{"id":3342,"date":"2013-12-09T01:00:07","date_gmt":"2013-12-09T05:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dontow.com\/?p=3342"},"modified":"2013-12-12T00:11:06","modified_gmt":"2013-12-12T04:11:06","slug":"meaning-and-significance-of-the-recent-jimmy-kimmelabc-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dontow.com\/2013\/12\/meaning-and-significance-of-the-recent-jimmy-kimmelabc-incident\/","title":{"rendered":"Meaning and Significance of the Recent Jimmy Kimmel\/ABC Incident"},"content":{"rendered":"

On October 16, 2013, some remarks were made in the Jimmy Kimmel’s Kids Table program that got the attention of essentially all the Chinese in the world. At this program, Jimmy Kimmel asked several kids at a table how should America pay back the large amount of money that America owes China? One of the kids said “You kill everyone in China.” Jimmy Kimmel laughed and said “That is an interesting idea.” He then asked “Should we allow the Chinese to live?” For those who have not seen the program, click on the link https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/boycottjimmykimmelandabc\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This program immediately created an uproar among all the Chinese in the world, especially among the Chinese Americans in the U.S.\u00a0 The issue is not what a six-year-old child said; the issue is what Jimmy Kimmel and ABC said and did, or not said and didn’t do, after the kid’s remark.
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Jimmy Kimmel is an adult and an experienced talk-show host.\u00a0 When hearing such racist and inflammatory remark from a child, Jimmy Kimmel should have said something like “That is an inappropriate remark.\u00a0 Making that kind of remark can result in harms to people.”\u00a0 Furthermore, that show was not live, but prerecorded.\u00a0 So Jimmy Kimmel, or the producers of that program, or ABC management could have decided not to include that segment in their broadcast program.\u00a0 This incident is especially incredulous in light of great concerns over recent school shootings and bullying.\u00a0 The fact that that was not done indicates how poisonous an environment that all the recent biased attacks on China by our press and our political leaders have created [1], so that such obvious racist and highly inflammatory remarks against Chinese are aired in a widely seen public TV program.\u00a0 Can you imagine if that kind of remark was targeted at the Jewish or Black Americans, would Jimmy Kimmel or ABC proceed in the same way?\u00a0 Would the American press and political leaders stay silent?<\/p>\n

For more than a week, Jimmy Kimmel and ABC did not issue an apology.\u00a0 Only after an uproar of protests and petitions across the U.S., did ABC issue an apology.\u00a0 This uproar of protests and petitions included a petition to the White House that got over 100,000 signatures in about 20 days [2], and the 80-20 National Asian American Political Action Committee (or 80-20 for short).\u00a0 The apology was an 10\/25\/13 private letter from Lisa Berger (EVP, Alternative Series, Late Night and Specials) and Tim McNeal (Talent Development Diversity) to 80-20 (see http:\/\/www.80-20initiative.net\/pdf\/abc-kimmel-apology.pdf<\/a>).\u00a0 It was not an open apology that ABC released to the world.\u00a0 Even though the ABC apology was subsequently cited in many Chinese language newspapers, most people, especially non-Chinese, did not know about the apology.\u00a0 Furthermore, the ABC apology did not admit that what was said in the program was wrong and harmful, and what ABC plans to do to keep this kind of incidents from happening again.<\/p>\n

On his 10\/29\/13 program, Jimmy Kimmel offered an apology (http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZWGmSWZzcpA<\/a>).\u00a0 His apology was completely unacceptable, because his apology was not sincere and he did not admit that what he did was wrong.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, he said “I thought it was obvious that I didn’t agree with that statement [3].”<\/p>\n

Then on 10\/30\/13 Jimmy Kimmel appeared in front of the Chinese American protestors outside of the ABC Studio in Los Angeles and apologized again (http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=d8EH4tMCvVc<\/a>).\u00a0 This second apology was more sincere and was closer to admitting that what he did was wrong, although again he tried to blame the protesters for not being able to see that it was a joke.<\/p>\n

Since none of the apologies from Jimmy Kimmel or ABC was acceptable, a nationwide protest was carried out on 11\/9\/13 at more than two dozen cities across the U.S.\u00a0 Then on 11\/10\/13 evening, people first became aware of an ABC apology dated 11\/8\/13 posted in an ABC website:\u00a0 http:\/\/webcache.googleusercontent.com\/search?q=cache:http:\/\/www.abcmedianet.com\/web\/dnr\/dispDNR.aspx?id=pr62214<\/a>.\u00a0 This apology admits that that program should never be broadcasted, that their process did not function properly to catch that type of mistake, and that they have taken steps to prevent this type of issue from happening again.\u00a0 However, the apology did not say what was it that they did that was wrong, what specific steps they have taken to prevent this kind of thing from happening again, and why the apology was not announced to the world but merely posted in an ABC website that people do not normally visit.<\/p>\n

What was puzzling is that with thousands of protestors focusing on every action of ABC, no one saw this apology until the evening of 11\/10\/13, even though the apology was dated 11\/8\/13.\u00a0 Did ABC try to pull a fast one on the protestors using deception and backdated the apology to 11\/8\/13, one day before the nationwide protest, to make it appear that the 11\/9\/13 nationwide protest did not force ABC to issue a second apology?<\/p>\n

In spite of the shortcomings of the second ABC apology, some of the organizations that organized the 11\/9\/13 nationwide protests at some of the cities decided to accept ABC’s apology.\u00a0 So instead of focusing on more protest demonstrations, as a whole the various organizations across the country are focusing on establishing a nationwide organization that works on improving the civil rights of Chinese Americans or Chinese in this country and around the world.<\/p>\n

What do we learn from this incident and the subsequent events?<\/p>\n