Holland Got Talent judge Gordon Heuckeroth made several racist remarks at a Chinese competitor, singer Xiao Wang, last week. You might have already seen it, but if not, check the above. What’s interesting, however, is the tepid, almost indifferent response from netizens in China, a study in contrast to the outrage expressed after the now-infamous and actually inoffensive skit by Jimmy Kimmel.
“As undoubtedly racist as this is, this is not construed as a racism in China,” writes Sinopathic.
For every “ching chong” slur and “chinky-eye” affair that occurs, there is an equally indifferent wind that does not blow. While overseas Chinese groups are outraged at such egregious displays of ignorance and hate, this doesn’t register with Chinese in the motherland. Because it doesn’t concern the motherland.
Racism in China is anything that has to do with the national interest: namely national sovereignty, national defense, and intangible cultural heritage. The bigger the affair, the more racist it is.
The top comments on chinaSMACK express much the same:
Can’t be helped, the Chinese people [there probably] don’t interact with mainstream society, and must have left this kind of impression [on the judge].
…Just look at it as entertainment. Foreigners’ humor all has a bit of ridicule/mockery in it. Don’t be oversensitive.
That’s incredible. Yet the reason is simple. Satire doesn’t translate, as we’ve noted here before, and the Kimmel story, if translated faithfully, sounds like an American network TV host wants to, you know, kill all Chinese people. No one bothered to footnote the translations with “THIS IS A JOKE,” and besides, who here would’ve understood it?
Judge Gordon’s comments, on the other hand – Can’t be helped. Overseas Chinese just gotta grit and bear it. Don’t be oversensitive. You’ve probably heard that the Chinese are blunt when it comes to race, especially differences in appearances — even if they’re grossly generalized and stereotyped — between ethnicities. They’re not used to the American level of political correctness. Also interestingly, this episode perhaps shows they’re not as monolithic in their defense of “one of their own,” either.
But that doesn’t mean judge Gordon’s not a supreme prick in the above and deserves to be called out. Janet Lie, a Chinese woman who lives in Holland, decided she can’t — in her words — “just let it go.” She emailed the following to us, which she gave us permission to publish:
RTL, the Dutch broadcaster, REFUSES to apologize because “he’s just joking”. Unfortunately, many Dutch people tend to agree and don’t think it was a big deal. That’s why we created this petition, demanding an apology!
Some Dutch people even denied it was racist and said people were “too damn sensitive nowadays”. The Dutch media didn’t pay any attention to this until it made international headlines because American bloggers were reposting the video.
As a Chinese woman living in Holland, I’ve been called “spleetoog” (Dutch for slit eye) all my life. Strangers would come up at me and say “ching chong”. I get ni hao’ed at least once a week. Men asked me if it’s true that Asian women have sideways vaginas a couple times. And even though not intentiontal, my own friends would also make racist jokes about Asians. Everytime I say that’s not right, they call me “oversensitive”. “What’s the big deal? It’s just a joke.”
I am sick and tired. I created a Facebook-page (it’s in Dutch, unfortunately) to create awareness and asking fellow Asian people in Holland to speak up. Unlike in America, Asian support groups here aren’t very vocal. Asian people here stay silent and just try to blend in with everyone. I want them to file a complain with me, but they tell me to”. But I can’t.
So again, sign this petition, if you’re the petitioning type.
That is racism. But you know what “silently justifies” this racism? The racism of the Chinese themselves in public exchanges and the media.
They publicly call SE asian people “monkeys”. They tell you that the Chinese are innately smarter that everybody else. They are terrible with black people. The use “mixed blood” as a standard way to call people of mixed ethnicity. They tell you that white people came down from trees after the yellow people without a blink. They tell you that “in a fight between a Chinese and a non-Chinese they will always take the side of the Chinese, no matter which is in the right” — and when you say that you would do otherwise, they ask you “So people in your country are not all of the same race, right?” They consider themselves the real (or alternatively, the superior kind of) Asians, even when they go abroad and in the west. They consider marrying a darker Asian as bad because they would make the children less white. They have horrible stereotypes about Japanese and Koreans. They would tell you that Asians of Chinese origin are prettier because whiter. Looking at the picture of a western-chinese mixed child, they would happily tell you “Look how s/he’s beautiful, s/he looks pure Chinese and not mixed at all!”. They practice racial discrimination on the workplace on an everyday basis and no one makes a big deal out of it. They believe their civilisation is the greater on earth.
This is why this hideous, unacceptable racism against Chinese individuals will unfortunately continue.
*greatest
You’re also a real piece of shit. None of what you wrote has even the tiniest relevance. You’re basically saying that all racism is “justified” because there are racists in every country. Exactly how much did you mum drink when she was pregnant with you?
Go back to your street sweeping you mouth-breathing mooncalf!
Sadly, he has a point. The Chinese feel they’re above everyone else, and love to be racist themselves. Then they get all pissed off over anything regarding themselves.
Look at how China handles international relations with countries whih criticize them. Canada called China out on human rights, then their PM had to visit to smooth things over as they started huffing and puffing.
Double standard is the name of the game in China. “These driving rules don’t apply to me, I’m the most important person in all of China!”
No, he does not have a point. What, you think that piece of shit gameshow host had international human rights issues in mind when he asked the yellow guy for number 39 with rice? How long have you been teaching English exactly?
Cool how you won’t respond to the rest of my comment, then assume I’m a teacher.
people who take themselves or their races / subgroups etc too seriously – get a life
What a smug, oily cunt.
Tao, I’m surprised to see you write that you believe the Kimmel incident to be “inoffensive.” How is everyone laughing at a kid – saying killing off a whole country of people – as if he merely mispronounced “ham sandwich” inoffensive? If anything, it’s an extremely revealing view into the frighteningly dark thoughts average Americans harbor about the Chinese.
Interesting points made about why Chinese people don’t care about the Holland thing, although I think the theory that chalks it up to their infrequent interactions with foreigners and lack of experience abroad is the more accurate one.
“it’s an extremely revealing view into the frighteningly dark thoughts average Americans harbor about the Chinese”
Jesus, man. Talk about drinking the CCP Kool Aid. Even for you, that’s a long, long way to have your tongue up Xinhua’s anus. The child’s joke revealed absolutely nothing. The average American’s thoughts on Chinese are in no way frightening.
I guess when Louis CK made a JOKE about a Chinese family living in Sarah Palin’s pussy you were like “Wow, this is really reflective of the typical Americans concept of the China threat. The average American clearly has a stark, almost freudian, fear of the Chinese.”
Why are so many commenters here incapable of saying anything without being insulting?
Louis CK making a joke is fine. First of all, he’s an adult, and he is therefore responsible for everything he says. I’m not some overzealous goon, nor do I have my tongue up Xinhua’s ass…jesus christ, man…people like you I swear…it must be so easy living in a world where everyone with a different opinion from you is a brainwashed lackey!
You really can’t tell the difference between a stand-up comedian getting laughs through absurdity, and a boy being encouraged after recommending GENOCIDE?
You’re not brainwashed – just not intelligent enough to understand either racism or comedy.
@jonathan, I don’t think that is reflective of a deep-seeded anything in America’s youth…..what is absolutely prevelent and what highlights the hypocrisy of all this is that the generations of Chinese that are up in arms about Kimmel are the same ones that are raising the undeniable majority of their children to despise and wish death upon Japanese people. Try holding a flashcard of a Japanese flag up in any kindergarten in China and you will be inundated with machine guns and flying wushu kicks from children with pure menace and hatred flowing out of their eyes……that is the deep-seeded issue I take concern with
Hi bb, thanks for responding in a civil manner…
To be clear, I didn’t mean that it was reflective of America’s youth, but actually America’s adults. Children by definition aren’t capable of forming their own thoughts about the world and reality, which is why the bit Kimmel did about asking children their opinions on the gov’t shutdown is so amusing (and many, many other comedians and talk show hosts have done this same kind of thing).
I wrote a comment on a previous post here about the Kimmel incident, saying that it’s obvious that the child was just parroting something he had heard an adult say, quite possibly his parent. You can imagine the scene of his dad watching Fox News while drinking a six pack and after hearing the latest news about China shouting “why don’t we just kill them all!!”
It’s not only shocking that Kimmel and his audience would laugh such a horrible thought off – especially coming from a CHILD – but even more damning that his producers chose that from all the rest of the footage to air. Imagine if it were “kill all blacks” or “kill all Jews.” Do you think there would be ANY debate at all that it was offensive?
I agree that anti-Japanese sentiment is taken to an extreme in China, but I also believe that Japan has hardly made an effort to apologize for their war crimes compared to Germany, for example. Imagine if Merkel visited the graves of SS officers once a year. How would Israel feel?
I don’t want to downplay the racism the Dutch-Chinese commenter has had to endure, it sounds like Holland has a lot of ignorant shitheads and sadly I think the experience of a Chinese-American in middle America is often similar.
But, to be ni hao’ed, I’m losing where that is a racist action…or perhaps I have been desensitized from the dozen daily occasions of being hello’ed on the streets of China.
Well on the one hand, it’s definitely racist: assigning certain positive or negative characteristics to a person based on the colour of their skin is racism pure and simple. The judge should apologise.
On the other hand, I want a fucking apology for every little fucker on the street who says “Oh, look at that white guy! I bet he’s rich!” or “Ah, a foreigner! Charge the big nose more!” or “Helloooooo! Ha ha ha, foreigners are so fucking stupid!”
Until I get an apology for these incidents that have been encountered on a daily basis – and before this or the Jimmy Kimmel incident – the Chinese people calling for an apology can shove it up their collective asses.
Yeah! And while we’re at it, all African-Americans can go to hell! You expect a god damn apology about slavery?? Well how about that one black dude at a party who told me I couldn’t dance!?? Awaiting my apology!! /s
Straw man argument, nice. Did you even read my comment?
Racism against one individual Chinese person – Sudden collective anger!
But constant, dogged racism by the Chinese against others? Silence – and bullshit arguments against why it’s wrong for “White Westerners” to have these feelings.
I agree with narsfweasels.
OK man, I’m don’t know you personally, but based on what you said, and your posting history on here, I’m going to reach out and try to do you a service, so I really hope you listen, for the sake of being respected by other members of the human race. Lots of other people here should take note as well.
You’ve already established you are white. I’m assuming too by the bravado of your (online) character that you are male, too. And young. And, hey, let’s go out on a limb and say you are also from a first-world country.
OK, that’s all settled? At least three out of four?
You NEVER get to complain about racism. Do you understand? NEVER. You won the game of life at BIRTH. Are you that pigheaded that you think your experience of being laughed at by Chinese people even comes CLOSE to what other races of humanity of people have experienced? It’s not even in the same galaxy!!!!!
At the very LEAST, whenever you have an experience of “white racism,” do yourself and the world a favor and stop and think to yourself:
“Wow!!! It really sucks I was treated this way, now I understand, for this brief moment, 1/1000th of what it’s like to not be privileged at birth like I was and experience the daily pain and humiliation dished out for being non-white/poor/female!”
You sound like an white American bible-thumper complaining about the War on Christmas. Bro, everything is fine! Please, stop acting like the brief stoplights in the otherwise unobstructed highway of privilege and easy living are anything but a minor inconvenience…
“You’ve already established you are white.”
Appearances can be deceptive, douchwipe. And my ethnicity – mixed as it is – is not the business of some jumped up little ball-sucker on the internet, who claims to know me through posting history. “OMFG, liek u totally red my history and I’m liek an open book to you now! LOL! My whole life is all totally laid bare, I feel so naked, ROFL!!!!111one”
ANYBODY can experience racism at ANY TIME – and if that’s not true, then nobody has to apologize for it, EVER.
Fuck, I know I’m falling victim to Poe’s law here. But Jesus Christ, how can you type the dribble you waste so much time writing and yet not feel ashamed of yourself.
@Jonathan Alpart
Racism
1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2: racial prejudice or discrimination
Your apparent belief that you have free license to discriminate against certain people based on their race, is RACISM.
Discrimination based on their nation of birth is hardly better.
I am disappointed, but unsurprised.
If you’re worried about slavery, why focus on history?
There are 20-30 million slaves on the planet today. Why not help them? Or is it just easier to whine about something that happened 100 years ago and feel aggrieved?
Some of my ancestors were slaves. Likely some of your ancestors were too. Almost everyone on the Earth has ancestors who were slaves.
If you want to do more than just whine, look here freetheslaves.net
While I do agree that Native Chinese are certainly racist, you can’t possibly be so naive to think that that sort of racism compares to what is done in European countries and America to Asian citizens.
I’ve had Caucasian people throw rocks at a group of my family, containing small children, at the park because we “need to go back to China” and we were “Commies” and we should “speak English”. We were not disturbing them or doing anything to interfere with them. We were simply playing at the park. I’ve been called a “Commie” before, despite the fact that I am a refugee from communist genocide who still sometimes has episodes of PTSD. People have stretched their eyes at me or told me to open mine, which is fine when they’re just joking or we’re friends, but not in the middle of a business meeting when I’m giving a presentation. Please. I’ve been patronizingly asked to do nails or take orders from my business subordinates because of my Asian heritage. Don’t talk to me about how bad you have it because the mean Chinese people don’t hold you in high regards.
Hey Anthony, thanks for the shout out to Sinopathic.
I would just want to re-iterate the key point: that the definition of “Chinese” as a “race” by mainland Chinese (as opposed to overseas or HK or Taiwan) involves nationalistic interests. Because above all, China is an empire, and Chinese are subjects of this empire.
In lieu of supporting this empire, certain ideals like impartiality, truth and equality are all treated differently because they must first adhere to the rules of said empire.
Of course this Dutch judge is racist; of course the Kimmel disaster was just a joke. But only the latter is offensive to (mainland) Chinese because of what the motherland will gain as a result.
Oh yah Exhibit B: 2 Broke Girls
http://sinopathic.com/2-broke-girls-the-most-popular-racist-comedy-in-china/
What the hell do you miss William Hung, USA?
yeah that article about 2 broke girls is ridiculously well written and balanced, something which one can find lacking in vitriolic comments. Nice.
You’re welcome. That’s so going in my scrapbook.
I hate racism as much as the next fella.
That said, it’s true about the sideways pussies.
Xiao Wang is to be commended further for being so graceful when faced with a complete fucking asshole.
For goodness sake, Gordon did make silly childish jokes, what is racist about that? Listen to dinner table talk all over the world and you will hear what could be called racist, but in fact is the realisation that mixing cultures can be toxic to the countries they enterbecause migrants from certain cultures refuse to assimilate,and then play the racist card when criticised. The racist card trick is worn out.