Chinese Racism Aimed at White Canadians is Unacceptable

Chinese Racism Aimed at White Canadians is Unacceptable 

October 19th, 2012 

BC’s Chinese-Canadian community has to do a better job of standing up for fairness and against discrimination … not just when it is carried out against their own  … but when their own do it to others as well.

And when racism BY Asians rears its ugly head, the Asian media should stop going along with it, as if it is to be expected or even acceptable.

I’m referring to the appalling actions taken by Richmond Conservative MP Alice Wong at a specially organized restaurant event at which she sat down and ate a bowl of shark-fin soup … her way of supporting a dish that many people want banned.

But that’s not the most repulsive action associated with Wong in conjunction with the food farce photo-op.

According to several media reports, Wong’s office sent out invitations ONLY TO ASIAN MEDIA to witness the Member of Parliament’s soup slurping and record her pronouncements about how sweet it was.

A press event by a Canadian Member of Parliament, to which ONLY ASIAN MEDIA are invited?

In Canada? In 2012?

Totally repugnant and unacceptable! Outrageous!

The Chinese and Asian community in Canada know perhaps more than anyone how horrible are the realities and consequences of discrimination, racism and exclusion.

They, above anyone else, are aware of how hard the fight has been to achieve a country where the vast majority of our citizens reject discrimination of all kinds and where EVERYONE should be INCLUDED, regardless of race, colour, religion, ethnicity, sex or sexual orientation.

But that MUST apply to the Chinese community and its leaders just as much as it does to the rest of us.

Yet, apart from a brief mention in the media that Wong’s office somehow decided to inform ASIANS ONLY about the public event where the Richmond MP would be front and centre, no community or business or political leaders have said very much to CONDEMN Wong’s discriminatory media selection process.

Why not?

Can you just imagine what the outcry would be if, a white MP scheduled a press conference and invited only white reporters!

The LOCAL, NATIONAL and ETHNIC media would be all over it; the Prime Minister would be challenged on it and there would be LOUD calls for a resignation.

Why is it then so quiet when a Chinese-ethnic MP reportedly does the same, issues no explanation or even an apology?

Where is the Prime Minister on this by one of his own MPs?

And MORE INTERESTINGLY, where are the Opposition Liberals and NDP?

Shhhh!

Just picture in your mind what they would saying before the cameras … and the volume of their indignation … if it had been a Tory MP excluding Asian media.

What makes this all the worse…it is NOT the first time this kind of racist “selection” process has happened right here, in BC, at an Asian-only media event.

In April, 2011 I wrote on this blog, in a piece entitled “Ethnic Media FAILED Canadian Standard” , about a similar situation that occurred, where non-Asian reporters were BARRED from Hong-Kong-born Conservative candidate Wai Young’s media event.

Wai is now the Conservative MP for Vancouver South.

And maybe that’s the problem: being discriminatory is no longer acceptable in Canada and is to be denounced whenever and wherever it occurs … except when it’s Asians keeping others out?

Remember, these are not minor officials working on behalf of local ethnically-targeted social agencies or small businesses: they are FEDERAL politicians who are supposed to represent and be inclusive of ALL their constituents.

ALL racial, religious ethnic, sexual discrimination in this country should be denounced and condemned .. LOUDLY by all.

For a start, why don’t BC’s Asian media start acting like REAL journalists: announce they’ll refuse to attend or cover ANY events by aspiring or elected political leaders where only Asian media have been invited. And really go after those community leaders guilty of  such race-based despicable acts.

Probably a better story anyway than the one the politician wants to plant!

Harv Oberfeld