12/14/2006: "Rosie Apologizes"

This is a relief to me. I'm kinda glad that she owns up to what she's said and even goes as far to acknowledge that "Ching Chong" is offensive to ALL Asian Americans, even as offensive as the N-word. I would just like to add that Ching Chong is just as offensive as the word "faggy," which I assume is still part of the playground lexicon. I just needed to say that so Rosie and I are very clear about how hurtful the words "Ching Chong" can be.

Growing up in suburban Pennsylvania was not at times the best for a timid Asian American kid like myself. I remember being the only Asian kid in the first grade (at a new school nontheless) and of my first social interactions with my new classmates was kicking back at them after numerous taunts of "Do you know Karate?" "Is Bruce Lee your Dad" and yes, "Ching Chong." My first grade teacher sent the lot of us back into the classroom where I had to write "I will not kick" 50 times on a piece of paper and the other kids had to write "I will not pick on people." This was the first of 3 times when I've ever dealt with racism directly - one time a kid riding on bike called me a gook to my face as I was taking the trash out to the end my driveway (I was 12) and I was once jumped by a skinhead at local punk show (I was 15).

Long story short before this turns into a rant - Ching Chong is a bad as the N-word and please don't tell me I look like Bruce Lee, despite a very similar haircut and muscular physique.