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Dutch musician's 'racist' comments against Chinese go viral, draw ire Holland's Got Talent contestant Xiao Wang endures mockery on television A judge from Holland’s Got Talent, a popular singing competition television programme in the Netherlands, has come under fire for making multiple racial slurs against a Chinese contestant. In an episode that aired on November 17, Holland’s Got Talent judge Cornelis Willem Heuckeroth, a Dutch singer who goes by the name Gordon, cracked repeated jokes about Xiao Wang, a PhD student in economics and business who had come on the show to exhibit his singing skills in classical music. “Which number are you singing?” Heuckeroth asked after Wang explained that he would perform an aria from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto. “Number 39 with rice?” After Wang’s singing drew cheers and enthusiastic applause from the crowd, Heuckeroth said that the singer’s voice was a “surplise,” mimicking a stereotypical Chinese accent. “Honestly, this is the best Chinese I’ve had in weeks,” Heuckeroth added. “And it’s not a takeaway.” Heuckeroth, who also referred to Wang as “the People’s Republic of China,” voted for the 30-year-old to remain on the show as a contestant, but followed this praise with a sideways comment in Dutch that Wang looked like he belonged in a Chinese restaurant. Fellow judges Chantal Janzen, a Dutch actress, and Dan Karaty, an American choreographer, remained silent during most of Heuckeroth’s comments until Wang had left the stage. “You’re really not supposed to say things like that to people,” Karaty said. “That’s just awful.” Heuckeroth’s remarks are beginning to draw criticism from international media outlets, and the UK’s Daily Mirror described his jabs as “sensationally…casual racist jokes.” Both English and Chinese-speaking netizens have also lashed out at the television host through various social media outlets. “Xiao Wang’s performance was amazing and yet all that judge could see was his race,” wrote a user of popular internet forum Reddit, where conversation of the incident has attracted over a thousand posts. “It’s…downright depressing. As an Asian person, it’s kind of sad sometimes when [race] is all people see you for.” On Chinese social network Sina Weibo, bloggers compared Heuckeroth’s remarks to a recent controversial skit by US comedian Jimmy Kimmel. The skit, which contained a joke from a six-year-old who suggested that the US should “kill everyone in China,” inspired protests from many Chinese Americans, eventually resulting in multiple apologies from the comedian himself. “There should be protests and demonstrations to call for [Heuckeroth] to step down,” one Weibo user wrote. “Kimmel’s skit seems innocent in comparison to these remarks, and at least Kimmel was apologetic.” Eva Peters, a spokeswoman for the television broadcaster RTL4, declined to comment on the issue. The show is currently in its sixth season. Wang did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. The Chinese embassy in The Hague has "noted the show", according to an emailed statement. I leave no trace of wings in the air, but I am glad I have had my flight. ---- Rabindranath Tagore |
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people can be and are abusive to others .... its really insane, but as you say, many assume they have authority and some who do have authority, seem to be willing to abuse it in efforts to bully or dominate others.
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I agree with your clarifications.
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I don't care much about the negative votes, some people will do what they can to support and defend their bigotry, its as much them making a confirming statement of their bigotry, by their rush to attach their negative to a posted comment that was about, "respecting the dignity of others" Remember one of the guidelines of Jim Crow was, that a black person could never tell a white person they are wrong about anything.  .
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This has gone on so much for so long that it is pathetic... black people have put up with, endured and eventually fought back against this kind of bigoted silliness. Laws can be put forth to protect peoples human dignity, but the adherence to abide by those laws escapes some who have a delusions of ethnic superiority madness, which infects them like a sickness. Sadly, when they are called on it, Immediate denial is the general form the perpetrator of these types of conduct will take. As Goan, said.... its a form of passive aggressiveness, which is aptly depicted in the blog he referenced. many people live under the guise of a joke to try and cover their bigotry and bias once it has been uttered. We do know that in all society, people make ethnic jokes, but there is a context for it, and it's usually reserved for strictly 'comedic routines' where everyone knows the premise is 'comedy'.... This Program Contestants are not part of a Comedy skit, nor is it promoted as a Comedic program.... The judge will likely be removed from the program... will he learn to regard and respect human ethnic diversity... who knows, but he may not be a continuing Judge of Talent in this type of arena which is designed to respect all diversity of human being, in the presentation of 'Singing Talent".
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