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Shop Talk: Monday, February 21

February 21, 2011, 1:27 pm

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  • debaron

    No problem with this article, but what caught my attention was how it was captioned by an editor in the afternoon email update: “Marybeth Gasman argues that we have become too casual in our remarks about Asians.” To me, that caption undercuts what Gasman is saying. Or perhaps it underscores what she says only too well. To paraphrase Tonto in the old joke, “What do you mean, ‘We’?”

  • 11191774

    I think it’s entirely reasonable to be offended by what Ms. Wallace said because it unfairly singled out Asians, while at the same time being in agreement that talking on a cell phone in a library is rude and annoying to others, regardless of the ethnicity of the offender. It’s the connection of the two that is really puzzling here.

  • 5768

    It could be of great benefit for us to better educated as to the tonal inflections inherent and necessary to Asian speech. Lacking an appreciation at even the intellectual level, it is too easy to parody it or any language with sing-song, rhyming syllables, thus mocking it. A PBS television program on this topic would be to the benefit of those of us–myself included–who lack such an appreciation and would thus benefit those who speak the language.

  • jffoster

    1. You may mean human _species_.
    2. Most dogs I’ve known are more trustworthy than most people I’ve known, but can’t use the internet.
    3. As to your “Jesus” paragraph, I’m not sure why you adduce it here. Maybe something about driving loud cell phone talkers out of the library.

    Or was that money changers out of the temple?.

    At any rate, Miss Wallace doesn’t owe to me any apology. Nor to you either, probably.

  • 11144703

    Marybeth, I think this column is exemplary, indeedone of the best I’ve read.

    One question: what are the supposed “motives of Asian professors who teach at historically black colleges and universities”??? I’ve never heard of such a charge and I can’t imagine what such motives would be. I hope you address them in a future column.

  • tee_bee

    Wow, a thoughtful post, followed by a needlessly confrontational and haughty response. Thanks for doing your part to promote reasoned discourse.

  • sugar_lumps

    What are the supposed motives of Asian professors at HBCUs, and who holds these motives to be true? (Blacks predominantly?) “…I was at a conference not too long ago and one of the speakers made unjustified claims about the motives of Asian professors who teach at historically black colleges and universities.” The author’s sentence here is mystifying, especially as the author “urged” the speaker “not to disparage Asians in the way that he did.”

    Belief in these motives is suspiciously widely held, as the author writes that “a member of the conference audience chastised me for my comments. He noted that he would begin to care about Asians when people started caring about African-Americans…”

    Does the author find the supposed motives too offensive to print?

  • jamary

    A few months ago, Rush Limbaugh indulged in a childishly and outrageously rude rant, mimicking Asian speech (directed towards the visiting leader of China as I recall). This was reported by liberal commentators on MSNBC. Given RL’s platform and following, he should have received more voluminous condemnation including sanction by national leaders – certainly more scrutiny was deserved than by the more naive and less premeditated occasional remark by an athlete. RL has enough intelligence and sophistication to wield his inflammatory performances with expertise towards his target audience.

  • katisumas

    Rush Limbaugh is always gross beyond words. The thought that so many people listen to him scares me. It’s possible that Alexandra Wallace was one of his many fans….

    Of course Rush Limbaugh’s rant directed at the Chinese leader might do infinitely more harm; what if it caused China to call in our debt?

  • katisumas

    This isnt’ about US minorities. It’s about foreign students and a lot of those come from Japan.

    US Universities court foreign students and it’s foreign students who speak accented English (certainly not Asian Americans or European Americans –I assume you’re one of the later– or African Americans of American Indians), just as US students studying and Americans working abroad speak foreign languages with an English accent.

    Foreign students in a public university like UCLA pay out of state tuition and they bring money and trade to the rest of our economy which sure needs it. Universities have special English learning programs lasting for a few weeks or a semester for wealthy foreign students who will pay for the extra high tuition and board to learn the language in situ (just as many students now go to China for the same purpose). UCLA and California desperately need those students.

    South Park is a satire. If you take it literally, you’re in deep poop…

  • katisumas

    Well put! But in addition shouldn’t students be required to learn a foreign language? The trouble was that Alexandra couldn’t stand the sound of a foreign accent. If she had to learn a new language and speak it with an accent herself, wouldn’t that make her more tolerant of others?

    Of course the point is moot. This happened in a time of catastrophe. There was also a tsunami alert for California and the tsunami killed several people on the Oregon coast. Even if Alexandra lacked total empathy for the anguish of the Japanese foreign students, she should have at least had the survival sense to inform herself about the cause of their anguish.

  • fizmath

    Saturday Night Live does the same thing with Asian accents but for some reason they get a pass.

  • iris411

    When both Obama and GOP make China-bashing their top policy, it is difficult to curb this kind of racism among the intellectuals and the common population.

  • katisumas

    ..because they are a comedy show, and they have run out of creative writers and people haven’t noticed yet?

    I sure wouldn’t like that skit, particularly in that I also have a foreign accent. Making fun of foreign accents seems to me a symptom of a lack of comic material. It reminds me of Rush Limbaugh making fun Parkinsons patients who, oh yes, move in such funny ways…. Obviously the show needs new writers….

  • katisumas

    …do you live in a parallel universe? Or do you define China-bashing as negotiating for currency adjustment?

  • vatican

    WOW, speaking of an over-reaction from both sides. I’ve watched the video. While she seems somewhat insensitive, I can understand her frustration about people who don’t seem to understand American social etiquettes. The death threats she received were uncalled for and two wrongs don’t make a right, unfortunately! She’s sorry and should be left alone to learn from this lesson.

  • manoflamancha

    With respect,Katisumas (what the blazes does that handle mean?), you are making logical leaps everywhere! How can you possibly know the detailed make-up of foreign students at UCLA? We court Japanese students for the money? Desperately need foreign students for their high tuition? You sir or madam are one seriously sick puppy. Yes, I am indeed one of the LATTER…try English spelling 101. Or better still, pack up your bags for Bagdhad!

    South Park is parody, of folks like you:)

  • manoflamancha

    Oh, stop it!

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