so, school is starting soon for paloma and porkchop... and usually in their lunchboxes i add a note or a drawing inside... lately, they both love the idea of jokes and puns... i absolutely love them and their crazy laughter... their made up jokes? not so much... :)
and i thought, maybe i should find a kids joke each day and then add an illustration of my own... mind you, i'm thinking along the lines of "what's black and white and red all over? a newspaper!"
soooo i enter "kids joke a day" into my handy dandy search engine... and find this website:
where you can find links to joke pages about chinese, filipino, indian, japanese, korean, singaporean, taiwanese, and vietnamese people.... there's even a page devoted to pictures of "asian jokes"! barf.
LUCKILY, they have an FB page so you don't even have to go to the blog: "to provide humor about asian people for asian people..." (cuz you're a f*cking joke, asian person! get it!? and... AND you'll find it even funnier if you're asian!
generally, it reads like an expanded DUDE WTF! ASIA w/ the random "i love asian & asian american stars who are beautiful/handsome" post. but i think it crosses the line in that, the majority of the time, posts are about all the same tired asian stereotypes:
* asian food is weird (bugs are as common as rice), as are their "customs" like ear wax removal and foot binding.
* asian men are short, asexual and/or perverted
* asian girls are mostly sex toys * overweight people are laughable - especially sumo wrestlers
* asian kids are poor, but smarter and know martial arts
* asians can't speak or write english correctly.
i haven't mentioned it on the blog until now, mostly because i was so angry about it... but this summer, paloma was bullied at summer camp. at first, she complained that she didn't like camp w/ tears in her eyes... but no reason. i thought it was because it was a new camp this year, since we moved to a new neighborhood.
then, within the first couple of weeks she told me that two kids were making slanty eyes at her. apparently, an asian american teen girl came to her rescue & told her to hang in there... that they were being cruel and she remembered when it happened to her... paloma thought they didn't know what they were doing was wrong and she didn't want to get her group leader to get in trouble (bless her heart, trying to defend them). then, another kid who was bullying her verbally (he put a safety cone on his head, made slanty eyes and ching chonged her - saying that was his halloween costume) started to bully her physically - hitting, squeezing his arms until they hurt. and then, (4 separate kids - can you believe it?) another boy started to slanty eye/ching chong her...
i couldn't believe it was happening... i talked to the group leader who said she had no idea the racist verbal stuff had happened. she had already received complaints from other families about the physically abusive kid. eventually, he was moved to a different group. i don't know why he didn't get kicked out entirely... sadly, that group also had an asian american kid in it too... hopefully, he didn't get bullied... paloma talked to the first two kids and told them what they did was wrong and hurt her feelings and they ended up mending that bridge...
i dunno... i can't help but think that websites/pages like these provide places for racism and ignorance to fluorish - a place where racists can affirm that these jokes/caricatures/stereotypes are really funny and that asian americans are just too sensitive or just don't get it... well, if this is what passes for funny... then f*ck it, i don't want to get it.... it scares the sh*t out of me that my own kids could have been looking for kids jokes and would have found this page and the jokes about asians - especially filipinos... it makes me wonder how many kids have already found these jokes and how many are fwding/telling them to their friends... mind you as of now 1,518 people like their facebook page... i bet that number goes up tomorrow...
*sigh*
ennyhoo... i hope your friday is progressing well... and that you have a relaxing weekend... :)
a couple of weeks ago barcelona hosted the european swing dance championships. this couple won first place in the lindy hop classic division:
when i saw this i couldn't believe what i was seeing... immediately, i felt uncomfortable and awkward and honestly, i haven't been able to watch the entire thing thru... it's meant as an "homage" to the original dance performed by whitey's lindy hoppers in the marx brothers movie "a day at the races":
what little i know (still learning) of the intersections of race and sociology and culture... the beginning of the performance just drips of cultural appropriation and minstrelsy to me... all it was missing was blackface...
please note - i don't know the dancers personally, and i'm not calling them racists. all i'm saying is this performance has racial undertones that make me feel VERY uncomfortable and angry and embarrassed...
BUT IT WON! THEY. WON. FIRST. PLACE. (i can't even wrap my head around that...)
a couple of years ago, lisa wade (PhD and lindy hopper) wrote a short and simple post (dedicated to frankie) about race and lindyhop and one of my fave blogs, racialicious re-posted it. she writes:
"...contemporary dancers look to old movie clips of famous black dancers as inspiration. And this is where things get interesting: The old clips feature profoundly talented black dancers, but the context in which they are dancing is important. Professional black musicians, choreographers, and dancers had to make the same concessions that other black entertainers at the time made. That is, they were required to capitulate to white producers and directors who presented black people to white audiences. These movies portrayed black people in ways that white people were comfortable with: blacks were musical, entertaining, athletic (even animalistic), outrageous (even wild), not-so-smart, happy-go-lucky, etc.
So what we see in the old clips that contemporary lindy hoppers idolize is not a pure manifestation of lindy hop, but a manifestation of the dance infused by racism.....
Typically they (black dancers) would have no relationship to the plot; they would occur out of nowhere and then disappear. This was so that the movie studios could edit out the scene when the movie was going to be shown to those white audiences that were hostile to seeing any positive representation of black people at all."
re: this performance as an homage. again, i refer to racialicous and this post about cultural appropriation and how one person's homage is another person's insult. tami writes:
"...There is a long history of of white musicians being inspired by black music and finding fame with an “exotic” but safer sound, while their black muses languished in obscurity. Without diminishing the impact of artists like Elvis and The Rolling Stones on the popular music scene, surely it is clear that they benefited from a culture that would never allow a bluesman like Robert Johnson to gain mainstream prominence. The fresh sounds that electrified rock audiences weren’t really so fresh, just appropriated from an artist and culture made invisible by racism..."
and from this recent post on cultural appropriation from clutch magazine:
"It’s ironic how the White girl mimicking Black culture has been viewed as quirky, cute, and interesting in the past. But sisters who fashionably rock bamboo earrings, gold nameplate necklaces, and blonde streaked weaves, will inevitably be considered “ghetto” by society."
again - two white dancers performing a routine originated by black dancers WON FIRST PLACE IN AN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION... at first glance - i guess it's cute and charming - but in the context of WHY the original dancers wore the outfits in the first place, why and how the singers sang their songs... not so cute. not so charming... *heavy sigh* *smh*
y'know, this performance showed up at a bad time for me anyway... just bad timing all around for dance performances really... two of my fave dance crews had their routines stolen - first, les twins and then, poreotics... then... THEN this ABSOLUTE CLUSTERF*CK of immense geisha fail turned up on my TV while the paloma was watching:
F*CK YEAH! way to EMBRACE ASIAN CULTURE by throwing up that TIRED, sexy, silent geisha trope in my face, SYTYCD! i especially LOVE the stupid f*cking head bobbing at the end!! next time, don't forget the backup male dancers with the buck teeth and the cone hats... why couldn't you just stop at accepting stolen routines... GAH! i can't watch that show anymore... :(
anyway, getting back to the WINNING performance above... i don't feel that the performance deserves the award it received or the accompanying accolades... lindy hoppers (including me) - especially teachers and pro competitors - have a unique responsiblity to learn everything about the dance - including its dark and racist history. teachers should at the very least KNOW, if not TEACH, this history, in addition to teaching steps, connection, musicality, etc... no, i'm not expecting them to haul out whiteboards, powerpoints and syllabi... but i do expect them to encourage and challenge creativity, continue their own education, develop the growth of the dance, and unify an often isolated/isolating community....
i just received the link to an online petition for Richards v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz:
the petition demands:
1. That H&M terminates Joseph H. (the individual who made the anti-Asian, xenophobic, and misogynist verbal attack) AND discipline the managers who did not quickly intervene.
2. That H&M changes and enforces its cultural diversity classes.
3. That H&M recognizes and understands that ignorant and racial remarks towards H&M customers from H&M employees should never ever be tolerated.
4. That immediate and serious intervention should take place from an H&M manager when a complaint about an H&M employee is made by an H&M customer regarding a racial remark from the H&M employee.
I will not shop at H&M until this is resolved. As a customer, I should be able to go shopping at a retail store without being verbally abused by an employee who uses racial slurs.
please sign the petition and pass the word on... Boycott H&M!!!
all the way there, on the metra, the L, the walk, i thought about how it was my turn to pick up the torch that generations of filipinos before me carried and i felt truly empowered. then i got there to find that i was the oldest sistah there. (old fart, much?)
later, some of our "elders" showed up. but i gotta say that after two and a half hours of marching, screaming and sign holding. i am plum tuckered out. and rethinking that whole torch bearing business... maybe i should leave this to the young'uns. ;)
i don't know what the organizers of the protest thought, but i was really happy with the turn out and the energy, positivity and dedication that the protesters brought with them. the majority of the protesters were filipino/asian but there were caucasian, latino and african american protesters too. every once in a while, passersby would stop to see what the protest was about and then actually ask for a sign to help protest.
if you're curious we screamed the following:
"2, 4, 6, 8, H&M discriminates!"
"H&M racist! H&M sexist!"
"What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!"
there were about five people near the front door passing out flyers about the protest and i saw how they persuaded customers from shopping there today. unfortunately, we couldn't persuade everyone not to shop at the h&m store. at one point, an older woman (and i could have sworn she was wearing a neck brace) shouted at us that she would never stop shopping at h&m. it was disappointing to see so many women of color shopping there and it was especially heartbreaking to see a handful of asian people walk in to shop.
i haven't heard anything yet about whether or not H&M has taken any action re: their racist *ss employee. our local cbs news crew was there, the local filipino news show, CPR-TV was there, and there were what looked like reporters taking notes and quotes... there were also many video cameras and digital cameras out - hopefully, there will be some youtube videos.
already, pics are posted to flickr here, some are mine even! :)
hopefully, all of our hard work will have paid off. i can't express in words how proud i was to protest alongside such great people.
UPDATE: i just received this comment via my personal blog:
10.02 Hey everyone!
We wanted to post the final arrangements and clarify information regarding the protest in front of H&M on Saturday, October 6th. It will start at 10:00am and last until 11:00am! Media will be contacted and asked to cover the protest from 10:00am - 10:30am. Please meet in front of H&M, 840 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago no later than 9:55am. Who is leading it? Family and friends of Frannie (LosBañes) Richards, there is no specific person or persons. Do we need a permit? NO; just keep moving in sync in a line and do not block the entrance ways of the stores on that block or the street. Please do not disrupt traffic.
The previous tentative message & VIA Times presented a tentative time of 10:00-1:00pm. Because those were tentative times, we are informing you of when the media is informed to be there. We are hoping that you would be able to be there at that time. We apologize for such short notice. We understand that you have busy lives and truly appreciate all the support you have given to us! You are welcome to stay until 1:00pm but most of the people arriving at 10:00am are planning to leave at 11:00am. We were not expecting a huge crowd. Thank you for spreading the word! Please continue to help educate others on how discrimination towards any gender and any race is intolerable and unacceptable. We know you will act civil and that you understand this is a peaceful and informative march.
Thanks again for all your time and support!
Hope to see you there:
October 6th, Saturday H&M 840 North Michigan Ave Chicago , IL 60611 10:00AM CST-11:00 CST
"A Filipino American woman is suing clothing chain H&M on allegations of anti-Asian and sexual harrassment, claiming that on a recent trip to the Magnificent Mile store, employees called her a "mail-order bride" and made fun of her ability to understand English: Woman Says She Was Harassed For Ethnicity At H&M. The Asian American Institute has filed a discrimination complaint with the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations, seeking redress for Frannie Richards, who says that in addition to the "mail order bride" comments and ridicule of her English, an H&M employee made mocking "ching chong" noises at her. That's racist! And when she complained to management, they refused to do anything about it. What the hell?
Now, this kind of mocking and harrassment is nothing new—we've all had to deal with this crap on some level. It sucks. But this ain't the schoolyard. This is a freakin' clothing store. People should be able to shop in peace without feeling insulted and humiliated like this. It's ridiculous. Here's the Asian American Institute's press release on the incident: Asian American Institute Represents Filipino American Nurse Harassed by H&M Employee.
And here's a Filipino American news report on it up on YouTube: H&M Racist.
I've heard rumors of a protest being planned for this Saturday outside the Magnificent Mile store. If anyone out there has further details about the gathering, let me know."
(apologies in advance for how unbelievably pissed off i was when composing it...)
[steps on soapbox]
ok so, i'm late to this "party" (filipino time jokes aside), but i lost some sleep over this whole desperate housewives thing and i just had to get my $.02 worth of nonsensical rambling out because of it. and apologies in advance, to my fellow filipina moms bloggers for hogging our blog lately.
full disclosure - i used to be a big fan of the show... i used to watch it religiously. it was and is escapist entertainment. it is quintessential voyeuristic, trainwreckish, trashy eye candy on steroids. for a while, i actually felt like the housewives were kindred spirits when they complained about the constant daily grind of sahms over margaritas. but slowly and surely, the show started a downward spiral for me and has since jumped numerous sharks for me. i think i catch some episodes now in the hopes that it's redeemed itself. and then i read that susan's character opened her big (now, apparently ignorant) mouth and inserted her klutzy foot. and then, i got angry and went looking for fellow pinoy misery/camaraderie online.
i mean no disrespect but can i just say it never ceases to amaze me that when an issue like this comes up that so many filipino bloggers either ignore it or worse - defend it and then condescend to those of us who do care about it by virtually comparing us to fantasizing conspiracy theorists. by blogging thus, they excuse bigots and their remarks and even justify sophmoric and damaging humor. do filipinos/filipinos bloggers really want to be associated with or encourage racial humour where the punch line/brunt of the joke is the difference and/or assumed inferiority of a person of color?
i'm all for freedom of speech - censorship is not an option. but, free speech is a two way street. celebrities get to offend me on primetime tv with a "harmless (racially motivtated) slip of the tongue" and i get to petition ABC to see if i can get an apology (which by the way, was a non-apology apology - F*CK YOU, ABC). i want to help foster community building and open forums for diverse opinions, yada yada yada... but ultimately, these bloggers help to undo the countless hours of dedicated work of asian american activists and feminists in the second or two it takes someone to read their post. they encourage apathy, prejudice and ignorance, anti-asian racism, sexism and frankly, as an asian american woman, they embarass me.
all night long, i thought of all the negative stereotypes that desperate housewives perpetuates (shudder to think how it redefines that whole "ugly american" sterotype abroad) and it reminded me of something i read a while ago from the Media Action Network for Asian Americans. it is a list of "restrictive asian portrayals constantly repeated in the mainstream media". this morning i googled for the list again and found it here. some of the characters/character traits in the list are exact matches to asian characters/their portrayals in desperate housewives:
yao lin (played by actress, lucille soong) - the solis' housekeeper from season one. she wasn't on very long (she was fired after insulting gabrielle) but i distinctly remember that she was constantly wanting something from gabrielle - either for her to confess to having an affair or money or guarantees of money/barter for services rendered. she was definitely portrayed as someone inherently predatory. i don't remember for sure, but i think she also played the part with an accent perpetuating the foreigner who can't be assimilated stereotype.
xiao mei (played by gwendoline yeo) - the solis' second housekeeper who spoke broken english and was another neighbors slave and then, baby surrogate and then, homegrown homewrecker. she gave birth to an african american child due to a mix up at the sperm bank and has never been seen or heard from again. first, she was the perpetual foreigner who spoke little english and was constantly in fear of getting deported, then she was the model minority and then she was the china doll - exotic, subservient, industrious, eager to please, and finally, after learning from gabrielle that men in america didn't like virgins she becomes the dragon lady. she schemes and backstabs gabrielle by having an affair with her husband.
melanie foster (played by actress, joy bisco) - former sex crazed and obsessed girlfriend of matthew appelwhite who killed her after she threatened to turn his brother in for assaulting her. she's the dragon lady who gets sacrificed for the greater good.
vern - (played by actor, alec mapa) gabrielle's gay best friend who helps her with her new model training racket. once again, the asian male not only doesn't get the hooch. he's not even interested in the hooch. that's right hollywood there are asian males out there who are sexy and straight! they are our fathers, our brothers, our nephews, our husbands and our sons and they are just as delicious as their white counterparts.... STOP THE PRESSES!
in the end, why do i give a sh*t? Aren't there more important things to get enraged over like the war in Iraq or the disappearing benefits of legal immigrants? It's just a TV show right? These are just stereotypes, no one thinks like this in REAL life...
well, in my REAL life, i have a stepsister who was verbally harassed ("hey chink, stop taking away our jobs!") by a bunch of white men in broad daylight near wrigley field and was then dragged into and beat up in an alley. no one, who passed by the very busy intersection, came to her rescue when she screamed at them for help.
and like my sisters, cousins, friends, it's been assumed that i'm my kids' nanny, i'm "The" asian woman (we all look alike right?), that i don't speak english, that i'm good at math, that i'm a submissive partner in relationships but also naturally good in bed because my vagina is shaped differently, that not only will i do the work that's required of me but i'll do it for less money and never complain, and of course, that i often butcher and then eat dogs to celebrate big events....
already, my toddler children have experienced nuanced forms of stereotyping and prejudice. my guess is that it will on>THAT'S why i give a sh*t.
[steps off soapbox]ly get worse and worse the older they get. i'll be there to help them pick up the shattered pieces of the dream that was sesame street but it's by getting pissed off and militant and vocal about ignorant crap like this, that i'll know that i did my best, that i fought the good fight for them. that i actually tried to make the world a better and safer place for them to live in.
here at chez 'zilla, we read a bevy of books as part of our nighttime routines. lately, it's been really fun (in the paloma's room anyway... back in the porkchop's crib, it's all..."good night moon, good night cow jumping over the moon, good night light and the red balloon" blah blah blah ad nauseum... ad nausea...). we stack up the pillows and hunker down in the blankets, read new stories, look at some pretty pictures and yawn and discuss and yawn and point and yawn again....
the thin man has enrolled the paloma in eb white 101 and roald dahl 101. and i've been slowly plugging thru the children's books that we (my sisters and me) all bought while in manila. finally, i came across this one, "ang pambihirang buhok ni raquel" or "raquel's fantastic hair".
i think my sister (whose name is pronounced "raquel" but is spelled "rachel" - i don't know why.) thought this was funny and oddly coincidental. but, i don't think she actually cracked open the book. or at least i hope she didn't... i'm hoping it was an honest mistake.
now, i don't know if it's because i think the market for childrens books is bigger here than in the philippines and/or because i've seen/read so many. or because i'm so familiar with the sick child book genre. when i see a childrens book about hair, i almost automatically assume it has something to do with illness. or race. this book? it throws in BOTH - for good measure.
anyhoo - four sentences into the story you read:
"Raquel doesn't know that I envy her. For she is truly pretty, with flawless fair skin."
*insert sound of car - schreeching to a halt*
WTF?! TRULY PRETTY = FAIR SKIN??!! here i was (a dark skinned filipina) reading this story to my (fair skinned, mixed race) daughter.
i paused for a little bit... and against my better judgment continued to read, i thought, "ok, it can't be as bad as i think. maybe there's an epiphany at the end...TWO sentences later... it got worse:
"When i compare myself with her, I feel inferior."
in the story, ana, the dark skinned "country cousin" (who btw - smells and sweats and doesn't speak good english), begins to visit raquel, the "city cousin", in manila. during one of their playdates, raquel faints and her fantastic hair falls off. apparently, raquel has leukemia and wears many different wigs. she's rushed to the hospital. and while waiting for her, ana has a revelation:
"Yes, I may not be rich, I may not be as beautiful, and I have a dark skin. But I am healthy." i was so unsatisfied with the climax of this story that at this point, i stopped to discuss all of this with the paloma. we've had similar conversations already about my being different from other mommies. when she was very young, too young to speak, she questioned it - she would gently caress my CH and then trace her own face. finally, when she could talk, she asked about it, what it was, if it hurt... lately, it doesn't come up in conversation much at all anymore though i'm sure it will come up again later.
i really wasn't sure how or if she was processing this story. so i said, "paloma, this story makes me kind of sad." she responded, "why mommy?" and i said, "because the girl in the story is sad because her skin is darker than her cousins. is it bad that i have dark skin?" and she replied,"mommy,your skin is darker than mine. but that just means we're different. it's ok to be different. don't be sad because you're different. i love you." she smiled up at me and patted my dark skinned hand with her fair skinned hand.
i should have prefaced this whole post letting all of you non-filipinos know that it's actually very common for filipinos to say things like "oh, she's so beautiful! her skin is so light" or "stay out of the sun, you don't want to get too dark!" i remember when we were still children, my sisters and cousins would apply eskinol (a common face cleanser in the philippines, like clearasil here, that doubles as a skin whitener) before leaving for grade school. in college, my mother, a light skinned filipina, greeted me at the airport upon my return from a long weary trip from spain with an obvious frown, furiously rubbing my dark sunkissed face with spit on her thumb saying, "are you... DIRTY!?". and just recently on our trip to the philippines, the paloma was FAWNED over - all over manila - everyone commenting on her beautiful fair skin. it hurt especially when my own sister said to the paloma about my new, dark and beautiful niece, "i hope she doesn't get too jealous of you and your fair skin."
i am my father's daughter and like him, i am dark. as a child, it was made abundantly clear that i wasn't like other "superior" filipinas. to my critics, it was tragic enough that i was born "disabled" (their terminology, not mine), but to top it all off - how sad it was that i was dark. thankfully, it was easy for me to get over being dark - especially because all of my caucasian friends kept going to the lake, summer day, after summer day, after summer day, in an effort to achieve an all over bronze like me. i was a walking paint chip for bain de soleil. i really wish i could write more on the domination and history of western beauty ideals in asia but i'm just not that educated. suffice to say, it's an archaic standard and it's not something i will perpetuate or tolerate in my house.
the author of the book, luis p gatmaitan m.d., wrote another book that we have - a BETTER book - called "sandosenang sapatos" or "A Dozen Pairs of Shoes". i can recommend this book to you. it's another story that follows the lives of a shoemaker and his two daughters - one is born without feet. it's a charming story and it's especially poignant because it was sent to me by my youngest sister and reminds me of our relationship and my relationship with my father.
i can also tell you that the publisher of the book, adarna house, has other great storybooks told in both tagalog and english with wonderful whimsical illustrations by filipino artists. we bought many of their books during our trip and so far all of them have been great. but i will definitely be sending an email to them to complain about this book.
"One part Pee Wee's Playhouse, one part crazy, unpredictable Japanese talk show, and one part whole milk. Mix and serve chilled. Written by Kim Evey and directed by Greg Benson. More episodes to come (if this one gets a good response), just ADD ME to catch future episodes! May not be suitable for children. Or adults."
and here's some of the intelligent commentary from the myspace masses:
"...i'm with the general population of proud fatass americans when i say that intellect, creativity, normality, trend and talent, and pretty much the value of human life is completely contingent on how well one speaks english. and how white they are..."
"this is shit. real japanese tv rules, you've totally missed the point. i understand that this is a joke but the name sux and there was no food. EAT SOME WIERD SHIT, THAT'S WHAT JAPANESE TV IS ALL ABOUT!!! That and cute swimsuit models (also missing). "
"GOD DAMN asians get weirder and weirder everyday"
"wow im not suppost to watch this happy stuff buut i couldent risist and now im regeting me doing this that song was just scary but uhh none the less that was a good video uhhh ASIANS ARE WEIRD!!!!! "
"ENGRISH LOL JAPS LOL where did i put my chopsticks and buckteeth?"
"Can i slap the crazy stupid asian bitch LICK POOP hahahaha"
"Hahaha! I love it! And to whomever is saying it's racist, I don't think being able to poke fun at your own race is "racist". :P More, please! 321go!"
" It doesn't matter if her accent isn't right on or not, she is still asian DUHHH! Ha, I want those bubble chairs. "
the majority of the comments are congratulatory and complimentary towards the filmmakers... then, of course, there are all the comments about how HOT HOT HOT the japanese girl is and how much they want to take her home and love her long time.
what's unbelieveable to me is that kim evey, AN ASIAN WOMAN, is the creator/writer of the skit.
way to perpetuate the stereotyping of your fellow asian women! see, it's because of crap like this that i don't get angry when asian people call me a sellout or a race traitor. because sellouts and the race traitors exist and some of them are just outright ignorant.
i want to believe that common sense would prevail and that an asian woman would see how the rest of non-asian america, as well as asian americans, would process a parody film like this. because of films and characters like these, asian women (in america) will always be the exotic, foreign, disposable, comical, sex object.
while i was travelling to the philippines, it was so refreshing to see asian women in all kinds of advertising. in the airplane seat pockets, you could find us pictured in the airplane safety pamphlet, the entertainment and lifestyle magazines - we were represented as career women, mothers, students, etc... when we landed in seoul, i noticed the same thing on the terminal billboards and on the televisions at the gates. and in the philippines, even in the former red light districts, there were enormous ads featuring filipino moms serving liquid vitamins to their kids.
consequently, because kim evey is married to a caucasian and perpetuating sterotypes, the rest of us, asian women, who are also married to caucasians (or those who pass), regardless of how socially aware, ethnically proud or actively outspoken, will have to pay for it at the hands of other seriously pissed off, misunderstood, hurt and righteously angry asian people.
aren't there enough REAL japanese tv shows on youtube or google video to share and watch?
and is this film the kind of baggage we want to unload on the younger generations of asian women (american born and immigrant alike) who are soon to follow us?
anyhoo... on a related racist front... i hate to admit this but i watch that show, "real housewives of orange county". it's a reality show on bravo that follows the lives of five "housewives" living the high life in orange county.
last night, the thin man and i were sprawled out on the futon watching the latest episode. among the many "rhoc happennings", vicki, the housewife who is originally from the chicago area, accompanies her daughter on a drive to her (the daughter's) new condo. while her daughter drives, vicki conducts business on her cellphone. apparently, she's speaking to someone who's asian and after she hangs up, she goes on to say how all she hears is "chinky chinky chinamen".
i just couldn't believe i was hearing it again. i was curious to see if i could find a clip. i still haven't been able to find one but i did find that other viewers are calling her out on it on her blog. i posted my own comments but i'm sure they won't get published... here's what i wrote:
"...to all of you people who think asian americans should "just get over it" - just because you assume vicki didn't MEAN to be racist, offensive and hurtful - doesn't mean it WASN'T racist, offensive and hurtful to an asian person.
i'm asian. i was offended. i was hurt.
if you're not asian, you probably don't know what it's like to hear "chinky chinky chinaman" ALL THE TIME and what kind of pain or painful memories resurface.
a few years ago, my sister was walking down the street and some white men taunted her with ching chong. she ignored them and kept walking, assuming they would just quit. not only did they not quit, she was dragged into an alley and beaten. they screamed at her, "you chinks are taking away our jobs!" she's not even chinese.
i grew up in chicago and live here now but i've lived in nyc, asia and even (5 years) in california. i've experienced racism from every one - white and people of color, liberal, conservative, christian, non christian.
it's NEVER ok to be racist. that's what i teach my children anyway. this is not an isolated incident. shaquille o'neill did it. adam corolla did it. rosie o'donnell did it. pat robertson just did it.
everyone needs to own up to their own prejudices. everyone needs to reflect on why they think it's ok to be racist "in certain situations". it's not about being politically correct. it's about being respectful of people regardless of their color or culture. we all have to try to recognize subtle racism like this and stop it because if we don't, we're just enabling racism and ignorance to spread and thrive. "
UPDATE 2/10: i just googled and you can contact vicki gunvalson directly via email - vicki@coto/insurance.com - see here.
Please accept my sincere apology for the comment about one of my Asian clients. It was no way meant to be racist in any way. I have a very large clientele that are Asian and I respect their communities and cultures. I would appreciate accepting my apology for anyone that was offended. Regards,Vicki Gunvalson
UPDATE 2/11: i emailed vicki directly with the comment i made above and i just got an email back from her. she writes:
"You are right and I apologize! The comment I made to my daughter was wrong,and I am sorry. I had no idea what I said was going to be publicized on the air. I have learned from this and thank you for letting me know your side of this.
Vicki"
did you all catch that? she had no idea that what she said was going to publicized on the air. so, it's like rosie all over again... she won't make any racist comments anymore- on tv. THANKS A WHOLE HECKUVA LOT, VICKI!
please note the comment by lisa (below) reporting that some complaint comments seem to be missing from vicki's blog now.
i was just telling one of my neighbors (who is african american, married to a caucasian & also new to the neighborhood) about how weird it is for me to live in the neighborhood we live in. it's pretty much split 50/50 - african american and caucasian - generation after generation after generation. i told my friend that i feel like the thin man and i are "race spies".
some of our caucasian neighbors seem to think it's ok to say "watch out for the black people". then, i turn around and some of our african american neighbors say things like "i didn't think you spoke english" to me. the thin man (who is irish and puerto rican) has often had to endure conversations where neighbors talk about the negatives of "black people". he was even privy to a conversation about another latino neighbor who was vying for a captain position for the local volleyball league and how other players were trying to get him thrown out because they didn't want a latino in the league. why do these people think it's ok to tell me - a woman of color - these things? why do these people think its ok to share these thoughts with anyone - caucasian or of color? my friend was really interested because he realized that he really wasn't a "minority" in the neighborhood. he could see that clearly we were - our whole family.
i don't LOVE this neighborhood. but, it's not all bad. we've managed to fashion a pretty good life for us here. we've made very good friends here. we're able to live well and within our means. in some ways, i feel like i'm here for the same reason i'm still catholic. i can't run away from somewhere or someone that needs my help - EVEN THOUGH I REALLY WANT TO.
i guess what i'm trying to articulate (and not well) is does any one racist incident/statement make someone a KKK card carrying member? no. i don't think so. but it doesn't make that incident or statement any less racist. it doesn't mean we should just avoid talking about it or sweep it under the rug or excuse it as some isolated slip of the tongue. it came from somewhere and it doesn't disappear. it's just time for ALL of us to walk the walk and talk the talk.
so yesterday morning, we (me, the paloma, the porkchop and the thin man) all got up after a good night of sleep (for the first time in 10 days) and padded down to the kitchen, in our comfy pjs, to celebrate over a handful of favorite breakfast treats - an orange scone, a bear claw, a pumpkin muffie and a chocolate chip muffin.
then, a large, ominous, threatening cloud appeared and loomed over us. from the cloud, we heard an eerie cackle and then it said, "i'm rosie o'donnell and you're watching the view!". it was a repeat and they were talking about michael richards during the hot topics segment. rosie was explaining how the n word is used in the rap poetry of kanye west or tupac shakur.
i shoulda known my view/rosie watching wasn't quite over. while i was in palm springs, the thin man showed me this article criticizing rosie's "apology". and even before that, i heard about the whole rosie dissing trump suing rosie fiasco.
which made me more curious as to why some asian american celebrities haven't said anything about rosie's ching chong. is it THAT "dangerous" in hollywood to criticize a celebrity like rosie o'donnell?
eric byler and daniel dae kim got together and produced this video denouncing former virgina senator george allen and supporting allen's democratic challenger jim webb.
i read over at reappropriate that lucy liu had this to say about rosie o'donnell during a CNN interview, "I think Rosie O’Donnell is...is a comedian and comedians do things that are outrageous and not politically correct all the time. If everyone has the right to their opinion, and, uhm, I think that if everyone had to apologize for everything, then it would just be ridiculous."
which left me speechless, frankly. about as speechless as i was when i watched those two asian ladies emphatically clapping their hands in support of rosie and reading their lips saying "we thought it was funny."
but, i'm going to go out on a limb (and will probably upset a large segment of my asian brothas and sistahs who may one day stumble across my babblings) and say that i don't think lucy liu is stupid or a sellout or a race traitor...
furthermore (eek), i think she is in the perfect position to "represent" (something i think she prefers not to do) without trying to represent. opportunity has never knocked so hard on any door.... first of all, she's got a movie coming out soon with cedric the entertainer called "code name: the cleaner". second, she appears in an anthology (and critically acclaimed) film about the AIDS crisis called "3 needles", where she plays a blood smuggler in china. third and last, she's the executive producer for a new film called "charlie chan". apparently, she plays charlie chan's granddaughter. yeah. i know that went over like a fart in church. but, hey it's not even in production yet - innocent til proven guilty...
so, here's the thing... lucy liu is scheduled to appear on the view on thursday, january 4. i sh*t you not.
maybe, just maybe, if we all ask, intelligently and politely, MAYBE.. lucy liu can kick the sh*t explain, slowly, clearly and monosyllabically, so that rosie can understand, the hows and whys, the heights and depths, the basic and detailed intricacies of her racist chingchongery.
anyhoo - i processed, i ranted, i googled:
i think lucy liu's manager is mary ellen mulcahy at framework entertainment:
Framework Entertainment 9057 Nemo Street Suite C West Hollywood, CA 90069 i also found this email addy - mem@frameworkent.com - not sure it'll work though.
however, fans are told to request autographs via snail mail addressed to the william morris agency
c/o William Morris Agency One William Morris Place Beverly Hills, CA 90212
i dunno. i'm going to write to both addresses because i'm a glutton for punishment as mama nabi so eloquently commented to an oblivious, attention seeking, *sshat f*cktard in barcelona "...I owe it to my young daughter, who only knows love and kindness at the moment, to stand up and fight for it to stop being okay, to stop being "indifferent" to outright racial slurs, to attempt, until my last breath on earth, to make this world a kinder place for her - so that something like 'ching chang chong' is not a commonplace taunts that she will hear and will brace againt. It is my duty as a parent to say 'No more'....."
NO MORE.
UPDATE 01/03 - fyi, i just heard today that rosie is on vacation for the week. so, lucy liu won't even see her tomorrow.
UPDATE 01/04 - so, the whole rosie ching chong thing never came up.
barbara brought up the fact that lucy liu gets mistaken for lisa ling all the time and joy behar added "well, they're both chinese and pretty." to which lucy liu totally shrugged off agreeing that it was good for both of them. incidentally, lisa ling just ammounced her engagement to a doctor here in chicago. i believe his name is paul song (which is weird cause there's a dr. paul song in oncology at the hospital down the street where the porkchop was born. i was considering seeing him for a follow up.)
then this whole conversation happens re: kabbalah and buddhism and the chinese zodiac because lucy is wearing a kabbalah bracelet. she mentions that she wears it for protection but her mom's buddhist. lucy explains that the upcoming year is the year of the pig. then, joy responds, you're wearing a kaballah bracelet and then you're celebrating the year of the pig? *laughter* to which barbara responds with a "related" story about maury povich and connie chung trying to adopt a baby from china. their only request was that the baby be chinese and jewish. which opened up the topic of transracial adoption from china and how difficult it is now. lucy liu mentioned some restrictions including age and weight (?). but the subject was moved back in the direction of her new movie with cedric the entertainer where she plays his girlfriend and a waitress. apparently, there's a HOT fight scene with nicolette sheridan.
it's about here where i start to feel like i'm involved in one of those awkward conversations that someone (who i don't know) starts up for no reason in particular. i'll usually get asked what my nationality is and to be polite, i say "filipino". (personally, i don't usually mind people asking questions. growing up with CH, i think i just preferred people asking questions instead of silently staring at me.) and instead of just leaving the question answered a stream of consciousness discussion evolves into who else this person knows who is filipino or what their limited experience with filipino culture has been - their childrens' teacher, their hairstylist, their elderly parent's caregiver, the nurses at the local hospital, the best pancit/lechon/lumpia they've ever eaten, the few tagalog words they know, etc...
it reminds me of the time i backpacked in europe and every time i ran into another american i was greeted with, "where are you from?". i'd say "chicago". and the response would be "i'm from *insert amercian city here*"! to me, it seems the person assumed since we were both american we had everything in common.
earlier in hot topics part of the show, joy was demonizing any parents who spank their children (like her fellow guest host, sherri shepherd) and added that studies have shown that some people who were spanked tend to be sexually deviant. so during the lucy segment, joy asked lucy is she was ever spanked. lucy revealed that yes, her parents spanked her to which barbara responded, "but the chinese people are so gentle." APPLAUSE!
i just checked the view's video page here and they actually have the segment up of rosie o'donnell doing "ching chong". the video is labeled, "the view-hot topics-danny devito". it's about 3 minutes long and around the 2:06 mark she starts her "ching chong" thing.
i honestly thought i was hallucinating the whole thing because i hadn't heard about it via racialicous or angry asian man. so, i wrote to rosie via her blog to see if/how she would respond. nothing yet. i'll keep you posted if i hear anything....
UPDATE 12/7 :
the view got pre-empted by the president (what? is he covering up for her now?) i checked to see what videos they had available and there wasn't an apology. i don't know for sure if she apologized or not.
still no email from rosie. and on her blog, she's no longer taking any questions. so, i wrote and complained to barbara. that'll get me nowhere but i'm glad i got my measley 2 centavos out.
links to the video have been posted to racialicious, angry asian man, harlow's monkey and now - youtube and gawker (and um, what anonymous email tips... i didn't send numerous anonymous email tips to bigger bloggers than me.... wuh- huh? 0_o ) .
UPDATE 12/8:
i watched the view this morning and i didn't see/hear an apology either. it actually looked like a taped show. at one point, joy behar had mentioned her maiden named sounded japanese and then there was a *jump*. there was laughter where there wasn't a joke. it was weird.
the video has been taken off the view video site. but it's been youtubed:
however, rosie o’donnell has apologized (sorta???) and answered some viewer questions re: the incident on her blog:
1) Rosie: for someone who comes off to be so sensitive and aware of lgbt issues, why did you think it was alright to mock Chinese people and the language on The View (re:danny devito: ching chong …)???
it was not my intent to mock just to say how odd it is that danny drunk was news all over the world even in china
it was not meant to mock
2) hi rosie, i thought your impression of the news in china was a little offensive! it’s ok, though, I still love you-
didnt mean it 2 b offensive in any way
3) Rosie, what made you think it was okay to make fun of the way Chinese people speak?
the joke was about the danny devito drunk news making headines all over the world including china just comedy folks no intent 2 harm
peace
i dunno… ok, so she wasn’t trying to be offensive…
bottom line - it was racist thing to say and do, she should say so and she should apologize on the view since that’s where it happened.
and apparently, adam corolla gets together with guy aoki because he wants to help... whoa.
here's a great related post via tv guide's blogger, coggie. this especially rings true for me:
"When you grow up day after day of this, being blindsided by mindless cruelty, because you were born with features you can't cut out or facelift or transplant, you grow to develop a Pavlovian reflex-- similar to abused adults flinching when anyone raises their hands, because it cuts too close to home. It's a reflex I constantly have to fight. Constantly."
just so you know - ignorant people DO exist - here's proof (the bold is mine):
"Maybe I am utterly politically incorrect, but for the life of me I don't see how this would offend Chinese people. All Rosie did was mention that the DD story has gone international and imitated her version of a newscast in China. She wasn't exactly channeling Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast At Tiffany's." Chinese SOUNDS a certain way to our ears and she imitated it. She didn't hammer us with a stack of stereotypes. " UPDATE 12/9:
i say, WHAT THE F*CK!? this has nothing to do with whether or not she's funny. it has everything to do with her saying something racist and inappropriate and not admitting to it or apologizing for it. by brushing it off, she's basically saying, "hey everybody, it's okay to mock asians with ching chong. you're not racist. they're just being too sensitive."
UPDATE 12/10:
no emails from rosie or barbara.
racialicious has a new post up about guy aoki and adam corolla joining forces which reinforces what angry asian man had to say about it. and people are still talking about rosie even though she has a LOT of defenders, i'm glad the dialogue is still going.
reading a LOT about rosie, i've been reminded of the many times i was "ching chonged" or the experiences of friends of mine. i've read other bloggers similar stories too - like mama nabi's or hiromi's. i'm also reminded of the time when my stepsister was ching chonged and then beat up by a group of unknown white guys because they claimed she was "taking away their jobs".
i wonder when i'll be comforting my own children when they experience their first racist taunting. i just hope i'm there when it happens so, they're not alone.
UPDATE 12/11:
i keep forgetting to mention two things - the wikipedia entry for ching chong has been updated and i found this website where you can submit and discuss with others your own ching chong experience.
i still haven't received any email responses from rosie or barbara.
i checked rosie's blog and found that although she's not taking any questions, she's still answering some. here are two: "JP writes:
Hey Roside, why aren’t you getting your head out your butt and be more sensitive to Asian-Americans.Don’t post this message and see how you are hiding your true facade.You suck and need to get off tv.
go fuck urself jp"
(i'm very angry about rosie's racist remarks, but i'm not going to disrespect her because then i would be like her. don't be like rosie, people.)
"Leema writes:
U r a great role model. I respect ur courage. I’d like 2 know what makes u imitate a foregn language as a joke. It’d be funny if u knew how 2 speak it, it sounds racist and ignorant, which u r not.
i am irish i do an irish accent - make drunk jokes - stgerotypes this is comedy
i do many accents and probably will continue to
my mom in law impression offends some southerners what can u do
i come in peace"
UPDATE 12/11, 10:37 pm:
rosie has answered more questions/comments on her blog, but still nothing approaching an apology. if anything, there are more comments in support of her than against her. i can only wonder how many questions/comments she's hiding. basically, she says a) she didn't mean to offend anyone b) she's ignoring us c) she thinks we're blowing this way out of proportion and that our reactions are "odd" :
"Chao writes: Rosie - I am very appalled at your comments on The View regarding Asian people. They were so insensitive and hurtful. How can you possibly explain this and what can you say to help heal my wounds?
sorry u were offended chao it was not my intent
Beth writes: It’s so silly that Bill O’Reilly is having a segment on how you angered the Asians -you didn’t do anything at all - you were saying how silly it is that Devito became world news! Don’t listen to them! i dont toni writes: Ro, I can not believe that the Chinese are mad at you about a JOKE!!! Oh My God, lighten up people. Bill O’Reilly even stood up for you tonight on “The Factor”! Calm down people it was just a joke! go bill
Yves writes: Rosie-I don’t see the big deal about the Chinese routine. You’ve done English accents before on TV and the Brits didn’t get bent out of shape. They took it out of context and they need to chill. the whole thing is odd 2 me
Max writes: I’m a hypersensitive politically correct leftist. I checked out YouTube to see what the fuss was about. Give me a break! You were speaking Gibberish to symbolize a language you didn’t know. So what?! so what is right
Hiroyuki writes: Rosie, Till this latest incident I was on your side. How could you use racist stereotyping? If what you say in the past is true, what you say in the unguarded is true - then I guess you are a racist come on hirou gotta be kidding"
this is the problem that i have, rosie. i imagine that the majority of the audience of the view are "1 million bored housewives" and like me, many of those bored housewives have kids. since viewing and applauding and approving your racist ching chonging, those 1 million bored housewives are turning to their children and tsk-tsking "those asians" who are much too sensitive, have no sense of humor and are "a-ok!" to make fun of per rosie.... THAT'S what i have a problem with. and the thing is - i'm not saying it would have happened whether or not you'd stuck your foot so far up your mouth that you were cleaning your ears. but now that you have, you've only made the problem that much worse. you've only made more work for mothers of color like me. THAT is why i'm upset. THAT is why i demand an apology to be said in front of that cheering and applauding public that supports you so wholeheartedly. rosie, just an fyi - these people were laughing and applauding with their children too.
i haven't seen any alerts for any campaigns so i urge you to complain and demand an apology. (it could happen - details magazine apologized. shaquille o'neil apologized. adam corolla apologized.)
abc television has it's own contact form here. and you can write or phone: ABC, Inc. 500 S. Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521-4551 (818) 460-7477
lastly, i'm going to tivo that bill o'reilly re-broadcast with john liu. a recap of it should be up on his website by midday tomorrow if you missed the original broadcast like me.
UPDATE 12/12:
i was curious about rosie's rep cindi berger (who also reps barbara walters, mariah carey, jessica simpson and the dixie chicks). i found an old article about rosie and cindi and spinning media hype. here's cindi's contact info by the way, if you want to complain to her directly too:
i just saw this depressing thread of comments on a post from gothamist. this sh*t just leaves me speechless. it's weird that people think this kind of taunting only happens to children - and like that's NOT a bad thing.... as if we somehow "forgive and forget". newsflash america - it doesn't stop when we grow up and so we can't forget.
the porkchop just went down for a morning nap. so, i'm just about to watch the bill o'reilly from last night. *rolls eyes*
UPDATE 12/12, 10:42 pm:
it's late and i've had a long day, but i had to check in... sorry in advance, if the following post is fuzzy...
i watched the factor from last night and was SO disappointed. bill o'reilly really couldn't see the reason for the outrage in the asian american community. and although john liu did a good job of voicing the collective opinion(s), i just don't think he was as tough as he should've been. it almost seemed like he backed off further and further into the interview. towards the end, he said something like, "i don't blame rosie. i blame barbara." WHAT!?
two things that stood out to me... 1) bill o'reilly thought it was just chinese people who were upset about this - a sentiment that is common in comment threads. that doesn't surprise me but, does he really think that the average non-asian can tell which asians are chinese or not? 2) bill o'reilly suggested that the view interview john liu and other asians on their show. i say, "YES!!!"
when i watched the view today, i was disappointed again to find that there was no apology offered even though a) all the ladies were talking about the importance of religious equality and that the seattle airport should have representations of kwanzaa and ramadan in addition to the christmas tree and the menorah and b) barbara actually brought up danny devito AGAIN.
rosie answered some more questions/comments on her blog and added a mini pseudo apology:
"Ben writes:
If the joke were about fat people and instead went: “Fat people around the world heard it. They probably said, ‘Gobble gobble, munch munch, DeVito, drunk, munch view, gobble”.’ Would it offend you?
well it would offend me as it makes no sense
but the joke was about the abusrdity of danny devito drunk on the view being INTERNATIONAL NEWS then the offensive ching chong and we’re off 2 the races
Ploy writes:
Did you really think that chinese bit was funny? Going “ching chong” is exactely how people degraded and mocked my family all our lives. It’s distasteful and it hurts me that it comes from you.
i am sorry it hurt u poly all the people who made fun of u in a negative way for being who u r
my bad accent was not meant to insult or degrade linguistic incompetence - guilty mocking - never
mel writes:
i love you rosie and i’m not offended by your asian joke but the reason people are is because you weren’t doing an accent. you weren’t speaking actual chinese, just mocking their speech.
i wasnt mocking thats my best impression accents r tough on the whole
Catherine writes:
U r an advocate for the gay community. U r a full-figured woman in a culture that doesn’t embrace it. Shame you can’t look beyond your world to try to understand the grievances of others.
but i do cath really - i do
denise writes:
Rosie you would have had a cow if someone did what you did to the chinese about Gay people. For Shame.
like someone doing a gay guy with a lisp like i do a lot
she's also answering more questions/comments and on a positive note, she says "i will b more sensitive / promise". see below:
Sarah writes:
So I guess it’s ok if I make GAY jokes if I call myself a comedian? RIGHT.
You have a lot of nerve blowing off your Asian joke considering how damn sensitive you are about GAYS.
FAT ASS
my ass isnt fat its my stomach sweet sarah - i sould like a delightful woman
John writes:
Miss O’Donnell, I was wondering when your public apology for insulting the Asian American community will be? P.S. I will make it my personal vendetta to make this public to everyone I know.
do ur best john
go in peace
Ben writes:
You say how you dont understand what the fuss is about, but its hard 2 understand w/o having grown up Asian. Imagine a derogatory gay joke. If YOU got bent outta shape about it, I WOULD understand…
ben i am sorry it hurt u i didnt think of it the way it was taken i will b more sensitive promise"
WHOA! i'm watching the view and i think joy just said that they're going to bring up the whole "rosie hates asians" thing on the second half of their "hot topics" segment!
nevermind... joy just meant they were going to talk more about whatever they were blathering on about in the second segment...
ha! apparently, bette midler's daughter is studying in china and she just came back from an enjoyable visit there and she said something like you guys better watch out 'cause i think they're going to all be showing up here tomorrow. to which rosie had nothing to say... which got me thinking - the following people are going to be on the view in the next couple of days. i think we should make sure they know about rosie's ching chong. maybe they can ask her about it on the show...
dari alexander susan sarandon fantasia julianne moore gladys knight
UPDATE 12/14:
ROSIE APOLOGIZED JUST NOW!
apparently, elizabeth is seeing an acupuncturist. and the brought up the subject of rosie's ching chong to elizabeth. THANK YOU ELIZABETH'S ACUPUNCTURIST!!!!! right after she said that, rosie says, "ok. we have to talk about this." and she went on to describe what happened they even played the ching chong clip again. rosie says that she didn't know it was offensive. she asked asian people she worked with and they told her that yes it was offensive. she apologized BUT she did say that she might say something like it again (can you BE any more VAGUE, rosie?) because that's how her mind works.
then... THEN, i almost wanted to strangle someone. first of all, joy behar seems pretty dismissive of the whole thing. then, either she or rosie says something like," are there any asians in the audience?" and two women in a front row wave. joy asks them if they were offended and they go "NO!" and clap and say "it was really funny".
WTF!!!??? were they planted there or something???
anyway... they're still talking about it. i'm sure the clip will show up soon. i have it tivo'd if someone can explain to me how to get a tivo program up, i'll happily do it.
so, did anyone else see rosie o'donnell on the view this morning? joy behar was talking about how danny devito's (drunken?) appearance on the show last week made them so popular that they were probably being broadcast in outer mongolia.
then, the porkchop started to cry (yeah, sometimes joy behar makes me cry too) and i didn't hear what rosie said next in response to that... but when i got back to the tv, what i did hear (i'm 90% sure) was "ching chong, ching chong, the view, ching chong, danny devito, ching chong, ching chong". and again, there was a porkchop intermission and when i came back, joy behar was talking with some random made up accent and rosie asks (i'm paraphrasing), "who is that you're talking like?" and joy behar says (i'm paraphrasing again) "i dunno. some terrorist from over there."
i keep looking for replays but i can't find any. just wondering if anyone else saw this?
julia sweeney (SNL's Paaaaat) was also on the show talking about her new show and cd. she also talked about her adopted daughter, mulan (which was her name in china, she's not named for the movie.) she has some funny a-parenting anecdotes on her blog.
here at chez 'zilla, we read a bevy of books as part of our nighttime routines. lately, it's been really fun (in the paloma's room anyway... back in the porkchop's crib, it's all..."good night moon, good night cow jumping over the moon, good night light and the red balloon" blah blah blah ad nauseum... ad nausea...). we stack up the pillows and hunker down in the blankets, read new stories, look at some pretty pictures and yawn and discuss and yawn and point and yawn again....
