BlogHer - AsianWeek runs a column called "Why I Hate Blacks" - Comments

How can we start a real conversation ---

Kim Pearson — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 08:34:06 -0600

This is a great post, Carmen -- and it's worth noting the strong words of condemnation from the Asian American Journalists' Association as well, which can be read here: http://www.aaja.org/features/articles/2007_02_26_01/. They have a good linklist of mainstream press and news industry coverage as well.

All of that said, I share Mata's concern, and I note that there are intra-ethnic tensions that are very real. I'm interested in a real conversation about those tensions. I also think it's terribly important to highlight the many examples of successful collaboration between African Americans and Asian peoples, both now and historically. And I also think it's terribly important to talk about the fact that the media system that produces a black-Asian minstrel show such as the "Rush Hour" is building a white supremacist history that goes back many years. It's the same history that generated the Suzy Wong and made "Darkie" (now Dahlie) toothpaste a best-seller throughout Asia.

There's so much re-education to be done -- and it's so important to do the work. How can we get started, right here in the BlogHer community?

BlogHer Contributing Editor
Law and Journalism/Media
Professor Kim

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Here's the best thing.

Nordette — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 17:34:45 -0600

One thing I can say though, is that the outcry from the Asian-American community has been impressive. Several different Asian-American organizations banded together to create this petition, which includes quotes from its leaders: ...

I told my son, who's in high school, about the column and immediately followed with the outcry from Asian leaders. I didn't want him to jump to the conclusion that all Asian people feel as the columnist does and so perpetuate yet another stereotype in a young person's mind or create a wall of bitterness.

Eng's thinking is so off kilter that it doesn't even pay to address the details of his commentary. It would be like arguing with a drunk person. He sounds as nutty as Hardaway did when he made his hate statement against the glbt community.

I like your post on this. :-)

"Love is liquid. Be drunkards!" ~~Nordette

punk kid

Mata H — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:18:10 -0600

Wow -- there have been two many events lately of racist punk kids - children of privilege who feel some sick sense of "entitlement". Eng is a 22 year old kid - and, according to a CBS report : "Kenneth Eng, who has described himself as an "Asian Supremacist," has written several columns for AsianWeek since November, including pieces titled "Proof That Whites Inherently Hate Us" and "Why I Hate Asians.""

So it looks as though this is not the first "slip" in editorial control.

What worries me is the trend I see -- students partying in "blackface", non-whites and overweight girls being kicked out of a sorority -- young people who somehow think this behavior is acceptable. Young people who have gotten through our school systems, our families, our places of worship -- and still this reprehensible behavior. Something is very wrong here.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

AsianWeek runs a column called "Why I Hate Blacks"

CarmenVanKerckhove — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:32:01 -0600

Blacks hate us. Every Asian who has ever come across them knows that they take almost every opportunity to hurl racist remarks at us...

Contrary to media depictions, I would argue that blacks are weak-willed. They are the only race that has been enslaved for 300 years. It's unbelievable that it took them that long to fight back...

In high school, I only remember one black student ever attending any of my honors and AP courses. And that student was caught cheating.

Musings from a Stormfront discussion board? No.

Believe it or not, they're actually excerpts from a column by one Kenneth Eng that ran in the San Francisco newspaper AsianWeek, which calls itself "The Voice of Asian America." (Props to Angry Asian Man for breaking the story, and thanks to Ananse, Tariq and Gayle for the tips.)

How the hell does a column like this not raise any eyebrows at a 28 year-old newspaper? Did no one stop and say, hey wait a minute, maybe it's not such a good idea to run this?

AsianWeek was quick to delete the column from their web site, but you can read a scan of the full text on Richard Prince's blog (thanks Kim!). As you'll see, this is not some kind of racial satire gone wrong, a la Princetonian. This is pure and unadulterated hate speech. And horribly written at that.

One thing I can say though, is that the outcry from the Asian-American community has been impressive. Several different Asian-American organizations banded together to create this petition, which includes quotes from its leaders:

"Most Asian Americans would not be here in America today, but for the civil rights movement led by African Americans that resulted in the change to racist immigration quotas," said Stewart Kwoh, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

"Eng's vile racism is a setback to the efforts of people of color working together against discrimination, oppression and injustice," said Keith Kamisugi, associate director for communications at the Equal Justice Society. "His words alone are disgusting; that it was printed in a prominent English-language Asian Pacific American newspaper is shameful."

AsianWeek issued the following statement:

AsianWeek sincerely regrets any offense caused by the one opinion piece which reflected that authorâ€™s personal views. We apologize for any harm or hurt this has caused the African American community. AsianWeek has great respect for all that the African American community has done for Asian Pacific Americans.

AsianWeekâ€™s operation and editorial policy are based on a philosophy of diversity. This includes fighting to promote diversity of opinion in our own community and even to expose its disturbing warts. It also includes a proven record on promoting cross-cultural diversity and inter-racial interaction. AsianWeek as an organization is proud of its deep and unparalleled history of working with, interacting with, and building connections between all the diverse groups that make up America.

What's that smell? Oh right, it's bullshit. If their intent was to "expose its disturbing warts" and open up a discussion about anti-black racism among Asian-Americans (a valid topic), they should have either written a feature story on racial tension, or they should have published a column alongside Eng's arguing against his views.

Neela, who used to work for AsianWeek, wrote an interesting post for the Hyphen Blog suggesting that the paper's politics are a bit suspect:

Now, I can tell you, that working for AsianWeek, run by the Fang Dynasty, was a complicated job. Just like here at Hyphen, working on a pan-Asian American publication means trying to cover a lot of ground. For me that work is essentially about the intersections between communities and my favorite stories were those about multicultural alliances. Yet, I was told that the main aim of the paper was to represent the Chinese American community, the pan-Asian American-ness more of a marketing tool and less of a reality. Obviously, there seems to be very little excuse for running a column by a self-proclaimed â€œAsian Supremacist,â€ (AKA: a straight up racist) but to do it in a publication that already has such iffy ties with community. Bad idea.

Claire Light, writing for the Other Magazine blog, said:

...somebody needs to let teh blacks and teh whites know that most Asian Americans have never even heard of AsianWeek, much less agree with its â€œeditorialâ€ â€œdecisionmakingâ€. As for me, I canâ€™t even be bothered to sign it. Let AsianWeek sink into its own mire. It has proven again and again unworthy of Asian American support. Let it die. Iâ€™d rather have no As Am newspaper at all than this piece of shit.

Also check out Philip Arthur Moore's excellent refutation of each of Eng's points and the lively discussion over at Kimchi Mamas (thanks Stefania!).