Friday - May 19, 2006

Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day

THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY! I don’t think I could stand much more of this kind of silliness and outright asinine behavior from the pitiful (and slightly deranged) hairless apes on planet Earth. It was bad enough when the Muslims got all offended and jihad-stompin’ over Mohammed cartoons but the following literally takes the cake. Chinese getting offended by satirical sendups of Chairman Mao? In New Zealand? Key quote: ”Chairman Mao is like Jesus to us.”

Students See Red Over Mao Send-Up
_{18 May 2006}

NEW ZEALAND (MANUWATU STANDARD)—A mob of angry Chinese students protested at Massey University yesterday after Chairman Mao was lampooned on the cover of the student newspaper. Students likened the cover of Chaff, which this week satirises women’s magazine Cosmopolitan, to the anti-Muslim cartoons circulated around the world in February.

Tempers flared outside Massey’s library as about 50 Chinese Massey and UCOL students and a Chinese lecturer confronted Chaff staff. Students said the issue is racist and the last straw, as many have also suffered verbal abuse on the streets of Palmerston North.

Tianxiang Mao said it was common for Asian students to be lambasted with racial slurs when driving. “People yell `F-ing Asians’ when we are in the car driving down the road. I don’t say anything. What can I do?” UCOL student Xing Tang said Chaff staff are ignorant of Chinese culture.

“Chairman Mao is like Jesus to us,” he said on the verge of tears. “We pay $20,000 in fees and a Musa fee (which funds Chaff) and this is how we are treated.” Student Ronnie Cao likened the cover to the anti-Muslim cartoons.

“This is discrimination against us.” It will have a huge effect on New Zealand’s reputation, Mr Cao said. However, compared with the United States, New Zealand is still considered a safe place for Chinese parents to send their children, he said. Yang Chenglin said students are proud of their Chinese culture.

“Mao gave us independence. He’s no more a killer than George Washington or George W Bush. “He is the father of China - without Mao, there is no China.” Mao Zedong, or Chairman Mao, was the founder of the People’s Republic of China and one of the most prominent figures in Chinese history.

He is also revered as a great spiritual leader and cultural symbol. Students gathered in tight circles outside the library yesterday, signing a petition demanding an apology. Students also want remaining copies pulled out of circulation. Tensions flared as agitated students confronted Chaff editor Edrei Valath and news editor Matt Russell.

“It was an arbitrary decision to run the cover of Mao,” Mr Russell said, adding it was intended as a joke. “We were looking for a picture of Marx or Lenin and we couldn’t use Castro because he had a beard and it just didn’t work. I didn’t think it would offend.” Mr Valath said students are “enraged for the sake of being enraged”.

- Believe it or not, there’s even more of this silliness here ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 05/19/2006 at 12:22 PM   
Filed Under: • Stoopid-People •  
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