Morning Call readers were just treated to an epic two day, two part, nine page story on what may well be a false premise. That premise is that somehow, Asians from New York City are being victimized into riding the bus endlessly, between the big apple and Bethlehem, to make about $20 a day selling their free $45 slot machine pass for $40. The article painted them as modern day coolies, who must wander around south Bethlehem for hours, waiting for the bus to return them to Chinatown. Now, as you can tell by
coolies, I'm not as encumbered by political correctness as our daily paper. A Facebook friend, who I never met, as is typical with Facebook, is offended that the paper used the word
Asians. In his progressive circle, ethnicities are no longer mentioned. In my world, the bus passengers should have been called Chinese, since they are Chinese. The paper's headline said that
Asians ride the bus to live. Actually, these Chinese live to gamble. Most people who live in NYC, especially Chinatown, do not have a car. The casino is crowded with Chinese gambling, most of whom came on those buses. The Sands Casino in the Macao district of China is the most lucrative casino in the world.
photocredit:April Bartholomew/The Morning Call/March 11, 2014
UPDATE: As little as I thought of The Morning Call story on the Asian bus riders, I apparently gave it too much credit. It's a
rewrite of a story that appeared last year in The New York Times.
MM, they used the description of Asians because Koreans and Chinese use the bus.
ReplyDelete@7:23, the vast majority are Chinese, but what is racist is to imply that many Chinese or Asians are spending their entire day on a bus, and wandering around Bethlehem for hours, to make $20. they must also buy the bus ticket for $15, then tip the bus monitor $5. most of the bus riders came to gamble, or have a lucky friend gamble on their behalf. they may spend some of the time walking around south Bethlehem, but they are not the bus zombies portrayed by that absurd article. people take the bus from here to atlantic city and walk on the boardwalk, same thing.
ReplyDeleteMike: it looks like the Morning Call just re wrote the same story the NY Times did last year:
ReplyDeletehttp://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/the-casino-as-lifeline/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1#/1/
Can one really compare middle class Pennsylvanians enjoying a walk on the boardwalk of Atlantic City overlooking the ocean with sitting in a dark food court and bus depot eating brought-from-home soupe and fruit? And I don't think I've ever heard of those Pennsylvanians choking ducks and geese at AC to smuggle them back home for 'sale' on the streets. That oft-told story didn't make it into the MC. They left it at making their own paths to the riverbed. How quaint.
ReplyDelete@9:50, i wouldn't make assumptions about their economic class, as did the morning call, it's a different culture. whether they come by bus, or sit in dark food court, they spend a lot of money, or the casinos wouldn't cater to them.
ReplyDeleteMM. I've sat in that food court many times as the Mrs. plays the pennies. The Asian visitors are constantly chased (some might say harassed) by security for loitering at tables without buying any food. They bring their own eats, including soups, sandwiches, fruit, etc. I never even see them with a 'bought' cup of coffee. I hold no brief against thsee folks, but it is a bit unsettling to watch them doing their thing. Unlike politically correct politicians I do not see the great mosaic often spoken about. Many (Most) of these folks are middle age and 'older' and obviously have not been in America very long as they speak absolutely NO English.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit sensitive to the harsh language about them,but I object to the comparison to the European wave of immigrants that came to our shores. My grandparent came here when there was a need for labor; there weren't millions of Americans unemployed or on welfare. There was no welfare. They came to work in bakeries, repair shoes, mine coal, etc. And they listened to the radio and read the New York Daily News to learn English. In one generation their kids (our parents) were among the leaders in every aspect of American life. This is simply not happening over the past several decades. You often rightly use the term 'poverty magnet'. In it's own way the wave of Asian, Russian, African and South American explosion is nothing short of that.
Thanks for the space here.
@11:05, the east coast casinos are dominated by chinese and are very lucrative. it's apparent that as a group, despite bringing their own food, that they spend a lot of money there gambling.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what's worse about this "story", the fact that these scam artists are wasting valuable time on this endless fool's errand or that what should have been a local story originating here was actually originated by reporters 95 miles away.
ReplyDeleteDoes not say much for us.
VOR
We can only hope that King Cuomo gets paid off soon enough to allow a casino to be built in New York City. Big plan is to have one at the old Aqueduct Raceway near JFK airport. Right now it's only a slots-only 'racino' but there is a plan for a full resort-style facility. It seems Cuomo is beholden to the Indian interests upstate. Not only would the Queens facility kill the Bethlehem Sands, but could really put a hurtin' on Atlantic City.
ReplyDelete