Details magazine is the latest culprit in a litany of offensive attempts at humor aimed at an ethnic or racial group. In this case, Details has combined racial and gay stereotypes in an insulting display.

In its April issue, Details poses the question “Gay or Asian.” There’s a photo of a model and intro text that reads:

“One cruises for chicken; the other takes it General Tso-style. Whether you’re into shrimp balls or shaved balls, entering the dragon requires imperial tastes. So choke up on your chopsticks, and make sure your labels are showing. Study hard, Grasshopper: A sharp eye will always take home the plumpest eel.”

What follows is a series of arrows pointing at the model and descriptions that say things such as:

DIOR SUNGLASSES: Subs as headband and amplifies inscrutable affect.

RYAN SEACREST HAIR: Shellacked spikes, just like that crazy cool Americaaaaaaaan!

WHITE T-SHIRT: V-neck nicely showcases sashimi-smooth chest. What other men visit salons to get, the Asian gene pool provides for free.

LADYBOY FINGERS: Soft and long. Perfect for both waxing on and waxing off, plucking the koto, or gripping the Kendo stick.

Emails deriding Details have been flying around the Internet for the past week. There’s at least one Web petition protesting the feature.

The Asian American Journalists Association has weighed in with a letter to Details Editor-in-Chief Daniel Peres that demands an apology.

GLAAD also issued a statement calling the feature offensive.

Apparently the “Gay or …” feature is something Details has run for a while. Details doesn’t appear to maintain a website with archives, so there’s no convenient way to check what’s been done. If no one was offended by previous “Gay or …” features, maybe they should have been.

chinoloco