Blog For Free!
Archives
Home
2008 September
2008 August
2008 July
2008 June
2008 May
2008 April
2008 March
2008 February
2008 January
2007 December
2007 November
2007 October
2007 September
2007 August
2007 July
2007 June
2007 May
2007 April
2007 March
2007 February
2007 January
2006 December
2006 November
2006 October
2006 September
2006 August
2006 July
2006 June
2006 May
2006 April
2006 March
2006 February
2006 January
2005 December
2005 November
2005 October
2005 September
2005 August
2005 July
2005 June
2005 May
2005 April
2005 March
2005 February
2005 January
2004 December
2004 November
2004 October
2004 September
2004 August
2004 July
2004 June
2004 May
2004 April
2004 March
2004 February
2004 January
2003 December
2003 November
My Links
My Photoblog
100 Things About me
My flickr stuff
Are you here?
tBlog
My Profile
Send tMail
My tFriends
My Images
Sponsored
Blog
| My city |
| 08.19.04 (9:28 am) [edit] |
|
The speed skating facilities for the 2010 Olympics will be built here (Richmond)!! That is quite exciting for us. One of our universities wanted the facilities built there, and were extremely angry when they didn't get it. They felt a university was more deserving, so the legacy could live on. Well, excuse me...the legacy will live on whether it's there or here!! One of our local papers had this front page story about these Chinese-American tourists who visited the city and felt that all the Chinese merchants were extremely rude and condescending. That article has resulted in many people writing in letters. The Chinese population of Richmond is probably about about 30-35%. (Great place to go for Chinese food :D) There are tonnes of Chinese malls and restaurants, and well...seems like mostly Chinese people go there. There have been complaints about lack of English on signs and stuff. My only complaint is that many restaurants don't have the English translations of the really good stuff!! Booo. Anyway, one guy wrote in saying [I'm just paraphrasing here] that he wants to move out and that the Chinese people are probably cheering that another white person has left. That letter really angered me. I'm not sure where he got off thinking that people immigrate here in order to drive away existing residents. Most people come to Canada hoping for better lives for them and their families. What I like most about Richmond (and the greater Vancouver region) is the multiculturalism. It's how I grew up. |
posted by: lynne (reply)
post date: 08.19.04 (10:59 am)
It sounds like a pretty good place to me. Dont let one jerk's letter make you feel badly.
posted by: mblog (reply)
post date: 08.19.04 (11:32 am)
He probably got that idea because of his experience. When people are treated poorly, they notice. They also tend to overestimate the extent to which another group mistreats them, and that group tends to underestimate it.
Suppose for instance a city is 10% black, and 90% of the remaining citizens are not racists. Chances are that when they talk among themselves, race does not come up very much, and the small percentage who are racist tend to be guarded with their comments because they know that they will not be well perceived. Most people would conclude based on those experiences that racism barely exists. They don't see it and rarely hear about it.
But what happens if you are one of the blacks in that city? 90% of the others are not racist, so one out of 10 is racist. If you walk down the street and pass 20 people, you have passed two racists already. Chances are you encounter these people on a regular, if not daily basis. It happens when you go into stores or when you are minding your own business or when you are driving down the street and somebody calls you a nigger. So it's not surprising that you would conclude that racism is a major problem and is widespread and it's amazing that white people can be blind to it.
In the case of Chinese immigrants, there's another problem. The culture is different. In the neighborhood where I grew up, there was no significant Chinese population. Then Chinese started moving in, and people welcomed them. They started buying businesses, and the population grew larger. Now when lifelong residents of the neighborhood go shopping, they are made to feel unwelcome in their own neighborhood. They go into the stores they had shopped in for their whole lives, and the signs are now in Chinese. Nobody greets them when they come in. There is always some old person staring at them, but that person will greet the Chinese customers only. If they ask where something is, they will get a blank look and probably not get an answer. Is it surprising that people who experience that feel unwelcome in their own neighborhoods?
Another problem is the restaurants. They have different menus and different standards for their Chinese and non-Chinese customers. The government keeps explaining that what they are doing is illegal, but it does not seem to help. One agent, who is Chinese, goes into these places and tries to explain. "Suppose that you and your wife were going to celebrate something. You decided to go to a nice American restaurant. You order and the food is good. But you notice that people at the other tables who ordered the same thing are getting an extra dish that you did not get. You ask why, and you are told that it's because you are Chinese. How would you feel?" Despite that argument, and a clear statement that they are breaking the law, many of these restaurants continue to discriminate against non-Chinese customers.
So it may be that the percentage of Chinese who are racist, culturally insensitive, or just don't have enough of a grasp of English, represents a small percentage of Chinese immigrants. But when people see themselves mistreated every day, it's no surprise that they feel unwelcome.
posted by: SusanofPudlin (reply)
post date: 08.22.04 (6:35 pm)
I second what Lynne said. And with the new Tblog buy one comment, get one free, I will automatically be thirding it as well.
posted by: SusanofPudlin (reply)
post date: 08.22.04 (6:35 pm)
I second what Lynne said. And with the new Tblog buy one comment, get one free, I will automatically be thirding it as well.
www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from RosieTulips. Make your own badge here.