In November, Angry Asian Man noticed a very peculiar Android app that was being sold in Google Play: “Make Me Asian.” The program works by superimposing straw hats and fu manchus on user-uploaded pictures, which, um… yeah, don’t do that.
Oh hells no. At the risk of giving this damn thing more attention than it deserves, behold this ridiculously racist Android app… which allows users to make themselves “a Chinese, Japanese, Korean or any other Asians!” No, seriously. This is a real app.
In late-December, pastor Peter Chin from Washington DC posted a petition on Change.org calling for Google to remove both “Make Me Asian” and “Make Me Indian” from Play. (Google does not monitor the third-party apps in its online store.) “This is not what it means to be Asian or Native American – these are nothing less than hateful and offensive stereotypes that are used to this very day to marginalize and humiliate people,” Chin wrote. “They are not funny, and their use highlights a vicious double standard in the treatment of certain minority groups.”
It’s taken nearly a month, but Google has finally capitulated: the apps are gone. As Chin updates:
I’m deeply thankful to the nearly 10,000 who who signed this Change.org petition to take down these apps. I am also grateful for Google, who heard our outrage and pulled the apps. This may seem like a small victory, but it made an important statement: that minorities will not simply accept dated and offensive stereotypes that are wrongly foisted upon them. We stood up, our voices were heard, and something changed. I hope that our society will take notice and realize that previously voiceless communities will not remain silent any longer.
Meanwhile, perhaps you’d like to try Gizoogle?
Also see: stereotyping, casual racism.
Disrike!
Velly sirry!! But honestly…I can’t even grow a “Fu Manchu” ‘stache!
The main stereotype I hold about Asian Americans is how unbelievably over-sensitive they are. As an example: this.
When are Chinese going to stop calling people in their home country ‘foreigners’. Talk about negative attitude. Or what about talk of ‘big nose’? Or ‘whitey’? Let’s petition on change.com! Oh, no wait, no need to be that whiney. Take it like a man.
I am always shocked when people stand up to racism and prejudice by saying “said people we are being racist and prejudiced against us too!” or such and such group is being “over-sensitive.” As racist and prejudice as this may seem, but at one time in my life thought we westerners (assuming you guys are westerners) are suppose to be more educated and generally better people. But that does not seem to be the case.
Why are westerners supposed to be better people? Or is that your prejudice? So it’s okay for Chinese to spit on the floor but if a white person does it it’s worse?
All groups are getting shit thrown at them. Either grow some thick skin or don’t surf that part of the web. But yeah, for some reason ‘white’ companies are more easily manipulated into removing so-called racist stuff. Tolerance and stuff, which apparently only goes one way. Muslims can call western society rotten and despicable, but god forbid you say anything about islam.
Hey, I dun want no clazy sheep eaters slapping a fatwa on me!!
Anyone see the onrine comments my cuntrymen in China wrote about Condesleaza Rice when she went on an official visit to China a few years ago?
Agree that (insert ethnic group here)-Americans are oversensitive twats…
Exactly my complaint. If someone calls us something we call them out for something but no one actually addresses the actual issue at hand. Really at the end of the day no matter where in the world you go there will be prejudice people and they will always defend their prejudice by saying “so and so also does this”
I’m saying if we want to believe ourselves better we should act like better people. We get upset the Chinese call people Laowais but we tell them they have no rights to be upset by Fu Manchu-esque depictions of their people because whatever?
It’s not okay for a Chinese person to spit on the floor. It’s not okay for a white person to spit on the floor either even if some other guy did it first.
@SeaHorse
Yep. Classic example: bag-o-dicks’ comment.
The point is that this isn’t racism or prejudice or even stereotypes. How many times have you seen an Asian American being bullied about his Fu-Manchu mustache? It’s a non-existent stereotype.
All of the arguments against this app are begging the question. First off, you have to prove or present some kind of cogent argument that this is actually racism. Then and only then do you move on to the point that “racism is bad, mkay?”
Check this out:
http://www.progressive.org/mpbow062310.html
This Asian American complains of the following “stereotypes” of the Chinese ethnicity in Karate Kid 2:
We respect our elders
We are depicted as heroes
We’re the ones with self-discipline
Wow, you guys have it so bad! Just as well they didn’t have a Chinese kid graduate with a maths major and go on to have a quiet successful career and family life. This kind of “prejudice” and “double standards” have been foisted on you for too long!
“Lao wai” is a term, it’s not a steretype… maybe I just don’t give a shit when I hear it, cos I never hear it used as derision (yet). As far as the app thing goes, people always say “don’t be so sensitive”. Yeah, well done.
Right. State your ethnicity and see how you feel when someone puts a sterotype on it. USA heads wouldn’t like the ones that non-USA heads could come up with.
Don’t be a dick.
I can drink to that. Laowai doesn’t really have actual negative connotations on it. Laowai isn’t exactly ‘foreigner’ persay but outsider. It means a not-Chinese guy, like ANYWHERE. It doesn’t mean someone not from China, it doesn’t mean a foreigner in China, it doesn’t mean a white guy, it means anyone who can’t trace a family tree a couple generations back to China. This is why a person born overseas with Chinese ancestry is not a Laowai but a white person born in Hong Kong is.
The reason you don’t find “laowai” offensive is because of economic reasons. It’s a word that singles you out as socially advantaged. I don’t mind people stereotyping people from my country because it’s a first world country. American comedies often parody my country’s accent and, if done well, it’s funny just like Apu and the Shitty Wok guy are funny.
“Don’t be a dick” is true but a strawman. Nobody is arguing that we should all be dicks.