Ethnic Chinese Rally AgainstAmerican-Style 'Pride and Prejudice'

For a long time, it has been customary for ethnic Chinese to maintain silence upon encountering discriminatory views or treatment, but now, perhaps, ABC’s disgraceful, anti-Chinese incident will become a catalyst to inspire Chinese people in America and the world to take the initiative to protect and fight for their rights. However, the road to equality and the elimination of discrimination will require that the Chinese continue to rally loudly and strive forward with perseverance.

Protest marches have been held in 27 states across the United States, and over 100,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the White House to initiate a government investigation. This time, Chinese-Americans were serious. This development of affairs also demonstrates that only serious action can lead to a genuine apology; only serious action can bring about real equality.

This whole affair has already been going on for nearly a month. On Oct. 16, in response to the remarks of a six-year-old child who suggested that we “kill all the people in China,” ABC talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel responded laughing, “OK, that’s an interesting idea.”

As soon as the program was broadcast, it triggered massive protests in the Chinese community. Under this pressure, Kimmel gave a brief apology but followed it immediately with an excuse — I only wanted to “make people laugh.” How could Chinese people living in America endure the lack of a genuine apology?

However, this time, the Chinese replaced their long-held silence with a persistent rallying cry. Finally, in the face of ever larger, louder protests, ABC issued a public apology, admitting its error and promising to permanently eliminate the children’s roundtable segment of the program.

Perhaps this ought to be the end of the matter, but the thoughts that it sparks in our minds are nowhere near extinguished.

“All men are created equal.” For many years, this short sentence from the U.S. Declaration of Independence has been a small beacon of light for countless peoples in pursuit of freedom and equality. However, ABC’s shameful incident has finally shed light on a dangerous trend.

Setting aside the violence of throwing around phrases like “kill all the people in China,” it would be impossible not to be concerned with the anti-Chinese message that leaked unintentionally from the mouth of a tender, young child. On the show, the laughter of an innocent child becomes ear-piercingly harsh when mixed with such wanton hatred. This child could have yet been able to think independently, so where did his extreme views originate? What sort of influence could a child holding these sorts of discriminatory views have upon his society, the world, when he grows up?

Undoubtedly, Kimmel’s comment and the complaint-ridden, so-called apology that followed, as well as ABC’s decision to broadcast the segment without censoring it, reflects upon the world of American adults, and this is one of the main points the Chinese-American protests are making.

In addition, there is another phenomenon here that cannot be ignored: After the ABC incident, the American mainstream media was almost completely silent on the topic, except for the few occasional stories reporting the “endless dissatisfaction” of the nagging Chinese.

All this only further exposes a worrisome, anti-Chinese trend.

In the racial melting pot that is today’s America, political correctness has long been a necessary part of daily life. When it comes to topics such as people of African or Jewish descent, it has been customary for people to avoid using insulting vocabulary for a long time now. If someone crosses the line, the consequences are bound to be serious.

However, it has been customary for a long time now for ethnic Chinese people to maintain silence in the face of discriminatory remarks and treatment, and American society also seems to be in the habit of approaching the Chinese community with the doctrine of temporarily “forgetting” political correctness. Whether it is American movie star Sharon Stone stating that the Sichuan earthquake was “karmic retribution” against the Chinese people or the open use of the term “chink in the armor” to describe Jeremy Lin on American sports channels, no one has ever truly apologized or suffered proper consequences for his or her discriminatory remarks.

Heaven will never just fall into our laps. It took more than 200 years of overcoming obstacles, marching in countless demonstrations, and the blood of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. before the rights of the African-American community began to progress. Over the past month, following ABC’s anti-Chinese incident, the earnest efforts of ethnic Chinese from across America brought about a public apology.

No matter if we look to the past or the present, the lesson is clear: Our rights depend on our own initiative and perseverance. The doctrine that “silence is golden” is not applicable here.

Perhaps, ABC’s disgraceful incident will become the catalyst to inspire ethnic Chinese in America and in the world at large to take the initiative to protect and fight for their rights, but the road to equality and the elimination of discrimination will require that the Chinese continue to rally loudly and strive forward with perseverance.

The author is head journalist for People’s Daily and overseas Global Network commentator.