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At Tuesday's discussion, attendees were asked how much - if at all - they were offended by comments made by Rosie O'Donnell on ABC's "The View."

Rosie O'Donnell's comments stir discussion

Students organize talk about racism in response to comments made by popular TV host Rosie O'Donnell

By: Aleks Cherednichenko

Posted: 3/13/07

A discussion regarding a comment seen by many as being racist, made by talk show host Rosie O'Donnell, was hosted by the Asian Pacific American Student Union and the Asian and Pacific Cultural Center on Monday evening.

The issue centers around a brief impression which O'Donnell made on ABC's "The View," making a reference to Danny DeVito's earlier show appearance in which he was allegedly intoxicated. O'Donell said DeVito's appearance had made headlines around the world, "even in China," closing the remark by imitating the Chinese language.

Students, faculty and a few community members were present for this open forum.

"Does anybody know about the Rosie incident?" said Aaron Truong, co-president of the APASU. A clip of the show was shown and the audience was asked to put themselves into one of five categories, based on how much they were offended by the comment.

One attendee thought the joke could have been done more tastefully, others didn't find it offensive because the comment didn't pertain to their racial group, while others were offended.

"I've experienced people coming up to me doing that 'chin chong' routine to my face," said Nam Le, treasurer of APASU.

"This still happens, and it really strikes a nerve," said Janet Nishihara, an adviser for APASU.

A few people from the audience shared personal stories of being marginalized because they were Asian-American.

"What other messages are being sent out by this?" Truong said.

The incident was compared to the racially charged outburst made by actor and comedian Michael Richards at a Los Angeles comedy club in November 2006.

An audience member said the slur used by Richards is widely known to be wrong because political leaders in the black community have spoken up against the negative stereotypes associated with the word.

"I don't hear 'ching chong' and think that it's inappropriate right away, and I think it's because there are no leaders standing up and saying that this is wrong," he said.

"It just doesn't feel right," said Ken Winograd, a professor in the College of Education. "Any group that has been marginalized, the comment in that context is racist."

"It's not even the way she imitated the language, but the context it was brought up in," said Steven Fang, internal coordinator of APCC.

"What I find really ironic is that she is a big icon in the gay and lesbian community, which is a minority, but she's making these comments about another minority group," said Sam Lee, an OSU student.

A clip of O'Donell's apology was shown as well, and many audience members didn't feel it was sincere.

"Whether or not she thinks her comments are offensive, there are other people who do, and who are hurting because of it," Truong said.

The organizers stressed that the event was not meant to be a "Rosie bash."

"This is an educational discussion, and a chance to speak up," Fang said.

The question of how the Asian-American community should respond to incidents like this was asked to the audience. Truong encouraged everyone to speak up and get educated about the issues.

Speaking about a past confrontation with racist attitudes, Truong felt as though no one was listening and that he didn't have a voice.

"I would encourage anyone and everyone to volunteer and to get involved," Truong said.

Truong said that Asian-Americans need to realize that they are a minority, that they are racially discriminated against, and need to do something about it.