Asians Offended by Atlanta’s New “Yellow Line”

By Ernie | Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | 28 Comments

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20100210 1bc97ap4xbapefafijtw2jt7qq Asians Offended by Atlantas New Yellow Line Asians are offended by a recent decision by MARTA — Atlanta’s rail system — to name its line from Atlanta’s Airport to Doraville “the Yellow Line.” And by “Asians are offended,” I mean, “some Asians are offended, and the rest are looking for people to be offended so we can blog about how offended they are.”

A quick trip to Wikipedia reveals that MARTA had lines called the Northeast-South Line, the North-South Line, the Proctor Creek line. But what’s easier to say, the Northeast-South Line, or the Yellow line? Exactly. And there’s plenty of other municipal transit systems that use colors: Chicago has a yellow line. San Francisco’s Millbrae to Bay Point line is yellow. The groups seeking to have a conversation with a mayor practically acknowledges this and how the Director didn’t mean to offend, but counters with an race issues more troubling: “If a line going to the south side of the city was named the black line, I think you’d have a different outcome. The sensitivity to Asian issues is not there yet.” That’s going to require a lot more mediation meetings than what you name a transportation line, if you ask me.

UPDATE: MARTA has now renamed the Yellow Line to the Gold Line.

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http://hellomoye.com/ moye

What a ridiculous article. Yellow is a primary color. Why would we be offended by the use of the color?
xxxtine

Native Americans aren’t offended by the ‘Red Line’ are they?
http://www.littleyellowdifferent.com ErnieAtLYD

Right? I should also mention that my personal blog is called “Little, Yellow, Different.”
http://me.mikelee.org/ Mike Lee

I’m offended by your blog title.
http://hellomoye.com/ moye

Not only am I offended by your blog title, but I’m also offended by your comment.
http://twitter.com/aswang Victor Ganata

I thought the outrage was more because the Yellow Line goes to Chinatown? Which I think is at least a little f-ed up, but not that I’d actually protest. In L.A., despite the fact that it goes to both Chinatown and Little Tokyo, I guess they managed to skirt around this issue by calling it the Gold Line/Linea de Oro instead
http://www.littleyellowdifferent.com ErnieAtLYD

At least that would make a LITTLE more sense; it wasn’t said outright
in the article.
erika888

Yep, the Yellow line goes into the Chinese area of town…that’s why people are protesting.
Still, I’m pretty sure it was just coincidence and not meant to be racist. If they called it “chink line” or something, they’d have a case.
TongguMomma

The Washington DC metro has a yellow line with a stop at “Gallery Place/ Chinatown.”
http://www.merchantsmirror.com Ben Hwang

What the heck. You guys aren’t offended by bananas? I totally am. Damn nature is trying to be racist too. And yellow peppers. What, we’re either tall and curved, or short and squat? WTH!!?!! :p
http://www.merchantsmirror.com Ben Hwang

Where does the white line go? :p
http://www.jozjozjoz.com jozjozjoz

I propose a field trip to your closest “Yellow” line with the Racist Camera and non-blink detecting the passengers.
csc3

the na’vi & smurfs are curiously quiet about the blue line.
http://twitter.com/Luv4theGame Philip

Well looking at the positives…the yellow is parallel to the red line, and yellow and red are two colors cherished by Asians..or at least the Chinese. It would make total sense if the red line and yellow line both stopped and connected in Chinatown.
http://twitter.com/thepeopleseason thepeopleseason

This is how I explained why I was offended about this subject: Is the term “yellow” offensive to me when used in a racially derogatory way? Yes, the same way the term “colored” is considered offensive to people of African descent.

Is the use of “Yellow” to describe a transit line here offensive to me? No.

Assuming the transit system was ignorant of the loaded term when they named the sole line going into a predominantly Asian neighborhood, was it profoundly stupid to continue to use that name *when informed of the potential for offense*?

I say, “Yes.”

And stupidity is always offensive to me.
http://www.bittersweetasian.tumblr.com bsa

well, at least this prompted a discussion about race. not everyone is racially literate. it’s all about context. if yellow is used as an adjective to describe things that are yellow, no problem! if yellow is used as a metaphor for race (Yellow Peril Yellow Terror Yellow Fever) we have a problem.

anyway, i don’t think it’s ok to say to those that are offended, “get over it, it’s just a color.”
http://www.bigwowo.com bigWOWO

Does the White Line go over the Yellow Line? Or does it get you further? If so, that would be racist.

From the diagram, it looks like the Green Line is the shortest. Which means this is racist against Martians. If I were from Mars, I’d avoid Atlanta.
mcspeakeasy

I think if it was specifically meant to denigrate or typecast a community of Asian/Asian Americans living around those proposed train stops, then, yes, I would be offended and outraged. I am by far , not ready to consider myself post-racial, but I do consider these types of offenses as trivial now.
http://hellomoye.com/ moye

THE WHITE LINE IS EVERYWHERE.
http://hellomoye.com/ moye

What if they made a White line that totally dipped into the Yellow line to make cute white/yellow babies? Would that be offensive?
http://www.merchantsmirror.com Ben Hwang

I’m offended by your comments to his offensive comment on his offensive blog title.
http://www.merchantsmirror.com Ben Hwang

What happens if the white line is the “Thin White Line”? :p
http://www.merchantsmirror.com Ben Hwang

Or vice versa. And what you mean is that it would create the Beige Line.
http://twitter.com/ballerinajen jennifer c

that’s it. i’m not going to eat yellow M&Ms anymore…
http://www.merchantsmirror.com Ben Hwang

zomg! You were eating the personifications of Asians! How could you! :p
http://twitter.com/ballerinajen jennifer c

i still like yellow Starbusts though since I love lemons…
unclefu

Ernie, you are such a silly little boy.
http://www.littleyellowdifferent.com ErnieAtLYD

MARTA has now renamed Atlanta’s “Yellow Line” to the “Gold Line”.