nsive to open and posing no competition to white-owned businesses, Chinese hand laundries proliferated, peaking in 1940, with more than 5,000 laundries in New York City alone. In California, Chinese were once permitted to own only restaurants and laundries. The Chinese laundry declined sharply with the introduction of coin-operated laundromats.
Typically family name first (as in “Smith”), personal name second (as in “John”). Many Chinese Americans, however, change the word order to conform to Western practice. They also often adopt Western names in addition to traditional names. Personal names consisting of two words (one word is typically a generational name) are sometimes hyphenated. Check to see if the interview subject prefers a hyphen. Rules for married women adopting their husbands’ names are often elaborate. (Taiwan, consisting mainly of ethnic Chinese from the mainland, follows Chinese naming rules.) See also SOUTH ASIAN NAMES; TAIWAN; and individual countries.
Avoid. A slur. Similar to Chink. See also CHINAMAN; FOREIGN-NESS; GOOK; ORIENTAL; SLANT; SLOPE; VIETNAMESE SLURS; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
Avoid. A slur. Similar to Chinaman. Avoid phrases such as “chink in the armor” — despite its original non-racial connotation — that call to mind the slur. See also CHINAMAN; CHING-CHONG; FOREIGN-NESS; GOOK; ORIENTAL; SLANT; SLOPE; VIETNAMESE SLURS; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
The European Age of Exploration that began in the 16th century led, for good and ill, to the subjugation of less technologically advanced peoples as European colonies. Many, but not all, of the countries of Asia have been part of European empires, often Dutch and British. (France played a similar role in the Middle East; Belgium in Africa; Portugal and Spain in North and South America.) One consequence of World War II was the rapid shedding of empire in the late 1940s, climaxing globally in the 1960s. See also IMPERIALISM; PHILIPPINES; RACISM, history of; RACISM, scientific; THIRD WORLD; “WHITE MAN’S BURDEN”; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
Caution. A synonym for a neighborhood or town, but a cliché, as in “intelligence community.’’ By definition, community implies a shared like-mindedness that no reporter can possibly confirm. Avoid such phrases as “Korean community.” In any group there is a diversity of opinion. It would be absurd to quote “white community leaders.” Better to identify leaders and ethnically based groups by name, with possible reference to the size of their membership. Also, while many ethnic groups identify with the majority culture and faith of their home countries, some do not. In the United States, for example, many Arab Americans are Christian, not Muslim.
Like Buddhism, Confucianism is not a religion in the Western sense of the word. There is no deity. It is built around the teachings of Confucius, whose work gained early respect in the West. His “analects” (Greek for miscellany) were translated for the benefit of King Louis IV at Versailles in 1684. They often center on the importance of self-discipline, family and tradition.
DAOISM: See TAOISM.
A colloquial name for people of South Asian ancestry, especially those of India and Pakistan. Pronounced “DAY-see” or “DEH-see,” it is the Hindi word for “from my country.” See BANGLADESH; HINDI; INDIA; PAKISTAN.
Avoid. State that the interview subject speaks limited or otherwise inadequate English and then paraphrase the comments. Pidgin English often invites racial stereotyping. See CHARLIE CHAN; CHINA DOLL; DRAGON LADY; FU MANCHU; INSCRUTABLE; INTERPRETERS; STEREOTYPES; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
Caution. A cartoon character from the 1930s comic strip “Terry and the Pirates.” Variations of the Dragon Lady were popularized in adventure movies of the 1940s and later. She was portrayed as sexy and evil in Chinese silk gowns with long sleeves, a cigarette holder in her hand. See CHINA DOLL, a reverse image. See also CHARLIE CHAN; EXOTIC; FU MANCHU; INSCRUTABLE; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
Caution, vague. A group of people who self-identify with one another because of geographical, linguis