Kate Rigg: Asian American Activism

Outreach and activism

Chink-O-Rama Did you say CHINK? Race and Representation in the Touring Shows

"Rigg used stereotypes against themselves to nuanced but devastating effect."--WASHINGTON POST

The use of the word chink, while controversial, is intentionally political in its co-option of racist language to expose its negative impact on culture. Tongue in Cheek, Satirical and subversive, the deliberate re-possession and relocation of racist language in this particular case begins with the etymology of the word chink, which is purportedly a diminutive for "Chinese" but, as most asian Americans will tell you, Koreans, Thai people, Japanese people, Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipinos, and other members of the A/PI community have been potential targets for the word, which racistly assumes that all asian people are/look the same. Hence the cast of chink-o-rama is ethnically diverse and often of mixed race. Other words such as gook, nip, slant, etc are used in the show interchangeably as part of the movement of disempowerment repossession and relocation of the images associated with the words. In Birth of a nASIAN, these issues are addressed directly in the spoken word sections. And Slanty Eyed Mama's lyricism addresses all of them too. More discussion of this and other issues facing the A/PI community are addressed in all of Kate's shows and the discussion groups afterwards.


Outreach and activism Did you say CHINK? Race and Representation in the Touring Shows "Rigg used stereotypes against themselves to nuanced but devastating effect."--WASHINGTON POST The use of the word chink, while controversial, is intentionally political in its co-option of racist language to expose its negative impact on culture. Tongue in Cheek, Satirical and subversive, the deliberate re-possession and relocation of racist language in this particular case begins with the etymology of the word chink, which is purportedly a diminutive for "Chinese" but, as most asian Americans will tell you, Koreans, Thai people, Japanese people, Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipinos, and other members of the A/PI community have been potential targets for the word, which racistly assumes that all asian people are/look the same. Hence the cast of chink-o-rama is ethnically diverse and often of mixed race. Other words such as gook, nip, slant, etc are used in the show interchangeably as part of the movement of disempowerment repossession and relocation of the images associated with the words. In Birth of a nASIAN, these issues are addressed directly in the spoken word sections. And Slanty Eyed Mama's lyricism addresses all of them too. More discussion of this and other issues facing the A/PI community are addressed in all of Kate's shows and the discussion groups afterwards.
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