Rickshaw Rally

[kasia]

i'm not so sure where i stand on this. i agree that the depiction of an asian man with slanted eyes and the lame slogans are questionable, but i don't see anything inherently wrong with using a rickshaw to teach children about another culture. the link to the petition is in our get involved forum. what do you all think?

************************************************** ****


Dear Friends,

I am writing to you about an issue that has been disturbing me
greatly in the recent weeks. Lifeway, a Christian resource supplier,
has chosen "Rickshaw Rally" for its 2004 vacation bible school
theme. "Rickshaw Rally" has been approved for use by the Southern
Baptist Convention (one of the biggest denominations in the country),
and Lifeway's products are used in thousands of other churches on a
regular basis.

However, "Rickshaw Rally" perpetuates stereotypes and misconceptions
about Japan and about people of Asian descent. As a result,
children's first exposure to Japan will be one that is grossly
misleading.

Some of the more offensive depictions in the curriculum include the
following:

- Animation of a little slant-eyed man wearing a cone hat and
pajamas, who pulls a rickshaw, grinning. This is an image that dates
back a hundred years or more, and has long been used to dehumanize
people of Asian descent.
- Prominent positioning of the rickshaw, a device not used in Japan
except as tourist entertainment. Japan is perhaps even more
modernized than the United States.
- Use of slogans from the movie "Karate Kid," including "Wax On, Wax
Off!" Lifeway maintains that it researched and used authentic Asian
sources in developing this curriculum--apparently Hollywood movies
qualify.
- Images of non-Asian children pressing their hands together and
bowing and making "karate moves." I note that both of these gestures
have long been used to mock Asian Americans. Shaquille O'Neal's
repeated use of pseudo-martial-arts moves to mock Yao Ming brought
great criticism from Asian Americans and other thinking individuals.
- Repeated use of the terms "far east" and "Oriental"--which are
widely recognized as ethnocentric and derogatory.

I am more upset by Lifeway's response and the response within the
church than I was by the original curriculum. Lifeway maintains that
its intent was never to offend; however, its leadership refuses to
consider that Asian Americans may have a different perspective than
their own. And individuals within the church have been expressing
viewpoints such as "everybody will be offended by something" and "we
can't cave in to the concerns of the minority."

In addition, insistence that this material is not offensive speaks to
the privilege and patronage displayed by Lifeway. A Lifeway
representative stated that no Asian American can speak for all
Asians, and yet Lifeway has chosen to speak for us by deciding that
this material should not offend Asian Americans. Well, it does. I
know I don't speak for all Asian Americans since we are all
individuals and have our opinions. However, I believe it is fair to
say that most of the Asian Americans I know have been dismayed and
disheartened by the insensitivity displayed by Lifeway.

Lifeway also maintains that this curriculum is "biblically sound." I
believe that material offensive to a group of people can never
be "biblically sound" as it goes against the very tenets of
Christianity.

Please consider writing to Lifeway and expressing your concerns. If
you are a member of a church, please consider contacting your church
and requesting that it does not use the "Rickshaw Rally" curriculum.
Request additionally that your church leadership contact Lifeway and
express concerns about this curriculum. "Rickshaw Rally" will expose more than a million children to these stereotypical images of Asian Americans.


-----------------------

You can contact Lifeway at:

Jerry Vogel
Director of VBS Curriculum
jerry.vogel@lifeway.com

Louis Hanks
Director of Publications
louis.hanks@lifeway.com

If you would like to call Lifeway to register your protest, their
administrative office number is: (615) 251-2000. You can also contact
their customer service:

LifeWay Church Resources
c/o Your VBS
MSN 136
One LifeWay Plaza
Nashville, TN 37234-0136
Phone: 1-800-458-2772
customerservice@lifeway.com

By the way, this is undoubtedly a big money-maker for Lifeway, which
might contribute to its reluctance to hear concerns.

Feel free to use the attached form letter.

Dear Mr. Vogel:

I was very dismayed to see that Lifeway is continuing to promote the
theme "Rickshaw Rally" for its vacation bible school curriculum.
While I understand that your stated intention was to incorporate
cultural diversity, the use of stereotypical imagery has instead
resulted in modern orientalism, or the casting of Japan as exotic and
foreign. The term "far east" in itself has been discontinued in
modern-day usage because of its negative connotations.

The curriculum includes many images that have long been used to denigrate people of Asian descent.

It is my understanding that you have received many letters expressing
similar concerns from people of Asian descent. If the intent of the
church is to bring us all together rather than to divide us, the
concerns of Asian Americans must be taken into account.

Sincerely yours,



Information about the protest can be found here:
http://www.geocities.com/reconsideringrickshawrally/

Article in Ethics Daily can be found here:
http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=3418

Petition can be found here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/sbcvbs01/petition.html

Thread to discuss this issue can be found here:
http://forums.yellowworld.org/showthread.php?t=9160

[Rogmok]

I think these are the things taht bother me more about it..

- Use of slogans from the movie "Karate Kid," including "Wax On, Wax
Off!" Lifeway maintains that it researched and used authentic Asian
sources in developing this curriculum--apparently Hollywood movies
qualify.
- Images of non-Asian children pressing their hands together and
bowing and making "karate moves." I note that both of these gestures
have long been used to mock Asian Americans. Shaquille O'Neal's
repeated use of pseudo-martial-arts moves to mock Yao Ming brought
great criticism from Asian Americans and other thinking individuals.
- Repeated use of the terms "far east" and "Oriental"--which are
widely recognized as ethnocentric and derogatory.

and also their response of "everybody will be offended by something" and "we
can't cave in to the concerns of the minority." kinda bothers me too..

I don't think some of the portrayals of Asians are inherently racist.. but I think the fact that most kids will have a hard time not associating the historical references to Asian history w/ their perception of asian americans. Especially in racially homogeneous communities where their exposure to minority is already limited.

[deez nuts]

buncha bible bangers.........

christ tucker aka jesus will punish you all.

[kasia]

and also their response of "everybody will be offended by something" and "we
can't cave in to the concerns of the minority." kinda bothers me too..

very true. wth is that? it's like they didn't even take the time to consider the fact that *perhaps* their rally is a bit racist. a bit arrogant.

[deez nuts]

i don't like it. and i'm pretty laid back about this kind of stuff.

[Blue dice]

It's annoying because it's a deliberate distortion of various asian cultures. Kind of like the Coon Chicken Inn back in the Jim Crow era which was a restaraunt based on a racist caricature. The fact that the people involved in creating this event don't see anything wrong with it is sort of telling of the typical attitude of some white people. As long as _they_ don't see anything wrong with it then minorities shouldn't either and how "dare" we complain. :rolleyes:

These people are assholes.

[Irezumi Kiss]

I concur. There's a thousand different ways to advertise culture without having to go thru the lowest common denominator route.

People really don't want to think sometimes.

[>:^|]

Jimmy Draper's (President of Lifeway) response to the issue can be found here:
http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/1912.article

Here are a few quotes:

Though our critics are few, they are vocal. Here’s what they’re saying:
That Asians everywhere, and in large numbers, are offended. Not true. For every phone call, e-mail or letter we receive from Asian Americans expressing concern about "Racing to the Son," we get scores of positive responses ... Representatives of our international department just returned from Asia with glowing reports from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Umm ... there's a difference between Asians and Asian Americans. Just like there's a difference between Chinese and Japanese. You've been asked to show those "scores of positive responses." Are they from Asian Americans?

I am deeply offended by [critics asserting that the material is racist], and am saddened by the way our critics have used this inflammatory term to attack us ... I challenge anyone to examine our curriculum and produce evidence that we have done anything other than celebrate the diversity of people for whom Christ died.

You're offended, huh? I examined it. Hours of my life, gone forever. And my friends who are diversity trainers shrieked when they saw this. They're Black and White, by the way. One kept saying, "Oh my GOD, oh my GOD." I don't think this was praise.

[Critics say] That LifeWay didn’t think through its VBS theme and didn’t consult Asians ... we developed the 2004 VBS curriculum through much prayer and careful research. During the 15-month process, we consulted experts in Japanese culture and language, and we traveled to Japan to research and film the curriculum. We engaged the International Mission Board and worked with pastors and missionaries steeped in Asian culture.

Again, Asians are not Asian Americans. And "kimono" is not pronounced "kuh-moan-uh." And nobody runs around wearing cone-shaped hats. And the "Karate Kid" does not qualify as careful research. I guess I should be grateful that Pat Morita doesn't star in the video.

[Critics say] That LifeWay cheapened Asian culture by Americanizing it. It’s true that "Racing to the Son," which is set in Japan, does incorporate Americanized elements like takeout boxes and fortune cookies, but these merely provide American kids with a recognizable bridge to a new and wonderful culture. Further, to help teachers understand and appreciate the distinctions of Japanese, Chinese, Korean and other Asian cultures, our VBS team developed a free training tool known as "Asian Awareness."

Great title. I can't wait to see this. Maybe it's packaged in a box that looks like a big fortune cookie. I think that yellowworld needs to develop a training tool called "White Awareness."

[Critics say] That LifeWay didn’t pull the VBS materials for purely financial reasons. Not true. Whatever inadvertent shortcomings ... the ministry impact of removing VBS curriculum would have been profound.

Yeah. Ka-ching.

For those of you who doubt my Dale Carnegie diploma, my response letter was a tad more gentle. :wink:

Oops, sorry for the length. I feel a little nutty today.