So it started with me clicking and clicking until I finally reached this page. Firstly, I must insert this ~~disclaimer~~; that website linked in the previous sentence, Chinasmack is actually quite eye-opening and not in a good way. It focuses on popular Chinese BBS forums translating some discussions from selected forums into English. Obviously in forums some people just run wild and say whatever they want to. And I also know that such websites as Chinasmack are highly sensational and the entire forum discussion is also never translated into English so we do not know what most Chinese netizens really have to say. I do think the authors try to publish both positive and negative comments though. Anyway, I always take such things with a pinch of salt (and you should too), I find them very interesting indeed.
The article is about the lady pictured above, Luo Jing who is half-black, half-Chinese and appeared on a televised singing competition. Now what can I say except I have been waiting for someone like this for a few years now. You see in Japan, there are a few…okay I only know 2…celebrities who have some black in them (actually Jero makes 3!). Crystal Kay is half-African-American and Thelma Aoyama is 1/4 Trinidadian. In Korea, there is Tasha whose father is African-American. Tasha sang this song ‘Black Happiness’ (link to video with English subtitles!), which I sort of don’t like but at the same time touched me because it was about her struggles as a half-black girl in Korea where people prefer light-skin and straight hair, where her mother’s race was okay but her father’s was not. She faced a lot of prejudice for her darker-skin and curly hair was told to wear white make-up…she hated her dark-skin as a child. Though I will confess that to me she is not dark at all but what do I know?
Anyhow, knowing the Korean and Japanese examples, I have kept an eye open for the Chinese equivalent, a half-black celebrity. When I heard about Lou Jing, it was that Chinese netizens were making racist comments till she had to respond in another forum. Lou Jing’s father is African-American and she is the product of an affair. Her mother was married when she met Lou Jing’s father and he left her after she became pregnant. Maybe she thought she was pregnant for her Chinese husband but in the end, they got divorced after she gave birth to a black baby. Most of the abuse hurled at Lou Jing was supposedly due to the fact that she is the product of adultery and her mother had the ‘guts’ to appear on national television with her daughter when they should both be ashamed of the events surrounding her birth. Now it would have been okay if the had just criticised the adultery part but the featured comments were heavily laced with racism directed at Lou Jing’s father. Some called him African while others cited that most African-American men do not take care of their children and instead run away so Lou Jing’s mother deserved what she got for committing adultery. Of course how big the black man’s chi*po was mentioned (guess what chi*po is in Japanese!)
Luo Jing and her mother on national television, oh the HORROR!I admit I was very disappointed reading those comments but I don’t know what I expected. I guess when it is just me and my international friend base, I end up assuming that all is good in the world and everyone is friendly and though we may disagree on some stuff we can all still get along. It also seems oddly strange to me that even in China, the stereotypes of black people are basically Western stereotypes. I dunno, I guess I sort of assumed they’d have a different set of stereotypes but everything was the same old thing, very unoriginal. During my research, I read that the first stereotypes of black Africans in China was that they were good wise supernatural beings who would go on adventures. But apparently later on partly due to the black slaves owned by Arab traders, those ‘good’ stereotypes died out. I suppose I really should not have been surprised as the internet tends to bring the worst out of people and I have visited forums that have left me shivering (at the coldness in the world) and very very disturbed. I will not link to those forums here though, this blog needs to give positive energy, just remembering them is a little bit distressing. Anyway compared to those sort of stuff, the racist comments against Lou Jing and her father were just disappointing and mildly annoying.
Lou Jing’s finally responded to in another forum, I like what she had to say;
I am DragonTV Angel Lou Jing, and here I make a statement!
- My father is American, not African.
- I am a born and bred Shanghainese person.
- I should not have to bear my parents’ mistake, I am innocent!
- Sternly but strongly protest some people’s racism, my skin color should not become a target of attack!
I should add that I really have no hope for Luo Jing’s career as a musician because the girl cannot sing at all. Usually I sugarcoat my words but in all honesty, she is quite pretty and all but she cannot sing. Maybe she can model or act? I know I would definitely watch any dramas she’s in!
You can imagine my surprise when upon visiting Chinasmack yesterday, I discovered this headline ‘Chinese-Black Couple on Shanghai Metro’, accompanied by this picture (among others);
I admit that my first reaction when reading the article was laughter. In fact I still laugh when I see the picture. It is not out of mockery or anything though. Of course the netizens commented on this picture! Reading their comments I could not help but laugh even more as opposed to crying because they were almost a complete turnover from their comments on ‘Shanghai black girl’ Lou Jing and her African-American father. Apparently it is okay for Chinese men to date black women but definitely not the other way round (we have all heard that before).
The tag line for the picture was that this Chinese man has an ‘extremely heavy/strong taste’. Other interesting comments are reproduced below please keep in mind that these comments were supposedly made by Chinese netizens on a forum and translated into English for us who do not understand the language;
‘The guy cannot possibly satisfy her, must use an electric vibrator’
‘After seeing Lou Jing, I cannot determine whether or not this girl is African’
‘A TF (bandit, a nickname for members of the forum) with a sense of justice, getting revenge for Lou Jing’s dad’
‘Amongst blacks, [she] is considered not bad. Moreover, [if he] can satisfy a black, obviously has an exceptionally long…’
‘[I] commend [him/this], winning honor/glory for the nation!’
‘Her appearance and body are not bad.Two black legs holding you…oh my, this is what heaven is!’
‘[His taste is] not the least bit heavy/strong, [he is] wining honor/glory for Chinese men. Who said it isn’t possible if you’re short?’
‘This girl is probably not mixed, yet she is relatively whiter/lighter than some who are mixed.This shows that Lou Jing’s mix is absolutely a failure.’
Of course there were more negative comments, some are just too bad that I really cannot put them here. Someone also used the n-word in a supposedly positive comment which is just stupid. Anyway you can read more interesting positive and negative comments and the entire article here.
I really wonder if there is a correct reaction to this sort of thing? I also find myself wondering if it was possible that the same people who had made the racist comments on Lou Jing were the same ones praising this Chinese man for being with this black woman. In the end, I am not really bothered. I just feel that these Chinese netizens have a lot to learn about Africa, African-Americans and black people in general. I wonder what gives these people the right to make certain comments about black people as that most of them have probably never seen a black person in their life.
Oh well, I found this very interesting and it was stuff like this that helped me during the boring times of Beast taming (known to some as writing a dissertation). Do you notice how I have managed to slip that into this post too? I am done but the damage still lingers…*shivers at the memory of life in the inner circle of hell, battling former friends turned demons and keeping an eye out for the neighbourhood watch while hatching a plan to get to heaven*
To hear what Luo Jing had to go through is really sad. When I first saw the picture, I would never of guessed her to be half Chinese. But what's even more upsetting is her being abandoned by her own father. I think growing up as a 'foreigner' in any part of East Asia is difficult. But perhaps moreso for people of a darker skin complexion.Lol @ the responses to the couple in the pic. These double standards can also be said to be similar to Western prejudices of interracial relationships. Where its socially acceptable for caucasian men to date whatever girl (whether black, asian, etc.) they want but not for caucasian women.Stereotypes will always exist and rarely ever change. Another thing to bear in mind is that places like China, Korea and Japan are heavily influenced by American media and so even though they have never met a black person, they will hold beliefs and prejudices according to what they see in the media.
Xena! yeah Lou Jing doesn't look half-chinese but she does look biracial. the other BlAsian celebs actually look more Asian than black. actually on the TV show she was crying in the pic with her mother because she was basically talking about her childhood. she wants to find her father.you're right about the double standards. i was thinking about black people at that point. you know like when a black woman wants to date interracially, all hell breaks lose and it is not the same for a black man. stereotypes are very upsetting. American media influences the whole world. and i find it really disturbing that stereotypes of Chinese in Africa are basically from Western sources and stereotypes of Africans in China are from the same source. it is almost like brainwashing, the whole world thinks a certain way about a certain ppl. i guess that's the side effect of globalisation. i read somewhere that most Chinese people will be willing to learn more about black people on meeting them. oh well, the whole thing is just stupid.
Not many people know or remember that all humans belong to tribes. Whether distant ancient, or contemporary; we all have some degree of tribal bonding. One can be biased wanting to be with their own tribe, share their own traditions, culture without being 'racist.' It is not easy for any tribe… ethnic group to get along with themselves without hierarchical revolution, violence… war. We're doing pretty good with our very young experiment called America… where there are 175 countries and 75 languages. So, why are we shocked… surprised, offended when one wants to be with their 'own kind.' True racism is when one wants a ethnic, different than themselves to suffer… fail. A non-racist can want to be, surround themselves, with their particular tribe without ever wishing another ethnic any harm. I prefer to be with Caucasians and Asians. However, I would fight to the death to keep all people's… Blacks, Mexicans, other minorities from harm. Protect their equal rights and pursuit of happiness. The use of the word 'racism' at times has its place in all societies. The over-use of the word ignores the reality of whom and what we humans are in the natural tribal sense of the word. As I recall, we've been evolving around 400 million years. We are what we are… loving, naturally biased, primates. By the way, it's rare that blacks or Latinos are portrayed in media or anywhere else as 'racists.'Guess what, some are racists. All are tribal. It's not that all blacks and other 'ethnic' minorities are great people. Just as, not any other human group are all… great! Reason most Caucasians cannot date black women… most are not attracted to black women. Does that make them racist? Are they tribal with their own bias? Yes! There are not many Black or Hispanic females that want to date white males. Not many Black or Hispanic males who want to date Caucasians. Are they racists? Integration means… as a free society… jobs, schools, equal rights. Though some may inter-marry… that is not something that can be legislated. It's very hard to defend something that we are not. Many whites are put into that position daily. Can we be forced to choose and think differently than our tribal ness… genetic code… biochemistry…? I don't think so. A realistic examination of the difference between racist and natural bias appears to be in order. Mutual respect is the key, methinks.
Norm Spivock, thanks for your comment and for your honesty. i disagree with a lot of points you have raised. have you heard of social construction? it'd be great if you read more on how most of what we believe in and accept as natural or factual, most of our 'preferences' etc are in fact the result of social conditioning. i think we can and should confront socially constructed aspects of our behaviour and thinking.i do agree that mutal respect is the key.
I found China Smack's quotes a bit one-sided. When I looked on Baidu.com I found as much, if not more sympathic comments against racism in China:“洪晃：我们凭什么歧视混血女孩娄婧” – “Hong Guan: what right do we have to discriminate against mixed blood girl Lou Jin”“娄婧没有错，对娄母也应多宽容” – “Lou Jing is blameless, her mother deserves understanding too”“看中国男人怎对娄婧母女发邪火” – “observing Chinese male-chovanism againt Lou mother-daughter”“娄婧的呼声感人肺腑” – “Lou Jing’s appeal [to find father] moved me to the core”“娄婧天使舞台证明自己和大家一样” – “Lou Jing’s stage presence proves she is the same as everyone”“并不是因为她有着奥斯卡影后上海“哈利贝瑞”的称号。而是娄婧切身的故事” – “not because she resembles Halle Barry, but because of her life story”“勿以肤色论英雄” – Shouldn’t judge by skin color” “黑珍珠”娄婧证明自我” – “black pearl” Lou Jing proves self-worth“娄婧比模特儿更美” – Lou Jing is more beautiful than models“大家多谅解她吧” – people should cut her some slack“娄婧是个小天使，这与她的肤色无关” – Lou Jing is an angel, matters not what skin color“黑色只是普通的肤色” – Black is but a normal skin color“很佩服你的勇气” – I admire your [Lou Jing's] courage“自认为一番高论的鸟语,首先让我感到你真丢我们炎黄子孙的脸” – your [racist] self-righteous BS made me feel you’ve lost face for all Chinese“应该让我们所有的人值得同情” – they deserve all our sympathy
bobby flecther, i do know that chinasmack is a very sensational site and i figured the comments they chose to translate were one sided. thank you for showing a different perspective.
patriarchies are big on controlling the behavior of women so this leads to the comments about the woman dating out of her ethnic group being more negative and less supportive than the comments about the man dating out
it as the same with blacks, where the men can date whoever they want with little repercussion and the women are expected to date other blacks
it does disturb me how much the stereotypes are all based on western media stereotypes, the west is playing non whites against each other