tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8019701644837714047.post1365618820950444802..comments2023-10-31T07:58:22.603-07:00Comments on Raising Great Kids-can be 'as simple as that'!: All Chinese people live in Chinatown.....right?Noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883949927685634515noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8019701644837714047.post-10233939064427439412008-06-01T17:27:00.000-07:002008-06-01T17:27:00.000-07:00Your daughter Deb is the best! Thank you so much f...Your daughter Deb is the best! <BR/><BR/>Thank you so much for your previous post on "Chinese Auctions" and this post. <BR/><BR/>I am a Chinese American. Upon moving to Long Island, I too wanted to know about the Chinese objects at the Chinese Auction. I was so sad to realize what it really meant. As a Chinese American, I feel awful every time I see the term. It is used frequently here on Long Island.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for taking the time to explain the term to parents. <BR/><BR/>Here is another comment from a reader of the New York Times:<BR/><BR/><BR/>March 12, 2006<BR/>With Certain Words, Watch Your Mouth<BR/><BR/><BR/>To the Editor:<BR/><BR/>It's wonderful that auctions have become a popular form of fund-raising (''The Cause Is Good, and So Is the Auction,'' Feb. 19). But organizers should give pause before using the seemingly harmless term ''Chinese auction,'' as there is nothing culturally Chinese about raffling baskets.<BR/><BR/>It is believed that the term arose in the late 19th century, when discrimination against Chinese immigrants was prevalent. During this period the Chinese Exclusion Act was instituted, barring Chinese immigrants from entering our country. ''Chinese auction'' is also known as a ''penny raffle'' or ''chance auction.'' At the time, Chinese laborers were paid low wages, and Chinese came to mean ''cheap'' in American slang. Because the raffle tickets are inexpensive, perhaps this led to the characterization ''Chinese auction.''<BR/><BR/>Moreover, a derogatory term that developed in the frontier West was ''Chinaman's chance.'' This meant a person had no chance at all, like the Chinese immigrants who had no protections under the law.<BR/><BR/>Fund-raisers should therefore consider whether ''Chinese auction'' is an outdated term. Let us exercise caution in the words we use so that they may not inadvertently invoke the ethnic bias of an earlier time. <BR/><BR/>Randy Young Keady <BR/>Rockville Centre<BR/><BR/>I am so grateful to your daughter, her questions and to you and your answers.<BR/><BR/>Best Wishes to you and your family.<BR/>Maxine LuMaxine Luhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10505748604971300521noreply@blogger.com