Mike Nichols' trivializing of this important issue of the stereotyping of people of Asian/Pacific descent only reflects his own immaturity and lack of thought ("Other plays and movies also continue 'racism'," Jan. 23 letter). Similar actions have been taken by other ethnic groups, such as Italian-Americans protesting against the popular HBO series, The Sopranos. I agree that the analysis of the play would reveal the story of a tragic love affair. However, an equally correct view of this play comes from David Henry Hwang, whose play M. Butterfly, an obvious satire of Madame Butterfly, won numerous awards. In his afterward to M. Butterfly, he states, "Sure enough, when I purchased the record, I discovered it contained a wealth of sexist and racist clichés ..." I would also like to reassert the analogy of this play to a "blackface" performance, since a white woman, Fiona O'neill, plays the character of Cio-Cio-San. The point that I am trying to make is that simply stating that the play "is not harmful," cannot erase the harm caused by this play. Instead, an understanding of both points of view are needed.