As I was reading the New York Times this weekend, my eye was drawn to an anime-style cartoon and the accompanying article about a new animated series on Nick Jr., “Ni Hao, Kai-Lan!” The creator, Karen Chao, is an American of Chinese ancestry, and she based the characters on her childhood experiences.

The executive producer of the show, Mary Harrington, was interviewed for the article. “‘I loved her artwork,’ said Ms. Harrington, now the executive producer of Ms. Chao’s show…. ‘We connected creatively and decided to take the plunge. I tease her that when we go out on the streets, people think she’s my adopted Chinese daughter.’”

Holy non-sequitur! Where did that last sentence come from? Why “tease”? Why “adopted”? Why “Chinese”? What does it have to do with the woman’s artwork or their creative connection?

After reading that paragraph ten or twelve times, I decided that what Ms. Harrington meant to say was this: “I loved her artwork…we connected creatively to such an extent that I feel as close to her as if we were related.”

Unfortunately, an ugly potential subtext is this: “I loved her artwork and we connected creatively. Therefore, when we’re out in public together people must think she’s my adopted daughter, because what other context could anyone possibly imagine for a young Asian woman except in relationship to a white person?”

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that this woman intended anything negative, or that she should be Imused from her job at Nickelodeon. As the song indicates, the tendency to stereotype is part and parcel of the human condition, and the only difference between this woman’s underlying racism and mine is that some reporter is capturing hers on paper.

If I had been in the room when she said it though, I might have asked her, “What did you mean by that? What impressions do you have of Chinese adoption? Of Asian women? Where do you think you get those impressions?” And as the (mis)interpreter of her statement, I would have to ask myself the same questions.

So I guess this is what you with a B.A. in English.