The international Pumpkin saga.

[Dinsdale]

We used to call my youngest her daddy’s little pumpkin. You could tell by the way she rolled. Was just about her favorite tune.

[DanBlather]

@jjimm

I used to work with a guy called Spud and the last I heard of him, he was a pedophile.

I know a guy named Spud that f*cked sheep. He only had eyes for ewes.

[OneCentStamp]

Wasn’t one of the geishas in Memoirs of a Geisha nicknamed Pumpkin? Damn racists. Can’t even tell their Chinese from their Japanese. :mad:

[VinylTurnip]

@Dinsdale

We used to call my youngest her daddy’s little pumpkin.

I wonder sometimes whether a small child— having watched a pumpkin sliced open, disemboweled, fitted with a burning candle, and left to rot on the doorstep— might not consider “daddy’s little pumpkin” somewhat menacing as a nickname.

[D_Odds]

@Vinyl Turnip

I wonder sometimes whether a small child— having watched a pumpkin sliced open, disemboweled, fitted with a burning candle, and left to rot on the doorstep— might not consider “daddy’s little pumpkin” somewhat menacing as a nickname.

Maybe I should start calling my daughter pumpkin…

[Dinsdale]

@Vinyl Turnip

I wonder sometimes whether a small child— having watched a pumpkin sliced open, disemboweled, fitted with a burning candle, and left to rot on the doorstep— might not consider “daddy’s little pumpkin” somewhat menacing as a nickname.

Whaddya mean? That sounds like what we do to turnips!

[VinylTurnip]

“Daddy’s little turnip” sounds like a nickname, all right…

[blinkingblinking]

@DianaG

I agree that it’s preferable for the media to continue to use “Pumpkin”.

Also, I *think * (and please feel free to correct me if I’m mistaken) that **blinkinblinking’s ** complaint isn’t that “Pumpkin” is an inherently racist nickname, but that the media continues to use it because they are somehow averse to her real Chinese name, and therein lies the racism. I don’t agree, but I still think it’s a more reasonable opinion than the one people seem to think s/he is espousing.

I thought I made that very clear. I never said the name itself was a racist slur.
I said that continuing to use the name ‘Pumpkin’ a week after knowing her real name may be.
I thought that ‘Pumpkin Patch’ was a well-known brand of children’s clothes everywhere. Turns out I was wrong about that.
The Age newspaper had 5 stories about her and the Father yesterday. The word ‘pumpkin’ was not used once. The Herald Sun still calls her ‘Pumpkin’.

[Contrapuntal]

@blinkingblinking

I thought I made that very clear. I never said the name itself was a racist slur.
I said that continuing to use the name ‘Pumpkin’ a week after knowing her real name may be.

It isn’t. And your continued insistence that “it may be” belies your disclaimer. Get over it. Enough cases of real racism abound; don’t dilute them by making silly claims.

[randompretty]

One of the morning news shows in Australia said that the police had requested Qian continued to be called Pumpkin by the media - apparently, she reacted excitedly when she saw a picture of her mother on a news broadcast, maybe they didn’t want to traumatise her any further by continually hearing her name mentioned as well?

FWIW, Asian here and not feeling the racism. Honestly, more bothered by the sexism inherent in Chinese society which saw the piece of shit abandon his first daughter as well.

[Ice_Wolf]

Hopefully, Xue will slip up and be caught. Each day as I read the headlines, I hope for that.

[ForumBot]

Oh shit, how are they going to find him? All them asian peoples look the same!

duck and run! duck and run!

[Ice_Wolf]

If they do find him, there might not be an arrest, if US Marshals are still waiting for the diplomatic red tape to clear.

[SurrenderDorothy]

@blinkingblinking

Maybe you should save your anger for the girl’s father. Or do you have an unlimited supply ?
I was not saying that the name ‘pumpkin’ is a racial slur. What I am saying is that it seems racist to keep calling her ‘pumpkin’ days after her real name is known. If the little girl was not of Chinese ancestry, I cannot see this happening.
And if a similar incident happened in China I cannot see people putting up with similar treatment of a kid.( Imagine if all the media was calling Madeleine McCann ‘Cherrypop’ )

except that’s different. “cherrypop” is offensive and crass all by itself. If they were calling her Sweetpea or Bumblebee or Little Sprout or Kitten, I don’t see there being an issue.

[TheLoadedDog]

Quite a moving open letter from Qian Xun Xue’s grandmother (the two were reuinited today - ending nine days of the little girl being with strangers), lifted from the New Zealand Herald, and reproduced here in its entirety as it is public domain:

@Xiao Ping Liu

A Public Letter

Today is a Traditional Chinese Festival-Mid-Autumn Day, which is a day for all of the family members get together. However, I need to leave the hometown with grieved feelings and fly over thousands of miles to handle my lovely daughter, An An Liu’s funeral in New Zealand. At this very moment, anyone who has conscience would understand the deepest pain in my broken heart.

Several years ago, An An arrived in New Zealand with a beautiful wish that to pursue knowledge and consummate her self-desire and happiness. However, she is closed her eyes now and would keep her unfinished wish forever. I and My family and all of An An’s friends are bearing so much regrets and bitterness that beyond description. Hence, I want to condemn the violence crime that this murderer did to An An, and I’m requesting the Interpol to arrest this brutal criminal as soon as possible, to punish this criminal by law, and give back the fairness to An An and all the people who loves An An.

An An is my only daughter, and Xun Xun is my only granddaughter, blood is thicker than water. Therefore, I will bring my daughter back home, and let her peaceful soul rests in her homeland in China. I will adopt my lovely little granddaughter and take her with me as well. I want she grows up healthy in a safe and warm place that well protected by us. After the case occurs, Xun Xun has suffered the enormous misfortune, yet at the same time, she is also experienced the truest love that gathered by hundreds and thousands people who continually giving care to Xun Xun with love. In China, there is an old saying for ‘great love’: for a drip of water, we should give back with a spring. We will let Xun Xun memorize this ‘great love’, and I feel strongly that I have duties and responsibilities to take care of Xun Xun, and I will try my best to provide a harmonious environment for Xun Xun, and to bring up her as an honesty and virtuous person with brilliant outstanding to make the contribution for the society.

In this grave misfortune, all walks of life have given us the huge sympathy and help. I and my family would like to give our most sincerity in acknowledgment of the General Consulate of People’s Republic of China in New Zealand and in Melbourne, and also the government in New Zealand and Australian. We would like to say thanks to all the media agencies for their justice supports; thanks to all the people who are helping us and taking care of my granddaughter Xun Xun. At last, we especially want to say thanks to and give our respects to the police agencies of New Zealand, Australia and the United State.

Yours sincerely,
Xiao Ping Liu

25/09/2007

[Scissorjack]

Update: sonofabitch has been caught in Atlanta, Georgia.

[kambuckta]

@Scissorjack

Update: sonofabitch has been caught in Atlanta, Georgia.

Thank you SOOOOO much Scissorjack for the update. As per usual, I’ve come home from work early on Friday afternoon, and turn to the SDMB for all the ‘world news’ before bothering to check the telly/radio or news websites. It never fails!

Last I heard of the fucker, he was spotted a couple of weeks ago in Mississippi (or so the reports stated) but they must have had some decent leads it seems.

Way to kick off my weekend to a friggin fabulous start!!

[kambuckta]

Here’s a link btw, now that I’ve had time to do a dance of joy and head to a news-site!
Linketty-Link

[Elendil_s_Heir]

Another article on the arrest - good news, indeed: 'Pumpkin's' fugitive father caught in U.S. - CNN.com

[Cunctator]

New Zealand authorities are hoping for a quick extradition: link.