Politically Incorrect segment on racial slurs continues to focus on Aoki
By Sam Chu Lin
When Politically Incorrect decided to do an episode on racial slurs, producers invited comedian Sarah Silverman to be a guest. She was an obvious choice. In July, she appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, during which she had used the word “chink” in a comedy sketch.
Guy Aoki, on the other hand, practically begged for a spot on the show. And who is Aoki, anyway? In fact, he is the co-founder and president of Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), a watchdog organization that advocates for fair portrayal of APIAs. And since his appearance on Politically Incorrect, he has become something of a media personality in his own right.
“He gave an impressive display of his debating skills,” said actor and activist George Takei. “It was aggressive. It was articulate. It was witty, and it was forceful. It was a powerful thing to see Guy performing like that.”
To get there, though, Aoki first had to convince producers that he was worthy. He said initially Politically Incorrect didn’t want him, but he didn’t give up and appealed to the ABC’s top brass.
After they finally gave him the OK, Aoki studied the show for about a week. He concluded that guests who asserted themselves were more successful. He also wrote down and memorized the points he thought were important in telling the story of how racism and racial slurs have affected APIAs. He vowed no one was going to stop him from making his statements on the issues. His determination came through.
Said Dan Mayeda, an entertainment attorney and co-president of the East/West Players: “You had an Asian American man, who, by holding up his hands and politely but firmly asserting himself, refused to let the host — a white man — cut him off and dominate the discussion. To me, the imagery was as powerful as anything that was said.”
The debate between Silverman and Aoki aired on Aug. 23. Silverman argued that she had used the word “chink” to bring attention to racism in society. But many APIAs who have written Aoki felt differently.
Said Carolyn Chan of Albuquerque, N.M.: “The flip side would have been to ask Ms. Silverman, who is Jewish, how she would have felt if someone of color or even of European American descent had told her joke and substituted the racial slur ‘chink’ with the racial slur ‘kike’ or ‘hebe.’ I’m sure the Anti-Defamation League and other civil rights groups would be in an uproar and demanding an immediate apology for the offense.”
Aoki isn’t going to drop the controversery any time soon.
“I talked with Bill Maher in the hallway after the show. He said, ‘This was a good discussion. We’ll have you back.’” Aoki said. “I think Asian Pacific Islander Americans and other minorities can also benefit from this. The people at Politically Incorrect are starting to realize you can still have great audiences if you talk about serious issues.”
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