WITH ITS POPULATION nearing 20 per cent Asian-American and its hipper-than-thou vibe, San Francisco's Bay Area should really be a bastion of tolerance. But local radio host Don Bleu appealed to a different side of his listeners as the recent spy-plane stand-off escalated.
On April 6, he launched a spoof he called the 'fry over'. He called a restaurant in China and, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, teased the person who answered and who apparently could not speak English.
Nor was Bleu alone. Chinese-American groups have noted that, at the same time, radio hosts nationwide were demanding boycotts of Chinese restaurants or calling people with Chinese surnames and harassing them on air.
Then there was the opening of the American Society of Newspaper Editors' annual convention in Washington DC. The entertainment was provided by a popular local satirical troupe, Capitol Steps. Their routine included a white man dressed in a black wig with dark glasses in a take-off on a gesticulating Chinese politician, saying 'ching, ching, chong, chong'.
Among the few not laughing in the audience was young Chinese-American photography student, Amy Leang. Her stirring report of personal outrage was eventually circulated widely and forced an apology from the group.
Various reports of the incidents have been circulating in Washington this week as the Committee of 100 meets for its 10th-annual conference. The New York-based committee includes some of America's most powerful and respected ethnic Chinese gathered under the banner 'seeking common ground while respecting differences'. Its board includes composer Yo-Yo Ma and architect I M Pei.
