Alt+Escape: Ching Chong Beautiful

[SenseOfTumour]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_chong

Are you really this insensitive?

Just to clarify, this is equivalent to naming your Southern themed Flash game "N***er Lovely".

Making me even more angry, this story was the FIRST thing I read on Christmas morning. Thanks, Escapist, for filling my holiday with racism.

Was it just me who thought on first reading this ...

'Well, if you're offended by that, you're in a minority' and then realised it could be taken more than one way... and then typed it anyway.

Really, there's a difference between '******', being a racial slur with its roots in slavery, and things like froggy and kraut, coming from national dietary choices, and ching chong coming from a percieved view of the sound of the language.

One is putting down an entire race as worthless, the other is saying 'lol foreigners eat/sound/act funny', which they are and always will be, hell as a brit, I know we're fairly open to ridicule for numerous things, no matter how many equality laws are passed, and I'll locking myself in a soundproof room to laugh at them in future if needed

Having said all that, it's entirely your right to be offended if you're oriental, however if not, I think it might be an overreaction.

To me this isn't the problem, it's people using it against individuals, for instance mocking the kid at school. This is obviously not meant meanly and is exaggerated for humour's sake.

 

[Bagaloo]

Brilliant game, though I never finished it because I got a bit fed up with the controls. Got well over half way though.

As for the debate over its name, I think it was more a lighthearted poke at the slur itself.

 

[warbaloon]

Was it just me who thought on first reading this ...

'Well, if you're offended by that, you're in a minority' and then realised it could be taken more than one way... and then typed it anyway.

Really, there's a difference between '******', being a racial slur with its roots in slavery, and things like froggy and kraut, coming from national dietary choices, and ching chong coming from a percieved view of the sound of the language.

One is putting down an entire race as worthless, the other is saying 'lol foreigners eat/sound/act funny', which they are and always will be, hell as a brit, I know we're fairly open to ridicule for numerous things, no matter how many equality laws are passed, and I'll locking myself in a soundproof room to laugh at them in future if needed

Since when did we let limeys on the escapist...

If you were going to point out anything offensive about the game it would be the radioactive crater or the main character saying, "This is for Pearl Harbor." Then again I have bigger complaints about how when you fell in a few stages you would have to go through another obstacle course to get back to the part you fell on...

Wall jumping is and always will be amazing.

 

[Latinidiot]

i think that The Swain should make a Blockhead cartooon again. It's been ages!

 

[end_boss]

I am of Asian descent, and I am not so much offended by it as I am rather annoyed. The blow is softened greatly by the fact that it's a parody game. The slur is less offensive when used with a sense of irony, so I wouldn't have cared too much, IF the game was parodying the CHINESE.

I guess it's still not the worst thing in the world, but "Ching Chong" is a parody of the Chinese language, not the Japanese, so it would be similar in context to describing a French person as a "mick." It's really annoying, but I'm not so morally outraged by it, either, given the context. If, say, they called Stranglehold "Detective Ching Chong," then I would be furious.

A few years back, when Rosie O'Donnell said, and I quote, "Ching chong, ching chong, ching chong, Danny Devito, ching chong," I wasn't so outraged as I simply thought that she was stupid and unfunny. However, after meeting with controversy over the line from the Asian community, she defended herself by saying "I'm an impressionist," and THAT'S what offended me. I was offended because she didn't feel the need to put any actual effort into it, and called it an "impression," as if it was in any way an accurate representation of how the Chinese language sounds. For the most part, I do tend to feel that a lot of Asians get overly defensive (Korea has banned the movies Falling Down and Die Another Day for depicting Korean characters in a negative light), but at the same time I at least want the parodies of our culture to be held in the same regard as other minority groups.

 

[Prophetic Heresy]

Personally, I don't like this game. It's funny at first glance, but it's charm wears off after spending some time playing it.

The controls were a major turn-off for me, and extremely bothersome when you get to the later levels. It's one thing when the level is fighting against you, but entirely different when the controls do, too. It's even worse when you see yourself hit the corner of a ledge, not grab onto it, and then fall and backtrack just to try again. The worst part is, in the author's comments, he addresses the bad controls having to do with using IE and tells you to "...get a new browser pls thx".

As for the racism, I don't know, but I can definitely see where you're coming from. It does seem odd how some comments are aimed at China while the contestant himself is in Japan.

At least over here you don't get called a "pussy" that plays "sissy games" for not liking this thing.

 

[The Random One]

Interesting concept, but while I'm certain the game had to be very hard for it to work, it overdid it. Maybe it's because I just hate keyboard controls. I'm pretty sure flash allows for joystick controls and I happen to have one.

While it's hilarious to see the character scrambling for height, failing and falling on its face, it's also fun to advance levels, which I couldn't do because I wouldn't go back and redo half the level because I missed the flawless timing. With the god damn shift key. Vaudeville is only funny when it happens to others.

As for the racism, I think we should give a pass to any words that have not been used seriously in over fourty years, but perhaps that's just me. The Chinese/Japanese mix-up was probably deliberate though.

he addresses the bad controls having to do with using IE and tells you to "...get a new browser pls thx".

Eh, I'm using Firefox and it's bad, so there.

 

[Du Jour Jaricho]

I am of Asian descent, and I am not so much offended by it as I am rather annoyed. The blow is softened greatly by the fact that it's a parody game. The slur is less offensive when used with a sense of irony, so I wouldn't have cared too much, IF the game was parodying the CHINESE.

I guess it's still not the worst thing in the world, but "Ching Chong" is a parody of the Chinese language, not the Japanese, so it would be similar in context to describing a French person as a "mick." It's really annoying, but I'm not so morally outraged by it, either, given the context. If, say, they called Stranglehold "Detective Ching Chong," then I would be furious.

Or you know, The-Swain (creator and programmer) didn't know it was a racial slur? I sure as Hell didn't.

On the subject of parkour games John, may I recommend Canabalt?

 

[Du Jour Jaricho]

Interesting concept, but while I'm certain the game had to be very hard for it to work, it overdid it. Maybe it's because I just hate keyboard controls. I'm pretty sure flash allows for joystick controls and I happen to have one.

While it's hilarious to see the character scrambling for height, failing and falling on its face, it's also fun to advance levels, which I couldn't do because I wouldn't go back and redo half the level because I missed the flawless timing. With the god damn shift key. Vaudeville is only funny when it happens to others.

I personally use the "A" button for running. And yes it's difficult, but that didn't stop me from trying 100 times to get gold on all the levels in the first area on Medium difficulty. It helps to come up with a few tricks to get around problems, like sliding across puddles to quickly get over them. Though if there's one thing so far that bugs the Hell out of me it's stairways and ramps, I hate the fact that your character can stumble by running or jumping on a ramp.

 

[Robert632]

that game was fun(for me) for about 2 seconds, then the voices and music murdered my eats, and the game became boring.

 

[Byers]

I'm not saying you have no point, your post just seemed a bit...heated/angry(hence me saying "cool down"). Also, I read the Wikipedia article and it didn't seem all that bad and didn't seem to justify such a strong reaction. Correct me if I'm wrong.

When you read that Wikipedia article, what part of "ethnic slur" didn't strike you as justifying a strong reaction?

There's reacting and then there's pointlessly throwing a fuss about inconsequential stuff.

Takeshi's Castle, what this game is a homage to, was arguably a show that regularly made fun of its contestants in new and inventive ways, and generally strived to be as silly and demeaning as they could get away with. It was hardly a fountain of political correctness.

And citing a wikipedia article as undeniable fact? Really?

 

[end_boss]

I am of Asian descent, and I am not so much offended by it as I am rather annoyed. The blow is softened greatly by the fact that it's a parody game. The slur is less offensive when used with a sense of irony, so I wouldn't have cared too much, IF the game was parodying the CHINESE.

I guess it's still not the worst thing in the world, but "Ching Chong" is a parody of the Chinese language, not the Japanese, so it would be similar in context to describing a French person as a "mick." It's really annoying, but I'm not so morally outraged by it, either, given the context. If, say, they called Stranglehold "Detective Ching Chong," then I would be furious.

Or you know, The-Swain (creator and programmer) didn't know it was a racial slur? I sure as Hell didn't.

Which is fine, and I'm not holding a grudge against him, but at the same time, if somebody genuinely thought that French people were called "micks" (which is the derogatory term for the Irish, for those who might not know), it would still be wrong. Using a slur in a parodical nature isn't too bad itself, and I'm not offended by the fact that the term "Ching Chong" was used. In fact, I'm not even offended AT ALL, but I am a bit annoyed because using the term "Ching Chong" to describe something that is Japanese is simply incorrect. That's simply a factual statement. It's like if somebody was making a game about Moby Dick and said that it's based on the book by Ernest Hemingway. He might have genuinely believed that Hemingway wrote it, but it is, simply, incorrect.

Also, just because you don't know that something is a slur, it doesn't mean that it either isn't a slur, or is suddenly acceptable to use. Consider if somebody called a person wearing a turban a "towelhead," It is a term that directly references their headpiece as it looks to those of us in North American or European countries. Now, if somebody made a game called "Towelhead Adventures," and the programmer didn't realize that it was a negative slur, and a couple other people didn't realize it was offensive either, does that suddenly make it perfectly acceptable? Not necessarily.

Now, let's say that "Towelhead Adventures" was made to be a comedy game that was a parody, and so the term "Towelhead" was being used ironically. Under that context, it might not be considered offensive, but if the game centred around a Jewish rabbi wearing a yarmulke, then the term "Towelhead" is just plan and simply the incorrect term to use, and those who are Jewish might be a bit annoyed, if not offended by it.

In the case of "Ching Chong Beautiful," I am not offended, because I understand the context in which it was used, but I'm a little annoyed because "Ching Chong" is simply the INCORRECT term to use. Whether you know it's a slur or not, the term is incorrect, and that's just a FACT.

 

[Du Jour Jaricho]

You actually expect me to read all of that?

 

[SaintWaldo]

None of those telling me that I'm overreacting were actually CALLED ch*ng-ch*ng as a kid. I was. I'm not even Chinese, I just look Asian. So the phrase doubly represents a prejudicial stereotype based on ethnicity AND the stupid ignorance of those who apply such phrases. I'd like you all to revisit your arguments in favor of interpreting a brand of racism as acceptable. You really are amazing.

You can argue all you want. There is no relativism for racism. Slavery does not make "ni**er" any more or less offensive than this word, just like the Holocaust doesn't make "k*ke" more or less offensive than any other slur. To suggest so is callous, cruel, ignorant and condescending.

I still strenuously object to this game being publicized here and in the absence of a retraction or an apology I'd appreciate The Escapist trying to avoid looking ignorant of hate speech. A slur is a slur. Your ignorance of it being a slur is simply the same thing that made the slur: IGNORANCE. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for cruelty.

 

[Caimekaze]

None of those telling me that I'm overreacting were actually CALLED ch*ng-ch*ng as a kid. I was. I'm not even Chinese, I just look Asian. So the phrase doubly represents a prejudicial stereotype based on ethnicity AND the stupid ignorance of those who apply such phrases. I'd like you all to revisit your arguments in favor of interpreting a brand of racism as acceptable. You really are amazing.

You can argue all you want. There is no relativism for racism. Slavery does not make "ni**er" any more or less offensive than this word, just like the Holocaust doesn't make "k*ke" more or less offensive than any other slur. To suggest so is callous, cruel, ignorant and condescending.

I still strenuously object to this game being publicized here and in the absence of a retraction or an apology I'd appreciate The Escapist trying to avoid looking ignorant of hate speech. A slur is a slur. Your ignorance of it being a slur is simply the same thing that made the slur: IGNORANCE. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for cruelty.

You were seriously called ching chong as a kid? That's... kinda ridiculous. I've never even heard it used as an insult before. To most people, it's associated with the term "ching chong chinaman" which, while intended as racist, nowadays just comes off as stupid.

The entire game is one massive parody; even the use of the term was probably deliberate, as it's wrongly applied to the Japanese.

Yes, there is relativism. Call an African American man a ******, and he's like to be rather offended. Those around you will not approve. But they can do it.

Call a Caucasian person a cracker, they are unlikely to be offended. Because while it is a racial slur, technically, it has no weight behind it.

Oh, and the main character (who comes off as extremely American) is named Ching.

 

[John Funk]

None of those telling me that I'm overreacting were actually CALLED ch*ng-ch*ng as a kid. I was. I'm not even Chinese, I just look Asian. So the phrase doubly represents a prejudicial stereotype based on ethnicity AND the stupid ignorance of those who apply such phrases. I'd like you all to revisit your arguments in favor of interpreting a brand of racism as acceptable. You really are amazing.

You can argue all you want. There is no relativism for racism. Slavery does not make "ni**er" any more or less offensive than this word, just like the Holocaust doesn't make "k*ke" more or less offensive than any other slur. To suggest so is callous, cruel, ignorant and condescending.

I still strenuously object to this game being publicized here and in the absence of a retraction or an apology I'd appreciate The Escapist trying to avoid looking ignorant of hate speech. A slur is a slur. Your ignorance of it being a slur is simply the same thing that made the slur: IGNORANCE. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for cruelty.

I apologize that the game offended you; Alt+Escape is meant to be a fun weekly feature, certainly not something that legitimately offends.

 

[SaintWaldo]

I apologize that the game offended you; Alt+Escape is meant to be a fun weekly feature, certainly not something that legitimately offends.

Thank you. I always held it most likely that this was not intentional, and it's comforting to hear you say it wasn't. I appreciate your reply and apology.

 

[atlasien]

@SaintWaldo: I feel you. When I read about this game at Racialicious, I was physically nauseated. Even now I'm shaking as I type this. When I was growing up, "ching chong" was used interchangeably with "gook" "jap" and "*****". Sometimes, when I walked to school I was followed by other kids screaming these slurs at me while they pulled up their eyes at the corners. They left notes on my locker that said "Go back to China". I'm Japanese-American. They didn't care. They made my life at school a living nightmare. They only stopped doing it to my face when I hit back with my fists. These weren't just a few isolated abusers. It was almost everyone at the school.

If anyone here DOUBTS what I went through... what so many other Asian-American kids go through... then read our accounts. Listen to us. All the racists defending this racist crap are going to refuse to listen. So fuck you, assholes. But maybe someone reading this without commenting will be convinced to have some basic human empathy.

 

[Troy Goodfellow]

It's really inexcusable to highlight this game and quickly pass over the name, the yellowface and the like, especially for a site that traffics in ideas like The Escapist. There shouldn't be an apology because people were offended - there should actually be a serious discussion about why anti-Asian racism is still considered funny or "no big deal".

Even a good and fun game can be problematic.