Microaggressions

[TimG]

It means that these folks were born in Canada and were raised in Canada, attended Canadian schools and basically raised in a Canadian culture and not an Asian culture but because of their skin colour they had all the perceived preconceptions of not being Canadian. Come on, did I really need to spell this out for you.

Your assertion that Canadian culture is a "white" thing is extremely racist. The Canadian Chinese I know only use banana a derogatory term. The preferred term is CBC (Canadian Born Chinese).

[Hal 9000]

I ask people where they're from all the time. They might say Mexico, Egypt or Ireland, they might also say Saskatchewan, Ontario, Surry or Victoria. They might say "I'm from here, born and raised". What of it, I have people ask me the same thing? I have people ask me "what do you do" all the time too. I could take it as a micro aggression that my worth is linked to my job title, or I could see it as a conversation starter - it's my choice to be offended or not - usually i'm not.

[Black Dog]

I ask people where they're from all the time. They might say Mexico, Egypt or Ireland, they might also say Saskatchewan, Ontario, Surry or Victoria. They might say "I'm from here, born and raised". What of it, I have people ask me the same thing? I have people ask me "what do you do" all the time too. I could take it as a micro aggression that my worth is linked to my job title, or I could see it as a conversation starter - it's my choice to be offended or not - usually i'm not.

What's it to you if someone finds that offensive? Why does other people taking offense offend you so?

[Bonam]

What's it to you if someone finds that offensive? Why does other people taking offense offend you so?

It's not them taking offense that is found offensive, but the implication that because a handful of people might find it offensive, that a certain phrase/question should now never be used for fear of offending someone.

[-1=e^ipi]

Sorry, if your experience is any different than the one WCR expects you to have, then your feelings/experiences are invalidated.

Yep. Truth is my experience is very different than what WCR expects, probably outside what she considers within the realm of possibility.

[Black Dog]

It's not them taking offense that is found offensive, but the implication that because a handful of people might find it offensive, that a certain phrase/question should now never be used for fear of offending someone.

And why is that such a burden? Are you all so socially inept that if taking away "asking a foreign-looking person where they're from" out of your bag of tricks leaves you with nothing to say?

[TimG]

And why is that such a burden? Are you all so socially inept that if taking away "asking a foreign-looking person where they're from" out of your bag of tricks leaves you with nothing to say?

That is just one example out of many and the many quickly becomes burdensome. The point is there is nothing objectively rude about such a question and if someone takes offense then that is their problem. Why should 99% of people censor their self because 1% might take offense? Edited July 16, 2015 by TimG

[Bonam]

And why is that such a burden? Are you all so socially inept that if taking away "asking a foreign-looking person where they're from" out of your bag of tricks leaves you with nothing to say?

Because by the time you remove everything anyone might possibly find offensive, there's nothing at all left.

[Black Dog]

That is just one example out of many and the many quickly becomes burdensome. The point is there is nothing objectively rude about such a question and if someone takes offense then that is their problem. Why should 99% of people censor their self because 1% might take offense?

Because by the time you remove everything anyone might possibly find offensive, there's nothing at all left.

Bunch of slippery-slope nonsense, both of these. Unless you are complete sociopaths, you already censor yourselves on a daily basis. Because that's what non-sociopaths do: they adjust their behaviour to accommodate people around them. It's why we have the term "polite society." It's not a big deal unless you're the kind of who thinks their every utterance is god's gift to humanity and any attempt to curb your genius is some kind of crime.

"Think about what I say and what it means to others? THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!"

[bleeding heart]

Because by the time you remove everything anyone might possibly find offensive, there's nothing at all left.

???

I doubt if we've ever been as free to speak our minds as we are today.

Some of us might feel there's too much political correctness, but let's keep some perspective; the anti--pc voices have become as hectoring and severe as that which they rail against--meaner, too.

Edited July 16, 2015 by bleeding heart

[Black Dog]

Because apparently it needs to be repeated on every single page, there's no evidence anyone is trying to stop people from saying what they want by raising awareness of how some people might find certain questions/comments/phrases. There's literally no free speech issue here.

[bleeding heart]

Because apparently it needs to be repeated on every single page, there's no evidence anyone is trying to stop people from saying what they want by raising awareness of how some people might find certain questions/comments/phrases. There's literally no free speech issue here.

I agree. When people opine that "you can't say anything," they mean "I can't rant angrily on the internet without somebody disagreeing."

Folks should take their own advice and suck it up.

Edited July 16, 2015 by bleeding heart

[WestCoastRunner]

It seems incredibly dismissive, yet somehow patronizing at the same time.

-k

{"Oh sure Julia, they might see you as an Asian, but to me, you're all white! HA-HA! Get it?"}

Except, there have been several attempts to start Asian magazines entitled "Banana". I'm not sure if any of them are still in print, but why would they be called Banana if they were considered derogatory in the Vancouver and NYC community?

It may seem dismissive and patronizing to you but apparently not to them.

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/banana-magazine-is-bringing-the-duality-of-asian-american-life-to-the-forefront-456

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/banana-magazine-issue-001#/story

http://www.selectism.com/2015/03/10/banana-magazine-001-2015/

"The choice for the name Banana is meant to be an inside joke. For anyone who has ever been called a ‘banana,’ you know that it’s a nickname that has been given to many first generation Asians growing up in western world, like us. It’s not meant to be derogatory, but celebratory. "

"The term can be borderline offensive; it implies a limited view of classes of people, and more unfortunately, may impose negative pressure on an individual’s self identity.

Knowing precisely this, friends and creative duo Kathleen Tso and Vicki Ho — who are both first-generation Asian Americans — decided to found “Banana,” a new magazine “dedicated to contemporary Asian culture.” The New York-based bi-annual title seeks to turn the misappropriated word into something celebratory by bringing together creative Asian talent from around the world to voice themselves."

[Hal 9000]

^^^You've been caught in your own microagression conundrum, now you're trying to backtrack, explain yourself and prove you're not insensitive or a racist. Do you see what desperation this microagression has brought you to?

[WestCoastRunner]

^^^You've been caught in your own microagression conundrum, now you're trying to backtrack, explain yourself and prove you're not insensitive or a racist. Do you see what desperation this microagression has brought you to?

No clue what you are talking about. Spell it out for me if you can.

Edited July 17, 2015 by WestCoastRunner

[Guest]

According to my Chinese friends "Banana" was a derogatory term. But that was them, and that was a few years ago. Others might see it differently now.

[TimG]

you know that it’s a nickname that has been given to many first generation Asians growing up in western world, like us. It’s not meant to be derogatory, but celebratory.

Except that may not be true for every Asian. You must remember the term itself is fundamentally racist because it implies that Canadian/American cultural values are some how connected to being white.

[WestCoastRunner]

According to my Chinese friends "Banana" was a derogatory term. But that was them, and that was a few years ago. Others might see it differently now.

I suppose it depends on the generation. My kids grew up with them and are very close to them and they call each other banana including the white kids and no one seems to take offense. It seems to be a common term in the crowd.

[WestCoastRunner]

Except that may not be true for every Asian. You must remember the term itself is fundamentally racist because it implies that Canadian/American cultural values are some how connected to being white.

I agree it may be more offensive to another generation. These magazines were started by a younger generation.

[Guest]

I suppose it depends on the generation. My kids grew up with them and are very close to them and they call each other banana including the white kids and no one seems to take offense. It seems to be a common term in the crowd.

It was never as offensive as some other terms I could mention. It meant pretentious, more than anything, I think.

[WestCoastRunner]

It was never as offensive as some other terms I could mention. It meant pretentious, more than anything, I think.

Well, I know my kid's asian friends were always proud to call themselves 'bananas' and funny enough they were the more racist against the asians 'right off the boat'.

[-1=e^ipi]

Because apparently it needs to be repeated on every single page, there's no evidence anyone is trying to stop people from saying what they want by raising awareness of how some people might find certain questions/comments/phrases. There's literally no free speech issue here.

Yeah, you are free to say 'the most qualified person should get the job'. You are free to say it, though you might get fired over it.

Freedom of speech is both a state and cultural issue. Even if the state doesn't restrict free speech, if the culture of a society is anti-free speech then the society as a whole will suffer and will not benefit from true free speech.

[Hal 9000]

I suppose it depends on the generation. My kids grew up with them and are very close to them and they call each other banana including the white kids and no one seems to take offense. It seems to be a common term in the crowd.

So, would you not agree that the term could be a microagression to some?

[Black Dog]

Yeah, you are free to say 'the most qualified person should get the job'. You are free to say it, though you might get fired over it.

There's no evidence for this claim.

Freedom of speech is both a state and cultural issue. Even if the state doesn't restrict free speech, if the culture of a society is anti-free speech then the society as a whole will suffer and will not benefit from true free speech.

As I already pointed out: there's no such thing as "true free speech" except for sociopaths and Asperger's sufferers. People self-censor all the time.

[cybercoma]

And neither should anyone else. Often, people get offended because they're looking to.

I guess if you were born in Winnipeg and got asked several times a day in Winnipeg where you're from it would be annoying, since people were only asking because of your skin colour or accent. It's a constant reminder that you don't belong there. That you're different and will never be accepted as being from there. But then, it's pretty simple to understand for anyone who's not going out of their way to not understand it.