Leehom Wang Accused of Racist “Chinked-Out” Message
Chinese-American singer Leehom Wang (王力宏) was criticized by netizens for using the term “chinked-out” in a recent Sina Weibo post.
On the evening of August 13, Leehom published a photograph of himself on Sina Weibo, which shows him sitting in an airplane seat while displaying the victory sign with his left hand. “Bringing chinked-out to the entire world,” he wrote. “Performance tomorrow in New York!”
His use of the term “chinked-out” angered many netizens, since “chink” is a racially derogatory word used to describe Chinese people. These netizens felt that since Leehom is a Chinese American, he should understand the word’s underlying racial discrimination. “Go back to America!” some of them wrote.
However, supporters of Leehom retaliated by saying that while “chink” is a racial insult, the addition of the past-tense suffix “-ed” and the word “out” signifies that the era of looking down upon Chinese people is over.
Leehom’s management company further clarified the situation, stating that “bringing chinked-out to the entire world” comes from the lyrics of his song “Heroes of Earth” <蓋世英雄>, as well as asking netizens to refrain from over-analyzing. Moreover, Leehom himself has previously said that he coined the term “chinked-out” to describe his style of music, which fuses traditional Chinese musical genres with hip-hop and R&B.
The word “chink” also made headlines two years ago, when an ESPN editor used the phrase “chink in the armor” to describe Taiwanese-American NBA player Jeremy Lin (林書豪), who had just given a sub-par performance on the basketball court. Though the idiom is widely known as being synonymous with “Achilles’ heel,” using the term in relation to Lin was seen as offensive, and the editor was subsequently fired.
During that incident, Leehom commented on Weibo, saying, “By itself, this phrase isn’t a problem, but when used with Jeremy Lin, it makes people think of the Chinese-demeaning word ‘chink.’ Friends, you should all be familiar with this word, right? It’s my hip-hop style, chinked-out.”
This article is written by Joanna for JayneStars.com.
Wow, Wang Lee Hom has been using that term for a long time now. Why would anyone suddenly get offended?
You’re right my nigga
we can’t use the n word at all – doing that is like endorsing this:
http://macklyons.blogspot.com/2012/03/jesse-lee-peterson-badly-whipped.html
Yeah same thing. If blacks can use the N word and get away with it, then he has every right to use the C word.
I don’t agree with that thinking, but that is how the world works. Same with gays using the “F” word. Perfectly fine for them but homophobic for non gays to use it.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have jews who call you antisemitic if you call them a jew….
If Chinese or blacks want to reclaim the word fine, but don’t get all upset if everyone else uses it too, since they see you doing it. That is the risk you run by continuing to use it these days.
God I feel old. This probably all makes sense to teenagers and 20somethings.
As Phoebe from Friends would say, “this is brand new information!”
If your style is ‘chinked out’, then I won’t buy your music.
You may be a chink but i am Chinese, not chink, ever.
People are so sensitive. Chink doesn’t even sound bad.
r u part of the KKK?
You’re just too sensitive.
it’s bad imagine if someone calls your grandkids or kids chinks in the future but when that happens don’t be too sensitive about it
It’s not whether the word sounds bad or not, but whether the intention behind the use of the word is bad. In this case, his intentions were not bad, so he’s not being a racist.
Now, whether cloud will react sensitively to someone calling his/her grandkids or kids by the same term in the future is totally irrelevant. It’s just you (it’s bad) trying to get personal and it is unnecessary. However, @cloud, there is nothing wrong with people being sensitive either because racism and racial slurs do hit nerves (as I’m sure you are well aware), but it’s important to decide whether there is a valid reason to get sensitive, or whether people are using their sensitivity as a shut-up argument.
Well said MT. The intention behind the usage of the word is very important. Sometimes I think our generation should take a step back from being so snobby about being politically correct and stop reading everything at face value.
It can be said with a great deal of meanness and total dislike of the recipient but I was pretty indifferent when for a few years, I got into “arguments” about being called that everyday.
It was the last two years of high school and I think my small town was going through economic problems. And I guess my school was sick of me as they expected that I would go onto a better life than they would because I learned pretty fast.
However, they had been very tolerant of me and my dissonance for the first six years that I was at that school so that actually provided a cushion of maybe not arrogance but definitely some kind of armor in that I really was not affected by the hate behind “chink” but I should have been more sensitive and examined what was going on with them – they never called the previous year’s Chinese girl that because she and her mother really schmoozed with the parents and teachers but I was more isolated.
In any case, getting into fights about being called chink was not about being called chink at all – I’m still indifferent about hat word – it was … probably more about a very Cartman-esque attitude about how I was spoken to.
FIGHT!
sorry last two years of grade school – no one called me that in high school
what is the meaning of .. “schmoozed” if u dont mind, cleo ?
schmoozed is bringing plenty of Chinese food to Parent Teacher meetings, being glad to help clean up, neutral friendliness and going to church with them – my parents did not attend any events so I was the school and their parents’ only contact with my family and my parents never guided me at home about how to interact with anyone, they left me to my own devices especially with social navigation and interaction
I dont think it up to you or anyone to say if people are too sensitive or not towards the word. While ‘chink’ can be completely fine or dont give a care in the world for some, it could be extremely offensive for other people depending on their context imo.
yup clementine is right.
How the black rappers use the N word? So you yourself use that word is ok since you’re chinese but not other races? I can’t remember who said this about the N word, probably Bill Cosby something along the line that you want respect don’t use a derogatory term even if you are the same race. This Lee Hom trying to be edgy when he could just write better songs, marry someone edgier, etc.
@Funn Lim
Very well said.
I think because his background is so unassailable that he can bring that word into conversation. I think there are lonely chinese kids in America who really need to not be addressed with that word – they want to be liked and included and this would really hurt them. I’m thankful that my brother who would have minded terribly was shielded by his classmates from the one classmate who wanted to employ that word and keep my brother miserable.
@Cleo
I am so sorry to hear what your brother went through.
@cleo,
Sorry to hear about your brother. I went through the same thing and still remember being made fun of and bring Ching Chong by this one white and African American guy in elementary school. I later found out those guys were both sent to,a bad school where only bad students went to so that truly showed something about their character. Therefore, as I grew up, I began to careless and as Martin Luther King said, you should judge people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.
Totally agree with this.
He should have come up with his own term unique to his style – and race if he must. I would leave the race part out (so sick of race being included in everything these days – good and bad), but it’s clear that he is proud to be Chinese, so maybe that part is important to him.
Music is more about style and the energy you exude anyway.
It’s unfortunate that he couldn’t think up something better, but maybe that word isn’t as hurtful to him as it is to some people and so he never gave it a second thought about trying to reclaim it.
Instead of insulting him, the netizens should have suggested better terms or asked him to come up with something else instead of attacking him. That just shows how much power that word still has. Maybe this whole incident will persuade him to choose something else.
well, some folks have their adoring idol worshipping heads so far up this man’s backside that they cannot see that he is using derogatory, racists words against his own kind of race.
I agree with Funn, I can’t stand it when other blacks calls their own race by the ‘N’word. Why should the Chinese embrace Lee Hom calling them by them by that word. It is racist, no matter how you slice it, and no excuse can make up for it.
I think there needs to be Black elders who object to that word officially and then younger Black entertainers who publicly co-opt that word.
Why? Because it is unbelievably hurtful because using it means you are not sorry about what was done against Black people and you enjoy that it happened:
http://macklyons.blogspot.com/2012/03/jesse-lee-peterson-badly-whipped.html
a small vulnerable Black child would feel great pain if that word was used to bully them and it definitely would be used to make someone who couldn’t retaliate feel pain so I think it PROTECTS Black children that hard powerful public figures OWN that word and SCARE racists still into not being able to use that word at all.
That is quite a balancing act and people from Africa could not have pulled it off -it had to be done by Black Americans with a known history that would cause a chip on their shoulder and warns off predators.
I think the difference is MURDER and despite the similar to lynchings that Chinese experienced due to job competition and yes, racism. Those unjust deaths – well, we will never fully appreciate how bad that is –
but beyond Opium Wars and Unequal Treaties, racism in Hong Kong – we have another side of positive experiences that means we can never understand the Black-White relationship and Black people see that – that we don’t see how bad it is and somehow our lesser negative experience betrays them because we end up liking and trusting White people more than we should if we were to take the Black experience into account.
Lee Hom is interesting in that he is that typical Taiwanese Number One Son type – he looks like he should be a doctor. But he enjoys a celebrity’s popularity so that’s kind of a vindication for his goody goody class and someone like him growing up WOULD have been defenseless and retaliatory-less when called that word.
You may disagree that getting called that everyday for a few years like me gives me the right to use that word at all. But in my house, I use it with my brother – chink it up – but I think in his mind – he isn’t hearing what that word is meant to convey – I think raised only with it by me – he thinks it means people like us – not exactly fobs – but super Chinese in and of ourselves but naturally American. We aren’t upset when we deem something as chinky – I think that is used when Chinese Americans use that word because they experienced as a derogation of their culture and their appearance and background.
I don’t think that we say something is too chinky for us – or that someone god help us is chinky (as if there was something wrong with that). Chinky to us is kind of unapologetic differentness in America. For us, we belong in chinkiness. I mean we are very authentically ethnic but not exotic.
But that means I was very lucky because prior to being called chink, no one in my school was mean about my being Chinese. I got to keep my old school immigrant pride intact from my babysitters. That – not arrogance – but maybe assuredness – was never molested.
I never had to become an Uncle Tom either because my parents were too clueless to move to an aspirational neighborhood with a preppy school culture. I was in a working class town.
I think it’s different for Koreans and the G word because of the war. I think other than really racist English probably still in England – which the Chinese will just disdain furiously anyway and say they have body odor – I think that outside of that vicious kind of boot on your neck, I have power and authority over you – our collective experience is relatively … impersonal.
It’s not like what Korea and Vietnam experienced because they were on the receiving end of the American gun. For us, it’s white pilots in Yunnan. It’s foreign witnesses in Harbin, Shanghai, Nanjing – it’s previously not quite trusted but tolerated missionaries who became the alternative – a hope – that possibly an outsider would be a lifesaver during the Japanese invasion.
I’m not saying chink is okay – don’t say it – don’t let little kids hear that – don’t let it become socially acceptable.
But sometimes you have to grow up and be in your space and own your relationship to other people. If I were the female version of Lee Hom than probably I would never hear it and should never use it. But I’m the fellow bus passenger, I’m the one who needs to chat up a service provider and hope they don’t hate me and sabotage me so that word will probably never come up but I already own it. And I don’t want a perfectly nice Puerto Rican to feel he just stepped in it if he uses that word to describe 50 Cent’s eyes.
We ruined his big black eyes! It’s true.
I’m hoping that if some stranger did use that word on my brother – he would definitely be hurt – but he has some of what was imparted – in that he would also be distracted by how fekekt that would be for someone to utter that word.
I think he would react automatically, with a Wah, mhai ma?
instead of that old natural response of ouch
In america ”nigga” is not really offended and it is use by non black too. ”Chink” or ”gook” is offensive
What?? I guess you don’t live in the States to understand the cultural implication of the N word.
Um yeah….. I dont know any white person that could say that to a black person and walk away unscathed.
MAYBE one of those white-gangster-wanna-be-black-kids that you sometimes see hanging out with other thugs dressed just like them. Maybe he can get away with it. – Not a normal white person though.
Double standards are alive and thriving in the US.
– You are right about the C and G word though, those are still offensive (except to Leehom)lol.
@Sandy
You need to keep your comments quiet until you get an education about the ‘N” word. You obviously does not know the racist and negative implication of the word. Or maybe you think nothing of blacks so it is okay for them to be called that, while the Chinese derogatory word is not okay. Please go and spend six months in America.
Well said Trini and Sandy is truly lost when it comes to the N word. I guess she may not be from America or was never educated on that topic.
I live in california,alots of the non black ghetto kids use the word ”nigga” even the asian in san francisco use it too and the blacks don’t mind it at all. It is Slang term for homie, friend, buddy, etc.
^
OK, I would love to see you going into places like Watts, LA, Roxbury Boston, Harlem NY or the South Side of Chicago and start shouting the N word at everyone.
I am sure none would mind.
I already said ”Nigga” already become slang term for homeie/mate.
Unless you the word in aggressive way then it another story
^
OK then, go to the places I had mentioned above and shout the N word in the most “non aggressive” manner you see fit and then see what happen then.
I don’t use the word ”nigga”.It my friends from high school who use that word and they mostly use it on someone that they know. Like every other word it depends on intention and context.
Chink is NOT a word that is history, it is still used to demean the chinese population to this very day. Children are still bullied with it, adults grow up remember being abused by it. It’s a disgusting word, and completely not necessary to use just to appear cool, trendy and western.
SHAME on you Leehom Wang. Thank goodness I have never bothered with your music too.
But Wang Lee Hom has actually put a new meaning to that word for many people. I remember him saying something about it in an interview where he was also bullied for being Chinese. It’s not like he doesn’t know the taste of it. But “chink-out” was just something he made up, which I think makes his music unique. Not to mention his music has brought a lot to positive international attention to China. I don’t think his intention behind the term was meant to be racist.
Well said Nancy and it is not just that word or any word, but what is your intention behind it? It is like when you say anything. It is not only what you say but how you say it is just as important.
Oh quit with the SHAME on you crap and get off your high horse, megamiaow. Nancy made a good point. Language evolves with usage, and Lee Hom is just trying (perhaps unsuccessfully) to change the meaning/usage of a term that was historically used in a derogatory manner. Your self-righteousness and anger is totally unnecessary.
You ignorance makes me laugh too. And it’s called pride (not me sitting on a high horse) something you obviously lack.
I think it it is hypocritical to say LeeHom is racist against his own race when in fact majority of people here who are chinese themselves are actually the ones that are indeed racist against their own race. Example: hating Chinese people from China.
imagine a world where people are to address others in a manner that they would like others to address their own loving parents.
he’s been using that term for a long time. he often uses when he refers to some of his albums. why such a big deal now?
Well put it this way, those who believe the term is racist, no matter how many times a person uses a racist word in their vocabulary, it wouldnt gradually make the word not racist.. people may get use to the word being said and hear or even tolerated, but that’s a different story.
Why so sensitive over small issue? Peace la!
I think it is irresponsible myself. We need to rid our language of such terms. Using “in jest” in not acceptable… the excuse of “claiming the word for our own” is silly IMHO, and instead of banishing the term it instead legitimizes it in a twisted fashion. It’s a mistake IMHO.
Hear hear! Trying in vain to popularise such a historically offensive word is lame. Has the N word become not an offensive term anymore just because rappers use it often? No!!! It is every much as shameful and disgraceful as it ever was.
hes taiwanese though. they sure love gwailo. racism against chinese is not racism. look up vincent chin.
racism toward chinese is still racism just that asian are usually more passive and scared to say anything back so in that sense people that are racist toward asian continue it since most asian wouldn’t fight back.
you are correct.
Them white people and latinos and african americans always seem to pick on Asians because they perceive them as weak,submissive and don’t fight back.
School, college in USA case in point.
Ethnically, he’s Chinese. His grandparents are from the Zhejiang region. His uncle composed ‘descendants of the dragon,’ something of an anthem for Chinese people.
In the US, when it comes to derogatory terms, only a person of that race can use it. For example, African Americans use the “N” word all the time and call each other that. But people outside of that race CANNOT call them that. It’s the same with the term “chink”…
You mean the word ”nigga”?In american no blacks can use that word too.
I’m not sure at all that Chinese can call each other chink without being hateful. I’ve already heard firsthand and secondhand about Asian Americans who proudly declare themselves bananas as if drawing a line in the sand for the rest of us to not cross and Contaminate them with our chinkiness.
I use it in the house with my brother but I don’t know that I would actually use it in conversation with another Chinese but if I did it would be for a benevolent reason and maybe that is also why Leehom Wang is doing it – to pull any kid out there feeling chinky, being called that word and feeling bad about themselves as a result.
I remember Tamlyn Tomita using the word chink in an interview about what she disliked about Hollywood typecasting in that she was implying that that word was used against her and other Asian actors in an objectionable way. But I thought, “wow, Tamlyn Tomita does not really get how inappropriate that is of her.”
because if they are calling me chink in grade school, better believe that what they’re not calling a Japanese is about much deeper feelings of dislke – I know this because I got stabbed in the hand with a bic pen who said I was Japanese and should sit on his lap like when his brother was stationed in Okinawa.
People in this thread are ‘chinked off’. Chill out.
leehom is racist. he has taiwanese pride. he does not identify himself as chinese.
that’s why he met up with jeremy lin specifically.
those are just silly words out of your mouth. leehom never said anything about not identifying as chinese, spending more than half his time in China.
lots of celebrities from Taiwan and China met jeremy lin because they love basketball and proud of one of their own
what…I dont know about anyone else, but i’ve always thought Taiwanese would also be identified as being Chinese as well… o_O or am I just completely wrong.
It depends ,do you mean Chinese Taiwanese or actual Taiwanese? People who are native Taiwanese look like Filipinos. I used to have a classmate that was Chinese Taiwanese but hated being called Chinese. But then I had another classmate that was also Chinese Taiwanese that did not mind being called Chinese. I think it is more political rather than racist. It just all depends on how you want to identify yourself.
Err … No. I don’t think native Taiwanese or aboriginal Taiwanese look like Filipinos. Ah Mei and that duo from Power Station are native Taiwanese and they look nothing like Filipinos. If anything, the Polynesians or native Hawaiians (think Lilo as in Lilo from the Disney cartoon) look like Filipinos.
It really varies then because the ones that I have met in person do look Filipino. Hey that just shows that looks vary among each individual. I did not know that Ah Mei and Dong Li Huo,Che are native Taiwanese. Hm… I wonder if they are Chinese mixed?
I also think of Taiwanese as Chinese descent, even if politically they want nothing to do with China in terms of splitting up the land and whatnot.
I also think they look the same as Chinese people. Japanese and Koreans might have different features but Taiwanese and Chinese have the same.
@HTS. Ah Mei is from the Puyuma tribe and Power Station duo is from the Paiwan tribe. They are all native Taiwanese and not “mixed”.
I’ve seen old photos where they look Peruvian!
I don’t think it was racist unless it was obviously offensive and he did made remake of ‘’descendants of the dragon” song.
I also don’t think ESPN meant to insult jeremy lin when they said ”chink in the armor”
For me, Chink isn’t a “racist” term/word at all. In my opinion, Maybe, The Chinese netizens are only too sensitive. My opinion only guys.
Aces, do you think westerners call Chinese people Chinks because they are not being racist? The term is thrown at chinese purely refer to the race (in a demeaning sense). So how is it that the word Chink, not be anything but racist?
Are you going to next say Paki is not a racist term because it is a shortened term of Pakistani?
Shout racial slur like Chink in west coast of america and see what the Asian communities reaction.
I actually never understand why he had to use that term in this rap songs in the first place. I mean I guess its more of a selling point to him if he made it a little different and I doubt that he was being racist or whatever when that was used but still it’s not a 100% good term to use it whether you are chinese or america.
If you are chinese yes, if u used that term less harsh but for an american to use it, that’s really gonna kick some nerves. But even so being chinese or whatever he is if he still on himself being taiwanese and using that term might still NOT be acceptable to all since everyone thinks differently and some might be take it as a bit offensive even if you are chinese. They are probably thinking if americans use it that’s NOT GOOD at all but even an asian use that on themselves? Still NOT cool…however you think on it, it is still derogatory term?
The N. and C words are words spiteful, derogatary, racially charged words used by other races to insult and degrade chinese and blacks. They have a negative meaning behind them and should not be used by the blacks or chinese to address each other.
We chinese, and black people are far from pleased when we are called these words by others. Why then, would we, or should we turn around and address each other using these words.
It is first class ignorance to say it is all right if these words are used by the race itself to address each other. An offensive word is an offensive word, no matter who it is used by in reference to who.
I don’t think a chinese or black would be happy if their wife, mother, son, best friend, teacher, boss had to say ” Good morning A-hole, how wasn your day douche bag?”. These words are derogatory insulting words and unless the receiprient is atotal loser, he or she will not accept being referred to that way.
Lee Hom should know better as to let such a word be left alone. Because of the history and original meaning behind the word, it should not be in his songs, whether he meant it in a good way or not. No derogatory word has no good meaning.
Chink is a derogatory term but in this context it’s used differently..
I’m pretty sure Leehom uses the word with pride. (:
Btw my friends calls each other (only friends) chink, as long as it’s used harmlessly, then no one should be being too sensitive about it.
In his context, I can understand his use of the term “chinked-out.” So I don’t he’s being racist.
However, that can be an awfully offensive word. Some people aren’t offended, maybe because they’ve never felt the power of the word. But if you grow up, and someone disses you with that word, it’s meant to alienate and offend, so I’m sure you’d feel otherwise.
Also, I’m from SF, and I have to disagree that you can’t use terms like the N word loosely. Yes, some people will say it, even jokingly with each other, but I think it’s because those people really don’t get it. They haven’t been through the history of it.
Once upon a time, I didn’t really get it, and was stupid enough to ask my friend who is black. She didn’t explain it, she just said, “are you serious?”
If people try to keep an open mind, that even if you think it’s okay to use terms loosely, just be aware. There’s a reason people are really offended! In this case, it’s not controversy over nothing…
I don’t like Leehom’s term, but don’t see any racist propaganda.
its stupid.. people can;t even laugh at themselves these days or take the mickey out of anything. its a freaking sterile world. politically correct. fck that
bigots would agree heartily with you.
…chinked-out with your reply
It’s not “political correct” – that’s just a term that the low brow used when they are upset at being asked to be civil. It’s being respectful to those around you.
There are more physical differences between breeds of dogs than there are between races of humans. It’s time we all started acting like we are the same and get past the colour of our skin.
Seriously.
I would appreciate what you said if it was said 50 years ago, but right now…? You are not a hero!
I wasn’t trying to be a hero… I was trying to be a human being. There is a difference.
And one other thought… the fight against racism is just as relevant today as it was “50 years ago.”
Ching Chang Chong Ling Long Wo Bing Bang Bong Ting Ting Tong Tong Kip Kop Ai