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http://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1353498/are-chinese-a
Are Chinese Americans overreacting by comparing Jimmy Kimmel to Hitler?
More than three weeks after the fact, America’s Chinese community is still
up in arms over Jimmy Kimmel’s perceived anti-Chinese skit.
Thousands of protesters in 27 different US cities took to the streets last
week demanding for more apologies by both Kimmel and television network ABC.
People are claiming that the Jimmy Kimmel Live skit, which contained a
comment by a six-year-old who said that America should “kill everyone in
China” as a means of settling the US debt crisis, was reminiscent of
rhetoric used against Jewish people in World War II. A White House petition
asking the US government to investigate Kimmel’s late night television show
has received over 100,000 petitions, and in protests across the US,
demonstrators have been holding up placards comparing Kimmel to Adolf Hitler.
The South China Morning Post was one of the first media outlets to break the
story on the Kimmel skit, and I personally wrote three articles on the
subject, focusing on the original controversy, the reaction from the Chinese
community, and the apologies issued by Kimmel and ABC. As an American of
half-Chinese heritage, I originally felt that the debate surrounding Kimmel
’s show was one worth investigating.
But as angry groups of Chinese Americans continue to wage war over a matter
that’s now more than a month old, I can only wonder if this commotion is
truly worth it.
The original skit, which aired on 16 October, featured a critique of the US
government shutdown. In it, Kimmel presided over a discussion panel called
“Kid’s Table,” and started a debate with several six-year-olds over the
US debt crisis and how the nation should deal with China. One of the
children suggested that the US should “kill everyone in China,” and Kimmel
laughed the matter off, calling it an “interesting idea.” He then
jokingly put it to a vote with the other children.
Much of the outrage against the skit revolves around this pivotal moment –
where Kimmel calls the idea of killing Chinese people “interesting.” In
the eyes of many protesters, while the six-year-old’s comment can be
dismissed as childish ignorance, Kimmel’s reaction cannot, and it is his
failure to admonish the child that deserves criticism.
These angry voices are forgetting that the “Kid’s Table” skit was satire,
which is defined in the Oxford dictionary as “the use of humour, irony,
exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people's stupidity or
vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other
topical issues.”
It is also important to point out that the original skit was not even about
China in the first place – it was about an American debt now exceeding 17
trillion US dollars and a federal government that had to instigate a
complete shutdown for over two weeks.
“Kid’s Table,” which had children debate grown-up issues – in a sense
saying that the United States Congress is no better than a pack of six-year-
olds - was likely not meant as an attack on Chinese people, but rather as a
jab at the flaws of the US government, which admittedly does have a tendency
to blame many problems on China.
The whole thing was done in the tradition of Kids Say The Darndest Things,
an American comedy show that was successful in the 50’s and 60’s for
putting a bunch of children on camera and having them spout outlandish,
exaggerated thoughts.
While much hubbub has been made of Kimmel’s “that’s an interesting idea”
line, a closer look shows that his response is followed by a scoff, showing
that he does not take the concept seriously and is only playing along in
the way that any improvisational comedian would do when dealing with
children. Anyone who is seriously suggesting that Kimmel finds the idea of
killing billions of Chinese "interesting,” especially after he has
apologised profusely and promised to remove the “Kid’s Table” segment
from all future episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live, needs to keep that definition
of satire in mind.
In the end, what is the point of all of these ongoing protests? It seems
that the protesters themselves can't even agree. One of them, a chairman of
the Roundtable of Chinese American Organisations named Charles Lu, said that
he wanted a more formal apology from ABC to all Chinese people across the
world. Another, an unnamed online netizen, wrote that the protests were “
playing an important role in improving…[the] prestige and national
cohesiveness…of Chinese Americans in the US.” Others on a particularly
vocal Facebook group have simply said that they want Kimmel to be fired.
One thing is clear. Many of these voices, caught up in mob mentality, have
failed to realise that it is unlikely that the ABC network will fire Jimmy
Kimmel. As a popular talk show host, he is a television moneymaker despite
whatever controversy he courts. (And one could probably say that all of this
controversy has helped him and brought more viewers to his show than ever
before.)
Furthermore, what more is there to achieve now that multiple apologies have
been issued? Perhaps the White House will make an official statement on the
matter, now that the petition submitted to them has received so many
signatures. But realistically, the US government has far bigger things to
worry about, including that pesky 17 trillion dollar debt.
Subtle racism against Chinese Americans – and Asians in general – is a
real thing in the United States. Asian actors are marginalised in Hollywood,
Asian women are sexualised for their perceived exoticism, and it’s true –
Kimmel and his scriptwriters probably would not have allowed the “Kid’s
Table” skit to air if the children on screen had made a derogatory comment
against African Americans or other ethnicity groups.
But there are more productive ways to deal with this tide of prejudice.
There are plenty of Chinese American support groups in the US that can
organise dialogues or events in the wake of this controversy to increase
awareness in the general American community. There are journals that can
publish editorials to critique the situation and offer fair analysis on the
plight of Chinese immigrants in the United States. All of these efforts will
make more of an impact than comparing Jimmy Kimmel to Hitler as a means of
improving the “prestige and national cohesiveness” of Chinese Americans in
the US.
“I come to you with nothing but love in my heart,” Kimmel said in an
apology last week. “I’m a comedian; I was trying to make people laugh. I’
m sorry that I did this.”
Enough is enough. |
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