MTV Newsroom › Mariah Carey

Additional reporting by Ashley Mastronardi

We asked a lot of celebs about "love you long time" recurring in pop culture — thanks to Mariah's new single — and now we're asking you: Do you find the phrase offensive or empowering?

Here's a sample of what some New Yorkers had to say:

Valerie Stahl: "It was used as derogatory in the film, and it's a sort of sexual joke, I'd say. It's more derogatory towards Vietnamese culture than women in particular, because of how it was used in the film, but it's also a shot at a woman as a sexual object. It's kind of ironic that a majority of these pop singers using it are women, so in a sense, it could be a term of empowerment of sexual freedom."

Catherine Sharp: "I think it's degrading, absolutely. To me it means someone, usually someone of Asian descent, in an area where prostitution is more common and where they're treated worse, even worse than they are here. I think it refers to that. I think a lot of people will just listen to the songs and not really notice it, but when you hear it, it's kind of a ridiculous thing to hear."

Sunjeoung Lee: "I feel like it's an issue of freedom of expression. It's OK to use it, but you have to be responsible. When you use whatever phrase, you have to know what kind of impact you're going to have on other people, especially if it's going to be Asian people, Asian women listening to that music."

Kai Kuroiwa: "Among Asian-Americans, it's kind of like a running joke, like something you might see in a pornographic film. I didn't even know it was being used in these songs. Among males, it's a different issue, but it is a race issue."

Cassy Wheeler: "I wouldn't listen to Mariah anyway. It seems like every time you turn on the radio they're talking about slamming women, just treating women without respect."

Join the debate — tell us what you think!

Tags love you long time, Mariah Carey