2008 Woodie Awards
Blog cartoon called racist
Melissa Chi
Issue date: 7/28/08 Section: News
A cartoon posted on the Arts and Sciences Council E Forum has been seen by some as racist.
The cartoon, posted by a registered user known only as "Lafcadio," was removed from the blog. The cartoon showed Main Campus Provost Rosemary Haggett and President Lloyd Jacobs in a bus and Yueh-Ting Lee, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, at the bottom right corner, wearing what looks to be a traditional Chinese outfit.
In an e-mail to The Independent Collegian, Lee wrote, "I was not only offended but also extremely disappointed by the controversial posting. I believe the designer and the blog facilitator owe the Asian American community a SINCERE apology for such a dehumanizing cartoon."
Lee brought the post to the attention of Arts and Sciences Council Chairman Lawrence Anderson-Huang, who is also the webmaster for the blog, the following morning.
"He was rather upset, of course, and I didn't quite understand why until he had me bring up the blog," Anderson-Huang said. He agreed it was offensive.
"I was shocked that it came from people in higher education," said Morris Jenkins, president of the Association of Black Faculty and Staff and an associate professor in criminal justice.
"When I first saw it, I thought it was pretty outrageous. I thought it was satire," said Brian Patrick, vice chair of the ASC and an associate professor in communication. "That was definitely pushing the line, if not over it."
Anderson-Huang admitted the controversial post did affect some at UT.
"It has awakened voices within the Asian-American community on campus among the faculty," he said. "Quite a few of them have written in various threads of e-mail and most of them seem to indicate that this cartoon is only the tip of the iceberg, as far as cultural awareness is on campus."
In an e-mail addressed to the Chinese faculty at UT, Jiquan Chen, an ecology professor, wrote that the outfit on Lee used to be a derogatory symbol against Chinese around 50 years ago.
The cartoon, posted by a registered user known only as "Lafcadio," was removed from the blog. The cartoon showed Main Campus Provost Rosemary Haggett and President Lloyd Jacobs in a bus and Yueh-Ting Lee, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, at the bottom right corner, wearing what looks to be a traditional Chinese outfit.
In an e-mail to The Independent Collegian, Lee wrote, "I was not only offended but also extremely disappointed by the controversial posting. I believe the designer and the blog facilitator owe the Asian American community a SINCERE apology for such a dehumanizing cartoon."
Lee brought the post to the attention of Arts and Sciences Council Chairman Lawrence Anderson-Huang, who is also the webmaster for the blog, the following morning.
"He was rather upset, of course, and I didn't quite understand why until he had me bring up the blog," Anderson-Huang said. He agreed it was offensive.
"I was shocked that it came from people in higher education," said Morris Jenkins, president of the Association of Black Faculty and Staff and an associate professor in criminal justice.
"When I first saw it, I thought it was pretty outrageous. I thought it was satire," said Brian Patrick, vice chair of the ASC and an associate professor in communication. "That was definitely pushing the line, if not over it."
Anderson-Huang admitted the controversial post did affect some at UT.
"It has awakened voices within the Asian-American community on campus among the faculty," he said. "Quite a few of them have written in various threads of e-mail and most of them seem to indicate that this cartoon is only the tip of the iceberg, as far as cultural awareness is on campus."
In an e-mail addressed to the Chinese faculty at UT, Jiquan Chen, an ecology professor, wrote that the outfit on Lee used to be a derogatory symbol against Chinese around 50 years ago.
Be the first to comment on this story