Hill/Chow Flashcards
Article is about Hill article
Hil experience at the Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Hill’s criticisms
Had to pay $15 to sit in on the meeting
Pride will continue to build itself as a fund aggregator, leaving behind the true meaning of the celebration
A culture of paranoia bred by fear – they were scared to speak up
general tensions and exclusivity of Austin Pride
Based on this article, what do you think might be the qualities of a “respectable” LGBTQ
person?
to blend in with mainstream gays, not stand out as queer
Main idea about Chow article
Taking back the slur “yellow” for Asians
analyses racial terminology and why a word or phrase becomes desirable or undesirable
Why does the author want an alternative to current terminology?
The other terminology (Asian American, East Asian, East Asian American) seems like a useful shorthand.
How did the term “yellow” come to be a descriptor of E. Asian people?
Enter Carl Linnaeus, an influential Swedish physician and botanist now known as the “father of modern taxonomy.” In 1735, Linnaeus separated humans into four groups, including Homo Asiaticus — Asian Man. The other three categories, European, African and American, already had established — albeit arbitrary — colors: white, black and red. Linnaeus, searching for a distinguishing color for his Asian Man, eventually declared Asians the color “luridus,” meaning “lurid,” “sallow,” or “pale yellow.”
“Asia was seductive, mysterious, full of pleasures and spices and perfumes and fantastic wealth.” Yellow had multiple connotations, which included both “serene” and “happy,” as well as “toxic” and “impure.”
What does “yellow peril” mean?
He tells me that there was “something dangerous, exotic and threatening about Asia that ‘yellow’ … helped reinforce.”
Which might explain why the fear that East Asian countries would take over the West became known as yellow peril.
Who was Fu Manchu?
In 1913, the British author Sax Rohmer created a fictional villain, Dr. Fu Manchu. The doctor — with his long, scraggly mustache and jaundiced-looking skin — became an unofficial template for portraying Chinese men as lecherous and maniacal.
I’ve heard his name used countless times in the manner of nonsensical — but racist — playground taunts.
How did the term “Asian American emerge?” Why did it seem appealing? What could be the
problem with this term?
Spurred in part by the activism of the times, the term “Asian American” rose to popularity. It also helped that the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was passed, allowing an influx of Asian immigrants to the U.S. most Americans think of “Asian Americans” as East Asians.
the term Asian American revealed itself to be a complicated solution to the problem of identity.
For one thing, most people who technically fit into the “Asian American” category refer to themselves based on their ethnic group or country of origin
How did activists use the term “yellow” in the late 1960s and early 1970s?
In general, what are the arguments for using the term “yellow,” and what are the arguments
against it?
for: because it’s a slur — it’s the type of word that could force people to face its long, storied history of racism and resistance directly, every time they hear it.
