Yellow Fever
September 16th, 2008, 08:08 AM
UBC social club video 'culturally offensive'
Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, September 16, 2008
VANCOUVER - A University of B.C. student social club is facing possible sanctions - even disbandment - after a series of online videos designed to attract new membership instead drew fire from dozens of Asian students who complained the content was culturally offensive.
"As a student and a Chinese [person], I felt so disrespected and offended by their video. Other than ruining their own image, they are also ruining UBC's and Canada's image as a multicultural country," UBC student Kim Ho wrote in an e-mail to The Sun.The videos - posted last week by the Chinese Varsity Club in a format similar to the hugely popular Mac/PC television commercials - depict two Asian students discussing the respective merits of their social clubs.
The young woman representing the CVC speaks perfect English, with no accent, while the second character, a member of the fictional "Typical Honger Club," struggles with the language, at one point pulling out a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word "multi-cultural."
CVC president Carlos McCallister said the videos were meant to break the club's image as a Chinese-only group in an effort to expand membership.
"We don't exclude anyone," he said.
But, he admitted Monday, that message "backfired on us."
Last week, dozens of complaints poured into the Alma Mater Society, the campus body that regulates student clubs, labelling the videos as offensive.
McCallister said most of the complaints centred around the use of the term "Honger" to describe an Asian born outside of Canada.
"We didn't mean it as a derogatory term, but a lot of people took it that way," he said.
Others took exception to the accent and poor English used by one of the characters.
"They are looking down at people who are not as fortunate as them to be able to learn English in an early age. It will mislead new immigrants into thinking that they will be teased for speaking English with an accent," Ho wrote.
The club has since apologized.
"We are sorry for any trouble this has caused and hope that we can all move on from this event and work towards a more amicable future," a letter posted on the club's website states.
An apology video is also in the works, McCallister said, adding that as of Monday, the offending videos were no longer available for viewing online.
But whether that's enough to keep the club alive has yet to be seen. McCallister was set to meet with members of the AMS late Monday to learn if sanctions will be imposed.
In the worst-case scenario, McCallister said the club - which boasts a membership of 1,600 - could be disbanded.
"That would kill us," he said.
Angela Wong, president of the Asian Canadian Cultural Organization at UBC, said she's not surprised the videos stirred up such controversy on campus, where tension between Canadian-born Asian students and more recent arrivals is nothing new.
The divide centres around the larger notion of Asian identity, which has become increasingly complex with each wave of immigration.
Wong said many clubs on campus capitalize on this division, offering membership exclusive to those from a specific cultural, language or ethnic background.
Her club was initiated this year to bridge that gap, inviting members to identity under a single definition of Asian Canadian, whatever their background.
Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, September 16, 2008
VANCOUVER - A University of B.C. student social club is facing possible sanctions - even disbandment - after a series of online videos designed to attract new membership instead drew fire from dozens of Asian students who complained the content was culturally offensive.
"As a student and a Chinese [person], I felt so disrespected and offended by their video. Other than ruining their own image, they are also ruining UBC's and Canada's image as a multicultural country," UBC student Kim Ho wrote in an e-mail to The Sun.The videos - posted last week by the Chinese Varsity Club in a format similar to the hugely popular Mac/PC television commercials - depict two Asian students discussing the respective merits of their social clubs.
The young woman representing the CVC speaks perfect English, with no accent, while the second character, a member of the fictional "Typical Honger Club," struggles with the language, at one point pulling out a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word "multi-cultural."
CVC president Carlos McCallister said the videos were meant to break the club's image as a Chinese-only group in an effort to expand membership.
"We don't exclude anyone," he said.
But, he admitted Monday, that message "backfired on us."
Last week, dozens of complaints poured into the Alma Mater Society, the campus body that regulates student clubs, labelling the videos as offensive.
McCallister said most of the complaints centred around the use of the term "Honger" to describe an Asian born outside of Canada.
"We didn't mean it as a derogatory term, but a lot of people took it that way," he said.
Others took exception to the accent and poor English used by one of the characters.
"They are looking down at people who are not as fortunate as them to be able to learn English in an early age. It will mislead new immigrants into thinking that they will be teased for speaking English with an accent," Ho wrote.
The club has since apologized.
"We are sorry for any trouble this has caused and hope that we can all move on from this event and work towards a more amicable future," a letter posted on the club's website states.
An apology video is also in the works, McCallister said, adding that as of Monday, the offending videos were no longer available for viewing online.
But whether that's enough to keep the club alive has yet to be seen. McCallister was set to meet with members of the AMS late Monday to learn if sanctions will be imposed.
In the worst-case scenario, McCallister said the club - which boasts a membership of 1,600 - could be disbanded.
"That would kill us," he said.
Angela Wong, president of the Asian Canadian Cultural Organization at UBC, said she's not surprised the videos stirred up such controversy on campus, where tension between Canadian-born Asian students and more recent arrivals is nothing new.
The divide centres around the larger notion of Asian identity, which has become increasingly complex with each wave of immigration.
Wong said many clubs on campus capitalize on this division, offering membership exclusive to those from a specific cultural, language or ethnic background.
Her club was initiated this year to bridge that gap, inviting members to identity under a single definition of Asian Canadian, whatever their background.