View source for Chink

{{short description|Ethnic slur}}
{{Other uses|Chink (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Lead too short|date=September 2025}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}

[[File:Postcard-Yellow-Peril-Chink-by-Fred-Lounsbury-1907.png|thumb|A racist postcard by Fred C. Lounsbury, promoting the idea of the [[Yellow Peril]] (1907)|alt=An angry caricatured Chinese male face with spiny facial hair and a snake-like tail. Beneath is a five-line poem which begins, "He's a Yellow Peril Chink of surprising versatility."]]

'''''Chink''''' is an English-language [[List of ethnic slurs|ethnic slur]] usually referring to a person of [[Chinese people|Chinese]] descent,<ref name="chink definition">{{Cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chink |title=Chink {{!}} Definition of chink by Merriam-Webster |access-date=23 January 2013 |archive-date=24 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124104137/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chink |url-status=live }}</ref> but also used to insult people with [[East Asia]]n features. The use of the term describing eyes with [[epicanthic fold]]s is considered highly offensive and is regarded as racist by many.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hsu|first=Huan|title=No More Chinks in the Armor|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/the_good_word/2012/02/chink_in_the_armor_jeremy_lin_why_it_s_time_to_retire_the_phrase_for_good_.html|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=21 February 2012|access-date=9 May 2012|archive-date=8 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508125426/http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/the_good_word/2012/02/chink_in_the_armor_jeremy_lin_why_it_s_time_to_retire_the_phrase_for_good_.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McNeal|first=Greg|title=ESPN Uses 'Chink in the Armor' Line Twice UPDATE- ESPN Fires One Employee Suspends Another|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2012/02/18/espn-uses-chink-in-the-armor-line-twice-did-linsanity-just-go-racist/|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=9 May 2012|date=18 February 2012|archive-date=9 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509063819/http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2012/02/18/espn-uses-chink-in-the-armor-line-twice-did-linsanity-just-go-racist/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
Various dictionaries provide different etymologies of the word ''chink''; for example, that it originated from the Chinese courtesy ''ching-ching'',<ref>{{cite book|title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang|publisher=Orion Publishing Group|date=November 2005|isbn=978-0304366361}}</ref> that it evolved from the word ''China'',<ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Slang|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=December 2003|isbn=978-0198607632}}</ref> or that it was an alteration of ''Qing'' (''Ch'ing''), as in the [[Qing dynasty]].<ref>{{cite book|title=21st Century Dictionary of Slang|publisher=Random House, Inc.|date=1 January 1994|isbn=978-0-440-21551-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/21stcenturydicti00watt}}</ref>

Another possible origin is that ''chink'' evolved from the word for China in an [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian language]], ultimately deriving from the name of the Qing dynasty. That word is now pronounced similarly in various [[Indo-European languages]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Slang|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=December 2003|isbn=978-0-19-860763-2}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Ironchinkworker.png|thumb|right|The ''Iron Chink'', a machine that guts and cleans salmon for canning,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=2109|title=Automated salmon cleaning machine developed in Seattle in 1903|publisher=HistoryLink.org|date=1 January 2000|access-date=20 July 2007|archive-date=7 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807221544/http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=2109|url-status=live}}</ref> alongside a Chinese fishplant worker, was marketed as a replacement for fish-butchers, who were primarily Chinese immigrants.|alt=A Chinese laborer loads salmon carcasses into an Iron Chink machine. A pile of salmon carcasses covers the floor.]]

The first recorded use of the word ''chink'' is from approximately 1880.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> As far as is ascertainable, its adjective form, ''chinky'', first appeared in print in 1878.<ref>{{cite book|editor1=Tom Dalzell |editor2=Terry Victor |title=New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English|url=https://archive.org/details/newpartridgedict00tomd_0 |url-access=registration |publisher=Routledge|date=12 May 2005|isbn=978-0-415-21258-8}}</ref>

Around the turn of the 20th century, many [[white Americans]] in the [[Northern United States]] perceived Chinese immigration as a threat to their living standards. However, Chinese workers were still desired in the [[Western United States]] due to persistent labor shortages. Chinese [[butcher]] crews were held in such high esteem that when [[Edmund A. Smith (inventor)|Edmund A. Smith]] patented his mechanized fish-butchering machine in 1905, he named it the ''Iron Chink''<ref>{{citation|title=Smith's Iron Chink – One Hundred Years of the Mechanical Fish Butcher |author=Jo Scott B |journal=British Columbia History |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=21–22 |url=http://www.canfisco.com/wildsalmon/salmon_history.asp?article=17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023023411/http://www.canfisco.com/wildsalmon/salmon_history.asp?article=17 |archive-date=23 October 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://stories.washingtonhistory.org/leschi/teaching/pdfs/sts-ironchink.pdf| quote=The myth arose that Edmund Smith had designed the machine specifically to fire Chinese workers| title=Revolution on a Dare; Edmund A. Smith and His Famous Fish-butchering Machine| author=Philip B. C. Jones| access-date=1 June 2011| archive-date=25 July 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725173046/http://stories.washingtonhistory.org/leschi/teaching/pdfs/sts-ironchink.pdf| url-status=live}}</ref> which is seen by some as symbolic of anti-Chinese racism during the era.<ref name=exclusion>{{cite web|url=http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=adce7c26150f960d57b3f2913d47b7aa|title=Acts of Exclusion|author=Wing, Avra|publisher=AsianWeek|date=14 January 2005|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061021055731/http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=adce7c26150f960d57b3f2913d47b7aa |archive-date = 21 October 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=2109 |title=HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=1 June 2011 |archive-date=22 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622082339/http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=2109 |url-status=live }}</ref> Usage of the word continued, such as with the story "The Chink and the Child", by [[Thomas Burke (author)|Thomas Burke]], which was later adapted to film by [[D. W. Griffith]]. Griffith altered the story to be more racially sensitive and renamed it ''[[Broken Blossoms]]''.

Although ''chink'' refers to those appearing to be of Chinese descent, the term has also been directed towards people of other East and Southeast Asian ethnicities. Literature and film about the Vietnam war contain examples of this usage, including the film ''[[Platoon (film)|Platoon]]'' (1986)<ref>http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Platoon.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030011428/http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Platoon.html|date=30 October 2006}} Accessed 31 March 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Poon |first=OiYan A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mdLPEAAAQBAJ&dq=Platoon+film+%22chink%22&pg=PA6 |title=Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family |date=2024-04-30 |publisher=Beacon Press |isbn=978-0-8070-1362-5 |language=en}}</ref> and the play ''[[Sticks and Bones]]'' (1971, also [[Sticks and Bones (film)|later filmed]]).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKAjAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Sticks+and+Bones%22+%22Chink%22 |title=The New York Times Theater Reviews, 1920- |date=1973 |publisher=New York Times/Arno Press |isbn=978-0-405-00696-8 |language=en}}</ref>

== Worldwide usage==
=== Australia ===
The terms [[Chinaman (term)|Chinaman]] and ''chink'' became intertwined, as some Australians used both with hostile intent when referring to members of the country's Chinese population, which had swelled significantly during the [[Gold Rush]] era of the 1850s and 1860s.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Yu|first=Ouyang|date=1993|title=All the Lower Orders: Representations of the Chinese Cooks, Market Gardeners and Other Lower-Class People in Australian Literature from 1888 to 1988|url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2174&context=kunapipi|journal=Kunapipi|volume=15|issue=3|access-date=March 10, 2023|archive-date=10 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310222333/https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2174&context=kunapipi|url-status=live}}</ref>

Assaults on Chinese miners and racially motivated riots and public disturbances were not infrequent occurrences in Australia's mining districts in the second half of the 19th century. There was some resentment, too, of the fact that Chinese miners and laborers tended to send their earnings back home to their families in China rather than spending them in Australia and supporting the local economy.

In the popular Sydney ''[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|Bulletin]]'' magazine in 1887, one author wrote: "No nigger, no chink, no [[lascar]], no [[Kanakas|kanaka]] (laborer from the South Pacific islands), no purveyor of cheap labour, is an Australian."<ref name="ReferenceA">Hughes, Geoffrey. An Encyclopedia of Swearing. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2006.</ref> Eventually, since-repealed federal government legislation was passed to restrict non-white immigration and thus protect the jobs of [[Anglo-Celtic]] Australian workers from "undesirable" competition.

=== India ===
In India, the ethnic slur ''chinki'' (or ''chinky'') is frequently directed against people with East Asian features, including people from [[Northeast India]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/northeast-students-question-racism-in-india/94320-3.html|title=Northeast students question 'racism' in India|publisher=CNN-IBN|date=6 June 2009|access-date=28 November 2009|archive-date=28 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628090155/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/northeast-students-question-racism-in-india/94320-3.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> who are often mistaken for Chinese, despite being closer to [[Tibetans]] and the [[Burmese people|Burmese]] than to [[Han Chinese people]]s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/world/asia/indians-protest-saying-a-death-was-tied-to-bias.html |title=Indians Protest, Saying a Death Was Tied to Bias |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1 February 2014 |access-date=26 February 2017 |archive-date=7 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107042954/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/world/asia/indians-protest-saying-a-death-was-tied-to-bias.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2012, the [[Minister for Home Affairs (India)|Indian Ministry of Home Affairs]] recognized use of the term "chinki" to refer to a member of the [[Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes|Scheduled Tribes]] (especially in the North-East) as a criminal offense under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act with a penalty of up to five years in jail. The Ministry further warned that they would very seriously review any failure of the police to enforce this interpretation of the Act.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/north-east-racial-slur-home-ministry-sc--st-act-jail-term/1/198828.html/ |title=North-East racial slur could get you jailed for five years |first=Aman |last=Sharma |work=India Today |date=3 June 2012 |access-date=27 July 2012 |archive-date=5 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805093458/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/north-east-racial-slur-home-ministry-sc--st-act-jail-term/1/198828.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== United Kingdom ===
{{Blockquote
|text=Chinky: Strongest language, highly unacceptable without strong contextualisation. Seen as derogatory to Chinese people. More mixed views regarding use of the term to mean ‘Chinese takeaway’.
|author=Broadcasting regulator [[Ofcom]]
|source=''Attitudes to potentially offensive language and gestures on TV and radio'' (2016)<ref name="ofcom">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/91625/OfcomQRG-AOC.pdf |title=Attitudes to potentially offensive language and gestures on TV and radio, Quick Reference Guide |website=ofcom.org.uk |publisher=Ipsos MORI |date=September 2016 |url-status=live |archive-date=7 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007171953/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/91625/OfcomQRG-AOC.pdf |page=12}}</ref>
}}

''Chinky'' (or ''chinky chonky''<ref>{{cite book|title=Britslang: An Uncensored A-Z of the People's Language, Including Rhyming Slang|author=Ray Puxley|page=98|year=2004|publisher=Robson|isbn=1-86105-728-8}}</ref>) is a [[Pejorative|slur]] for a [[Chinese takeaway]] restaurant or Chinese food and Chinese people<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/nov/21/broadcasting.uknews|title=TV's most offensive words|date=21 November 2005|website=The Guardian}}</ref> which, in parts of [[northern England]], are known as a ''chinkies'', always in the plural. {{cn|date=April 2022}}

The 1969 top 3 UK hit single for [[Blue Mink]], "[[Melting Pot (song)|Melting Pot]]", has the lyric: "take a pinch of white man/Wrap him up in black skin. [...] Mixed with yellow Chinkies. You know you lump it all together/And you got a recipe for a get-along scene/Oh what a beautiful dream/If it could only come true".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/melting-pot-lyrics-blue-mink.html |title=Melting Pot Lyrics |website=metrolyrics.com |url-status=dead|access-date=9 May 2017 |archive-date=14 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214223000/http://www.metrolyrics.com/melting-pot-lyrics-blue-mink.html}}</ref> In August 2019, British broadcaster [[Global Media & Entertainment|Global]] permanently deleted the song from its [[Gold (British radio network)|Gold]] playlist after a complaint about offensive language was lodged with British broadcasting regulator Ofcom. Under the direction of the [[Communications Act 2003]], Ofcom ruled that "the phrase 'yellow Chinkies' had the potential to be highly offensive"{{r|name="ofcom 2019"|p=16}} and "that the use of derogatory language to describe ethnic groups carries a widespread potential for offence".{{r|name="ofcom 2019"|p=17}} Ofcom considered that the passage of time since the song's release and the song's positive message of racial harmony did not "mitigate the potential for offence."{{r|name="ofcom 2019"|p=17–18}} Ofcom determined that the "potentially offensive material was not justified by the context"{{r|name="ofcom 2019"|p=18}} and ruled the case resolved as the licensee Global had removed the song from Gold's playlist.<ref name="ofcom 2019">{{cite book |title=Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin |chapter=The Music Marathon: Gold, 27 May 2019, 12:45 |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/163507/issue-385-broadcast-and-on-demand-bulletin.pdf#page=15 |pages=15–18 |publisher=Ofcom |date=27 August 2019 |issue=385 |archive-date=20 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120181102/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/163507/issue-385-broadcast-and-on-demand-bulletin.pdf#page=15 |url-status=live |access-date=19 December 2023 }}</ref> In September 2019, Scottish [[community radio in the United Kingdom|community radio]] station Black Diamond FM removed  "Melting Pot" from its playlist and "planned to carry out refresher training with its staff" after two complaints about the song's broadcast were lodged with Ofcom. Ofcom ruled in December 2019 that Black Diamond was in breach of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code because "the potentially offensive language in this broadcast was not justified by the context".<ref>{{cite book |title=Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin |chapter=Geoff Ruderham: Black Diamond FM 107.8, 2 September 2019, 12:23 |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/182679/Issue-392-broadcast-and-on-demand-bulletin.pdf#page=12 |pages=12–15 |publisher=Ofcom |date=12 December 2019 |issue=392 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604133204/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/182679/Issue-392-broadcast-and-on-demand-bulletin.pdf#page=12 |url-status=live |access-date=19 December 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Complaints upheld against station playing Melting Pot by Blue Mink |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/12/complaints-upheld-against-station-playing-melting-pot-by-blue-mink/ |work=[[Radio Today (website)|RadioToday]] |date=2 December 2019 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415134947/https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/12/complaints-upheld-against-station-playing-melting-pot-by-blue-mink/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 December 2023 }}</ref>

In 1999, an exam given to students in [[Scotland]] was criticized for containing a passage that students were told to interpret containing the word ''chinky''. This exam was taken by students all over Scotland, and Chinese groups expressed offence at the use of this passage. The examinations body apologized, calling the passage's inclusion "an error of judgement."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/380867.stm|title=Chinese 'slur' wins apology|work=BBC News|date=29 June 1999|access-date=6 April 2007|archive-date=9 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309043421/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/380867.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2002, the [[Broadcasting Standards Commission]], after a complaint about the [[BBC One]] programme ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'', held that when used as the name of a type of restaurant or meal, rather than as an adjective applied to a person or group of people, the word still carries extreme racist connotation which causes offence particularly to those of East Asian origin.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/bsc/pdfs/bulletin/bulletin56.pdf|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20040104233440/http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/bsc/pdfs/bulletin/bulletin56.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-01-04|page=19|date=2002-07-25|issue=56|journal=The Bulletin|title=The Vicar Of Dibley|volume=56|publisher=[[Broadcasting Standards Commission]]}}</ref>

In 2004, the commission's counterpart, the [[Radio Authority]], apologised for the offence caused by an incident where a DJ on [[Heart London|Heart 106.2]] used the term.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/rau/publications-archive/adobe-pdf/regulation/quart-bulletins/bullet42.pdf |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20040104233440/http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/rau/publications-archive/adobe-pdf/regulation/quart-bulletins/bullet42.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-01-04 |title=Radio Authority Quarterly Complaints Bulletin: April&nbsp;– June 2001 |page=25 |date=June 2001 |issue=42 |publisher=[[Radio Authority]]}}</ref>

In a 2005 document commissioned by [[Ofcom]] titled "Language and Sexual Imagery in Broadcasting: A Contextual Investigation" their definition of chink was "a term of racial offence/abuse. However, this is polarising. Older and mainly white groups tend to think this is not usually used in an abusive way—e.g., let's go to the Chinky—which is not seen as offensive by those who aren't of East Asian origin; Chinky usually refers to food not a culture or race however, younger people, East Asians, particularly people of Chinese origin and other non-white ethnic minorities believe the word 'Chinky, Chinkies or Chinkie' to be as insulting as '[[Paki (slur)|paki]]' or '[[nigger]]'."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/24015/language.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418083626/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/24015/language.pdf | archive-date=18 April 2017 | url-status=dead | title=Language and Sexual Imagery in Broadcasting: A Contextual Investigation | publisher=Ofcom | date=September 2005 | author=The Fuse Group | page=85 | access-date=9 April 2022 }}</ref>

In 2006, after several campaigns by the [[Scottish Executive]], more people in [[Scotland]] now acknowledge that this name is indirectly racist.<ref>{{cite book|title=One Scotland Many Cultures 2005/2006&nbsp;— Waves 6 and 7 Campaign Evaluation|date=2006-09-13|url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/148647/0039524.pdf|publisher=[[Scottish Executive]]|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811174255/http://www.gov.scot/Resource/Doc/148647/0039524.pdf|isbn=0-7559-6242-7|issn=0950-2254}}</ref> {{As of|2016}}, British broadcasting regulator [[Ofcom]] considers the word to be "Strongest language, highly unacceptable without strong contextualisation. Seen as derogatory to Chinese people. More mixed views regarding use of the term to mean 'Chinese takeaway'".<ref name="ofcom" />

In 2014, the term gained renewed attention after a recording emerged of [[UK Independence Party|UKIP]] candidate Kerry Smith referring to a woman of Chinese background as a "chinky bird".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-30546515|title=Farage defends 'rough diamond' former UKIP candidate|website=BBC News|date=19 December 2014|access-date=9 April 2022|archive-date=9 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409181712/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-30546515|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== United States ===
The [[Pekin Community High School District 303]] teams in [[Pekin, Illinois]] were officially known as the "Pekin Chinks" until 1981, when the school administration changed the name to the "Pekin Dragons". The event received national attention.<ref name=CAMC>{{cite web|title=1981: The Pekin Chinks high school team becomes the Pekin Dragons|url=http://www.ccamuseum.org/index.php/en/research/research-1900-1949/128-1981-the-pekin-chinks-high-school-team-becomes-the-pekin-dragons|website=Chinese-American Museum of Chicago|access-date=30 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819070808/http://www.ccamuseum.org/index.php/en/research/research-1900-1949/128-1981-the-pekin-chinks-high-school-team-becomes-the-pekin-dragons|archive-date=19 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Stainbrook>{{cite news|last1=Stainbrook|first1=Michael|title=The hunt for 'Red' alternatives|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/ct-spt-0921-prep-sunday-special-mascots-sider-20140920-story.html|access-date=30 July 2015|work=Chicago Tribune|date=26 September 2014|archive-date=19 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019092212/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/ct-spt-0921-prep-sunday-special-mascots-sider-20140920-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

During early 2000, [[University of California, Davis]] experienced a string of racial incidents and crimes between Asian and white students, mostly among [[fraternities]]. Several incidents included "chink" and other racial epithets being shouted among groups, including the slurs being used during a robbery and assault on an Asian fraternity by 15 white males. The incidents motivated a school-wide review and protest to get professional conflict resolution and [[culturally sensitive]] mediators.<ref name=ucd>{{cite web|url=http://www.asianweek.com/2001_02_16/bay1_ucdavisprotest.html |title=Hate Crimes Galvanize U.C. Davis Students |author=Banerjee, Neela |publisher=Asianweek.com |date=16 February 2001 |access-date=3 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013162308/http://www.asianweek.com/2001_02_16/bay1_ucdavisprotest.html |archive-date=13 October 2007 }}</ref>

[[Sarah Silverman]] appeared on ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' in 2001, stirring up controversy when the word ''chink'' was used without the usual [[Bleep censor|bleep]] appearing over ethnic slurs on network television. The controversy led Asian activist and community leader [[Guy Aoki]] to appear on the talk show ''[[Politically Incorrect]]'' along with Sarah Silverman. Guy Aoki alleged that Silverman did not believe that the term was offensive.<ref name=AsianWeek>{{cite web|url=http://www.asianweek.com/2001_08_24/news_polit_incor.html |title=ABC's Politically Incorrect Tackles Comedian's 'Chink' Joke |publisher=AsianWeek |date=24 August 2000 |access-date=22 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527211343/http://www.asianweek.com/2001_08_24/news_polit_incor.html |archive-date=27 May 2006 }}</ref>

New York City radio station [[WQHT|Hot 97]] was criticized for airing the "[[USA for Indonesia|Tsunami Song]]". Referring to the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake]], in which over an estimated 200,000 people died, the song used the phrase "screaming chinks" along with other offensive lyrics. The radio station fired a co-host and producer, and indefinitely suspended radio personality [[Miss Jones (radio personality)|Miss Jones]], who was later reinstated. Members of the Asian American community said Miss Jones' reinstatement condoned hate speech.<ref name=hot97>{{cite web|url=http://yellowworld.org/top_stories/295.html |title='Tsunami Song' Host Miss Jones Returns |publisher=Yellowworld.org |last1=Fang |first1=Jennifer |first2=James |last2=Fujikawa |date=16 February 2005 |access-date=3 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060718094830/http://yellowworld.org/top_stories/295.html |archive-date=18 July 2006 }}</ref>

A [[Philadelphia]] eatery, [[Chink's Steaks]], created controversy beginning in 2004 with articles appearing in the ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]'' and other newspapers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Says |first=Gary |date=2008-04-28 |title=Northeast cheesesteak joint shows prejudice - The Temple News |url=https://temple-news.com/northeast-cheesesteak-joint-shows-prejudice/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=temple-news.com |language=en-US |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214224602/https://temple-news.com/northeast-cheesesteak-joint-shows-prejudice/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The restaurant was asked by Asian community groups<ref>{{cite news |last=Aoyagi |first=Caroline |date=6 February 2004 |title=AA Groups demand name change for Philadelphia eatery, "Chink's Steacks" |url=https://pacificcitizen.org/wp-content/uploads/archives-menu/Vol.138_%2302_Feb_06_2004.pdf |url-status=live |work=[[Pacific Citizen]] |volume=138 |pages=1–2 |issn=0030-8579 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117010953/https://pacificcitizen.org/wp-content/uploads/archives-menu/Vol.138_%2302_Feb_06_2004.pdf |archive-date=17 November 2021 |access-date=13 October 2023}}</ref> to change the name. The restaurant was named after the original [[American Jews|Jewish-American]] owner's nickname, "Chink", derived from the ethnic slur due to his "slanty eyes".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chapters.aaja.org/Philadelphia/csteaks.html |title=Only 21, she's leading steak-shop fight |publisher=The Asian American Journalists Association – Philadelphia |date=1 April 2004 |access-date=22 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403193647/http://chapters.aaja.org/Philadelphia/csteaks.html |archive-date=3 April 2007 }}</ref> The restaurant was renamed Joe's in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/food/Chinks-Steaks-changing-its-name.html |title=Chink's Steaks changing its name<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=28 March 2013 |access-date=29 January 2014 |archive-date=19 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219134548/http://www.philly.com/philly/food/Chinks-Steaks-changing-its-name.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/04/01/iconic-northeast-philadelphia-cheesesteak-joint-changes-name/ |title=Chink's Steaks Sign No Longer Hanging In Northeast Philadelphia « CBS Philly<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=April 2013 |access-date=29 January 2014 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202104153/http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/04/01/iconic-northeast-philadelphia-cheesesteak-joint-changes-name/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://joessteaks.com/ |title=Joe's Steaks + Soda Shop<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=29 January 2014 |archive-date=30 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130124605/http://joessteaks.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blog.angryasianman.com/2013/08/take-that-racists-eat-at-joes-formerly.html |title=Take that, racists: Eat at Joe's (formerly Chink's Steaks)<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=29 January 2014 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202104319/http://blog.angryasianman.com/2013/08/take-that-racists-eat-at-joes-formerly.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2013/03/28/chinks-steaks-is-now-joes-steaks-soda-shop/ |title=Chink's Steaks Is Now Joe's Steaks + Soda Shop – Foobooz<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=28 March 2013 |access-date=29 January 2014 |archive-date=3 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203000523/http://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2013/03/28/chinks-steaks-is-now-joes-steaks-soda-shop/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Stop Asian Hate IMG 1957a (51076888183).jpg|thumb|[[Stop Asian Hate]] emerged as a response to the use of slurs such as 'Chink' in the aftermath of the [[Xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]].]]
In February 2012, [[ESPN]] fired one employee and suspended another for using the headline "Chink in the Armor" in reference to [[Jeremy Lin]], an American [[basketball]] player of Taiwanese and Chinese descent.<ref name=boren>{{cite news |last=Boren |first=Cindy |title=ESPN fires employee for offensive Jeremy Lin headline; "SNL" weighs in |date=19 February 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/post/espn-fires-employee-for-offensive-jeremy-lin-headline-snl-weighs-in-video/2012/02/19/gIQAYO7qNR_blog.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220112955/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/post/espn-fires-employee-for-offensive-jeremy-lin-headline-snl-weighs-in-video/2012/02/19/gIQAYO7qNR_blog.html |archive-date=20 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=collins>{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Scott |title=Jeremy Lin and ESPN: Network rushes to quell furor over 'chink' comments |date=19 February 2012 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/02/espn-jeremy-lin-chink-comments-fired-suspended.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219223447/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/02/espn-jeremy-lin-chink-comments-fired-suspended.html |archive-date=19 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While the word ''[[wikt:chink|chink]]'' also refers to a crack or fissure and ''[[chink in the armor]]'' is an [[idiom]] and common sports cliché, referring to a vulnerability,<ref>{{cite web |title=chink in one's armor |work=Dictionary.com |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chink+in+one%27s+armor |access-date=19 February 2012 |archive-date=14 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314201945/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chink+in+one's+armor |url-status=live }}</ref> the "apparently intentional" [[double entendre]] of its use in reference to an Asian athlete was viewed as offensive.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dwyer |first=Kelly |title=Apparently intentional, ESPN's since-deleted headline about Jeremy Lin was distressing |date=18 February 2012 |publisher=Yahoo! |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/whether-intentional-not-espn-since-deleted-headline-jeremy-192208429.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218204426/http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/whether-intentional-not-espn-since-deleted-headline-jeremy-192208429.html |archive-date=18 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In September 2019, after it was announced that [[Shane Gillis]] would be joining ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' as a featured cast member, clips from Gillis' podcast in 2018 resurfaced, in which Gillis made anti-Asian jokes, including using the word "chink". The revelation sparked public outcry, with several outlets noting the disconnect of hiring Gillis along with [[Bowen Yang]], the show's first Chinese American cast member.<ref>* {{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/09/saturday-night-live-cant-ignore-its-shane-gillis-problem/598033/|title='Saturday Night Live' Made a Mistake Hiring Shane Gillis|last=Sims|first=David|date=September 13, 2019|website=[[The Atlantic]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-13|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515171731/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/09/saturday-night-live-cant-ignore-its-shane-gillis-problem/598033/|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/12/snl-bowen-yang-shane-gillis-asian-slur|title=SNL adds first Asian cast member while another is under fire over anti-Asian slur|last=Ho|first=Vivian|date=September 13, 2019|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=September 13, 2019}}
* {{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-12/snl-shane-gillis-racial-slur-matt-and-shane-secret-podcast|title=New 'SNL' cast member Shane Gillis responds after video of racist slur resurfaces|date=2019-09-12|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-13|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515171731/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-09-12/snl-shane-gillis-racial-slur-matt-and-shane-secret-podcast|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/snl-shane-gillis-racist-homophobic-remarks.html|title=New SNL Hire Shane Gillis Has a History of Racist and Homophobic Remarks|last=Wright|first=Megh|date=September 13, 2019|work=Vulture|access-date=September 13, 2014|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516041950/https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/snl-shane-gillis-racist-homophobic-remarks.html|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur-saturday-night-live-nbc-1203334216/|title=New 'SNL' Cast Member Shane Gillis Uses Racist, Sexist, Homophobic Remarks in Resurfaced Material|last1=Thorne|first1=Will|date=September 13, 2019|work=Variety|access-date=September 13, 2019|last2=Low|first2=Elaine|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515171732/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur-saturday-night-live-nbc-1203334216/amp/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="using">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-snl-cast-member-shane-gillis-exposed-in-videos-using-racist-and-homophobic-slurs/|title=New "SNL" cast member Shane Gillis exposed in videos using racist and homophobic slurs|last=Lewis|first=Sophie|date=September 13, 2019|website=[[CBS News]]|language=en-US|access-date=September 13, 2019|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515171731/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-snl-cast-member-shane-gillis-exposed-in-videos-using-racist-and-homophobic-slurs/|url-status=live}}</ref> After Gillis issued what was characterized as a [[non-apology apology]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/culture/2019/9/13/20864098/snl-shane-gillis-racist-homophobic-jokes-controversy-backlash|title=Racist jokes by new SNL cast member Shane Gillis prompt backlash — and a non-apology about "risks"|last=Abad-Santos|first=Alex|date=September 13, 2019|work=Vox|access-date=September 13, 2019|archive-date=14 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314025958/https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/culture/2019/9/13/20864098/snl-shane-gillis-racist-homophobic-jokes-controversy-backlash|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5d7ada5ae4b077dcbd5b2b32/amp|title=New 'SNL' Cast Member Spews Racist Asian Jokes, Slur In Resurfaced Video|last=Herreria|first=Carla|date=September 13, 2019|website=[[HuffPost]]|access-date=September 13, 2019|archive-date=25 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625041013/https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5d7ada5ae4b077dcbd5b2b32/amp|url-status=live}}</ref> a spokesperson for [[Lorne Michaels]] announced Gillis would be let go prior to his first episode due to the controversy.<ref name="using" />

In May 2021, American comedian [[Tony Hinchcliffe]] was videotaped insulting Peng Dang, an [[Asian Americans|Asian American]] comedian who had introduced Hinchcliffe after performing the previous set at a comedy club in [[Austin, Texas]], by referring to Dang as a "filthy little fucking chink".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-12|title=Tony Hinchcliffe goes on racist rant after being introduced by Asian-American comedian|url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/tony-hinchcliffe-racist-peng-dang/|access-date=2021-05-12|website=The Daily Dot|language=en-US|archive-date=12 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512231923/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/tony-hinchcliffe-racist-peng-dang/|url-status=live}}</ref> Dang posted the video on [[Twitter]], resulting in heavy backlash against Hinchliffe, who was subsequently dropped by his agency and removed from several scheduled shows.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-13|title=Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe dropped by WME and Joe Rogan gigs after slur against Chinese comedian: reports|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-comic-tony-hinchcliffe-let-go-by-wme-after-anti-asian-slur-against-peng-dang-20210513-7xqq6fhycfcd5e3krh6ztceylu-story.html|access-date=2021-05-15|website=New York Daily News|language=en-US|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515162254/https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-comic-tony-hinchcliffe-let-go-by-wme-after-anti-asian-slur-against-peng-dang-20210513-7xqq6fhycfcd5e3krh6ztceylu-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2025, the [[Love Island USA]] season 7 contestant, Cierra Ortega, was removed from the show one week before the season finale after social media posts from years prior resurfaced of her using the term. After her removal, she finally spoke out on [[Instagram]] on the matter, "I am deeply, truly, honestly, so sorry. I had no idea that the word held as much pain as much harm, and came with the history that it did, or I never would have used it," she said. "I had no ill intention when I was using it. But that's absolutely no excuse, because intent doesn't excuse ignorance."<ref>{{cite web | title=Instagram | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DL6MCnTPsjy/ }}</ref> There were two posts that resurfaced on social media of Ortega using the term—one from 2015 and another from 2023—both of which show Ortega using the term to describe her own appearance. Viewers and fans of the show quickly began asking Peacock to remove Ortega from the show, including over 17,000 people signing an online petition.<ref>{{cite web | title=Why Did Cierra Ortega Leave 'Love Island USA'? Inside Her Sudden Exit for 'Personal' Reasons | url=https://people.com/why-did-cierra-ortega-leave-love-island-usa-11767348 }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Wiktionary|Chink}}
* [[Ang mo]]h
* [[Chinaman]]
* [[Ching chong]]
* [[Coolie]]
* [[Gook]]
* [[Guling (derogatory)]]
* [[Gweilo]]
* [[Jap]]
* [[Moke (slang)]]
* [[Shina (word)]]
* [[List of ethnic slurs]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Foster, Harry. ''A Beachcomber in the Orient''. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1930.
{{Anti-Chinese sentiment}}
{{Ethnic slurs}}

[[Category:Anti-Chinese slurs]]
[[Category:English words]]
[[Category:Asian-Australian issues]]
[[Category:Discrimination in India]]
[[Category:Racism in India]]
[[Category:Anti-Buddhist slurs]]