Will the title hurt this movie? - Chinaman's Chance: America's Other Slaves Discussion

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

Uh, yeah man. I don't think many people use the term "Chinaman", "Frenchman", "Englishman", or "Irishman". That's kinda like calling a black person "Negro". It's outdated. And do you even KNOW what the term "Chinaman's Chance" means?

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] rideitlikeyoustoleit 17 years ago

Well since you knew, then you know why the original poster asked the question in the first place: "Will the title hurt this movie?"

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] smoke0 16 years ago

lol

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[–] JasonLeeSmith 16 years ago

I don't actually see any problem with this title. It is an expression that was in moderately common usage for a while. The expression "a Chinaman's chance" arose in the 1800s when large numbers of Chinese men were put into service (in many cases against their will) building the railroad across America. A Chinaman's chance referred to the chance that a man employed in such a way would actually survive the experience -- that is to say, there was no chance at all. I think it was probably the precursor to expressions like "a snowball's chance in hell." Since the film seems to take place during the time referenced by the expression, I think its a wonderfully suitable title.

While the term might put off some of the more socially minded people who are not aware of its origins, its not a intrinsically derogatory towards Orientals. I think that the fact that the film is directed by an Oriental and seems to also have a sympathetic Oriental protagonist both should allay any fears that this movie is in any way racist.

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[–] daddyparts 16 years ago

This title risks criticism and alienation of the people you desire to attract. The main plot is about discrimination so the title could turn off the socially minded patrons who are likely to attend. In addition ask yourself if you want the phrase to re-enter the public lexicon?

Archaic terms like this should be relgated to the dustbin of history, as a historical piece I can see why you would want to use it the phrase but, I am not likely to spend my money to go to a movie called "Coon", "N*g*r rigged" or "Sambo" either.

How did Spike Lee's movie do. "Bamboozled" great concept- with an off putting title, didn't do so hot at the box office.

Compare Chinaman’s Chance with some of the best movies in this genre To Kill a Mockingbird, Cry Freedom, Hotel Rwanda. Can you see it on that list? To be honest Chinaman's Chance sounds like would be the name of a Steven Segal movie. (I don't watch those either)

And BTW JasonLeeSmith only tables, chairs, and rugs are oriental; people are Asian. You really have to be either a victim of racism or study the subject before you can effectively comment on what can be construed as racist.

Can I suggest running the plot and title by the community at www.modelminority.com to see what people think, It couldn't hurt.

I could be hypersensitive to the topic.

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[–] vintagevalor-2 16 years ago

Having read your comments I must say that I am not impressed by your obvious biais to Political Correctness. PC is the bane of this countrys existance. It causes far more trouble than it solves....It squashes debate and discussion, it gets 1st graders "arrested" or expelled or placed in "sensitivity training" ,through the stupidity of school boards who should know better, it causes disruption in the work place and attempts to re-write history. DO NOT mis-understand me, I am not defending the use of the N word or condoning sexual misconduct, but when children are admonished for playing and being kids, I draw the line. Your objection to the title CHINEMAN'S CHANCE, because you think it's racist is ridiculas. It's history, for God's sake! I suppose your the kind of intellect that would object to the word "niggardly" on the grounds that it to is racist!!........(It mean stingy, for those of you who don't know.) There was a Congressman who used it in a speech a year or so ago, and you would have thought he had murdered his wife!.....Ignorance is not bliss!

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[–] daddyparts 16 years ago

Fortunately for me my goal is not to impress you.
Much of history is full of racism, misogyny and other things better left to the dustbin. It is poor judgement to think that you can use a word even approximating a epithet without some risk, where is the Congressman now?

We may be becoming to p.c. but it depends on whose ox is being gored. (look it up)

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[–] fozitola 14 years ago

I thought it was a reference of the OP saying it has a Chinaman's Chance of making any money.
If that was the sentiment, the movie should be titled: "Intelligent online discussion" and then, in parenthesis, "monkeys's are flying out of my butt hole and it hurts less than my soul weeps"

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tongun1989 16 years ago

Personally as an Asian, I take offense to the term “chinaman" only if it was used in a racist way toward an Asian. I am not Chinese but I heard both whites and blacks use the term “chinaman “toward me when I was growing up in 1970's and it was used in a racist way toward me. I guess if YOU have not experienced how it feels to be a 10 year old Asian in a WASP community in Virginia and Missouri then YOU really don't know what you are talking about. Walk in my shoes then tell me the word "Chinaman" is racist or not. If you are not Asian then YOU have not experienced the bigotry that I experience in a WASP environment. This was during the Bonanza period and I was called HopSing (Chinese immigrant) all the time by the kids on my bus and at school in Virginia (Shenandoah Valley). The way Asians had been portrayed in American Cinema has not been PC at all. Look at who played the main character in Kung Fu, David Carradine got the part to play an Asian but Bruce Lee lost out on the part - go figure!

Maybe you should look up the word Chinaman in the dictionary and look at the historical context of the word then open your mouth and tell me it is not racist:

Chi·na·man Audio Help /ˈtʃaɪnəmən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[chahy-nuh-muhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural -men. 1. Usually Offensive. a Chinese or a person of Chinese descent.
2. (lowercase) a person who imports or sells china.
3. (often lowercase) Political Slang. a person regarded as one's benefactor, sponsor, or protector: to see one's chinaman about a favor.
—Idiom4. a Chinaman's chance, Usually Offensive. the slightest chance: He hasn't a Chinaman's chance of getting that job.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Origin: 1765–75; China + -man]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
chinaman

To learn more about chinaman visit Britannica.com

© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This Chi·na·man Audio Help (chī'nə-mən) Pronunciation Key
n. Offensive
A Chinese man.

(Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This chinaman

noun
1. (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent [syn: *beep*
2. a ball bowled by a left-handed bowler to a right-handed batsman that spins from off to leg

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

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[–] Nephilim-6 16 years ago

Only idiot people will think the title is racist.
When I first read the title I figured it would be a western.
And by god it is one. Cause ya see... They used that word a lot in those times.

Did you ever notice that people who believe in creationism look really un-evolved? - Bill Hicks

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[–] daddyparts 16 years ago

I was a fan of Bill Hicks, if he was around he'd probably tell you to *beep* yourself.

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[–] Nephilim-6 16 years ago

Really now?
Then let me paraphrase George Carlin for you:
Dumbing down/politically correcting words is stupid.

Other than that my comment on the term is totally correct. Chinaman was a term used extensively in the western times and therefor has a valid use in the title of this movie. It reminds people of that day and age and therefor suits the name of a Western.

Did you ever notice that people who believe in creationism look really un-evolved? - Bill Hicks

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[–] willdaBEAST 15 years ago

The titled has been changed to "I Am Somebody", so this is all irrelevant now. The movie was written, directed and co-starred by Aki Aleong, who is Chinese and he titled it "Chinaman's Chance" to illustrate the hardships that Chinese immigrants faced in the era that the film was set.

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[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] EliotTempleton 7 years ago

Why do you think that Bamboozled is "an off-putting title"? It's a perfectly legitimate word still in use, and not that long ago, it was a very frequently-used slang term.

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[–] silver-wraith 15 years ago

It's my opinion that modern racism is largely a product of those trying to be politically correct. It's a terrible Idea to try and make the world a better place by giving supposedly racist words even more power than they had in the first place.
The thing is, we're just making noises. Getting offended because someone said something like "chinaman" is a sign that one takes things too personally.

Caring at all about these words makes racism worse. As we all know, social faux pas die hard.

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[–] rideitlikeyoustoleit 15 years ago

Bwhahaha!! I come back to this thread over a year later and people are still tryin' to make sense of that damn title!! Now I find out they changed it. So yeah, as willdaBEAST put it best: It's irrelevant now.

I just wanna know when it's being released or has it been released at all?

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