the media? South asians used to get the same, still do but not as much maybe because you see more of them on British TV in soaps for example, as news readers, as comedians. More exposure in the media might help? I don't know it's just a thought. If you compare usa TV and British a lot more Chinese are on air in the USA, I cant think of any on TV over here. But I don't watch tv much so maybe I'm wrong someone can provide further evidence

[SmillasSenseOfSnow]

YANBU at all, OP. People are so fucking desperate to pretend that there's no problem with this kind of thing. It's all so utterly tedious, isn't it?

[Mmmmcake123]

I think any language based mimicking is completely outdated and a bit ridiculous, unfunny and worse than boring.
Having to put up with banter if you're Irish, Scottish or Chinese just isn't on. People laugh along sometimes because unlike other racism there isn't as much institutionalised prejudice, so the fight against it isn't likely to get huge support.
Still not amusing

[Mmmmcake123]

Btw I would be tempted to reply to the Tai mai shu post with try my poo but I am very uncivilised lol

[MistressDeeCee]

Yes of course its casual racism but its also pretty rubbish and non-pc to react to it by intimating that if racist remarks and jokes were made about others, there'd be outrage. What world do you live in where you think Jamaicans or Indians (your examples) don't suffer the effects of casual racism and such racism against them raises protest? Why make comparisons between victims of racism?

People are people, racists are racists there's no sliding scale of bigotry, all racism is bad. YANBU for deeming the "jokes" you saw as old fashioned and un-pc but YABU for implying there's some sort of special outrage reserved for the very specific groups you've mentioned should anyone dare to make jokes about them. Really - there isn't.

[knobblyknee]

Ugh, YANBU, its not just an accent, and its pointless. Why say it at all?

[slightlyglitterpaned]

"YANBU at all, OP. People are so fucking desperate to pretend that there's no problem with this kind of thing. It's all so utterly tedious, isn't it?"

This.

It's interesting when the naysayers on a thread inadvertently prove your point, isn't it OP?

[Atenco]

It must be very hard to grew up English but always be treated as an outsider.

My dd is half Mexican and was born in Mexico. I so prayed that she would look like the Mexican side of her family when she was born because I did not want her to grow up being treated like a foreigner in her own country, even though, if anything, Mexicans treat pale foreigners better than they treat fellow Mexicans.

[kittypaws]

i think if it hurt you then no you arent being over sensitive, different things hurt different people in different ways.
But in regards to Jamaicans, people always type or say things in patios as a laugh.

[Enjolrass]

I don't think you being sensitive. It is racist. But I don't agree with this My sole point is this would not be seen as overtly racist if don't other cultures so why not for the Chinese?

I am Irish, I get my accent made fun of all the time it's not overly Irish. It's a mix of Irish and West Yorkshire. I can't count the times I have been told 'oh you are very intelligent for an Irish woman'.

When I was getting married and man at work get emailing suggestions for outfits including a leprechaun outfit.

I could have a jacket potato for lunch without it being mentioned that 'you Irish love your potatoes'

It's true that some cultures seem to be fair game. Others are not.

I remember a woman at work being allowed to rant and rave and be generally nasty. My manager told me she couldn't help it 'because black women are feisty' and that was it. He was also black. So I started talking to her like she talked to me and I got pulled up. When I mentioned his comments and explained 'I am feisty I can't do anything' he realised he was being a tit, but could grasp that what he said wasn't ok.