The power of words .....
Remember when yuh was in primary school ...... and some imps call yuh some dotish name or sumtin ....... and yuh blurt out ....... "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" ......
Well ....... HOGWASH ...... if yuh livin in Trini ....... cuz is every day somebody gettin hurt ...... off of somebody dotish words ......
Exactly a week ago ...... on de front page of de Express ...... there was a massive headline ...... sayin ...... CHINESE GO HOME ...... and while 99.9% of us Trinis ....... knew exactly what the headline meant ...... and knew right away ...... that it was targeted at the thousands of Chinese construction workers (from China) ...... who workin here now ..... and supposedly takin away wuk from Trinidadians ...... 5 very prominent Trini (Chinese) businessmen ...... didn't ......
Apparently the headline ticked them off so much ...... that they decided to write a very lengthy letter to the editor ...... highlighting their pissed-off-ness ...... and demanding an apology .....
Now about 2 years ago ...... I was online ...... gaping as usual ..... and I came across an article about a friend of mine ...... it was ah kyna bashin article ...... so fuh kicks ..... ah email it tuh him ....... jus so he'd be clued in ...... on what town sayin (about him) ...... well who tell me do dat ...... my boy write meh back pronto ...... attaching a letter ...... which he (and frens) penned ...... in response tuh said article ..... and all because they referred to him as ah CHINEE .......
Little did I know ...... that calling a chinese looking person ..... ah CHINEE ...... is just as derogatory ...... as calling an Indian looking person ...... a 'C' ...... or an African looking person ...... ah 'N' ...... yes ...... that day ...... I learnt ....... that not only do Chinese people abhor being called Chinese ...... if they're really Japanese ....... but they (well him at least) also abhor being called ah 'Chinee' period ...... which was kinda interesting ...... cuz I always assumed that 'Chinee' was de dialect fuh 'Chinese' ....... or ...... jus de lazy Trini version ...... leavin out de 'ezzzz' ...... cuz yuh know us ....... we's ah people ..... doh ever call ting by dey rite name ...... we love tuh mispronounce words ....... and we also love tuh make up words ...... like BEECAW ..... when we really want tuh say BECAUSE!
Anyway ...... being enlightened by my friend ...... made me realise that the Trini Chinese among us ...... have peeves too ...... and I say too ...... cuz we all know the 'Indians' and 'Africans' doh mince words when it comes tuh their peeves ...... but I was again surprised ...... to see the battle that they chose to fight ..... cuz tuh me ...... the Chinese community in Trinidad ..... kyna cool and unassuming ...... so altho ting does piss dem off ...... dey doh really ramajay deyself ...... so when I read that letter ...... titled 'Deep offence' taken with divisive headline ..... I was immediately transported tuh de twilight zone ...... cuz Grrrrrrr? ...... obviously the headline had nothing to do with Trinidadian Chinese!
But ...... feelings are feelings ...... and feelings are never right or wrong ...... so ...... tuh try an' understand de whole scene ...... I attempted to put myself in their shoes ...... cuz I have Chinee in me ...... well ..... it didn't fit ...... as a matter of fact ...... my foot so damn mix up ...... dat anybody dey tell GO HOME ...... I go hadda go!!!
So ...... one week later ....... I am still trying tuh figure out what prompted dat kinda reaction from those 5 well-known Trini Chinese men (well except fuh Stuart Young .... who's he?) ...... did they overreact ...... or am I being flippant ...... cuz why do we always take things so personal ...... why do we always place ourselves in a certain section ..... why don't we ever think of ourselves as just Trinis ...... cuz watch meh ....... I may be black ..... but I eh from Africa ...... Iz ah TRINIDADIAN! ...... so if dey was tuh say ...... AFRICAN GO HOME ..... I callin yuh tuh wish yuh safe journey ....... from MY HOME (in Diego) ....... so oh gosh ..... my Trinis of Chinese descent ...... wuz de scene ...... chill lil bit nah butterflies ...... allyuh done know dat allyuh run tings in Trini ...... it eh have no way ...... dat we goin an say SAYONARA (ooops da'is Japanese) tuh allyuh any time soon ..... cuz yuh know us ....... we cyah live witout we ..... Movie Towne ..... and we Synergy TV ...... and we Pier 1 ..... and we Zen ..... and we EVO Dog Food ..... and we 9.61 WEFM No. 1 station in de nation!
PS: ..... another thing I still trying tuh figure out is ..... why it is people sayin dat not enuff Indians get National Awards this year ...... what yuh race have tuh do wit gettin an award?! ...... did any Chinese get any ..... doh know ..... but a lot of Trinbagonians certainly did ...... LAWD!!!
Well ....... HOGWASH ...... if yuh livin in Trini ....... cuz is every day somebody gettin hurt ...... off of somebody dotish words ......
Exactly a week ago ...... on de front page of de Express ...... there was a massive headline ...... sayin ...... CHINESE GO HOME ...... and while 99.9% of us Trinis ....... knew exactly what the headline meant ...... and knew right away ...... that it was targeted at the thousands of Chinese construction workers (from China) ...... who workin here now ..... and supposedly takin away wuk from Trinidadians ...... 5 very prominent Trini (Chinese) businessmen ...... didn't ......
Apparently the headline ticked them off so much ...... that they decided to write a very lengthy letter to the editor ...... highlighting their pissed-off-ness ...... and demanding an apology .....
Now about 2 years ago ...... I was online ...... gaping as usual ..... and I came across an article about a friend of mine ...... it was ah kyna bashin article ...... so fuh kicks ..... ah email it tuh him ....... jus so he'd be clued in ...... on what town sayin (about him) ...... well who tell me do dat ...... my boy write meh back pronto ...... attaching a letter ...... which he (and frens) penned ...... in response tuh said article ..... and all because they referred to him as ah CHINEE .......
Little did I know ...... that calling a chinese looking person ..... ah CHINEE ...... is just as derogatory ...... as calling an Indian looking person ...... a 'C' ...... or an African looking person ...... ah 'N' ...... yes ...... that day ...... I learnt ....... that not only do Chinese people abhor being called Chinese ...... if they're really Japanese ....... but they (well him at least) also abhor being called ah 'Chinee' period ...... which was kinda interesting ...... cuz I always assumed that 'Chinee' was de dialect fuh 'Chinese' ....... or ...... jus de lazy Trini version ...... leavin out de 'ezzzz' ...... cuz yuh know us ....... we's ah people ..... doh ever call ting by dey rite name ...... we love tuh mispronounce words ....... and we also love tuh make up words ...... like BEECAW ..... when we really want tuh say BECAUSE!
Anyway ...... being enlightened by my friend ...... made me realise that the Trini Chinese among us ...... have peeves too ...... and I say too ...... cuz we all know the 'Indians' and 'Africans' doh mince words when it comes tuh their peeves ...... but I was again surprised ...... to see the battle that they chose to fight ..... cuz tuh me ...... the Chinese community in Trinidad ..... kyna cool and unassuming ...... so altho ting does piss dem off ...... dey doh really ramajay deyself ...... so when I read that letter ...... titled 'Deep offence' taken with divisive headline ..... I was immediately transported tuh de twilight zone ...... cuz Grrrrrrr? ...... obviously the headline had nothing to do with Trinidadian Chinese!
But ...... feelings are feelings ...... and feelings are never right or wrong ...... so ...... tuh try an' understand de whole scene ...... I attempted to put myself in their shoes ...... cuz I have Chinee in me ...... well ..... it didn't fit ...... as a matter of fact ...... my foot so damn mix up ...... dat anybody dey tell GO HOME ...... I go hadda go!!!
So ...... one week later ....... I am still trying tuh figure out what prompted dat kinda reaction from those 5 well-known Trini Chinese men (well except fuh Stuart Young .... who's he?) ...... did they overreact ...... or am I being flippant ...... cuz why do we always take things so personal ...... why do we always place ourselves in a certain section ..... why don't we ever think of ourselves as just Trinis ...... cuz watch meh ....... I may be black ..... but I eh from Africa ...... Iz ah TRINIDADIAN! ...... so if dey was tuh say ...... AFRICAN GO HOME ..... I callin yuh tuh wish yuh safe journey ....... from MY HOME (in Diego) ....... so oh gosh ..... my Trinis of Chinese descent ...... wuz de scene ...... chill lil bit nah butterflies ...... allyuh done know dat allyuh run tings in Trini ...... it eh have no way ...... dat we goin an say SAYONARA (ooops da'is Japanese) tuh allyuh any time soon ..... cuz yuh know us ....... we cyah live witout we ..... Movie Towne ..... and we Synergy TV ...... and we Pier 1 ..... and we Zen ..... and we EVO Dog Food ..... and we 9.61 WEFM No. 1 station in de nation!
PS: ..... another thing I still trying tuh figure out is ..... why it is people sayin dat not enuff Indians get National Awards this year ...... what yuh race have tuh do wit gettin an award?! ...... did any Chinese get any ..... doh know ..... but a lot of Trinbagonians certainly did ...... LAWD!!!
Well said my friend, well said!
Reply to this
buh wha de jail ...... gyul yuh know how long me eh see you on de scene ..... welcome back!
Reply to this
When I saw the "Chinese Go Home" headline on Guardian's website, I sat up in my chair because I knew some idiot would find a way to get offended by it.
I don't see how Chinee could be perceived as offensive though. It's just our dialect/laziness to complete words. "Coolie" and "Nigger" actually have a history behind their derogatory meanings. Chinee is just a mispronunciation of the word. Anybody claiming offence by it is just looking to be noticed.
Check out the title of this picture on Wikipedia. http://bit.ly/U6eQi
Reply to this
Trinis too thin skinned ..... and fuh de wrong tings ...... dey always lookin fuh de next bacchanal!
That wikipedia pic ..... and the title ..... very interesting .....
Reply to this
Stuart Young is an attorney. Last I know he was with Lex Caribbean and he was one of the attorneys on the Uff Commission of Enquiry.
Reply to this
Thanks Afro ..... still doh ring no bell ..... ah cyah place de face at all ......
Reply to this
All people are different and what's ok with one might be offensive to somebody else.
Good to see that you do posess the ability to put yourself in someone elses shoes Scene, not everybody is willing to do that.
If someone takes pride in their heritage I can understand and accept that they feel offended. I felt the tabloid style headline was in poor taste . If the government contracted the foreign workers then the protest should be directed at the government.
Reply to this
gyul ...... in hindsight ...... dat ting must have really offended dem 5 men ...... cuz you know how hard it must have been ..... tuh co-ordinate signing dat letter ...... cuz is 5 busy men we talkin bout ....... dey woulda probably have tuh call ah meeting jus tuh sign dat ting!
..... and in my opinion ..... if is anybody shoulda be offended off ah dat headline ...... is de actual Chinese workers dat it was meant for ...... cuz you know what it is ...... tuh come here ...... work hard ..... build ting in no time at all ...... and jus so we tellin yuh go back home ...... we doh appreciate yuh ......
Reply to this
if is anybody shoulda be offended off ah dat headline ...... is de actual Chinese workers dat it was meant for
Nah, nah. Most of them probably cyah realise the Trini insolence in the connotation of the word.
Reply to this
while i understand where those fellas of chinese heritage coming from i thought it unecessary... they probably wanted to stand up for the imported workers... who believe it or not not going back...
i went to school with Stuart and he is making himself into one of the more prominent 'chinese'... hard work? oh and d ScotiaBank fella is he family too!
back to my feeling... I absolutely hate when ppl call me Indian... I am a TRINIDADIAN... I was born here... yes... somewhere along my lineage ppl came from India... but some also came from Africa... Europe and God alone knows where else... unless you are first generation I cyar understand y ppl does make this fuss... and If u is 1st gen... i reserve the right to be ignorant and bash you for coming here... we do it all the time to Guyanese... cause they taking we wukk... no they arent... allyuh didnt want to do it in a productive manner... so guess what we import some cheaper labour... legally or illegally...
serious RACE issuses abound and it comes from our colonial past... aided and abbetted by politics...
even if we were all seemingly the same I believe that we would still hold prejudice... its in our nature... people are just people...
on the awards front... I eh have any problem with who get... I would like to see a published listing of all who were nominated and why some didn't get... and If i nominate someone for 'the Order of T&T' and you feel that they not deserving of the highest does it mean that the nomination should be thrown out or should another lower tiered one be awarded instead...
Reply to this
oh gorm bandi ...... ah shoulda invite yuh tuh 'guest post'
but yeah ..... everybody know dat dem Chinese workers eh goin nowhere ....... look at de Tranquillity Primary School ..... I see on de news de odda nite ..... that that school was under construction fuh about 2 years ..... den when it was about 65% complete ..... de CHINESE come an' lick up de ress in WEEKS! ...... and voila ..... de school open dis week ...... ah real tech shool too ...... so yeah ...... dem eh goin nowhere!!
and I doh know about all Trini construction workers ...... but apparently ...... most ah dem really not dat productive ..... so wha de hell ..... if de Chinese doin ah better, faster job ....... why not have them work here .......
and about de awards ..... is ah given dat every year it go have some bacchanal wit dat ....... dis year's bacchanal ...... seem tuh be de Kamaludin Mohammed issue of being nominated and not actually gettin an award ....... which I guess is where the 'not enuff Indians get awards' came from ...... doh know ......
and boy ...... at least you does only get INDIAN ...... I does get all kyna ting ...... rangin from ....... plain ole CHINEE ....... tuh de more specific BLACK CHINEE ...... den when meh hair slick back ...... Iz ah INDIAN ....... but when it curly Iz ah DOUGLA ...... an' den as ah open meh mout ...... Iz ah BITCH !
Reply to this
scene since 'names' callin
fuh d macos in de reading public... meh fadda does look kinda creole an meh mudder is d east indian lookin one... and she fadda used to watch Best Village when it only had dance d Belleh and limbo in it... and he fadda may be a white man...
buh fuh real the Chinese in T&T within all rights to take offence even if it wasn't targeted at them... cause is a right afforded to them... for being Trini...
btw is the Derek Chin who signed the same Guyanese who came here and turned Invaders Bay into MovieTowne where everybody does go en masse to just linger on any given day...
in closing i'm pretty sure that the Chinese 'Association' have reguilar meetings and yes while these guys may have been busy... time to make a statement that deals with their diaspora would not have been a problem...
oh and guest post? i am in mourning for my machine right now as its in the shop getting the logic board replaced... apparently i see too much black/white for it cause the display was the first to go and i pushed too far... buh whenever yuh wah me comments b4 yuh post call or email meh... is not as if yuh eh have da info... so yuh invitin meh fuh some kumar and swine fuh eid?
Reply to this
so wait ...... if yuh PC in de fix-it shop ...... whey yuh typing up all these marathon comments?!
an' no breds ...... me eh makin no ...... kumar ....... or swine ...... or kurma ...... or sawine ...... all I could offer yuh is some crix and cheese!
Reply to this
Well, fuh Easter yuh treat yuhself to hot cross buns, ah full dozen if ah remember right, and now yuh giving people crix and cheese? Like is only you have mout'? (as de trini in me does say).
BTW, what going wid dat crix and cheese? If is water from wasa yuh might not have any guests... (^_^)
Reply to this
nah ...... ah could handle yuh wit ah lil mauby tuh wash it down
Reply to this
well my PC is an iMac and i using sumbody lil laptop on meh own internet connex fuh d while... yes they've definitely been some of my longest ever comments as well... cause I doh have meh outlet readily available... so i guess this was just a lil cathartic...
Reply to this
So if I call you 'Klaloo', yuh go kno wey I coming from?
Reply to this
Actually, just as black people have the right to be upset by being called a "N"... so too do Chinese have the right to be called outside their name. I find we're a bit too flippant when it comes to these matters and seem to just chuck the feelings of others aside. It's wrong however you slice it. I even heard how some radio personalities were speaking with such disdain about the Chinese workers in Trini and frankly, it was embarassing. Funny how black people want to rail up at every sign of "injustice" but don't think that others have the right to do the same...
Reply to this
Ms Hershey gyul .... that's why I said ...... "feelings are feelings ...... and feelings are never right or wrong" ...... thank God we're all different ..... and have different opinions ......
Reply to this
scene yuh eh realise they spelt Chinese Laundry name wrong...
talk about using a stereotype to ones advantage... how far have we really come?
Reply to this
boy da'is de first ting I notice wit dat letter ..... but whatever ...... HON is short fuh honey
Reply to this
so this morning .... I was packing up old newspapers tuh dump ...... and I found the one with the (in)famous headline ..... didn't realise I had it ......
Reply to this
bt he real cute though
Reply to this