Racism should never become just a normal way of life

By Ray Hanania, AAJA member, Chicago Chapter

June 10, 2008

As a journalist and standup comedian – some insist there is a difference -- I often use humor to make the point about race and diversity, including in my political cartoons. I know racism can easily be the result of what I like to call "innocent construction."

That's what may have happened recently in a photo published by the St. Petersburg Times in “tbt” (their “Tampa Bay Times” pullout section). The photo showed Asian girls giggling at naked frat boys who were running in a marathon as part of a celebration of the University of the Philippines 100th Anniversary. In an apparent attempt at humor, an insinuation about the runners’ genitals seemed to cross the line, touching on a sensitive Asian stereotype.

As a child, I remember hearing the term "paddy wagon" to refer to the police truck that picked up criminals.

I didn't know until covering Chicago City Hall that it originated from a 19th Century derogatory expression to Irish people. A popular Irish name, "Paddy" referred to the wagon called by either Irish police or for Irish immigrants charged with vagrancy.

"Mohammed" and "Osama" are popular Arab World names, but to generically refer to an Arab as "Mohammed" or "Osama" would be racist.

Sometimes, the construction doesn't start out so "innocently" as the "Paddy wagon" social stereotype, but is based on animosity. People use stereotypes to demean other people.

One of the most hurtful is a derogatory reference to an individual's physical features, especially sexual.

The Tampa Bay Times was lampooning photographs taken in the Philippines with cut-line jokes. Not everyone caught the significance.

In one picture, two young women were laughing and snapping photos as naked members of a college fraternity running by. We could only see their backsides, not their faces nor frontal views. The caption, underneath, seemed innocent enough, which included the line: “We could tell jokes about those girls needing a zoom lens, but that would just be in poor taste, wouldn’t it?”

The unimaginative, childish "little penis" joke.

But, was it just an innocent play on a childish joke, or was it a play on a stereotype often used in racist company to demean Asians and Asian Americans?

I don't think the caption writer or editors who came up with the line would have made the same joke if the runners were Caucasian, Black, Hispanic or Arab. Not because any one of these ethnic and racial groups have bigger fingers or feet, alleged symbols for you-know-what.

“Dick jokes” are not funny and have no place in any reputable publication, and appear driven there by the stereotype.

Even if they didn't intend it as a slam against Asians - because sometimes racism is the result of innocent construction - they should have known better, especially in today's day and age.

Not repeating a racist epithet is not the same as forgetting a racist epithet.

We should not forget these words, phrases and forms of racism and be mindful that when they are used, even innocently and without malice, they carry with them meaning to readers.