Daily Princetonian Makes Fun of Stereotypical Asian Students

<p>Yeah, I doubt an asian wrote this. Like I’ve never heard of all these stereotypes until I heard them from white kids or from walking into abercrombie and fitch. Like 2 chinese make it white (reference to chinese laundry). or like the stuff about floss covering an asian’s eyes. or the crap about chinese people eating dogs, well actually some chinese people do eat dogs…, but I’m sure there are white people that have this interesting taste as well.</p>

<p>well, even if the author was asian, he is an idiot. asians get a lot of **** already without him crapping on his own race.</p>

<p>I just want to say that you people need to stop being so politically correct.</p>

<p>You may want to read past the first few sentences of what somebody writes before passing judgement on them.</p>

<p>Refer to the last two sentences of my post:</p>

<p>“So I understand how the writers at the Princetonian would be angry. However, maybe an article which examined the ‘Asian-American handicap,’ much like what I have written here, would have been more tactful than a racist sketch of a stereotypical Oriental person.”</p>

<p>Since you show little propensity for reading, allow me to simplify that for you: the article = unnecessary; it would have been smarter to write about the supposed handicap Asian-Americans suffer. </p>

<p>Do I support wanton racism? No, although I would like to personally thank you, kateapollo, for wrongly deducing and saying that I do.</p>

<p>You must remember that this article was written as a comedic commentary, not a political dissertation. It was published as a joke in a college newspaper, not the New York Times under the Current Events section. </p>

<p>Here, I would like to quote you quoting me:</p>

<p>“While the article is not very funny, and taken out of context may seem very offensive, I do believe that given the circumstances it is understandable. It’s obvious that whoever wrote it is a Princeton student who is angry that somebody is suing his school because they ‘think’ they should have been admitted; the sentiment is understandable.”</p>

<p>The “sentiment” to which I refer is not the offensive racial diatribe; I am referring to the anger one would feel when your home is slandered by some fool who is determined to quantify the unquantifiable, and thereby shame the very institution in which you are placing so much of yourself. Again, since you probably didn’t read past “which,” I’ll simplify it. You called me a racist. That makes me angry. Can you understand that? However, unlike the unfortunate Princeton student whose comedic endeavor was so misunderstood, I am instead presenting a rational argument.</p>

<p>And yes, it was a COMEDIC endeavor. As in, not to be taken seriously. As in, statements made for entertainment, not to be representative of one’s true thoughts and feelings. Have you ever, I don’t know, turned on a television? Comedy is rarely, if ever, politically correct anymore; a lot of it is racial. A lot of it is funny. When you lose your ability to differentiate between comedy and, well, everything else, you have lost the ability to think. As McMurphy said in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, “When you lose your sense of humor, you lose your footing.”</p>

<p>One more point, kateapollo…have you ever listened to Chris Rock do standup? How about Dave Chapelle? No? How about somebody more contemporary, a la Richard Pryor? Coming from anybody else, these standup routines would be considered so heinously racist, they could almost pass as Klan rally speeches. However, since they come from African American mouths, they are hailed as pioneers and geniuses. You see, when considering comedy, and more on point, literature, you have to consider the speaker. Hell, that’s the first thing they teach you when reading literature: identify the speaker. The writer of this article “racially debasing” Asian Americans….is Asian American. </p>

<p>So that was the long version. The short version (again, I know how much you despise reading): you were wrong to extrapolate from my comments that I support racism, as a means of coping with anger or otherwise. Learn to read. Learn to think. Get a sense of humor, for everybody’s sake.</p>

<ol>
<li>if the author isn’t asian, he/she is racist.</li>
<li>if the author is asian, he/she is ignorant.</li>
</ol>

<p>I did indeed read that entire silly diatribe of yours, zspot, and one thing stuck out: </p>

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<p>For someone who gets their panties in a bunch and writes paragraphs ranting over how they actually present logical arguments, please note that in fact, I never once called you a racist. </p>

<p>Please read more carefully next time. Its not logical to make assumptions and accuse others of things they didn’t explicitly state. After all, I wouldn’t want to be “misunderstood” like that “unfortunate Princeton student.”</p>

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<p>I WILL explicitly state that you come off as one of those pitiable weak apologists, however. Sorry that I don’t think that dog-eating, laundry-washing, railroad-working, broken-English-speaking Chinese jokes are so hilarious. I guess if I accepted them and accepted them as just jokes, because jokes after all have zero potential to hurt and denegrate anyone, I would be as logical as you are.</p>

<p>PS: That overly long rant of yours exhibited more frustration, indignance and anger than most of the replies on this thread put together. Please. Get over yourself. Get a sense of humor, eh?</p>

<p>Zspot, by saying “Get a sense of humor” at that “article”, you obviously showed that A.) You are a racist or B.) You find blatantly and horribly racist jokes funny and don’t care who it offends.</p>

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<p>Calling for us to just let something as obviously racist and offensive as THAT slide? I don’t think so…</p>

<p>Sigh… and only a few days after MLK’s birthday… have we Americans not learned anything?</p>

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Thank goodness you’re not discriminatory or prejudiced. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:</p>

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Sorry, but no. If something is racist, it’s racist- period.</p>

<p>I found the vast majority of the article in very poor taste, but I did appreciate the crack at Aleksey Vayner. :p</p>

<p>I agree it wasn’t that funny, laughed a lil inside but not out loud. The idea died out quick after the first several lines. Personally I wasnt offended by it, I thought it was a little too gentle and that guy wasnt made fun of enough.</p>

<p>But a question came to mind. Is the message any different if its coming from a non-Asian writer? That question I’m not too sure about.</p>

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<p>Imagine a white guy doing the Chris Rock “N-word vs Black People” routine.</p>

<p>Imagined it yet? Good, you’ve just answered your own question.</p>

<p>Grain of salt, everyone. Grain of salt. =)</p>

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<p>I think theres a difference in that example. That Chris Rock skit was a lot more racially provocative and played out some of the hard core demeaning stereotypes. For example, black people more proan to rob. Whereas this letter wasnt as racially provocative. Chinese accent. Nerdy whiny behavior. Nothing that serious.</p>

<p>i don’t think it matters who the writer is (asian or not) i don’t care if that person is asian or non asian or whatever the person race is, that article is definitely stereotypical and offensive, maybe a little racist too.</p>

<p>I actually wrote a letter to the editor.</p>

<p>"Dear editor,</p>

<p>As an Asian-American high school senior currently in the “heat” of the college application process, I find it ironic and slightly upsetting that the Asian-American community at Princeton is tearing itself apart as a result of this article.</p>

<p>The “Jiang Li” joke article was a statement by the editorial board regarding the recently highly-publicized, controversial debate on Asians being “the new Jews” (“The Price of Admission” by Daniel Golden) in the college community.</p>

<p>To me, the exaggerated representation of a “stereotypical Asian” was clearly not intended to offend, but rather to send a message that would unite Asian-Americans and non-Asian-Americans alike to fight the racism portrayed in the publication. </p>

<p>Sadly, it has only sparked hostility among the very community it was supposed to bring together.</p>

<p>…What does this say about the unity of the Asian-American community?"</p>

<p>Sure, maybe the message of the article was not exactly executed in the most professional of manners, but I believe the Daily Princetonian had good intentions. The way I read it, they weren’t making fun of Asians nor Jian Li – they were illustrating the ridiculousness of those holding the “stereotypical Asian” view.</p>

<p>lol I just realized that I wrote “Jiang Li” instead of “Lian Ji”</p>

<p>forgive my wacked out brain at 12:46 AM</p>

<p>haha i’m getting old and late nights (which it really isn’t) don’t bode well for me</p>

<p>His real name IS Jian Li…the article just moved letters around in his name</p>

<p>I enjoyed the article especially when it referenced the stereotypes. I laughed so hard on the bulldog comment since I’m full Korean, so that one was special. </p>

<p>Some of you people need to lighten up. Why do you think the writer had the confidence to write this? Because it was meant to be a joke.</p>

<p>"Yeah, not funny. Not even amusing. Can you imagine them writing a spoof column written from the perspective of an affirmative action black student, playing on stereotypes like being low-educated, low-income, basketball and hip hop obsessed, all written in a gangsta “Fo 'shizzle homies!” style?</p>

<p>Wouldn’t happen. But I guess since its just Asians, its okay to make fun of. Hats of to the brilliant minds at Princeton."</p>

<p>I think Tufts did that a month or two ago…</p>

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<p>Let me guess. You applied to Princeton and you want to get a good word in because, after all, you’re an Asian applicant?</p>

<p>LOL, Asians are easy to walk all over. :D</p>

<p>those who read the article should also read the editorial note on the article. I think the editor is right, it was just meant to lampoon racism and not to offend anybody.</p>

<p>Column aside, it was in bad taste. If you really want to be serious about race issues then no need to lampoon it. Makes me think twice about the type of students at Princeton.</p>