"Chinese" - A Racial Slur Against People of "CHINA"

I'm from a place we call it "Central Kingdom" or "Zhong-Guo", which English people
called it "China". I've been living in the United States of America for ten years. I had a
few interesting encounters and realized that "Chinese" is actually a racial slur
derogatory to our people. I would like to share my thoughts with you.

Last year, I was riding a downtown trolley in Nashville, Tennessee. I started a
conversation with the trolley driver. He has a son adopted from Korea. And he was very
disturbed that kids at his son's school kept picking on his son and called him "Chinese".
His boy came home everyday crying and felt miserable. The driver told his son to tell
other kids in the school that he is not a "Chineeee-se", instead, he is a "Korean", or a
"Korean American".

I wondered at the time why the kids at the school didn't call the boy "Korean" to insult
him.

In winter 1991, I was in downtown Cincinnati, visiting my girlfriend. There was a group
of young people hanging out around the street corner. They saw me walking by. To my
surprise, they started having fun and pointed at me yelling at me "Chinese, Chinese". I
wondered why.

The other day, I was getting off work and walking to the parking garage, a homeless
man stopped me begging for money. I thought a while and said "no, sorry". To my
surprise, this worthless bum got upset, and yelled at me "your Chinese".

I have suspected all along, then, I suddenly realized that "Chinese" actually is a racial
slur. In English, English people used to call African people "Nigger" and yellow people
"Chinese". In the first instance, the school kids know perfectly well the trolley driver's
kid is a Korean, but to call the kid "Korean" would do no damage, calling him "Chinese"
will indeed be a humiliation and an insult. Because, in English, the great Britain people
use "-ese" to describe the races, in their views, of "Inferior", "insignificant", "weak",
"weird", "small", "disease-carrying" or "evolved from worms", which they despised and
loathed; Such as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Portuguese. And they use "-ese" to
put us down. And they use -an, to describe people of "superior" races, for example,
American, Canadian, Britain, German, Californian, Texan. That was why that worthless
bum called me "your Chinese", not "Your Asian", or not "your American" or not "your
Korean" to insult me, even though He didn't know where I actually come from. He had
to use a slur that would hurts, destroy my spirits and put me down. The "Chinese" was
appropriate here. It was a proper racial slur at this situation to any "yellow" people and
will do the right damage and harm. What does "Chinese" literally mean? Well, "-ese"
means small, tiny, petty and insignificant. "China" means harden clay or dirt. Together,
"chinese" means a tiny, small, petty, and insignificant "weird" stuff made of harden clay
or dirt. What a shame!

I'm from a place in eastern Asia, where, British people visited, subdued, oppressed and
humiliated its people, and gave the place the name "China" and its "small",
"insignificant", "inferior", "worthless", "disease-carrying" and "wormy" people a name
"Chinese", even if they knew our name for the land is "Central Kingdom" and was
pronounced as "Zhong Guao".

I know that the God creates all human being equal and I feel good about myself, my
race and where I came from. I'm not ashamed of my heritage and my racial background.
I get really offended when people calling me "Chinese". It hurts me the same way when
black people are called "Nigger". I remembered when I first came to USA, I had an
American friend at University of Tennessee, whose name is John. His grandparent were
from Shanghai, China. John was born and raised here in the United States. He would
talk about his grandparent and China often. He is obviously not ashamed of his heritage
and racial background. However, every time people asked him if he is a Chinese, he
would get really upset and said "no". He hated the word "Chinese". I didn't know why at
that time, now I know better. Because it is a racial slur means to put us down. It is
equivalent to "Nigger" for African people.

The place I came from we call her "Zhong-Guo", or "Central Kingdom". I'm proud of
whom I am and where I come from. "China" has nothing to do with the "Central
Kingdom", neither in its meanings and nor in its pronunciation. Especially, People of
"Central Kingdom" does not deserved to be called "Chinese". It is pity that such "great"
"Britain" people had so little "decency" and so "tiny hearts" to name our land and our
people in such a way.

Few hundred years ago, when the "superior" "great" Britain people came to "Central
Kingdom", they saw our people, dressed differently, who in British's views were lesser
than dogs or worms, worthless, yellow and small, "disease-carrying", "evolved from
worms". The "superior" "Great" Britain people felt justified to make up the derogatory
slurs "China" and "Chinese" to describe our land and our people. I thought we people of
"Central Kingdom" would be more alert and would suspect earlier that these words could
be bad words ***d on their attitude towards us and the way they treated us. Do you
think those "Great" "Britain" people had the decency and intent to "assign" us, the
worms, a decent name?

It is a pity that the "GREAT" "Britain" people's story about these slurs shows no intent
of covering up their heinous injustice against us. They claimed that our nation was
named "China" was because one of our town(Jing De) produced china. And they
casually added "-ese" to "China" to come up with a name for the people of "China". We
wonder if this was the way the "Great" "Britain" people naming other nations and their
people, why didn't they call Italy "Pizza" and its people "Pizzese", since it is famous for
Pizza? why did't they call Gemany "Beer" and its people "Beerese", since it was famous
for "Beer Drinking"? why did't they call USA "Corn", its people "Cornese", since some of
its states produce corn? And why didn't they name England "Sodom", and English
people "Sodomese", since most of English people pratice sodomy?

Let's remember 70 years ago, the people of "Central Kingdom" choose the communists
not out of craziness, but to combat not only the internal oppressions, but also the
aggressions, oppressions and humiliations by foreigners, especially, by British and by
Japan. These foreigners came not as "Christ" or Saviors offering salvations, preaching
Gospel of Jesus Christ or brotherly love to our people, as their western decendants
would like to believe, but mainly as predators, oppressors and racists. They treated us
bad enough to force us to unite under the communists. Thanks to God, under the
communists' leadership, we were finally able to expel them from our land.

Every time I hear somebody say "I'm pround to be a Chinese", I cringed and feel small.
We, people from "Central Kingdom" should have known English and its people better. It
is nothing wrong to feel proud of our heritage, our race and our "Central Kingdom". But
you don't hear African people saying "I'm proud to be a Nigger". They say "I'm proud to
be an African". Remember many years ago, we called people of Japan "Wou -Kou(Short
little Pirate)". Do they have rights to get mad if we "teach" them their name in Mandarin
is "Wuo-Kou" and call them "Wou-Kou" to their face? Was it decent for us to do so? Is
it an insult if they still called themself "Wou - Kou"? Should we get mad if someone still
call us "Chinese" to our face to these day? The racial slur they created a few hundred
years ago for us, means to put us down? Should we still call ourselves "Chinese", even
if it is a derogatory name given to us by the "Great Britain", meaned to put us down?

It is time to reject words "China" "Chinese" imposed by British racists, and use our own
words to describe ourselves and get our dignity back. Persia. The country changed its
English name from Persia to Iran, and its people to Iranian 30 years ago. They are
proud to be called Iranian. They're not naive enough to call themselves "Iranese". A cab
driver(An US citizen for 30 years) in Chicago insisted me calling him "Iranian" not
"American". In opposite, many Amercians of "Central Kingdom" background would beg to
be called "Asian" or "American", not "Chinese". It is not because these people feel
shame about their race and their heritage. It is not because we want to be American
so bad. It is because, many people of "central kingdom" to some extent, subconsciously
realize the derogatory effects and attacks of this word; and try to avoid it.

Many people from "Central Kingdom" would beg to be called "Asian". This has became so
evident that In a recent movie "Big Lebowski", actor John Goodman made so much fun
of the people from "Central Kingdom". He ridiculed us, laughing at us for this "weird"
behavior. He wanted us to be satisfy with being called "C-ese". Mr. Goodman, the
reason we want to be called "Asian", is because we don't want to be called "Chinese".
Since English does not have a proper word for us, we asked you to call us "Asian". Is
that too much to ask? Like black people who don't want to be called "Nigger", we don't
want to be called "Chinese". Your fat ugly mean idiot, why did you have to stab our
hearts and destroy our spirits?

In English, we should say for Now, "I am from Central Kingdom of Sinai(from Greek) (or
C. K.)" and "I'm a Sinaian". or "I'm proud to be a Taiwanan", not "Taiwan-ese". Sinai is
the Greek word for our land. In English, Sinai is the mountain where our all mighty God
resides. The Bible reveals that God gives ten commandments to Moses in mount Sinai.
The words "China", "Chinese" "Taiwanese" should be eliminated from official dictionaries.
It is a racial slur and has done a great injustice to People of Asian race. Even school
kids, bums and beggars know the difference. It was a shame that English speaking
world tolerates and condones this kind of conspiracy and injustice against our people
even to these days.

Some questioned that since we're not the center of the world, we shouldn't call ourself
"Central Kingdom of Sinai". We disagree with this argument. It is not neccesary for a
name to tie directly to country's geographic attributes. For example, "United Kingdom of
British". How united is it now? No at all! The country does not even exist any more!!!!
Then, should we ask British to change its name to Sodom and its people to Sodomese
now, since it is closer to their characteristics? NO! We wouldn't do that. It is okay for
them to call themself "united kingdom of British" and It is okay to still call our land
"Central Kingdom of Sinain(or C. K.)" or "Zhong Guo", even though we know it is not the
center of the world.

I hope by eliminating the "C-ese" word, our kids would encounter less discrimination and
hurts in this land. They will be called something decent and respectful. And hope that
we don't have to tell our kids that they "are" "Korean" not "Chinese", even if they are
indeed lowly "Chinese". A friend of mine said if we, people of "Central Kingdom" shows
that we're better in Every way, then the meanings of the "Chinese" would change. I
doubt it. First of all, we can't be better than other races in every way. Secondly, we
don't need to be better in every way to be respected and have a proper name. Third,
even if we're better in every way, the derogatory meanings of "C-ese" will not change.
Can the super star Michal Jordan of the Chicago Bulls change the meanings of "Nigger"
because He was a "Nigger" and he is excellent in every way? Can success of Japan
change the meanings of "Wuo-KOU" or "Japanese"? No! they can't! These words have
to be eliminated from vocabulary. Period.

Black Americans fought hard and long for their rights to be called "officially" "African
Americans", no "Nigger". Many have lost their lives during the process. I hope that we,
people from "Central Kingdom", should not have to fight as hard and as long for our
rights. I know people called other people different names behind their back all the time.
They still use "N-word", "Chinaman" "pale people" in their own dirty, dark bedrooms. If
we don't hear it, it can't do as much harms to us. However, we should not allow people
to call "Chinese" to our faces, "officially and openly" and be accepted and let them put
us down openly, freely and daily. Even the school kids, bums and beggars know the
difference. Many people nowadays use the "C-word" out of indifference, convenience
and insensitivity. However, some of them, like the bum and beggers, will use these slurs
to do the damages to our hearts and our spirits. These slurs like venom. The persons
with the venom have to release it and throw onto somebody to do the harm. If we
allow them to throw the venom onto us, we get hurt. Otherwise, they would have to
give it up, else, they will have to hold on to it in their hearts poisoning themselves and
their families.

Let's do something about this.

One of the things we can do is to bring this to the attentions of our leaders back in
"Central Kingdom of Sinai" and convince them the need to reject "C-ese" and use our
own words to describe our own country and to exam the names in other languages for
us.

Please distribute this article to your family, friends, and all the people you know. Please
let us know if you want to join our efforts to change this.

[ »ØÓ¦Ö÷Ìù ] [ ·µ»ØÂÛ̳ ]

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Dear Sinaian:

"Central Kingdom of Sinai"? Come on!

Yes, u'r right!

Comments from my black friend

Comments to the points

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Not at all! We'd been "like styles" even before we were "like minds" on this :-)

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Thanks for your informative and instructive input!

What ? Don't tell me this guy is posting here !!!!!!

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Give me a break! This is an old posting in some other forums in http://www.omnitalk.com. Well refuted.

Not just one place.