'Gay or Asian' - or racist (Mag employs Anti-Asian Sterotypes to show how silly our gay ones are)

NY Daily News ^ | April 5, 2004 | HUGH SON

[presidio9]

A spoof in the latest issue of Details has provoked a fierce reaction from area Asian-Americans furious over what they perceive as a scurrilous jest by a national magazine. The April issue of the magazine - which features fur-clad singer Nick Lachey on its cover - instructs readers how to discern whether a model is a homosexual or an Asian male.

The full-page feature, titled "Gay or Asian?" is loaded with double entendres that poke fun at stereotypes of Asians and gays.

"One cruises for chicken; the other takes it General Tso-style," writes Details staffer Whitney McNally.

Details magazine has a circulation of 400,000 and is carried in bookstores across the nation.

Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) denounced the magazine's tongue-in-cheek racial characterizations.

"People are outraged by this," he said. "I suppose someone thought it was funny to equate the Asian male with the so-called stereotypical gay man - which is ridiculous."

An online petition against Details started a week ago, and it had more than 22,000 signatures as of Friday.

Matte Chi, a 27-year-old Web developer from Carroll Gardens, said that at first he thought the article was an Internet hoax.

"I couldn't believe that a real magazine would publish something so blatantly racist," Chi said.

"This type of thing sets us back in the American consciousness," added Daniel Lee, 22, of Searingtown, L.I., who set up the online petition.

Details spokeswoman Andrea Kaplan said editors rushed to put a statement in their May issue after they were flooded with angry phone calls.

"We regret the fact that anyone has been offended by this article, and we're sorry a piece of satire has been interpreted this way," Kaplan told the Daily News.

"Unintentional hate still hurts," responded Caryl Stern, associate national director of the Anti-Defamation League. She called the Details piece "horribly offensive."

The magazine's May statement, which dubbed the item "a humorous swipe at social stereotypes," was inadequate to those planning an April 16 protest at Details' midtown offices.

"It's not an apology - they just say they regret some people are offended by the feature, not that it was wrong," said Doris Lin, spokeswoman for Manhattan-based Asian Media Watchdog.

Lin said she hoped the Asian-American community would rally against Details magazine, in a bid similar to one two years ago to have retailer Abercrombie and Fitch remove T-shirts with Asian caricatures.

"We want a full-page apology, and we want Whitney McNally fired," Lin added.

[Bismarck]

People whine too much... Was there any German-American whining and bitching when Mike Myer's did "Dieter"? What about Hans and Franz? Hey, what about French-Americans whining about Pepe Le Pew? And what about Italian-Americans complaining about the the fact that every single big movie about Italians has a Mafia-theme?

[Bismarck]

People whine too much... Was there any German-American whining and bitching when Mike Myer's did "Dieter"? What about Hans and Franz? Hey, what about French-Americans whining about Pepe Le Pew? And what about Italian-Americans complaining about the the fact that every single big movie about Italians has a Mafia-theme?

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[socal_parrot]

OK, the category is "Dead or Canadian"...

[judgeandjury]

"I couldn't believe that a real magazine would publish something so blatantly racist," Chi said.

Racist maybe, but hateful, no. It's called humor. Chris Rock, one of my favorite comedians, is great at doing racist comedy.

[antiRepublicrat]

And wasn't Speedy Gonzales taken off the air because of complaints, only to be put back on because the Hispanic community complained of his absence?

[sirshackleton]

Here's a game my roommate and I got a lot of mileage out of in college:

Gay or Eurotrash??

[joebuck]

"Unintentional hate still hurts," responded Caryl Stern, associate national director of the Anti-Defamation League."

How can you have unintentional hate? This shows the mindset of these people - if anyone chooses to take offense at what you say, regardless of how you intended it, it is hate. This obviously turns the meaning of hate on its head. Reminds me of the Queen in Alice in Wonderland: "Words mean exactly what I want them to mean, nothing more and nothing less."

[Map Kernow]

"Unintentional hate still hurts," responded Caryl Stern, associate national director of the Anti-Defamation League. She called the Details piece "horribly offensive."

How the hell can HATE lack INTENT? And how can anyone with any pretense of breeding or civilization legitimately take offense where none is meant? Does this Foxman flunkie comprehend the English language?

Only a totalitarian fascist would try to divorce an offense from the actor's intent like this. What point will so-called "hate crimes" laws have if one can be found "guilty" of such a crime, even though the so-called "hate" is "unintentional"? It's an exercise worthy of George Orwell, and, not to my surprise at all, the anti-freedom, ethno-fascist, unAmerican ADL is leading the charge.

[Fishing-guy]

"We want a full-page apology, and we want Whitney McNally fired," Lin added.

Not only should he be fired, but the editor should be fired too for not doing his job.

[uncitizen]

"Unintentional hate still hurts," responded Caryl Stern, associate national director of the Anti-Defamation League. She called the Details piece "horribly offensive."

How the hell can HATE lack INTENT?

You're not supposed to put that much thought into it. You know, like a liberal.

[Guvmint_Cheese]

Yeah, but they're all White, and it's okay to make stereotypical comments against Whitey. However, weren't Asians moved up to "White" status in terms of discrimination? Or was that just for Affirmative Action in college admissions...

[HitmanLV]

I'm Italian American and have always been appalled at the characterization of Italians by Chico Marx in The Marx Brothers films! Come to think of it, they are disrpespectful to mutes too. Ban those screen classics!

[In case you were wondering, I am just kidding!]

[expatpat]

it's ironic that the Chinese have a proverb:"As bad to take offense as to give it".

[Billthedrill]

Actually, I think it's been done already. FReeper Python fans, help me out here - didn't Monty Python deliberately pick on the most inoffensive country they could find in one sketch and end up slamming...the Dutch?

[expatpat]

For PC driven (drivel?) liberals, 'offensive' has been translated to 'hate', used as an adjective. TOf course, they're good at debasing words (eg., 'gay').

[KC_for_Freedom]

How can you have unintentional hate?

Yes, much like the term "unacknowledged homophobia". (or racism) substitute what you like, it means you are not a card carrying member of the left agenda, and are subject to the most degrading isolation that the left can provide if you happen to be in a job or community where you are constantly around leftists.

[longtermmemmory]

This is just more of trying to equate homosexual with normal

Nomal people can marry
If homosexual men can marry each other,
homosexual men are normal

Asians are normal people suffering from stereotypes
Homosexuals suffer from stereotypes
Homosexuals are normal people suffering from stereotypes

Details must be a magazine for democrats.