Well, there IS that little part about getting killed to worry about, but other than that, yeah, I wouldn't worry about whether he has a gun or not.
If that guys said it... (a) he may not have said it to you. (b) He may not have meant it to be offensive. I know plenty of non-asian people that know chinese. Though the odds are certainly against him, esp. with that phrase. But I tend to think that everyone overreacts with stuff like this...(so what? someone you don't know said a single sentence...big deal. He wasn't all up in your face or anything, and you weren't actually talking to him. Why should it bother you?) so I'm certainly gonna be one to say that you did in this situation. Not trying to incite something by any means...I just think people in general need to not be offended so easily.
Yes, I think you overreacted. You did say yourself that you made some rash assumptions (assuming he said "ni hao ma" in the first place... assuming it was directed at you... and basically just accused him of mocking you without confirming what he said.) I'm not Chinese, but I do speak/read/write the language... I can't say from personal experience whether or not people use "ni hao ma" in a mocking way towards Asians in general... but this is honestly the first I've ever heard of it. I can see how Asians might be offended if non-Asians mock the language (like Shaq did with his "ching-chong-wah-so" crap) or if they do know a few offensive words or say something in an obviously sarcastic way. I've heard plenty of non-Asians mock Chinese and Vietnamese speakers (and maybe to a lesser extent Japanese speakers), but it's always by just butchering the language and not actually using it correctly. I'm careful to only speak Chinese to someone who I know speaks the language (and the same dialect), so maybe that's why I've never had anyone react poorly. I remember in college, there was an older guy (in his 40s) in one of my first-year classes... he was notorious for going around and trying to strike up conversations with any Asian he could find (but usually the cuter girls), and people were never offended... they just thought it was kinda creepy. I will say that I have inadvertantly offended a few black people before when speaking Chinese to another Chinese speaker... Saying "nei ge" meaning "that" or used as filler (like "um" in English) sounds very close to the "n" word and gets some angry double-takes.
i forgot to add... while he was yelling at me, he said "you think you can take me? are you crazy, you an asian. I'm a black man, i'll kick your ass. you trying to mess with a black man" it was interesting beause 1) I am bigger than he is, 2) he rbought race into it, 3) he had a Spiderman bookbag, and 4) the fact that he brought race into it but didn't call me chink was very confusing to me. It was actually one of the factors that led me to acknowledge my overreaction to it.
Sounds to me like he probably didn't say it so...you propably overreacted No big deal, though As far as his race comments, take it with a grain of salt.
i'm troubled by the taking offense. I speak quite a few languages fluently & phrases in many more. Consequently, when i meet & greet those from foreign cultures I say hello, goodbye, thank you, please in their native tonue (just to show respect & maybe get a smile). : merci to persians : nos vemos, mucho gusto, encantatho : kiefac?, shoukran, meshilhal, ayewah : iassou, efcharisto, paracalo, ti thellis? : spasiba : inchbesses, lavem : shalom To be offended or assume the worst in peoples intention is possibly a reflection on you (perhaps legitimate based on your experiences but still .....). What, we can't speak YOUR lingo w/out it immediately being a slight? Chillax! Some of us love , apreciate & respect our differences & your behaviour makes us more hesitant to try & connect.
thats dumb as hell why the hell would ni hao ma be offensive if it just means whats up? just say nothing much
What are you saying? What kind of stereotype is this? Huh?? Are you saying all dorky white guys put too much salt on their food??? Now, I got ta cut ya...
Overreaction. What's next? If you say "Salam", Arab people will get offended. "Shalom" will offend Jewish people. "Namaste" will offend Indian people.
regarding the usage of the phrase "ni hao ma". it's offensive because you assume 1) every Asian kid is Chinese (imagine if you mistook a Dominican for a Puerto Rican), 2) Asians are more comfortable with their own language than English. the phrase has been historically used in NYC to mock Asian people, I have never met any Asians who did not feel at leats the slightest bit of annoyance when a complete stranger says this to them. Also, what would be the reaction if I went up to a black man I dont know and said "yo blood, what up" or if I went up to a Russian guy on the street and said "comrade, how was your vodka this morning". Its the same thing. Assumptions, prejudice and racism go hand in hand.
This is America, my native tongue as far as I'm concerned is English. Also, how does one know that I'm Chinese and not Korean, Japanese or any of the other Asian countries? Even Chinese people think I look Korean.
I'm Chinese, and I didn't realize that it's offensive for people to say "ni hao ma" to us. Did he have a condescending tone or did he try to purposely butcher it or something?
Yo blood, what up? - What is blood? If you use "dawg" instead, you probably wouldn't get your ass kicked. Comrade, how was your vodka this morning? - If you say "comrade, how was your morning?", I doubt you would get your ass kicked. The guy didn't say "ni hao ma, how was your duck blood?" My point isn't to tell another race what they should or shouldn't find offensive. My point is to say the guy could have meant it as a slur, but he's an idiot cause he only said "how are you?"...not "how are you, I banged your mama." I don't see how "how are you?" is offensive even if he intended it to be offensive.
I *thought* i heard him say it while behind my back. it's hard to explain, this kind of thing goes on in the subway and bus all the time. It's either ni hao ma, ching chong ching wa, or maka whatever.
my answer.. If the black man was someone like Dick Parsons or Stan O'Neal, I don't think my comment would be appreciated If the Russian was born here, and doesn't drink, I don't think my comment would be appreciated either.
Well, on the one hand I once had a black dude bow to me, which was really weird. I just think those people are stupid and think Asian americans are another species or something, but they don't mean any harm. For the westerners who go to China, outside of shanghai or beijing, just watch. Theres a lot of people who have never seen white or black people before so you will get the "Hello!" a lot. Is it racist? don't think so unless its done in a derogatory way. But if it was rosie o'donnell, I'd punch that cow in the face. Loud fat chicks should not be treated with respect.
If this goes on all the time (I'm assuming you commute with the subway or bus on a regular basis), do you feel offended on everyone of those occasions where you hear the Chinese phrases?
hotballa: I personally would have wanted to beat the living **** out of him , but that's just me and that's clearly wrong. So my real question to myself regarding my reaction, and now to you regarding yours is this: What was the REAL issue this morning? Was this just the topper? For me that's usually the case, **** will pile up and fall apart all morning or week, then someone says "No ...sir." And before I know it I'm covered in blood being hauled off. (not literrally of course, but I over react, as you can see.)
