C word and Beyond

C word and Beyond

Here's a little quiz you. Fill in the blanks: N-word is African-Americans, Asian Americans and _. Obviously, the "gap" or "chinky" is so horrendously offensive to the majority of Asian Americans, I say it has only recently been discovered, and in the very hard way.

Look, I grew up in the Philippines were rated as "Chinkee" or "Chinky" beautiful Asian eyes. Because we Filipinos have this habit of shortening names, naming, and even referred to as "Chinese guy." I am half Filipino and half Chinese, so I grew up being called "tsinita" (Tagalog word, refers to the Philippines and China.'s "Tsinito" male), so I never thought of it as offensive. I never thought that using the word in an interview with reporters in the background, will disturb the people ...... until I do a disastrous afternoon "Kababayan LA". I interviewed kababayan pride, Mylah Morales, makeup artist Hollywood celebrities like Rihanna, Taraji P. Henson and other celebrities.

 She was talking about improving our capabilities through the use of makeup. Then I innocently (perhaps ignorant) asked: "So how do we make our chinky eyes bigger?"

The next week, I received a letter from an interested audience for my choice words. A week later, I received a letter from the Asian American Media Action Network, a non-profit, all-volunteer group, monitor the media, television, film, print and other forms, and to ensure proper Asian Americans portrayal. Two letters sender asked me a public apology.

Because I was honest (because I always have been in these columns), I will admit that at first I was very hesitant. Why should I apologize, I mean no harm anything? If you go back to the clip and try to understand what I say in the case, why do I say, how do I say, obviously, there is no malice intended. However, I do not think an apology from my end point deepening.

This is what I see is more important questions: 1) What is a word you? We allow the dialog box, and limit our? Giving it the power to hurt us? We still embrace it, and put it around into a positive do? 2) Who are we as Asian Americans? If we, including our own can not determine our identity as Asians, how do we educate the mainstream about who we are? 3) Do not think of themselves as Asian Filipino or part of the Malay nation do? 4) We Asians, just because geography do?

Not long ago, I participated in the Studio City bananas two Asian American blog's meeting was to talk about banana co-founder Steve Nguyen, Channel APA also co-authored, and here what he has to say the words: "Today, people more freedom off-color remarks (such as bananas, coconuts, FOB, HAPA disembark fresh), used to put people, but is now becoming poetry. "

In the same incident, I met Emil Guillermo, reporters and bloggers on the WWW dot rampage point COM. He is a less than 10 people at this meeting, I begged the question: why do not more Filipino Asian Americans in this event do? His answer: "I think this is because the majority of Filipinos identify more with the Philippines from the Philippines and the Philippine population still very proud that over Asia."

Of course, I did not stop my research. I tweeted Filipino on this issue only by geography Asians.

 Here are some interesting replies:

Tweeted @ joanneisafoodie of "Why even label yourself?, From Asia we got our looks, Polynesia, Europe, We are the world."

@ NardyM's tweet said: "We are Asia geographical cultures and religions, we are more like Latinos, but we act as a Filipino American, but in itself is a kind of beauty!"

"@ Faedwolf replied:" How do you define "Asia"? You mean Chinese, Hmong, India, Pakistan? "

@ Arnoldpamplona, ​​lawyers, tweeted by strict definition, Filipinos are Malays as Asians.

This answer without any problems? I guess it just leads to more confusion. Whether it is satisfied that these definitions do? I noticed that no one is absolutely perfect definition of the Philippines as Asians. However, that such a world. In the end, I had a very enlightening conversation with Jeffrey Mitac, MANAA president and California State Polytechnic University Pomona professor of psychology. www dot dot com/kababayanla18 YouTube, please accept our interview.

And I think he said it best: "We are like all others, we, like others, we do not like other people's sense, we are all on the universal significance of human like everyone else, we are so few in The same group (women, ethnic minorities, religious, political) of other people have similar experiences to share, interact with other groups of people, we do not like other people, because each person has their own unique experience, Thus, even identical twins are different from each other, because they will not appear in the world exactly the same thing. "

Appropriate. Profound. EEP.

As for the C-word, how do you think my friend should do their names, they should decide to move to the United States, emphasizing the political right for you? I have not asked them, I have. And for those of you like me, who do not know any better in the future to avoid offending people - proper alternative to the C word is "almond-shaped eyes."