Is calling her “Pumpkin” racist?
David McLoughlin has just made what I consider to be a very good post to a mailing list we are on:
Am I the only one whose parental hackles are raised by the media’s universal decision to call the three-year-old abandoned at Spencer St Station in Melbourne by her father, “Pumpkin” ?
This little girl has a name. She is Qian Xun Xue. The media all know this but reporters continue to insist her name is Pumpkin.
Why does our profession act like a pack and seize on a name like this?
It is not any name she is or has ever been called by her family and friends. It is a name the media has by osmosis decided she will be called, doubtless forever more. I find it quite dehumanising of her.I wonder if her name was Sally or Susan or Kiri whether she would be called a vegetable.
I didn’t actually realise her actual name was known. David is quite right that the moment her name was known, it should be used.
And while I am very wary about labelling anything racist, as that is far too often used as a device to close down debate, I have to say that I think there is a degree of that here – if her name was Susan Brown, rather than Qian Xun Xue, I suspect she would not be referred to as Pumpkin.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
The Chinese media would probably use the exact same device in referring to a person with an English name.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
“Pumpkin” is a term of endearment used by caring parents. It is a term that the media knows stirs a chord in everyone. It is apt for the occasion.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Poor baby harp seals are called pumpkin not Qian Xun etc.
It’s a marketing device.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Right on Frank methinks the fellow does protest too much. A tragic case and lets all hope Mum is found OK and reunited her daughter . The Chinese community reaction is interesting as they appear to take such matters as a collective reflection on themselves and their reputation. the guy must have been under some extreme pressure tio do what he did but thats not excusing him.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Perhaps the media feel that cultural forbearance would prevent some people from empathising with Qian Xun Xue, so they continued to call her ‘Pumpkin’.
I doubt whether local media would have dubbed an Asian child ‘Pumpkin’, I think its an Aussie thing – a large part of the population outside of melting pots such as Sydney and Melbourne are 90-95% Caucasian. Its seems more acceptable to hold racist viewpoints over there.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Her name wasn’t known to start with & the media called her “Pumpkin”.
I presume that they continue to refer to her as pumpkin (in the headlines anyway) because that’s how the public know her now. Reading beyond the headlines very quickly reveals her real name.
Doesn’t strike me as particularly racist.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Ask yourself…which name is the bigger heart -string puller; Pumpkin or Qian Xun Xue? I know that this has less to do with racism (whatever that means) and more to do with commercial reality. Filling in the blanks here is a paint- by -numbers kit for 3 year olds. It always works.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
There’s no racism involved, she’s still being called Pumpkin because it’s easier for New Zealanders than Qian Xun Xie. Her mother and father had anglicised names as well, Annie and Michael, for exactly the same reason.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
whether or not it is racist would depend on what race the pumpkin is surely.
After all, of the many human races apparently some are inherently racist and others cannot possibly ever be racist.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Didn’t the name originate from the fact that the only ID they could find on her was the Pumpkin Patch clothing label?
More of the same nauseating, liberal self-effacing by Mr McLoughlin I fear.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
That was my assumption, the Pumpkin Patch clothing label, though I haven’t seen anything to confirm that’s why she was called Pumpkin.
But yes, the Police soon knew her name, but not when the story broke and for some time after that they wouldn’t release it. What were the media supposed to call her? And what a load of bollocks suggesting it reflects badly on the media. It’s more endearing than anything else.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
To say it is racist is going too far (a bit sensationalist for you DPF?). Ignorant would be better. I see no maliciousness in the nickname Pumpkin. Frank above is right, and this follows to Tina’s comment “it’s a marketing device”. Good for the headlines, and attention grabbing, which is good for the girl. She needs help. I notice Herald is also referring to her proper name in the article proper.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Shout is absolutely correct. The Australian police gave her the interim identity until her real identity could be found.
I suspect it is the media perpetuating the nickname through sheer laziness.
September 18th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Nice free advertising for Pumpkin Patch. Er, maybe not…
Now whenever I see “Pumpkin Patch” I will automatically associate it with “Abandoned Child”.
They, in particular, must be wishing that the girl’s real name was being used. (Although I see PPL up 4c today…)
September 18th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
If she wasn’t of Asian extraction would David M have asked the same question? And like, if he wouldn’t have, is he being racist himself?
September 18th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Isn’t the assumption that the lable “pumpkin” was racist, in itself racist?
September 18th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Re Dave’s post….what a fraught little place NZ is.
September 18th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
It’s not racist. Firstly her name wasn’t originally known.
Secondly, because the girl is in the custody of the Australian department of human services, the Australian media aren’t allowed to report her real name. She’s not legally allowed to be known by her real name in Australia. The story broke in Australia, and her name has stuck.
September 18th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
IP And dear David McL should check out the matters you jave noted if he wants to be regarded as a journalist rather than a dog whistler
September 18th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Its the last thing I would have thought of. Calling her pumpkin may have been theft – theres no way Pumpkin Patch could get this sort of publicity for less than many $$$’s – and since its doubtful that they are paying anything then its more likely to be theft than racist.
Frankly the idea that its racist is coming from a bit of a PC sick mind. Why does avryone have to look for some hidden meaning in everything.
Now if they called her Chink or Slit Eyes then possibly – but even then I would find it hard to think its racist. Culturist maybe (yes – I dont like many aspects of many cultures and I have no hesitation in saying so. But thats not being racist.)
September 18th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
rac·ism
–noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
Hmmm, I think David McLoughlin is definitely going too far with his “Pumpkin” theory. Actually I see it was DPF who referred to it as ‘racist’, not McLoughlin (though I haven’t read his whole script, only what is provided above).
Maybe veganist, but definitely not racist.
September 18th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Having designated the poor child “Pumpkin” because – as others have pointed out above – her name initially wasn’t known and she was wearing a well-known brand of clothes, the media now refer to her as that because it’s shorthand for “that poor little girl who was abandoned in the Melbourne train station…” etc etc.
Is the media being sexist when it insists on referring to Miss Alice while still mentioning that s/he used to be known as Bob Moodie? Of course not, because if the newspapers suddenly wrote that Miss Alice had been found guilty of contempt over the Berryman case without ensuring their readers knew to whom they were referring, they’d be doing a disservice.
I would hope however – purely in the interests of informing their readers and not because I see a racist behind every newspaper terminal as Mr McLoughlin seems to – that the media take to using both names in future reports. e.g. “Qian Xun Xue – the girl initially dubbed “Pumpkin” by her rescuers – was today…”
I’m absolutely certain that if her name were Kiri or Susan and I were still an editor I’d be applying the above policy. Racism?! I can only echo Tina’s comment… what a fraught little place NZ has become.
September 18th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
I don’t see the link. What have pumpkins got to do with China? What’s the correlation? The stereotypical pumpkin is round and orange – not something even your most mean-minded bigot would suggest as being Chinese. Now maybe something like “Canary” (which is benign but yellow) or “China Doll” as is the oft repeated nonsense about Asian babies – then I would have thought you might have a case. I presume the Police chose something nice but innocuous so as to not confuse the child with a different name and naming her “Baby Jane” until she was identified would have been inappropriate and confusing. I think the Police showed a remarkable degree of sensitivity and, like the others, I think this distracting discussion diverts attention from a more personally confronting tragedy of how someone could abandon a helpless child like this.
September 18th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Radio Chinese in Auckland have been using the term ‘Pumpkin” as well.
September 18th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Racist, no. Lazy, yes. That is all.
September 18th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Well Al Bundy used to call his pretty little teenager ‘Pumpkin’ in ‘Married with Children’ so I guess its a nice term of endearment for a lost little Chinese girl in need of love and compassion..McLoughlin is obviously a Political Correctness devotee.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
There is an old Korean children’s song that refers to someone ugly as having pumpkin features. Used to be not a good idea to generally to refer to a Korean child as a pumpkin. Apple is the more appropriate food. I have though heard western Koreans refer to their children as pumpkins.
I take it PC wowser David McLoughlin is a member of the National party. That would be par for the course.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
It’s not racist per se… But the whole media treatment of this is bizarre. Makes one realise how utterly irrelevant the McCann case is when we have this done by own citizens.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
David McLoughlin needs to get a bloody life!, as mentioned by other posters here the little girl was wearing Pumpkin patch clothing when she was found by the police hence the name.
It makes little sense to stop calling her that given the amount of coverage this case is receiving, if you change the name you only confuse the public, given that the police were/are asking for the publics help i would have thought that continuing to call her Pumpkin is a no brainer.
Sometimes it is bloody embarrassing being a Kiwi when we are this PC
September 18th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
What a bunch of PC bollocks. The child was found in Pumpkin Patch clothing, her mother is missing presumed to be the victim of foul play and you want to concentrate on whether the name the media use for her is racist? What kind of messed up priorities do you people have? Why don’t you do something constructive, like publicise the info the Police want to get people thinking?
September 18th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
This reminds me of a supposedly true story from the US which involved a young man who gave way to his animal urges and was caught having sex with a pumpkin in a pumpkin field. It was sent to me under the heading ‘Best One-liner ever”
The officer in charge related that he apprehended the man at approximately 12.30 in the morning pumping away at the hapless pumpkin.
The Officer approached the man who was engrossed in his act, and shone his torch on him, saying:
‘Excuse me sir, do you realise yo are having sex with a pumpkin?” to whidh the young man replied:
“F**k me, is it midnight already?”
September 18th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Most Chinese I know with Chinese names don’t actually use them in day to day life anyway.
Is Pansy Wong’s first name really Pansy? I bet it isn’t.
September 18th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
would it be racist if she had been called potato?
or potato head?
or chives?
or JFK?
or sausage? or even silly sausage?
(a little flippant – this case made me very sad. this racist shit is shit)
September 18th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
they called her pumpkin initially because that was the label on her clothing, the authorities in OZ coined the name and not the media. Bit of a silly thread really. Not like you to try and do a racism beat up David. C-
A bit of analysis on the formation of helens Brown Shirts would be great.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
We called our son Bug and/or Buglet for years and years. Is that rascist?
September 18th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Vito: the French often refer to their offspring in loving terms as “My dear little cabbage”
September 18th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Anybody who takes the view that calling this poor child ‘pumpkin’ is a stupid PC fuckwit. Obviously the name was given to her because nobody at the time could identify her, and the name has stuck, because it is rather endearing and sweet. These things have a tendency to become hyped by the media and the child has taken on (or rather, been given) the name ‘pumpkin’ as a way of identifying her in the news reports.
Jesus people.. get a fucking life and get over yourselves.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Its an atrocity. I would have been shattered if such a name had been imposed on me as a kid. Being forced to eat the stuff was bad enough. ‘Brussel Sprout’ much more acceptable. Mmm yum.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Mr McCloughlin and his fellow travellers would do well to stop focusing on pissant examples of faux racism and put their concern to better use as to what appears, at this point in time, a potentially sinister case.
No doubt, like other parents, I am suprised and concerned over the mother’s apparent lack of police contact to facillitate reuniification with her terrified daughter. I understand the case and police appeals are being given blanket coverage in NZ Chinese media, so let’s not hear any silly claims of ‘racism’ being lobbed at the police. Given some of the latest media tidbits regarding the father having police contact because of domestic violence etc and TV3 reporting the claim that his daughter from his first marriage has also mysteriously disappeared does not bode well.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Interesting, I met someone today who asked me what my name was, and I said stan. And she said, no your real name so I said Chi. She said she didn’t like it how Asians simplify their names for the sake of convenience.
That pissed me off, ‘cos I call myself stan ‘cos I prefer it. And so what if it’s for the sake of convenience? Would’ve saved me from trying to get her to pronounce it properly and always having to spell it out for people.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
(ie. I don’t give a crap about the cultural significance of names bullshit)
September 19th, 2007 at 12:02 am
BARRY says:
“Now if they called her Chink or Slit Eyes then possibly – but even then I would find it hard to think its racist. Culturist maybe (yes – I dont like many aspects of many cultures and I have no hesitation in saying so. But thats not being racist.)”
Barry, you are a real backward f**cking idiot. Does your son have a mullet?
September 19th, 2007 at 12:19 am
seems your blog has some sway.
The 6pm update on the Heralds main page has “Pumpkin” in the heading but her name was mentioned at the first possible moment.
It was also the name given to her by Melbourne Police, though maybe Lily might have been a better choice.
September 19th, 2007 at 2:51 am
The (native) Chinese and Taiwanese people I’ve met recently all use assumed English names while they’re traveling. They either pick the names themselves, or are given one by an English teacher. They even use them amongst themselves… I assume there is some novelty value for them, that they’re fitting in with the local culture or something. I’ve tried learning their ‘real” names, but apparently my pronunciation is just wrong enough to provoke giggles, altho every so often I get a “that was close” reply that I take as a compliment.
They’re not offended. So why should other people be?
September 19th, 2007 at 3:41 am
The name is cute. Faced with all sorts of wonderful derivations of names/nicknames in Asia that if we called our children in New Zealand they would get beaten up over, Pumpkin has to rate right up there.
But she’s a toddler and a poor unfortunate story attaches.
We all care more when the child no matter what race, is called Pumpkin.
Me, I got interested when I saw a picture of a Garfield toy on the lawn of her parents home. She moved from cute then to downright adorable.
I like Pumpkin way more than Madeleine or Maddy.
Pumpkin rocks.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:22 am
And it is infinitely better than “4Real”, or Brian for that matter.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Kate- what’s your Chinese name?
September 19th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Just to clarify, I did not use the term “racist” in connection with this.
My point was that the media continued to call this girl Pumpkin long after they full well knew her name was Qian Xun Xue; and that Pumpkin was not a name Qian Xun has ever been known as to her friends and family.
Her identity was known to the media by Monday night but her real name was not used in any New Zealand print media in Tuesday’s editions though some Australian media had named her as Qian Xun by then, ie The Age in Melbourne which carried extensive reporting by Eugene Bingham in Auckland who last time I looked wrote for the NZ Herald.
It is not for the media to decide unilaterally to go on calling someone by a bizarre name like Pumpkin when journalists know what her real name is.
Clearly, it was probably much easier for our media to call her Pumpkin than Qian Xun — how many Kiwi journalists could pronounce her real name? Happily, Radio New Zealand at least was trying by Checkpoint last night and our print media was by this morning, though the Herald was mistakenly calling her Qian rather than Qian Xun despite Lincoln Tan having a hand in the coverage.
Thanks DPF for putting this issue above the parapet!
September 19th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
isn’t there a more important issue here? The mother is missing presumed dead and the father had a history of domestic abuse, and there is a frightened and traumatised child who wants her Mummy….. I don’t give a flying fuck what they call her as long as it brings this into the public domain in the event more information is discovered.
September 19th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Hi there MORRIS. Thanks for your kind message.
However I think you souldnt be out of bed at 2 minutes past mid-night. Obviously the late hour doesnt agree with your temperament and you get spots on your liver – or maybe since its past midnight the warewolf in you comes to the fore after midnight. You could do with the sleep.
And you refer to my son – news to me that one.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
ha ha, nice one barry – you pathetic racist prat.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Redbaiter,
I do believe that when pronounced it sounds something similar to “Garffy”. I laugh loudly when it is used and think it is rather hilarious. I am not offended at all.
September 20th, 2007 at 12:46 am
A similar situation happened with the death of Hinewaoriki Karaitiana-Matiaha. The media used her family nickname – Lillybing – rather than her given name.
I suppose for an average English speaker, names like Qian Xun and Hinewaoriki don’t conjure up images of cute little girls, but a Pumpkin or a Lillybing will tug at the heartstrings and remind us of the cute names our parents gave us when we were little.
September 20th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Yes, valid point that only DPF used the term “racist” (see his headline), not Dave McLoughlan.
September 20th, 2007 at 9:43 am
A similar situation happened with the death of Hinewaoriki Karaitiana-Matiaha. The media used her family nickname – Lillybing – rather than her given name.
Yes but Lillybing was her family nickname. My objection to Qian Xun being called Pumpkin is that it is not any family nickname or a name by which she has ever been known. It is a media adoption and I find it dehumanising.
September 20th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Is all BS.
1. This is racism. Clear racism. On the movie Keisha, one of the japanese ladies was also called Pumpkin.
2. In China, an Western would be called by the name and not a nickname, it’s atypical expression by Western Media to patronise individuals.
3. A parent calloing daughter Pumpkin is affection. The media calling an unknowed girl “Pumpkin” is racism. Specially the Australian and New Zealand Media.
end off.