Why and when did Asian become the new Black?

I went to the movies last night and saw "Gran Turino" (great movie for anybody looking to see one), but I was pretty disturbed by the string of racial terms aimed at the Asians in the movie. I realize the intent of the movie was to bring racial discrimination to the fore and then to resolve this in a "we are all part of humanity" kind of way, but there is no way that Hollywood or Indie movies could get away with saying a string of unsavory racist statements about blacks in 2009.

I understand that people will say it promoted the plot in "Gran Turino" and shows racism is wrong, but it seems to be a trend late last year I saw "Ghosttown" with Ricky Gervais another movie I kind of enjoyed, and once again it was full of asian slurs and racial epithets. In fact Ricky Gervais ( who is white) frequently picks on Asians, making them the brunt of his brand of humor.

But these two are not the only ones doing it comedians of all colors are making asian aimed jokes these days. Whilst using the black standard that only blacks can say the N word and not be offensive how is it that all comedians feel they can use asian slurs as part of their material and "be funny"?

My theory is that american people feel threatened by asians on the one hand because there are so many illegal asians in the states and the other because asians don't only come to the USA but they succeed.

I have wondered this myself. I have a zero tolerance policy on any sort of racist slang, names or jokes in my life. I think these groups need to make a huge stink about this, hate speech anyone? I also think all the unseemly names that are regularly used to describe those from the Arab nations are nasty and wrong too.

My hope and prayer is that the day will come that humanity can see each other as brothers and sisters. Last time I checked we all bleed red, love our children and just want to be happy. Racism is nothing but fear and insecurity. Perhaps one day people will live from a place of love and security.....but I am not holding my breath for that one either. I guess those of us that value love and diversity will just have to keep speaking out.

People always make jokes about black people to their face and behind their back. Theres been a 100 Obama jokes the diff is for the most part a black will crack the joke in your face. Also i know a lot of Asians an we all crack jokes on each other. You come to Cali. an you will see just how much a asian can get gangster on you. lol

i lol'd when i saw the title of this thread. For a thread that is against racism that sure is a funny title. kinda like "hey, why are we leavin the black folks out of it now?"
people are funny.

Originally posted by Enigma Publius
i lol'd when i saw the title of this thread. For a thread that is against racism that sure is a funny title. kinda like "hey, why are we leavin the black folks out of it now?"
people are funny.

I am not sure what you are saying. The title of the thread is a term that is out there quite a bit and several articles have been written about the fact that asians have become the new target of overt racism. Racism against black people has become much more covert. There are even T-shirts out there stating "Asian is the new black.

I believe that the term "the new black" implies not that they are being left out, but rather racism against blacks has become old fashioned and that Asian discrimination is the new in-trend.

I sort of wondered abotu this too in the Virginia Tech murders and the Montreal bus... people saying that that was mind control made me wonder if we were being primed somehow to beleive that Asians are inherantly violent, like people used to have us believe about black people.

reply to post by Mynaeris


its probably more to do with the fact that the asian races haven't kicked up a big stink about it yet. where the blacks have been saying there bit for a number of decades. if you know what i mean.
a famous guy can't run around screaming the N'''' word in america without a bunch of tough gangbangers banging him while he's bent over a park bench.
where the asians may not take as much heavy offence to such slurs and realize that sticks and stones break bones not words.

[edit on 24-1-2009 by spearhead]

thats one of your guys biggest hang ups in the states is race must see racial things from the states couple 100 hundred times a week
i live in canada and we just dont have any racism here its no big deal hasnt been for decades
we dont talk about it we dont do it

every week on this site there is what 50 -100 racial threads its such a waste of time its hard to imagine how much time you waste on it in the states i wonder how come its so different in canada

reply to post by Mynaeris

I don't go to the movies, because I really don't that there are any that convey the right message. Hollywood always seems to have their own agenda, and in my opinion, it is usually something that tends to break down society and traditional values.
Having said that, though, I don't see any bias or bigotry against Asians. Is it possible this is a West Coast thing only? I don't tolerate any sort of bigotry, and my circle of friends know that, so maybe I just don't see it, though.

reply to post by dean007

i live in canada and we just dont have any racism here its no big deal hasnt been for decades we dont talk about it we dont do it

Really. I guess that all those French versus English battles are just a fairy tale, then, or have you never been to Quebec?

The continent of Asia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world.

I believe this may be, in part, a cause of the shift in racism in the U.S.

I don't understand why Asians would be depicted this way (specifically in Gran Torino). Asian immigrants are some of the hardest working people we have in the USA.

Maybe the movie is trying to be politically correct.

I really don't know. I do know that in todays pol. climate the use of black gang-bangers would probably result in an uproar from the ACLU.

Don't forget it's still Hollywood. From a detached business "how are we gonna make money" point of view, depicting Asian's in the way Gran Turino does is probably a simple result of the movie depending on a group of gang bangers and Hollywood had to be very careful about a using a group that would be outraged enough to cost the movie revenue. I don't mean this as a racial judgment but it's possible that in a business sense using Asians as the gang presented the least costly option.

There's a saying that my dad used to tell me, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered". The reason most asians just don't care about how we are portrayed is becaus most of us just want to live successful lives. We don't really want to stick out because we are more concerned about being successful. From my experiences, the asians who do have too much pride, and boast about how they are being portrayed and complain about racial judgement are either gang members who have this rediculous "asian pride" crap ideal or asian lawyers, who are paid to think like that.

As my dad said, put me down all you want, but I'll be telling you what coffee to get me in a couple of years. I personally don't agree with him but he has his points.

reply to post by Mynaeris

My guess is when picking on people of african descent no longer as easy as it used to be. Especially since one of them is the leader of the most powerful country on earth. So those chickens pick up an easier target, the asians.

Unlike south american and african descents, asians are not that well entrenched in america, so it's easier to pick on them.

And as for Hollywood, Hollywood likes controversy, it sells.

reply to post by Mynaeris


Gran Torino was a great movie.

The racial slurs were from a man who clung to the hate of his
own deeds and wrapped himself in a wall of anger and rage
for things that had happened in his life that he could not undo.

Many very tough angry ppl are wrapping themselves in a facade
as a defense mechanism.

Clint walked into the barber and insulted his friend, and even insulted
some of the ppl he drank beer with at the bar.

It was a rough and tough "be a man" way of life that some still do to
this day, but a lot of them deep down are good ppl.

The good message was Honor, Courage, Tradition, and Self Sacrifice
for the sake of others.

In the movie clint knew he did not have long to live due to his smoking,
and the fortune teller basically let him know his death would be of
no consequence, he decided to change that.

If it had happened for real I am sure the ppl on that street would never
forget him.

It is an old message, you cannot tell a book by its cover.

reply to post by Ex_MislTech


I believe I made three things clear in my opening post - (1) that Gran Turino is a great movie and (2) that this is not an isolated incident and (3) as others have also pointed out that this kind of movie could not possibly have been made if the neighbors were black in 2008.

The point I am making is that asians have become a soft target for racial slurs and in some ways a substitute.

reply to post by Mynaeris


Ok, got ya, I just wanted to explain why they went about it like they did.

In the movie Clint also stop at the corner where the blacks were holding
the asian girl hostage, and he said some racist remarks to them too.

I admit the asians had the primary gang role in the film.

I admit that all the racial slurs can be insulting, but it was not limited
to only the asians.

Also I think if you look at the past what the blacks have gone thru
in the south the asians will never go thru that.

The worst the asians saw was during WW2 when a lot of them were
put in the camps here in the US.

Prejudice by all races is not going to die anytime soon, and as far
I can see all of them have it against all other races in varying degrees.

It will take some world shattering event to bring us all together as one.

Too many times had the british travelled the globe and used gunboat
diplomacy such as in the opium wars.

The chinese will likely never forgive whites for the opium wars and the
taking of hong kong, and I do not blame them.

Just keep in mind most ppl would not have condoned what the greedy
powers that be in the british empire did and it speaks to their
viking heritage as little more than pirates and raiders.

Trace the Hyksos kings forward from the Tribe of Dan.

Well enough of this tangent, lol.