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Seeing red over black Angel

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-18 09:56

Some may accuse me of blurring the line between a dark-skinned Asian and a black. I'm not. The kind of discrimination Lou Jing must have suffered is beyond what most dark-skinned Chinese can imagine. I really admire her attitude and maturity in dealing with all the not-so-subtle probing and censure. During interviews, she shows she is very positive and not at all bitter about her fate.

The funniest twist in her story is a formal statement made in her name but later denied by her. The show's organizer confirmed it was fabricated by a third party. Here's how it goes: 1. My father is an American, not an African; 2. I am a pure Shanghainese; 3. I should not have to take responsibility for my parents' mistake. I'm innocent! 4. I strongly protest some people's racial attitude. I should not be the target of attacks because of my skin color. I reserve the right to seek legal action.

Whoever drafted these four points might have done it out of good intentions, but the statement left a pungent aftertaste of deeper and subtler bigotry. First, the writer assumes that an American is innately superior to an African; second, it's superior to be a Shanghai native in China, an attitude carried by quite a few Shanghainese as a matter of fact; third, what her parents did was wrong even though the daughter should not be blamed for it.

Actually we outsiders do not know much about Lou Jing's parents other than that her mother had an extramarital affair with an African-American who later left them. Lou and her mother have never spelt it out, but it could be a number of scenarios, ranging from a one-night stand to Romeo-and-Juliet-style passion that did not withstand the scorn of reality. We simply do not have enough information to pass judgment.

Yet, many simply love to be a self-appointed moral arbiter. They don't seem to understand that whatever happened between Lou's parents, her mother brought her up and brought her up well. From what is reported, Lou has been a good daughter and a good student, and the mother and daughter are close. It takes a lot of courage for Mama Lou to let her daughter pursue such a high-profile career. Now, in this hailstorm of denunciation, she has been hiding from work and the repercussions will linger for some time.

As a single parent, she has done her best. One of her admirers is Hung Huang, who defends her in her blog: "She has encountered a bunch of hypocrites who talk about moral principles and insult a mother who is out to protect her daughter. Where is your moral principle?"

The magazine publisher and talk show host goes on to argue that, "We Han people are given to severe racial discrimination. It is the evil within us".

Harsh, isn't it? But a browse of forums for young people confirms it. Sure, there are also sensible voices online. One says: "Americans, who we accuse of racism, elected a black president. We are supposed to have grown up on the teachings of equality, yet we cannot accept a half-black TV contestant."

While aesthetics is a personal choice, it is high time we introduced some sensitivity training on races and ethnicities if we are going to latch on to the orbit of globalization. People should realize that if you have a right to discriminate against another race you have automatically given others the right to discriminate against you. And what's the rationale for filling in the post of an English-language teacher with a Caucasian who can barely speak English instead of an African-American who qualifies on all counts?

Each individual should be judged on his or her own merits. Likewise, as a contestant Lou Jing should rise or fall by her talent, not her skin color.

Guess what her response is to the above-mentioned fake statement? This time it's for real because she appears on camera. Asked about American vs. African, she replies: "Isn't it stupid to say it now that China is America's biggest creditor."

Asked whether she agrees with the "I'm a Shanghainese" point, she answers: "I'm a native Chinese." About her parents' "mistake", she says: "I'm grateful they gave birth to me. The mistake is in the writer who made up this statement." She also plays down racial discrimination, adding "it's this kind of press report that ignited it".

Lou Jing has won my vote.

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