Is this Racist?

[PunkRex]

I know this is always a stated thing but why do I get the feeling that the people complaining weren't Buddists.

I was actually talking about the term oriental with my friend at college today. I don't see people really getting super-offended at it but it does sound like something you order over the phone like food, furniture... a bride.

I don't really see whats racist about the shirts. Budda seems like a charming fellow, Wok and roll doesn't seem racist to me but I dont get the Wong Brothers reference so derp.

 

[PunkRex]

Also, even if they wanted to argue that the images are racist I dont know how they could when Asia itself is pumping out media monsters like this:

: Asian cities are filled with these cutesy mother fudgers!

 

[Belaam]

I like T-shirts that loudly proclaim the wearer's bigotry, insensitivity, or sexism.

They clue me in so I don't make the mistake of talking to the wearer.

 

[Soviet Steve]

Huh, so something being outdated is good a good reason to hate it now? Grab your pitchforks everyone, I smell a windows XP user nearby!

Also for the fun of it: I'm occidental. Oooouuuuuh self-racism!

Captcha: Lunatic StatedH

 

[James Crook]

Am I the only one in the world that doesn't like Abercrombie and think it's just another overpriced brand?
BACK TO THE OT, starring Michael J. Fox: Nope, not racist. AT ALL. Why are people so neurotic about racism?

 

[DanielBrown]

People are way too easy to offend these days...

 

[lacktheknack]

"Oriental is an outdated term"

My vocabulary isn't that massive. I'm now reduced to referring to the skin color as "yellowish".

Ooh, didn't want THAT to come back now, did you?

 

[Risingblade]

You'd have to ask people of that race

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Nothing wrong with either the necklace, nor with the adjective "oriental". It means "from the orient" which is a valid descriptor and carries zero negative connotations.

The T-Shirts however, I would agree with the claims. They clearly draw charicatures of a culture, of cultural icons. I will admit that I don't doubt that the shirts aren't intended to be offensive, but despite intentions drawing such graphics is racist, offensive or not. In its way, it is little different than, for example (and this is an extreme example purely to illustrate), "the evil jew [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fec8-kd2Sh4/TfgVW4YUcvI/AAAAAAAAEUs/I3IsEey0US8/s1600/EvilJew01.png]", the "american tourist" [http://www.akeyinthedoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/two-american-tourists1.jpg], "the frenchman [http://www.newsbiscuit.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Frenchman.jpg]" and so on. Charicatures and stereotypes are racist, whether or not they cause any offense.

 

[Micalas]

It is not up to you.

This is very true. But it's up to us whether or not we give a fuck.

People really need to stop bitching. You may not like it but intent is very much a big part of life. Your example of murdering your kids with the intent of "saving them" is moot because civilized society has generally decided that intentionally killing someone is a no-no.

Unless a person is being oppressed no one should give a shit. For example:

White dude runs up and calls a black guy a ******. That's fucked up but he should be legally in his right to do it.

White dude denies a person a job because he is black. THAT is wrong.

Racist perception will always exist. Stereotyping has even been done between people of the same race for as long as human has walked the Earth. It's just how things are going to be. You may not like it but until there are thought crimes a la 1984, we're just going to have to deal with it.

 

[wraithian]

So, I'm a minority (half minority. Half Irish, half Mexican. Pseudo-nority? Hell, I don't know). My dad told me something when I was younger, talking about Mexican jokes (as these things go, my dad always told the best Mexican jokes, and his co worker, big black guy, told the best black jokes--life's funny like that). There was a big issue regarding hispanic stereotyping and racism years ago, and my dad said something to the effect of, "What would we do without the over-educated white collar white guys protecting the sensitivities of us blue collar Mexicans?" And, well, I still chuckle when I think about it. It's usually a group that is in no way affiliated with the supposed, "wounded," party making the biggest deal out of something that gets no more than an eye roll or a half amused chuckle from the group it's targeted at.

 

[Micalas]

It is not up to you.

This is very true. But it's up to us whether or not we give a fuck.

People really need to stop bitching. You may not like it but intent is very much a big part of life. Your example of murdering your kids with the intent of "saving them" is moot because civilized society has generally decided that intentionally killing someone is a no-no.

Unless a person is being oppressed no one should give a shit. For example:

White dude runs up and calls a black guy a ******. That's fucked up but he should be legally in his right to do it.

White dude denies a person a job because he is black. THAT is wrong.

Racist perception will always exist. Stereotyping has even been done between people of the same race for as long as human has walked the Earth. It's just how things are going to be. You may not like it but until there are thought crimes a la 1984, we're just going to have to deal with it.

'

What needs to stop is people bitching about how we can't make these things illegal when no one suggested here in the first place. Paranoia much? I mean God, really? Whine whine whine about people objecting and coming up with random shit about legality when that has nothing to do with it. Just because it's legal doesn't mean we should refrain from criticism.

I never said he was suggesting it be made illegal and I'm not being paranoid. I was just using the legal edge because that's all any of us have. The rest of the stuff we're debating is all opinion and god knows that sure as hell won't change in an internet argument.

When you have no legal authority to stop someone from doing something (right or wrong) your only options are to ***** and hope the course is changed or get a law passed. That's why I said anything about the legallity.

 

[kickyourass]

The necklace? No, looks like a geisha. The Buddha shirt? Don't think that's racist either, "Buddha" isn't a race and neither is Buddhism.

The two bottom shirts, however, yes they look pretty racist. The headgear being the biggest offender.

Hit the nail straight on the head there.

 

[Selway]

The Buddha shirt? Questionable but the image of a fat Buddha has been around for a while and most have gone with it.

To start this isn't so much directed at you specifically as much as clarifying in general because some people seem confused about this particular depiction.

As one or two others have said the laughing (fat) Buddha is not the same person who founded Buddhism. To be a Buddha just means to have achieved enlightenment, breaking the cycle of reincarnation, moving on to a higher existence and such. I suppose the term can be thought of a bit like someone being declared a saint in Christianity, but not exactly since they're seen as god like (though being a Buddha is not the same thing as being a god, there are also gods in some Buddhist traditions which I'm not even going to try to explain cause I'm hardily the person to try). There are several figures recognized as Buddhas within Buddhism, which differs from country to country.

The laughing Buddha is from China. The reason he's shown as fat is steeped in Chinese culture. Depictions of historical figures and such weren't always about being accurate for them as much as using certain cues like color of skin (some dudes are said to have had blue or red skin in myths), long ears, being heavy and so forth to tell you about the kind of person they are meant to be or ideas they represent. It's possible the monk the laughing Buddha was based on was actually fat, I dunno really off hand, but it's also short hand for prosperity in Chinese culture.

The western world thinks of the laughing Buddha as the Buddha because he pretty much took the place of the original Buddha as the foremost image of Buddhism in China and Japan, amongst other places. Whereas India, and again other areas, have for the most part retained the enlightened (skinny originator of Buddhism) Buddha as their preferred depiction. It's easy to see why people get confused about it here since it makes perfect sense to refer to either as Buddha, though the founder of Buddhism is often called the supreme Buddha I believe.

More on topic though, whether the shirts are racist or not. I dunno but I do think they're stupid.

 

[DarkRyter]

For all we know those characters could be white.

Not racist.