While I was in PengHu at the aquarium there on a recent vacation I snapped this one. I was quite surprised to see it there.I had always had this feeling that the word "Chinaman" was derogatory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinaman
I remember reading about railworker's giving the Chinese laborers "not a Chinaman's chance" when reading about the Yellow Peril in my American history books.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinaman%27s_chance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Peril
I also remembered the occasional "chink" being shouted in high school, probably due to the differences apparent between the Asians, mostly Vietnamese, and the whites. God knows what they called us in Vietnamese. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chink
Well, although I wouldn't use the terms myself, it appears that Chinese might just use them themselves. Apart from presenting this fish, Wang Lee Hom, a popular Taiwanese singer, apparently coined the term "chinked-out" to describe his new style of music. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Hom_Wang
So, it appears that Chinese have started to do what African Americans have done with the n-word.
2 comments:
Hmm... my grandmother used to refer to one of the piano teachers at her conservatory a "Chinaman". They were friends, and she held him in nothing but the highest of regard. On the other hand I've seen some blog posts written by Chinese-Americans who hate the the word.
I guess, like many other things, "it depends".
I have a co-worker who on occasion says, "Chinaman" I always want to correct him, because I'm angry that he uses this term, being that I am Chinese/Polish. But I know the office department will twist it to me complaining. What should I do besides give him an atomic wedgie, and call him a racist?
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