Churchill Road Elem in McLean posts racial slur

[Anonymous]

Churchill Road in McLean is a GT Center and should be one of the best elementary schools in Fairfax County. Somehow, though, the school seems proud of drawing Fu Manchu mustaches on children to commemorate the conclusion of their studies on Ancient China: http://www.fcps.edu/ChurchillRoadES/chatter0910/0910Chatter19.pdf
This depiction is akin to blackface and slant eyes used to mock and marginalize a group of people.

Comments?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Churchill Road in McLean is a GT Center and should be one of the best elementary schools in Fairfax County. Somehow, though, the school seems proud of drawing Fu Manchu mustaches on children to commemorate the conclusion of their studies on Ancient China: http://www.fcps.edu/ChurchillRoadES/chatter0910/0910Chatter19.pdf
This depiction is akin to blackface and slant eyes used to mock and marginalize a group of people.

Comments?

Note the Asian names of parents. Many Asian students live in the Langley and mclean high school pyramids. Guess what? PARENTS do a significant amount of the planning and work for FCPS grade level events at schools. If you attended and were not pleased then you should have said something discreetly OR been involved in the event.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your comment. I emailed the principal, and he said that the children often dress up like famous people and that he was sorry I didn't approve of the children wearing mustaches and beards. He will let the teachers know that a parent didn't like the moustaches and beards that the children donned to look like adults. No acknowledgement of any racial meaning to any of it.

The first I heard of the event, which was in a grade other than my child's, was in the newsletter. You can be sure I would have stopped the drawing on the faces if I were aware of that plan!

People, Asian or not, may or may not be disturbed by this.

[Anonymous]

Is there something specific about the Fu Manchu mustaches that is troubling or stereotypical? If so, could you explain? I'm just wondering why this is offensive, but it's OK for the girls in the picture to wear the Chinese clothing.

It's hard enough to get boys interested in some of these very feminized elementary schools as it is.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the boys put the mustaches/beards on themselves. I doubt they were trying to be harmful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there something specific about the Fu Manchu mustaches that is troubling or stereotypical? If so, could you explain? I'm just wondering why this is offensive, but it's OK for the girls in the picture to wear the Chinese clothing.

It's hard enough to get boys interested in some of these very feminized elementary schools as it is.

One reason why the Fu Manchu moustache is troubling is because it is associated with a particular stereotype of Asian people -- namely, the Asian villain. It emerged from the depiction of Dr. Fu Manchu in a British TV series and has since grown to indicate an evil, sinister, and untrustworthy Asian character in American media. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu_moustache.

But more generally, when you go out of your way to add or alter physical characteristics to "portray" a group of people, that is inherently offensive. We don't paint our kids in blackface for Black History Month or put Hitler moustaches on them when studying World War II.

[Anonymous]

But we dress our kids up like "Native Americans" by putting feathers on thier heads for Thanksgiving...

[Anonymous]

Add me to the list of people who wouldn't have immediately thought that mimicking a hair style would be offensive. Hair and clothing styles vary but are cultural, not physical, characteristics. I think it's quite possible that the people involved saw this as a way for the kids to "try on" some of Chinese culture without meaning any offense.

[Anonymous]

No way is this akin to blackface. I think OP is overly sensitive.

[Anonymous]

Add me to the list of people who think that it's not offensive. It's a style of mustache--OK. Fu Manchu may be who we associate it with, but others wore it. Hitler may have popularized and villainized that style of mustache, but Charlie Chaplin also wore it. If you want to cornrow my daughter's hair for AA History month, go for it. Is that bad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Add me to the list of people who wouldn't have immediately thought that mimicking a hair style would be offensive. Hair and clothing styles vary but are cultural, not physical, characteristics. I think it's quite possible that the people involved saw this as a way for the kids to "try on" some of Chinese culture without meaning any offense.

I agree with this. First thing I thought of was how school children often put on white wigs when dressing up like colonial times. No one would ever think anything wrong with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Add me to the list of people who think that it's not offensive. It's a style of mustache--OK. Fu Manchu may be who we associate it with, but others wore it. Hitler may have popularized and villainized that style of mustache, but Charlie Chaplin also wore it. If you want to cornrow my daughter's hair for AA History month, go for it. Is that bad?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Add me to the list of people who think that it's not offensive. It's a style of mustache--OK. Fu Manchu may be who we associate it with, but others wore it. Hitler may have popularized and villainized that style of mustache, but Charlie Chaplin also wore it. If you want to cornrow my daughter's hair for AA History month, go for it. Is that bad?

Yes.

Then please articulate why, if you are able.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Add me to the list of people who think that it's not offensive. It's a style of mustache--OK. Fu Manchu may be who we associate it with, but others wore it. Hitler may have popularized and villainized that style of mustache, but Charlie Chaplin also wore it. If you want to cornrow my daughter's hair for AA History month, go for it. Is that bad?

Yes.

Then please articulate why, if you are able.

Give me a break. Cornrows on a white (?) girl are not offensive. I'm African American, btw.

[Anonymous]

There is a fine line here folks.

To the PP who asked about the Hitler mustache. Next Hannukkah, why dont you paint a Hitler mustache on your son and all his friends and send him off to school, or better yet, send him to a Temple. Lets see if there are any reactions.

As for cornrow lady, reimagine the picture full white kids with cornrows wearing dashiki's and a plate of fried chicken and watermelon in front of them. Would you have something to say then?

The issue here is that the Fu Manchu mustache is an old image that has negative racial connotations. Its siginificance may be lost on more recent immigrants, but those of us Asian Americans that grew up here remember all the pain that those images caused.

I dont think the school or the teacher had any bad intentions, but OP is right to say something.