AsianWeek Takes the Racist Cake

Neela Banerjee
February 24, 2007

I have to say, I’m not a regular reader of AsianWeek. Available as a free weekly throughout the Bay Area, AsianWeek doesn’t really seem to reach the Mission District. But I am very familiar with the newspaper: I worked there as a reporter, managing editor and editor-in-chief from 2000-2003. That said, I have no familiarity with Eng or his column, which has the strange title “God of the Universe.” He does seem to be the author of two books: Dragons: Lexicon Triumvirate and Reincarnations. His Amazon.com bio lists him as the “youngest published science fiction novelist in America.”

Hmmmm. I don’t know about you, but this is certainly the resume of the guy I want to write columns about race relations!!

In an earlier column, entitled “Proof that Whites Inherently Hate Us,” Eng wrote: “Most Asians know that everywhere we go, white/black/Hispanic people hurl racist remarks at us. I have already received about 10 racist remarks in the past three months and I have only been out of my home a handful of times.” Oh AsianWeek! Did you give a column to one of those crazy recluses that never leave their house and talk to themselves on the bus??

Unfortunately, the column in question seems to have been pulled from the Internet, but you can view Eng’s other moving work by searching for his name here. Including, my favorite, “Why I Hate Asians,” which has the line: “I am also sickened when I hear Asian people imitate Negro slang in an endeavor to sound "ghetto."

Now, I can tell you, that working for AsianWeek, run by the Fang Dynasty, was a complicated job. Just like here at Hyphen, working on a pan-Asian American publication means trying to cover a lot of ground. For me that work is essentially about the intersections between communities and my favorite stories were those about multicultural alliances. Yet, I was told that the main aim of the paper was to represent the Chinese American community, the pan-Asian American-ness more of a marketing tool and less of a reality. Obviously, there seems to be very little excuse for running a column by a self-proclaimed “Asian Supremacist,” (AKA: a straight up racist) but to do it in a publication that already has such iffy ties with community. Bad idea.

Here’s the petition that’s been circulating about the column:
ASIAN AMERICAN LEADERS CRITICIZE ASIANWEEK FOR PRINTING 'WHY I HATE BLACKS' COLUMN

(Feb. 23, 2007) Asian American leaders joined together Friday to criticize AsianWeek for printing Kenneth Eng's column "Why I Hate Blacks" in its Feb. 23 edition. The leaders condemn the piece as irresponsible journalism, blatantly racist, replete with stereotypes, and deeply hurtful to African Americans. They called on AsianWeek to take immediate action and issue an unequivocal apology, terminate their relationship with Kenneth Eng, print an editorial refuting the column, review their editorial policy and process, and hold those responsible accountable.

“Eng's article is unacceptable and offensive not only to African Americans, but to all Americans,” said Karen K. Narasaki, President and Executive Director of the Asian American Justice Center. “AsianWeek has a responsibility to its readers and to the community to take immediate and appropriate action to repair the serious damage it has caused by publishing this piece.”

“Most Asian Americans would not be here in America today, but for the civil rights movement led by African Americans that resulted in the change to racist immigration quotas," said Stewart Kwoh, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California.

“It's irresponsible for a publication like AsianWeek to publish an article that advocates hate and bigotry," said Vincent Pan, Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action.

“The publication of these racist statements is completely irresponsible and damaging to all our communities. Not only should there be a retraction but a serious effort to repair the harm caused,” said Gen Fujioka, Program Director of the Asian Law Caucus.

“Asian Americans should recognize the debt we all owe African Americans who blazed the civil rights path we have walked on in our journey to equality," said Dale Minami, President of the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans.

"Eng's column harkens back to a era of Jim Crow and bigotry that should not be tolerated in our society," said Eric K. Yamamoto, Professor of Law.

"Eng's vile racism is a setback to the efforts of people of color working together against discrimination, oppression and injustice," said Keith Kamisugi, Associate Director for Communications at the Equal Justice Society. "His words alone are disgusting; that it was printed in a prominent English-language Asian Pacific American newspaper is shameful."

"Asian Americans do not share Eng's extremely racist views. Asian Americans need to take this opportunity to reach out and build a constructive dialog," said Yvonne Lee, Former Member of the U.S . Commission on Civil Rights.

"It is critical that our Asian American community stands up and tells America -- and particularly our African American brothers and sisters -- that our community has no tolerance for the racism expressed by Mr. Eng," said David Chiu, President of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area.

The leaders call on all individuals to contact AsianWeek on this matter at (415) 397-0220 or asianweek [at] asianweek.com.

An online petition is available at: http://www.capaweb.org/awpetition

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Comments

Comments

AnotherAnonAsianGuy wrote on Fri, 03/02/2007 - 8:00pm
If I'm in a bad situation, and I'm getting little respect, then any criticism is going to hurt.Maybe I understand that. And other people have to understand that.But there's a big difference between criticism coming from people who sincerely care about you, and criticism from people who just say crap because they want to keep you down or feel superior.The devious noise the racist people say is poison, and causes a bad taste even when the good people on your side try to suggest constructive changes.But the point is, when one is in a bad situation -- even if oppression is causing it, there's got to be change from within -- in order to adapt and overcome it. There's got to be an effort to find good advice, and to search and learn for ways to fight the bad situation. You can keep criticizing the establishment -- there's nothing wrong with that.But especially if the cause is oppression, you still can't give up on yourself and your will to change to be better, wiser, and stronger. One can demand justice from oppressors, and criticize them, but oppressors can't be relied on to truly help. I think that's what people like Cosby are trying to get at.P.S. Malkin is a freak. :-)
from london wrote on Sat, 03/03/2007 - 4:21am
It's chilling...What about the people here before all of us- including whites? It's amazing to me that we have become so caught up in discussions of race relations and American culture, the matrices of power and oppression, 'native' and immigrant mentalities, all the colours of the rainbow; and yet no one talks about the fact that there are many indigenous peoples who live on reservations (like wildlife refuges or something) in this dynamic and 'advanced' society. There is something frightening about this to me...and I can't help but wish I knew more about the dynamics of colonialism and the construction of a new national identity- because perhaps it would help shed some light on this situation that hasn't been considered.On another note, as someone of partly African- American descent who lived and travelled in East Asia for about five years- I can definitely say that viewing the media and popular culture depictions of African Americans from outside is quite enlightening. It is no surprise that people are often frightened- I have come to see a lot of what is presented as "black culture" as aggressive, anti-social, mysogynist, and anti-intellectual- to name but a few charactersitics; and it is very frustrating for those of us who do not identify with this image of black culture (and there are quite a few of us) to negotiate the various networks of society without the taint of this negative depiction. To be fair though, I also have experienced racism from Asians (but surprisingly not really from Asian Americans)- when my husband (who is Asian) took me to dinner, some Japanese women sitting at a table near ours expressed their shock that any man would associate with a woman "who was the color of s**t". Of course, when they realized that I could understand them, the uncomfortable silence that emanted from the table for the rest of the meal amused me in a kind of sick way...Very sad, but I think typical of the bigoted. There is a vulgarity in all forms of racism that really reflects badly not so much on who it is directed at, but at the person who says it...And it is in the US that I have experienced the most discrimination from African Americans (yes) and whites. What I am trying to get at is that maybe its not so much about an objective phenomenon called "racism"- which does exist of course- but that there is truly something going on that is completely subjective. I think that racism can often be a stance adopted to mask another issue- usually some kind of insecurity- like the women at dinner who were no doubt incredibly jealous that I was with such a handsome and amazing man!! Maybe racism is a set response to feeling threatened in some manner- and it should be emphaisized that racism- while it can manifest collectively- is also a subjective mental problem and should be treated as such in the same manner that homophobia is. And the simple fact of the matter is that universal tolerance is utopic- we are only human. Rather than wasting time and energy on people who spread their _own_ hatred and negativity in whatever manner, it's more productive to focus on those who share a commitment to celebrating the human race, rather than some outmoded European conception of race that harkens back to the days of colonial expansion and the rise of the nation state.
Jonathan wrote on Sat, 03/03/2007 - 6:06am
Dear Anonymous, I think you and I both know that the term was not house-‘negroes’, but the more offensive version which popularized the division between various classes within the black community, so we don’t have to mince words.I believe there to be a world of difference (better) between Ward Connelly and Clarence Thomas than Gangster Rappers. You think that Eng and I sound identical, do you? I can only say it is unfortunate (and typical) that instead of a serious analysis of the subject, you seek only to denigrate those whose view you don’t agree with. It’s fine, as I have dealt with people like you before.You are less interested in a solution to our problems than to hold tight to the notion that we Black folks don’t air our dirty laundry in front of others. This is what got Cosby attacked, regardless of what he has done to move us forward as a people. He committed the sin of asking us to look at ourselves, and was treated worse than your common thug by his own people. How dare he suggest that we can do more than blame Whitey! Sacrilege!It is our religion to blame Whitey for our problems, it is our creed! When I made my earlier comments on this forum, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone came along to challenge not the argument, but me personally.As for this being an Asian site, I would hope that they would welcome a discussion between two opposing among Blacks, if for any reason but to understand that we are not a monoculture, but indeed contain a level of diversity within our community.I for one look forward to the day when people of all races understand that in America, we are blessed with the opportunity to overcome any prejudice, real or perceived, by the strength of our own individual character.I seek to make my color irrelevant through my behavior and achievements, and will not be defined by those who adhere to a particular code of conduct solely on the basis of race. Someday, Black and White will go back to being merely colors, and no longer adjectives to describe human beings.

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