One evening Noriko was telling me about a visit with her therapist. “While we talking, I referred to Chinese puhson as ‘chink’. Susan tink dat funny. She laugh and laugh and she say “‘Chink! Noriko, you are so funny!” Noriko looked to me for approval. “Of course, I use ‘chinaman’, too…” she said parenthetically.
“That’s interesting….” I replied, as I thought about what Noriko had said. “In a politically correct culture, we are prohibited from ever getting near such language; it is utterly taboo. But since you are Japanese, apparently you can get away with it. Since you aren’t white and you are speaking English as a second language, you are granted license to use such expressions.”
“I NOT racist,” Noriko replied. “If American liberal say I racist, well, dat wrong. I not racist.”
“I hear you, honey, but the word ‘chink’ has connotations that are less than loving.”
“Maybe so, but I not racist. You know why? You know why?” Noriko was clearly building to some major point here, so I humored her. “Please tell me why, Nori-chan.”
“Because I Asian and Chinese Asian too. We same race, so I ain’t racist. A nationalist, maybe, but not racist!” Noriko laughed with self-assurance at her explanation of the situation.
Noriko has often talked in detail about the cultural history between the Japanese and the Chinese, and the Japanese and the Koreans. “Dey don’t like us, because we kick dehr butt throughout history. All dem war, we win, again and again, so of course dey don’t like us. But we don’t like dem eiduh!”
Liberal consciousness may cringe at such a frank disclosure, given its desire to repress any thought or impulse that might vaguely be interpreted as racist, but like it or not, such history and national dynamics are real. Based on history, the Koreans will have certain feelings toward the Japanese and vice versa. Is wholesale repression of such cultural conditioning per today’s “political correctness” a good thing?
“And how about duh French and Brit – dey hate each udduh. Dey racist?” Noriko pressed on with her point. “When I traveled to Singapore 20 years ago, I rented a taxi for a day for sightseen. Drivuh very honestly told me that Singaporean did not like the Japanese but they DO like the Japanese yen vedy much. Ha! Considering what we did to Singaporean during WWII, I did not blame him. Actually, I found it cute. I found him very honest and he did not hurt my feelings at all. I hate when people PRETEND that they are not racist or nationalist but I can pick them up even they are vedy sattle about it. To me dey hippocrat and DAT worst den racist!” Noriko stared me down in apparent triumph.
(“Hippocrat”? Is that a blend of democrat and hypocrite? : ) )
What makes this even more intriguing is that even though Noriko will indulge in such nationalistic comments when she talks generally about the Chinese, I have noticed that she is never rude to any Chinese INDIVIDUALS when she encounters them in life. To the contrary, based on their mutual Asian origin, she seems if anything to feel a kinship with Chinese individuals she meets. For example, at the several Asian restaurants we frequent here in Santa Fe, Noriko is “buddies” with the various women who work there, to the point that she goes out of her way to perform various acts of friendship and kindness.
“No, as individual, I don’t dislike Chinese, not at all. I Asian, dey Asian, so we sistuh. But when Japanese people as WHOLE tink about Chinese people as whole, and viceuh versa – DAT when fiuhwork begin. As GROUP, we don’t likeuh each udduh. ‘Dem damn chink! Damn dem nip!’ But as individual, dat udduh mattuh. Den we likeuh each udduh vedy much!”
So to all the liberals who are intolerant of intolerant racists/nationalists: Sorry, friends, but maybe it isn’t as simple a matter as today’s political correctness makes it out to be…..
Readers’s comments, hostile, nationalistic, or otherwise are welcomed!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: asian american, funny, humor, integral, interracial couples, japanese culture, japanese girl, liberalism, multi-culturalism, nationalism, political correctness, politics, racism
This evening It occured to me I haven’t checked the Tales site in a few weeks….so…I ventured into the Ludwig Zone and ……Another fantastic tale!!
Noriko…your critical thinking impales logic and creates a whole new political view….You impress the hell out of me!
Jim….this line…(”Hippocrat”? Is that a blend of democrat and hypocrite?)
Had me laughing so hard I actually fell off my seat.
You two are amazing; keep up the great work!
Still laughing,
Diane