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?

[Cimcardishan]

This has been food for thought. I know there is racism toward any group.

Im not saying it is worse against Chinese. Im saying that a certainty of casual racism seems to be more OK when it comes to Chinese people.

But others have put forward some valid points about casual racism toward other cultures which I have not noticed before.

To the posters who understand, thank you
And I feel less alone hearing about similar experiences other posters have suffered.

[DyslexicScientist]

Yes I've experienced plenty of Asian jokes. But I'm not at all offended, unless they come from a place of mallace.

What about this joke from family guy? I find it pretty funny.

The other day in work we were joking about how a Scottish colleague says murder or how a French colleague says bitch rather than beach. Its just funny sometimes to me. Then again I bought a tin of tuna from Peru called "fanny" as that's right up my alley.

Obviously I wouldn't say a joke to someone that would be hurt by it.

[honeysucklejasmine]

m.youtube.com/watch?v=DWynJkN5HbQ

YADNBU.

[enderwoman]

I understand where you're coming from OP- I'm half East Asian.

I think that the racism I hear towards East Asians and Jamaicans is definitely there but instead of accents, people think it's ok to make drug/violence "jokes" about Jamaicans and "terrorism "jokes" about South Asians.

Schools seem to treat racism against East Asian students less seriously than other groups. One teacher I know looked puzzled and insisted that calling someone a noodle based name wasn't racist when she rightly stamped hard on someone else called a jungle based name.

[KathyBeale]

I think mimicking anyone's accent is rude. I'm Scottish and I live in London and it drives me up the wall.

A Scottish friend who teaches in London had a parent complain that her children weren't being taught proper English.

I'm sort of tying myself in knots at the moment thinking about what's acting and what's just rude. Why is Mrs Brown's Boys (apparently) hilarious because it's a man dressed as a woman, but Jimmy Krankie playing a Japanese woman in the new AbFab film offensive?

I don't mean to be goady - I'm interested. OP is right that some things seem acceptable and others don't. What about drag queens? They're okay, right? But Jared Leto got stick for playing a trans woman in The Dallas Buyers Club... I keep going round and round in circles thinking about it.

[BertieBotts]

You can see it pretty starkly if you watch TV from about 10-15 years ago. Horribly stereotyped "Asian" characters, usually credited just as "Chinese villain" or similar.

It's getting better as in you don't see it as much on TV now but it is still there and some people don't seem to have got the message at all. It's absolutely racism. Sorry people suck :/

[Cimcardishan]

Kathy it is interesting.

Somethings feel OK if its satire or sensibly done, or done from a place of experience.

If you know only the same tired stereotypes and play on theists ignorant.

I have friends here who make ching chong jokes as a way of saying, 'we're OK. We can joke about this as nothing is taboo.'

But it catches me by surprise and feels wrong whereas other friends, who send up stereotypes for what they are, knowingly, have me in tears of laughter, be they white, pink or green people!

[lionheart]

I agree OP. it is casual racism, or, at best insensitivity combined with ignorance.

There has been a very recent debate about the new AbFab movie and 'yellowface'. I hope this is done as a way to satirise the kind of attitudes you are talking about but wouldn't bet on it.

www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/17/margaret-cho-twitter-storm-accusing-ab-fab-movie-yellowface-racism

[ShortcutButton]

Jokes are made about Jamaican accents e.g. Beer can sandwiches

But those are funny. The chinese ones do feel more piss-takey

[MrsLeighHalfpenny]

I'm Welsh. I am constantly the butt of racist jokes. Apparently that doesn't count as racism though, because Welsh isn't forrin.

[Brioche201]

Its a pity people cannot distinguish ribbing/humour from racism.

[Brioche201]

So let me turn that round.a racist joke is fine if it is funny?
Racist or not and funny or not are 2 separate questions.I don't think they should be linkef

[Zhx3]

YANBU op, but these threads tend to go the same way on MN.

I've just done some PSHE with my tutor group about discrimination, and they were appalled by some of the things I told them had been said to me in the past. It's learned from somewhere though, no?

[Grapeeatingweirdo]

OP, it's never OK to make jokes that upset you and I am sorry people are such dicks sometimes. I don't think a lot of people mean to be nasty but it does suck. I am half Turkish and the kebab jokes get a little annoying sometimes.

[Enjolrass]

But it catches me by surprise and feels wrong whereas other friends, who send up stereotypes for what they are, knowingly, have me in tears of laughter, be they white, pink or green people!

But that blurs the lines. Some people can get away with it, some can't?

How do you know if you can't get away with it?

[ilovesooty]

If anyone really thinks the OP is overly sensitive or thinks this is banter,or complains about political correctness it says a lot about them : and none of it is pleasant.

[Cimcardishan]

enjo well those Chinese jokes felt wrong because no one speaks like that and the people sharingthem no little about Chinese people. So who is laughing at who?

And how are these jokes even funny if you remove the racist element?

They are only perceived to be funny because try are taking the piss!

Any why would someone find stuttering funny? Taking the piss out of this touches on peoples sensitivities and is so hurtful!

[Brioche201]

Making fun of a speech impediment is unkind , ' tooth Hurty' type jokes are not.

[Brioche201]

O don't think Arkwright in open all hours is offensive because his stammering is part of his well loved character

[ilovesooty]

I sometimes think there are people who are stuck in some kind of time warp when I hear justification for racist jokes.

[TheIceCreamCometh]

I have a rule. If you need to ask "is it racist", then yes, it's racist.

I know there'll be a bunch of going on about over the over sensitive PC brigade etc etc but much the same was being said 50 years ago about what was acceptable then which we now understand to be horribly racist.

If it doesn't feel right, and f you have to ask the question, then yes it's racist.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Jokes are made about Jamaican accents e.g. Beer can sandwiches

But those are funny. The chinese ones do feel more piss-takey

That is funny? Presumably I must have no sense of humour.

Actually I have, just that jokes about accents and speech impediments aren't funny.