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AIBU?

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

614 replies

Cimcardishan · 24/12/2015 22:12

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?

OP posts:

Report

Egosumquisum · 25/12/2015 20:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Outaboutnowt · 25/12/2015 20:50

I was talking about the 'I fancy Chinky tonight' when referring to the CUISINE

And where do you think the cuisine is from, and who makes it? You're still talking about something Chinese.

ilovesooty · 25/12/2015 20:51

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Brioche thinks it's acceptable to refer to the Paki shop as well. I don't know how on this day and age someone can be so ignorant.

Chippednailvarnish · 25/12/2015 20:53

And Brioche singlehandedly proves that the OP is right.

RoosterCogburn · 25/12/2015 20:54

Brioche,, referring to the cuisine in that way is just as insulting. And it's not an abbreviation.

chocomochi · 25/12/2015 20:55

As I am Chinese - I would still you offensive and racist even when referring to a CUISINE.

LauraMipsum · 25/12/2015 20:55

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

It's more of a pity that people can't distinguish racism from humour.

YANBU OP.

RooftopCat · 25/12/2015 20:55

I once saw a live news conf where George w bush said paki. He had no idea it was offensive and the most powerful person in the world at the time.

Maybe 'paki' isn't a racist word in the US. Like it isn't (or wasn't a decade ago, as far as I know) in NZ and Australia

ilovesooty · 25/12/2015 20:56

Perhaps Brioche would care to tell us what the abbreviation is.

I dread to think what else she regards as non racist.

CookieDoughKid · 25/12/2015 21:52

Brioche saying the word chinky is akin to saying something like nigga. Have a bit of respect please. And BTW, I would report you to the police in RL. And I will report you on Mumsnet if this discussion wasn't so valid.

Isthatall1tis · 25/12/2015 22:37

I reported a bunch of teenagers who shouted ching chong at me on the streets.The police took it very seriously. Racism is a criminal offence. CCTV identified them and they were all brought in.

Seriously, it is racist. I find it highly offensive and totally unacceptable in this day and age. I would never dream of mimicking an African. I'd get my head kicked in. Literally.

So CookieDoughKid all Africans kick heads in. Really??????? Who's making the racist comments now??? How hypocritical.

Bambambini · 25/12/2015 22:55

"I once saw a live news conf where George w bush said paki. He had no idea it was offensive and the most powerful person in the world at the time. shock"

I'm not sure it necessarily is offensive everywhere in the way that it is in the UK, or so i've read elsewhere.

I also know folk who still say chinky referring to food and also would say paki shop for the local shop. Some places and people haven't moved with the times - the people i know mean no harm by it - don't know if they'll change now.

ilovesooty · 25/12/2015 22:58

They certainly won't change if no one challenges that language.

Bambambini · 25/12/2015 23:05

True, i hope it's dying out with the younger generations. I used to say chinky and paki shop when i was young many years ago but i moved away to places that were much more multicultural and where it wasn't acceptable.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 26/12/2015 00:20

Seriously, it is racist. I find it highly offensive and totally unacceptable in this day and age. I would never dream of mimicking an African. I'd get my head kicked in. Literally

Your last 2 sentences are almost as bad as what you have been criticising.

I expect there is a possibility of a random person from one of the many countries which are in Africa reacting violently in the same way a random British person might do if you were mimicking a British accent (assuming of course your parody was recognisably mimicking his indivdual country. Or an Egyptian might be as little bothered by a fake South African accent (beyond thinking it's a bit stupid) as a Cornish person might be by a fake Scottish accent.

Kpo58 · 26/12/2015 00:33

My DH sometimes comes out with racist crap. He finds it hard to stop as his parents are like it and so was brought up thinking that its acceptable to say.

I'm trying to stop him from doing so, especially for when we have kids. I don't want them to be brought up thinking that this dribble is acceptable to say.

I think part of the problem is not having a balanced view of the world. Such as all this talk about terror groups in the middle east means he says all Asians with bombs type rubbish, but doesn't seem to realise that most people living over there, just want a normal life without extremism and would much prefer to live in their own country, than come and live over here.

Chippednailvarnish · 26/12/2015 00:58

It's a bit late now you are already married to suddenly expect a racist to stop being racist.

DyslexicScientist · 26/12/2015 06:23

Wow - Africans are violent people?! And your complaining that you receive racist comments?! Beggers belief

SecretBondGirl · 26/12/2015 08:24

I think what the OP is suggesting is some ethnic groups would more readily challenge people who make racial slurs about them such as the black and Asian communities than say the Chinese hence why some feel they can be more racist towards them than other groups without consequences.
I think it's can be to so with the fact that the Chinese community in Britian is very small compared to the other groups (0.7% compared to Asian 6.8% and black 3.4%) and there is strength in numbers.
Brioche if you are in a job which offers equality and diversity training I just you make sure you do it as your comments highlights your ignorance.

ilovesooty · 26/12/2015 08:44

She probably isn't. She wouldn't last very long with my employer.

BigChocFrenzy · 26/12/2015 09:49

It is racist to mock an accent or physical characteristics of an ethnic group.

Sexist and disablist "jokes" and stereotypes are also totally unfunny.
The privileged mocking the disadvantaged.

ffs do we STILL have to explain this to fucking idiot racists even on Mumsnet.

If I ever hear a Brioche in rl saying they are are going to the "chinky" or "paki" shop I would report them to the police for racism.
At work I would report them to HR.

Words matter.

My strongest memories of my village primary school in the 1960s are of the misery of being called "wog", of kids laughing about my big nose and my skin.
The teachers would just laugh too and tell me to stop making a fuss. I got slippered and caned for lashing out though, because I wasn't funny.
I suppose I'm just a bad sport who can't take a joke

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 26/12/2015 10:02

I think what the OP is suggesting is some ethnic groups would more readily challenge people who make racial slurs about them such as the black and Asian communities than say the Chinese hence why some feel they can be more racist towards them than other groups without consequences

Firstly it wasn't the OP who made the ridiculous, sweeping statement about how an "African" would react.

Secondly making ridiculous, sweeping statements about the reaction of an entire continent is a bit hard of thinking too.

What Brioche said was awful but the "Africans literally kicking heads in" is a close second.

Outaboutnowt · 26/12/2015 10:28

bigchoc I am so sorry to hear about your horrible experiences of racism. You are not a bad sport you are somebody who's been on the receiving end of abuse. I am white British living up north and I never have had comments about my colour/nationality so I can't fully understand how it feels to have that shit directed at you. But, I think people's experiences of racism like yours is part of the reason why it's so important to totally reject racist/sexist/disablist jokes and call people out when they make them to make it clear its not ok.

I actually think it's frightening in this day and age that there's still a fair proportion of people who can't see the harm in this type of language/humour.

derxa · 26/12/2015 11:00

I have a Scottish accent and have lived in SE England for a long while. Any comments/jokes I have had were made by people who felt a bit intimidated by me. They were never done out of affection. Yes, Chinese jokes are horrible and offensive and racist. These sorts of things always sting a bit and I found you can never find a witty retort when you need it. BTW that Irish lady in the office- she doesn't enjoy your piss take of her accent. HTH

BigChocFrenzy · 26/12/2015 11:07

Thanks Outabout

We've made a lot of progress since the 1960s, but I totally agree that the battle against racism, sexism and disablism must continue.

A stubborn minority feel that because it was acceptable in the past, they have some sort of "right" to continue.
Their nasty behaviour & language is bolstered by the same kind of denial as before, too lacking in empathy to realise their "jokes" are hurting people.

Sorry for the racism you and others in the BBC community have suffered, Cimcardishan
Most of us, whatever our racial origins, agree that sort of language is NOT acceptable.

Flip

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