Can Race Be A Laughing Matter?

[achtungbaby]

Neal Justin
Star Tribune staff writer

Sarah Silverman, one of the funniest comics in the business, made headlines last summer for all the wrong reasons. During an appearance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," she made a joke about trying to get out of jury duty. A friend advised her to write something offensive on the application form, such as "I hate chinks," so that they wouldn't take her. Silverman said she didn't want people to think so negatively of her, so instead she wrote, "I love chinks."

The joke triggered a groundswell of protest, and eventually both NBC and O'Brien issued apologies. Silverman, however, stood her ground, and defended the bit in two appearances on "Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher," saying comedy can shed light on racism and injustice.

Silverman's act, and other examples of humor incorporating racial stereotypes, were the subject of a panel discussion that I moderated earlier this month at the Asian American Journalism Association convention in Dallas.

full story (http://yellowworld.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=118&mode=nocomments&order=1&thold=-1)

[kasia]

use your wit to amuse, not to abuse.

[ChinaLama]

I don't know why it's JUST me...but I don't think Silverman's joke is obviously racist. I think if people are JUSt pissed because she said "chink," then I wanna tell those people to CHILL OUT. I mean it's a way of exposing how racism figures into the judicial system, and how people abuse precautions against racism in the system. I at least understand, however, that there might be a problem that she thought not to use "nigger" and instead went w/ "chinks" because no one thinks Chinese American opinions matter, but for us to keep discussing her comment just seems a bit overboard. But this is something we can't really help -- until Asian Americans have more POWER in America, no one is going to care about how we're exposing the subtle racism in American society. Most likely, most people will think we're just being whiny because we can't tell when "chink" etc are used in the right context.


Also, by focusing on Sara Silverman, we're taking time and energy away from more serious issues. For instance, I don't know how this case is going now, but someone brought to my boss's attention how a person who has lived in this country for 18 1/2 of his 20 yrs is getting deported, because his father died before he could start the citizenship process, and hence his mother and he are technically illegal.

[kasia]

Originally posted by ChinaLama@Sep 1 2002, 04:44 AM
Also, by focusing on Sara Silverman, we're taking time and energy away from more serious issues. For instance, I don't know how this case is going now, but someone brought to my boss's attention how a person who has lived in this country for 18 1/2 of his 20 yrs is getting deported, because his father died before he could start the citizenship process, and hence his mother and he are technically illegal.
but see, i believe that those "serious issues" persist partially as a result of us being labeled as "chinks". fighting against stereotypes should not be seen as "sweatin the small stuff" b/c these things make a difference in how more serious issues, like immigration policies, are decided.

for example: the model minority myth--a stereotype. however, for many years, it was this very stereotype that prevented asian women from having access to domestic violence counseling and assistance. the white women on the boards of the domestic violence clinics/shelters did not believe that bilingual/bicultural programs were necessary b/c they truly believed violence did not occur in asian homes. to them, asians just worked hard, saved money, and were in general good people. asian men, furthermore, are weak and asexual. they won't beat on their wives.

it wasn't until asian activists did research and made it point to dispel the model minority myth that they relunctantly agreed to take some of their funds to create asian outreach programs.



<!--EDIT|kasia|Sep 1 2002, 09:16 PM-->

[achtungbaby]

Originally posted by ChinaLama@Aug 31 2002, 08:44 PM
Also, by focusing on Sara Silverman, we're taking time and energy away from more serious issues.
I see where you're coming from, but I think the community can use "substantive" issues like the one you described and the "fluff" stuff for the purpose of increasing awareness and consciousness. Of course there are reasonable limits to this, I guess: boycott's M&M thing is an example, I think, of going overboard. On the other hand, I remember kasia telling me that Angela Oh had thought the young Asians were wasting their time with the fluffy A&F issue, and I think that perspective is very narrow, since A&F might be one person's first step in getting aware.

[SunWuKong]

well, the bottom line is, the fact that asian americans represent such a small population in the US, we need to get on people's asses when they're being ignorant. nobody else is going to do it for us but ourselves. there's a reason sarah silverman wouldn't say "nigger" in her skits.

[angel nympho]

In the case of Sarah Silverman, at least, was the issue with her joke the content of what she was saying or simply the fact that she used a racial slur? The content of the joke itself, I thought, was actually pretty funny.

[deez nuts]

I, then assume it would be perfectly ok, the next time I wanna get out of jury duty, instead of going through the long tedious process of obtaining the paper work to prove I am a hospital personnal. I will just write down: "I love Jewbaggers."

Less work for me.



<!--EDIT|Chasiubao_Boy|Sep 1 2002, 05:23 PM-->

[ChinaLama]

But her point wasn't that it's ok to use racial slurs-- it's that some people abuse precautions in the justice system. of course it's ok to make a joke like that-- although it would probably have been less suspect if she had written "I hate kikes" and therefore made fun of Jews, instead of the Chinese, because she is a Jew so other Jews may not take offense. However, at the same time, i don't believe someone has to be of an ethnicity to make jokes about an ethnicity, just as you don't have to be a Republican to bash Republicans, and you don't have to be a fundamentalist Christian to bash them (in fact, as a country, we do FAR more than a fair share of bashing Christians, although one can never bash Republicans enough).

But I see where the problem lies -- that she used chink VERSUS using "nigger" or "kike" because she wasn't as afraid of offending the Chinese. So basically, in an effort to lampoon political correctness, she herself is being politically correct in a cynical way, and therefore being a hypocrite. However I think too many people take issue w/ her using "chink" without caring about the context of the joke, and I think THAT's a simple minded approach. hell, then someone should use 2Pac's estate since all his songs use the word "nigger." Oh my God, he hates other black people, the racist fuck...let's go protest against HIM!! But no one does that because people DO listen to the context of 2Pac's songs.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by ChinaLama@Sep 2 2002, 01:05 AM
But her point wasn't that it's ok to use racial slurs-- it's that some people abuse precautions in the justice system. of course it's ok to make a joke like that-- although it would probably have been less suspect if she had written "I hate kikes" and therefore made fun of Jews, instead of the Chinese, because she is a Jew so other Jews may not take offense. However, at the same time, i don't believe someone has to be of an ethnicity to make jokes about an ethnicity, just as you don't have to be a Republican to bash Republicans, and you don't have to be a fundamentalist Christian to bash them (in fact, as a country, we do FAR more than a fair share of bashing Christians, although one can never bash Republicans enough).

But I see where the problem lies -- that she used chink VERSUS using "nigger" or "kike" because she wasn't as afraid of offending the Chinese. So basically, in an effort to lampoon political correctness, she herself is being politically correct in a cynical way, and therefore being a hypocrite. However I think too many people take issue w/ her using "chink" without caring about the context of the joke, and I think THAT's a simple minded approach. hell, then someone should use 2Pac's estate since all his songs use the word "nigger." Oh my God, he hates other black people, the racist fuck...let's go protest against HIM!! But no one does that because people DO listen to the context of 2Pac's songs.
well i don't think you can so easily dismiss one race of people using their own ethnic slurs to make fun of or insult their own people. there's the whole idea of "reclaiming" your slurs and the question of whether it is really possible for one to be racist against your own people - and if it is, whether it's the same form of prejudice.

and in fact, alot of black people do not like the fact that so many black people use the word "nigger".

[Faithless]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Sep 1 2002, 12:51 PM
well, the bottom line is, the fact that asian americans represent such a small population in the US, we need to get on people's asses when they're being ignorant. nobody else is going to do it for us but ourselves. there's a reason sarah silverman wouldn't say "nigger" in her skits.
Maybe the problem is we don't have enough Asian American comedians who can take the Sarah Silvermans of the world to task with our own take on race.

Whether it's right or wrong, I think that there are a lot of material out there, waiting for the heaving.

[nonamerasian]

I think the joke was funny and would had been equally as funny if she substituted "chink" with "wop," "spic," or "nigger."

I was just funny.

Sometimes ethnic jokes get on my nerves, but this one hasn't.