By Karen Liang
SYLP student
Words can be extremely powerful, and when they are used negatively, they can be harmful. There are many offensive words out there these days, but one racial slur that has been with me for a while is the word chink.
The word chink can be used to offend someone. You could say, “You are a chink,” which is basically saying that you have very small eyes. Another expression is “Open your eyes, you chink.”
You can also use the word as an adjective, like, “You are very chinky.”
Many people say the word chink originated from the Chinese courtesy ching ching, and also the word China. Other people say it came from the word Qing, as in the Qing dynasty. Qing is pronounced “ching,” so that’s why it’s a possibility.
In the early 20th century, Chinese immigration was perceived as a threat to the living standards of whites in North America.
They saw the Chinese as invasive, and the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed. The law banned Chinese immigration into the United States.
However, after some time, there was a labor shortage on the West Coast, and that allowed for the Chinese to immigrate into the United States again. The Alaskan fish canneries did not have enough labor, and Congress amended the Exclusion Act. Chinese butcher crews were held in such high esteem that when Edmund A. Smith patented his mechanized fish-butchering machine in 1905, he named it the iron chink.
Some thought of it as a symbol of the anti-Chinese racism of that era. Though chink originally referred to those of Chinese descent, it has expanded to include others from East Asia.
Being an immigrant from China, I was always around the word chink when I moved here. When I first came here, I first lived in Maryland, which is populated mostly by whites. There were some Blacks, but there were barely any Asians. When I went to school, I was one of nine Asian kids. It was difficult for me because I could barely speak English.
I remember kids teasing me, just pointing and laughing at me, and I didn’t know why. I couldn’t understand what they were saying.
One time, some kids just decided to come up to me and pulled their eyes apart to make them squintier. They started singing, “Me Chinese, me Chinese,” and after that, I realized they were making fun of my eyes. I went home that day and cried. I specifically remember asking my parents if there was something wrong with me. It made me feel bad about my body, and it made me feel worse that there was nothing I could do to change it.
I was born this way. I was made fun of because of my eyes, something I can do nothing about.
The next day, one of the kids decided to yell out, in front of the class, really loudly, “Karen is a chink,” and then everyone in the class started to laugh. I was so confused. I remember trying to figure out the meaning of the word and when I did, I was very hurt. I was shocked that they had a word for it. This happened two years ago, and I was made fun of in Maryland until I moved to Washington state.
When I moved to Seattle, there were more Asians and I felt more comfortable, more accepted. When I moved here, I hoped that no one would make fun of my eyes and call me chinky.
It went well for a while, but things changed when I reached middle school. One day, in the hallway, I heard someone behind me say, “Hey chink, what’s up?” I quickly looked behind me and saw two Asian boys greeting each other.
That was when I realized that the word chink is similar to [the n-word]. They are both racial slurs, and are both very offensive, but people choose to use them without thinking about the harm that comes with them. I am still called a chink sometimes, and it’s still very hurtful.
Racial slurs have impacted me. We need to learn to accept each other and not harm each other with words because they can cut emotionally. ♦
Editor’s note: Northwest Asian Weekly was unable to verify all the facts stated in this article. The ideas here do not necessarily represent our stance.
FUZE MAIN says
WOW THIS IS DEEEEEP 🙁
peter says
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Mei says
I’m 15 and Chinese but I didn’t know what it meant until someone called me it on social media. I looked it up and saw that it was a racial slur. It only made it worse that it was said publicly.
I have had many racist things said to me but no one has posted a comment for everyone to see before and it hurt to see that someone would do such a thing.
It’s even worse if no one comes to your aid (thankfully someone did in my case) and you’re left to defend for yourself.
I hope that more people will become aware of how much it can effect others and stop saying things that are based on their ethnicity, gender, religion or their sexual preference etc.
I don’t see the point of it, it only has negative results. Everyone has to watch what they say because sometimes it can be taken the wrong way, even if you didn’t mean to come out the way you intended.
Igor says
With all the fussyness nowadays, people forget that somethings can and need to be solved personally. Shitty people need to be dealt with right away, in the only way that their thick skull will understand. Crying on Facebook doesnt solve anything. I’m sorry for you, and for everyone that goes through shit like this in their lives, but you gotta man up or others will always piss on you. That goes for girls too.
Bob Bobby says
This hit me deeply because I have experienced the exact same things; to the point where I tried to change the shape of my eyes cosmetically to fit into society’s standards of having ‘beautiful big eyes’. People in my loxal park would laugh and say ‘ching chang’ as well even though I am not even Chinese. That’s what makes me laugh; their ignorance and inability to not bully someone randomly. I still need to learn and grow to accept that our small eyes are equally as beautiful. I wish other people could become more open minded and realise this too. And to be honest, my friend has the most big, googly eyes ever and it creeps me out to say the least, hehe. Anyway, thank you for sharing your story because it made me feel like I had someone else who understood what I have been through all these years with the awfal racial slurs.
Jing says
I can understand the hurt when another person in America make fun of a Chinese person for the nationality in which they are from. I don’t have small eyes even though I’m Chinese. However, they still find other way to make fun of me by calling me “Chinita, or Chino or chi-chang-ma-ga-ha-ya” or something of nature. The spanish speaking people would call me that most of the time I walked in the streets, and it happens all over the place in NY. People are so racist and disrespectful. I think that it certainly needs a lot more awareness and we should keep standing up for ourselves. We do not deserve to be harass in school, at work, or on the streets when we are just walking from one place to another while minding our own buisness.
Cynthia Banks says
I completely understand how you felt Karen! Our family immigrated here when I was 10 years old and I did not understand any English. Kids would not only point at me and laugh and also pull the eyes upward and laugh but also spit in my hair. I didn’t understand the language but the language of hate is universal. When I was in middle school these popular kids used to throw little pieces of gum at me. I went home crying one day and had to cut chunks out of my hair because I couldn’t get the gum out. There were other things that haunted me for years. Even though I’m consider myself a very successful professional these days and my husband is Caucasian and my girls are mixed, I still remember those hurtful things people did and God help the person that ever does this to my kids. Back then kids didn’t really get in trouble for bullying. I’m really glad ppl are more sensitive to it and there is more awareness. Bullying is one of the most purest forms of hate because it inflicts pain on another person without any gains other than a subjective sense of power for the bully. I agree we should all watch their words and also ensure that our children become better human beings.
Michael says
Oh my god, I’m so sorry Americans treated you like this….I have to apologize on behalf of my country yet again…it hurts me hearing this story coming from you. I’m sorry.
Leeroyf says
Hi
What are some other asian racial slurs? I know a ‘nip’ is Japanese and ‘gook’ is for vietnamese. I’m trying to expand my vocabulary.
Thanks
-Leeroy
Cynthia Banks says
I think honky might be a good one.
Shanzz says
Nice one Cynthia!👍
Gina says
Hmm, Leeroy,
How about red neck, or ass hole?