Asians In The Library

2011viral videoclassic

Asians In The Library is a 2011 YouTube rant by UCLA student Alexandra Wallace mocking Asian classmates in the campus library, most notorious for her 'ching chong ling long ting tong' impression of Asian speech. The clip triggered a wave of response videos and parodies, and Wallace left UCLA within a week after receiving death threats.

race and identity memesyoutube viralcampus memesbackfire memesearly 2010s memes

Overview

Asians In The Library is a viral rant posted to YouTube in March 2011 by UCLA student Alexandra Wallace, who complained about Asian classmates using cell phones and speaking loudly at the campus library while impersonating their speech with the phrase 'ching chong ling long ting tong' 3. The three-minute clip surfaced the same week as the Tōhoku earthquake and included a jab about Asian students calling family 'from the tsunami thing' 1. Reposted copies racked up more than a million views and produced hundreds of remixes plus a Facebook hate page 1.

The video is often remembered less for Wallace's rant itself than for the wave of response videos that followed, including musical parodies and rebuttals from Asian YouTubers 2.

How It Spread

The day after the upload, Wallace emailed a formal apology to the UCLA student newspaper The Daily Bruin, writing that she wished she could undo the video 1. She asked campus police for help after getting death threats by phone and email, and had to consider rescheduling her finals when her exam timetable was leaked online 1. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block released a video statement calling her comments appalling, though the university said Wallace would not face discipline because the rant qualified as free speech rather than hate speech 3.

International outlets including the Daily Mail picked up the story within days 1, and the LA Times' L.A. Now blog reported on the mounting death threats against Wallace 4. NPR then reported that after a second public apology, Wallace dropped out of UCLA the following Friday 2. Musician Jimmy Wong answered with a four-minute folk-guitar parody, 'The Asians in the Library Song,' which was the first Wallace response video to top a million views, and he appeared on NPR's All Things Considered on March 24, 2011 to say he would love to meet Wallace for coffee and give her 'a big hug' 2. Nearly a year later, The Economist ran a piece titled 'Making ting tong cool' reporting that Wallace's clip was still cited as a joke at UCLA even as rising Chinese enrollment was softening those stereotypes on campus 3.

How to Use This Meme

The clip is typically referenced by quoting Wallace's mocking impression of Asian speech, and the original video was pulled from YouTube within hours of posting 1. Circulating versions are mirror reposts, often paired with Jimmy Wong's musical response as counter-context 2.

Frequently Asked Questions

Asians In The Library

2011viral videoclassic

Asians In The Library is a 2011 YouTube rant by UCLA student Alexandra Wallace mocking Asian classmates in the campus library, most notorious for her 'ching chong ling long ting tong' impression of Asian speech. The clip triggered a wave of response videos and parodies, and Wallace left UCLA within a week after receiving death threats.

race and identity memes youtube viral campus memes backfire memes early 2010s memes

Overview

Asians In The Library is a viral rant posted to YouTube in March 2011 by UCLA student Alexandra Wallace, who complained about Asian classmates using cell phones and speaking loudly at the campus library while impersonating their speech with the phrase 'ching chong ling long ting tong' 3. The three-minute clip surfaced the same week as the Tōhoku earthquake and included a jab about Asian students calling family 'from the tsunami thing' 1. Reposted copies racked up more than a million views and produced hundreds of remixes plus a Facebook hate page 1.

The video is often remembered less for Wallace's rant itself than for the wave of response videos that followed, including musical parodies and rebuttals from Asian YouTubers 2.

How It Spread

The day after the upload, Wallace emailed a formal apology to the UCLA student newspaper The Daily Bruin, writing that she wished she could undo the video 1. She asked campus police for help after getting death threats by phone and email, and had to consider rescheduling her finals when her exam timetable was leaked online 1. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block released a video statement calling her comments appalling, though the university said Wallace would not face discipline because the rant qualified as free speech rather than hate speech 3.

International outlets including the Daily Mail picked up the story within days 1, and the LA Times' L.A. Now blog reported on the mounting death threats against Wallace 4. NPR then reported that after a second public apology, Wallace dropped out of UCLA the following Friday 2. Musician Jimmy Wong answered with a four-minute folk-guitar parody, 'The Asians in the Library Song,' which was the first Wallace response video to top a million views, and he appeared on NPR's All Things Considered on March 24, 2011 to say he would love to meet Wallace for coffee and give her 'a big hug' 2. Nearly a year later, The Economist ran a piece titled 'Making ting tong cool' reporting that Wallace's clip was still cited as a joke at UCLA even as rising Chinese enrollment was softening those stereotypes on campus 3.

How to Use This Meme

The clip is typically referenced by quoting Wallace's mocking impression of Asian speech, and the original video was pulled from YouTube within hours of posting 1. Circulating versions are mirror reposts, often paired with Jimmy Wong's musical response as counter-context 2.

Frequently Asked Questions