Puzzle Description:

a little chinese boy

#1: Jota (jota) on Aug 6, 2009

Please enter ...

LOL at the slanty-eyed face! I am assuming that was what this was supposed to be, representing Asia.

U R right!

Wow. That's kinda... racist.

It wasn't intended to be rude. It's just a fact that there are more oriental Asians than any other type of Asians. Since orientals have slanted eyes, it goes to show that more Asians have slanted eyes than those that don't. Thus, when someone thinks of "Asia" they can safely think of slanted eyes. :-)

Thanks Adam, I couldn't have said it better.

No problem.

I was thinking more along the lines of Logan, actually... I found it a little offensive. I know it was not meant that way, which is why I didn't say anything before. But making a caricature of a whole race by emphasizing certain features will be offensive to some. My older son is East Asian, so it's a little personal.

Do all Asians look like Mother Teresa? Of course not, so why is this puzzle racist and not # 6467? I didn't depict all Asians, I drew a little Chinese boy.
My husband is Jewish, so we know about racism and I never take it lightly.

Good point, Jota.

Hey, I didn't mean to strike a nerve. I know that no disrepect or malice was intended, and that you are certainly not racist, Jota. I'm only saying that it will be interpreted as offensive by some people, whether you think it SHOULD be or not.

When it comes to things like racism or sexual harassment, the intent of the perpetrator isn't always as important as the reception of the offended person.

As someone who is part Asian myself, I am uncomfortable with this puzzle, but I simultaneously understand this was not the intent. Although the puzzle does perpetuate the stereotype of Asians as being "slant eyes," along with the associated stereotypes of being conniving (in a manipulative fashion) - but I'm not recommending the removal of this puzzle by any means, since it has led to valuable discussion here. I appreciate the non-judgmental discussion of this sensitive topic in this space, so thanks to those who are participating.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism

As a person who is not in any historically persecuted minorities and thus arguably have little right to an opinion, I think (1) there are wide broad gray areas around what is definitively discrimination, (2) most everyone periodically wanders into one of these gray areas - short of total paralysis there is no way no to, (3) it is nevertheless important to call people on such incidents, because we want people to be conscious of the fact they are heading in a direction where danger lurks, but (4) one ought to be polite about delivering such warnings and (5) not get particularly upset or defensive one if one receives one. Apologize and get on with life.

In other words, everyone participating is this discussion is OK.

I should also mention that I hardly ever remove any puzzles for objectionable content. If it's an image that could be problematic to have form on your screen when you are solving puzzles in front of kids, then a warning in the title suffices. If it's a puzzle that raises complex issues, then a discussion suffices. I only delete puzzles if they are seriously unsolvable or if they are copied.

I've change the description from Asia hoping this solves the confusion.

Jota, I hope there are no hard feelings... I never thought for one moment that you were even a little bit racist. Just wanted to note that some people could have taken it the wrong way. Changing the description is good. =) It actually does look a little like my son when he laughs...

Don't even think about it ... LOL about your son!

i found this shockingly racist.

Sorry June, it was not the intention.

It's a common stereotype (a negative one) of Asian people.. and yes it's racist.

I was thinking about racism just yesterday. I watched a video where Japanese people were shown a satirical video about a Japanese waitress only speaking to the one Japanese-looking person at the table (who was American and didn't speak Japanese) instead of the others at the table who looked western but were actually from Japan and spoke perfect Japanese. The Japanese viewers mostly did not see the point of the video. One viewer even said that she would have tried to speak to the "foreigners" with gestures. It had to be pointed out to her that they had been speaking perfect Japanese.

There is a difference between the racism of expectations and the racism of hatred. The Japanese people had expectations that the "foreigners" wouldn't be able to speak Japanese. Even though this is prejudiced and racist, this is not the same than hating the "foreigners" for being different.

One of the reasons that racism has become such a touchpaper in the US is that the left is constantly pointing out instances of the first kind. The right then feels accused of the second kind (often being essentially blind to the first kind just like the Japanese were).

This is not in any way a defense of either kind, but we must acknowledge that there is a major difference between the two kinds.

Offensive? It could be. Racist is not because it is not directed against anyone, nor does it imply that anyone is inferior.

In my opinion.

Goto next topic

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