Sorry, the Ch'ing. Duh. On 5/26/07, Ross Bender <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On 5/26/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > OK guys, I'm not interested in checking your DNA or eyelids, and > knowing we have given Ross literary license in the past, but yes, I must > say, the least you can do is put your racial slurs in quotation marks to > suggest you realize they are indeed racial slurs. Or perhaps not, as I'm > not sure what putting China in quotes is meant to suggest. > > Thanks. > Ah, we've finally got Uyehara's attention. Putting China in quotes is meant to problematize the notion that there was in fact such a state entity as "China" before the 20th century. One question for example, is: -- When the empire formerly known as Sung was governed by the Mongols, was it in fact "China"? Similarly, the last great dynasty, the Ming, was of course run by the Manchus, so in what sense was it "Chinese"? Similarly, when the "Japanese", to be polite, plundered and raped "Taiwan" and "Manchukuo", was that turf still "Chinese"? Lots of nitpicking, I know, but people spend their lives on this stuff. Mr. Uyehara, I've only met you once long ago and you probably don't remember me, but you've certainly got a "Japanese" name if there ever was one. To ask a very personal question and at the risk of riling you further, do you consider yourself "Japanese-American", "Japanese", "American", "Swedish", or some other denomination? Give me literary license for one last time -- I'll put the whole thing in quotes so as to try to spare the delicate sensibilities of people on this list. Anybody remember the old Woody Allen classic, "What's Up Tiger Lily?" Even the title is offensive, but in the film, which Mr. Allen dubbed from a Japanese original, there were the immortal lines: "I'm a happy [deleted]." "And I'm a fat [deleted]." Question for bonus points: "What's the worst ethnic insult you can hurl at a Swiss-German Mennonite?" -- Ross Bender http://rossbender.org
-- Ross Bender http://rossbender.org
