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Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.05.2007
Four Asian-American groups, along with the YWCA and Chicanos Por la Causa, have asked a Sabino Canyon-area business to drop advertising that they say contains racial slurs against Chinese people.
The owner of Eggrolls Etc. has so far failed to respond to mailed and hand-delivered letters objecting to the use of the word "Chinaman" in its advertising fliers and to a humorous aside on its menu that mocks the language patterns of first-generation Chinese, said Jason Wong, president of the Tucson Chinese Association.
Owner Mike Reynolds did not return repeated phone calls over three days from the Arizona Daily Star. His employees also declined to comment.
Wong said he hand-carried his first letter to EggRolls Etc., a takeout and delivery business at 4955 N. Sabino Canyon Road, on Feb. 12.
Wong and other leaders of Asian-American groups said their main objection to the business's flier is its use of the word "Chinamen," which Wong said "has historically been used as an offensive term to deride our people and our culture."
The Eggrolls Etc. flier reads on its cover: "Every order is delivered via rickshaw by first generation Chinese immigrants … We really should charge more for delivery, old Chinamen are getting expensive these days."
The menu, under the heading for "Fried Rice," says: "Don't say Flied Lice, it's not funny … there's no 'R' sound in Chinese, that's just cruel really … I know your (sic) saying it … Stop it Stop it Stop it! That's it. NO RICE FOR YOU!!!!"
The attempt at humor is no defense, said Wong. "When you employ humor, you start to desensitize and start to legitimize racist language."
Marie Hanna, president of the Pan Asian Community Alliance, said her group sent a letter to Reynolds on April 12 and received no response. "I think it's his attitude that offends me most," Hanna said. She said Reynolds thinks he can ignore the Asian community because it's a minority.
"We may be a minority here in Tucson," reads her letter, "but we are still 19,000 strong."
Letters asking EggRolls Etc. to change its advertising were also sent by Paul Gee, president of the Tucson Lodge of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, and William Yoshino, Midwest director of the Japanese American Citizens League.
The YWCA Tucson also sent a letter asking EggRolls Etc. to drop its advertising and offering to host a discussion with Reynolds and the offended groups.
J. Sarah Gonzales, director of the YWCA's Racial Justice Program, said "it's difficult to make people understand the repercussions of using race and racism as humor" but said it's crucial for businesspeople to do so.
"He said only a small group of people were offended and that's not accurate. One of his stores is very close to where I live and I would go there, but I'm not going there," Gonzales said.
Lorraine Lee, executive vice president of Chicanos Por La Causa, said she has worked all her life to "eliminate stereotypes of ourselves and impressions people have of us as a group. This particular advertising promotion very much brings it back to the stereotypes."
Wong said he wanted to reach an agreement with Reynolds privately, but now the groups plan a press conference to air their complaints.
"I would not patronize any business I found offensive," he said, "and I will personally tell my friends and colleagues not to patronize that business."
Wong said the pidgin English and use of the word "Chinamen" harks back to the 1800s, when first-generation Chinese immigrants were used as cheap labor on the railroads and were kept from jobs and homes by discriminatory laws.
More recent history contains instances of mass deportations of Chinese and internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
The stereotype of Chinese as low-rung recent immigrants ignores their long history in Tucson and their position today as professionals in every walk of life, said Wong, vice president for commercial construction with Red Point Development.
Reynolds did not respond to a Star e-mail request for comment or to phone messages left over the course of three days at Eggrolls Etc. and Thursday at his other businesses, Brooklyn Burgers and Canal Street Pizzaria.
Online menus for those two businesses are also written in a humorous and mildly profane tone, but contain no racial or ethnic jokes.
The online menu for Eggrolls Etc. (www.eggrollsetc.com/) has a disclaimer that begins: "All offensive accounts, misrepresentations or misspellings contained herein were intentional."
In a footnote, the online menu states: "Should you be compelled to voice your repulsion regarding our sense of humor (or your lack thereof) we graciously implore you to write the newspaper, write your Congressman or start a picket line."
● Contact reporter Tom Beal at 573-4158 or tbeal@azstarnet.com.
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