Sadly, I then immediately forgot that about it again (am I too young for senility?) and missed the second episode. But I was lucky enough to catch the show on Bravo thanks to NBC's media domination. And if it was possible to top the introduction of Abed, the Indian dude with Aspergers, and Chevy Chase as creepy older hippy Pierce who has a bit of a thing for Shirley (Brown), they did so with this little nugget of fabulousness. Meet Senor Chang (Ken Jeong), the Asian Spanish Teacher:
In his first appearance Senor Chang lays it down, getting right to the heart of your Asian stereotypes and the supposed incongruity of having an Asian man teaching Spanish. Because I can't find the clip anywhere anymore (damn NBC and their copyright protections!) I've decided to transcribe it for you.... Seriously! It's that good.
Every once in a while a student will come up to me and ask Senor Chang, why do you teach Spanish? They say it just like that. Why do you teach Spanish? Why you? Why not math? Why not photography? Why not martial arts? I mean surely it must be in my nature to instruct you in something that's ancient and secret like oh building a wall that you can see from outer space. Well I'll tell you why I teach Spanish. It is none of your business ok? Now I don't wanna have any conversations about what a mysterious inscrutable man I am. [plays with imaginary long, white beard] oheheheheheohohohohoh I am a spanish genius. En espanol my nickname is el tigre chino [pretending to bite Shirley's neck] because my knowledge will bite her face off. So don't question Senor Chang or you'll get bit, ya bit, ya bit!... Ok, Friday manana...At first I wasn't sure where this monologue was going and I am a bit lost on where it ended up. But the more I listened the more I realized that Senor Chang was blowing my mind. All of a sudden, he was killing me softly and I was on the floor dying laughing. "Why not karate?" The "mysterious" Asian man... oh sweet lord in heaven, you like me and this proves it!
Senor Chang's outburst says a lot about how we understand race, nationality and language. I've talked about this before but this dude is so funny that I had to do it again.
Why do his students get all confuddled about having an Asian Spanish teacher? Well, you know... he's Asian first of all. Shouldn't he be teaching Japanese or Cantonese or, you know, some Asian language?
That has got to be one of the dumbest sentences I've ever had to write just because it requires looking at the world with such massive blinders I don't know how you don't run into multiple walls.
But also because comments like these presume that only Asian people speak Asian languages, only Latinos speak Spanish and only someone of a particular racial group should teach that language. This also supposes that you've never looked around you and seen what different kinds of people lay claims to what it means to be an American. And everyone from Norcal knows that when you're in high school you have two foreign language options, Spanish or French. And if you know like I know, Spanish is just barely a foreign language in some parts of the U.S.
So douche... why Senor Chang?
Why the FUCK NOT?
9 comments:
Wow!! This is awesome. When I was in high school, I had an Asian Spanish teacher...his name was Mr. Ochi. He taught at Dos Pueblos High School...google him! He was amazing...and funny, and so stoked to see this personification come out 20 years later. :)
I had an African American Spanish teacher. He was awesome. And then I had this white woman. No one ever questions white people's ability to teach whatever language, but when one of "us" does some extra stuff, things go haywire. *sigh*
Ha! I had Señor Ochi! Loved him. I'm still speaking Spanish because of him.
Mr. Ochi was my Spanish teacher at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, CA in the late 60s --- he would lead the class in singing songs in Spanish (El Cielito Lindo among others...). He was one of the most enthusiastic and inspiring teacher I ever encountered...!!!
I had Senor Ochi for 10th and 11th grade Spanish in 1967 and 1968. I was not a huge fan of Spanish, but I loved senior Ochi! I can still hear him..."Senori-TA!" While the class cackled at something he said. Reading "Las Joyas Robadas" was one of my life's greatest trials. He was a very private, conservative man, and kind to the Bone. Senior Ochi, if you are still with us, "Felis Navidad!"
DPHS!
Senor Ochi gave me the name Catalina for the 2 years I had him.
Yes, I had Señor Ochi for Spanish ... And I had a Spanish Spanish teacher named Cordillia English. Fun times at Hippy High ...
I loved Mr. Ochi, from Dos Pueblos also. He went above and beyond for his students, and in particular. ..me. He even took several of us on a "field trip" to Tijuana. It was quite the experience. If anybody knows of his wherabouts, I would love to find out...Tina Strickland
I had Mr. Ochi at DPHS as well. Brilliant teacher. He passed away January 20, 2017. God rest his soul.
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