Saturday 10 December 2011

Where Does Your Loyalty Lie? East or West?

Figure skater Patrick Chan received a rousing ovation from a home Canadian crowd at the ISU Grand Prix during the world champion's first competition since he caused a furore saying that he felt unappreciated in Canada and is becoming increasingly drawn to his Chinese heritage. Chan was quoted as saying...
“Several years ago I felt more Canadian but I’m slowly feeling more Chinese and feel I should be more proud of being Chinese and appreciate where I’ve come from. (This is because) of the support I get from the Chinese community in Canada,”
“I do (wish I could have represented both China and Canada when I compete). That would be the ideal situation… in a perfect world.”
Patrick Chan, 20 years old from Toronto, is a CBC, Canadian Born Chinese of Hong Kong Chinese immigrants, suffered a backlash with Canadian fans and media pundits questioning his loyalty.

Chan supports a tattoo on his left calf of a Canadian Maple Leaf with the Olympic rings and flame was crowned world champion in April after romping to victory with record scores in Moscow, was asked about the furore caused by his remarks during a taped CBC interview that aired ahead of his routine.
"All I can say is I apologise and there is no doubt in my mind that I am more than happy to represent Canada ... and I really don't want people to think differently....I am extremely happy to be born in Canada and skate for my country and the support is just unbelievable and I couldn't ask for more."
Full Article Link: Yahoo Eurosports


Given a choice, would you represent your Chinese ancestral homeland or the west? Should we be forced to choose? Should western born Chinese apologise for showing pride in their race and their ancestral home over their western home?

17 comments:

  1. With Vancouver having such a heavy Chinese population, i cant blame him for feeling more Chinese than canadian, and no he shouldnt be forced to apologise for showing pride in being Chinese. After all the reality is that most of his supporting fans who come to see him live are CBCS

    Simiarly, I also read about Jeremy Lin, a taiwanese basketball player who pnly last year made major waves last year when his debut as a Golden State Warrior and again got huge support from asian americans whilst he got racist cries from the non-asian americans at the same game.

    We shouldnt be forced to choose but underrepresentation in sports and arts always boils seems to boil down to preference and the numbers of western Chinese actually being groomed for that career by their parents.

    Assuming that the world of figure skating is more fairer than say the world of tv or film, but as long as it means media representation, the other famous 'r' word isnt behind.

    In the above example of a Canadian Chinese, i think there is a much more denser population of Chinese in Canada, compared to US where they are in Chunks eg San Francisco, California, and then the UK, where we are completely dispersed into tiny pockets from Scotland to London to Torquay which makes the support we get not as solid esp when it comes to supporting live events in person like sports, however that doesnt make BBC representation irredeemable, you just need a different system set up that can cater for it.

    And in our case, no we definately shouldnt apologise for being Chinese. If anything we need to do the opposite, which is something i hope to expand on for an upcoming article.

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  2. Doesn't this example show that for overseas Chinese in effect you have to choose loyalty? And that you are not permitted to express pride in your homeland? Rather like British Pakistani's getting slated all the time for supporting Pakistan instead of England in cricket matches etc?

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  3. ^ LOL at your empathetic British Pakistani reference.

    With his 'All I can say is I apologise and there is no doubt in my mind that I am more than happy to represent Canada ... and I really don't want people to think differently' statement, it does seem kind of forced in a way that, since winning the award,he has to lie to silence his more genuine appreciation of his CBC supporters.

    Its funny with white footballers like Beckham can represent Real Madrid , and England and Man U and hes seen as a legend. Double standards when you think about it.

    Also makes it double ironic when theres so much anti-Chineseness in the media and yet when it comes to being a top athlete you have to represent the West and not China.

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  4. It's totally forced. Actually it reminds me of your age article....

    http://bbczeitgeist.blogspot.com/2011/11/does-age-affect-our-potential-to.html

    Okay try this one......

    China vs England in a football match, who do you support?

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  5. Goddamn, if people aren't too hung up on race! Soil is thicker than blood! Where YOU come from is more important than where your ancestors came from. I'm half-Asian, but born and raised in the United States, I'll be damned if anybody tells me I should think of myself as anything other than American. Race and culture are two different things. For a reverse perspective, look at folks like Lou Jing or Sharon Balcombe. It makes me sick to think there are those who would refuse these people their Chinese identity.

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  6. ^ China, obviously.

    What way does it remind you of the age article? That Patrick Chan is 20yrs old and is blinded by multiculturalism?

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  7. Haha, hes not ethnic Chinese, what do you expect him to say? Majority of mixed bloods in the west are just propagators of ethnic Chinese genocide and have no Chinese heritage to pass on or return to, they merely assimilate. Its discussed here:

    http://bbczeitgeist.blogspot.com/2011/03/mixed-race-chinese-those-of-chinese.html

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  8. We're all feeling it, except for the oriental women and few oriental men who are whitewashed into the host society, that is. For the rest of us, we are underappreciated, unknown and misrepresented in our OWN COUNTRY. I would accept it, like my parents did, if I was indeed an immigrant, but I'm not. I would even class being ostracised and neglected socially with fellow British people as worse than obvious racism - at least with them I know where I stand.

    And humans being humans, we are sociable. So if we do not find solace and friendship with the native society (which really is ours), we will look towards people who do. Look at the Muslims... the terrorists who did 7/7, some were British born... "experts" questioned what would drive these Brits towards extreme Islam? Yet all they have to do is ask a minority born and bred in Britain to get an idea on how gradual, continual discrimination (of all types, from abuse to the more low key sort - being left out, not allowed or called up on their race in a "patriotic" event) will breed resentment. This questions the person's loyalty.

    The Canadian public and press who question this man's loyalty only have themselves to blame. If the majority were truly integrating minorities, loyalty wouldn't be an issue.

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  9. "Simiarly, I also read about Jeremy Lin, a taiwanese basketball player who pnly last year made major waves last year when his debut as a Golden State Warrior and again got huge support from asian americans whilst he got racist cries from the non-asian americans at the same game."


    Another worthy issue of note... whites deny ethnic Chinese fairness and resist at every turn, attempting to make their life hell in their country. Whereas whites in Chinese populations are welcomed, even treated as gods as they go about their daily business. Another words - whites want to "spread out" and manage to do so unopposed, whilst the Chinese are restricted and held back all the time by whites.

    This translates down to the ordinary migrant worker. Usually, when a white migrant of a different race comes to a nonwhite country to contribute his skills, the locals accept him - after all, he's benefiting their society, so why abuse him?

    Yet in white countries, the opposite is true - nonwhite migrants (and those born here alike) are treated like shit, despite contributing taxes and helping the country. I sometimes think that whites would rather rot in their own shit than hire a nonwhite as a cleaner if they had the choice.

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  10. @anonymous 13 December 2011 02:43 'The Canadian public and press who question this man's loyalty only have themselves to blame. If the majority were truly integrating minorities, loyalty wouldn't be an issue. '

    Funny I was looking at the article from a sports angle in the sense that its just a business, and I dont really take any sports on tv too seriously as i try to avoid TV.

    But now i can see how big a part sports do play in nationalism esp these days of multiculturalism where we are meant to be holding hands in equal opportunity when the truth is quite different.

    Its a social event and as such is a social commentary on a Chinese being forced to promote false patriotic inclusion or multiculturalism when in reality he was victim of racial marginalisation since the only real support he got was from his fellow racially marginalised supporters, the Canadian Born Chinese . Thanks for summing it up.

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  11. I just wanna expand some ideas, not sure if you remember the French world cup winning football team (with Zidane etc) which was considered a multicultural ideal which united the country and sense of sporting pride, and sticking two fingers up at Le Penn politics at the time. So my point there is something in multiculturalism and harmony as a team and getting on with each other? discuss

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  12. Do you mean multicultural or multiracial? People confuse the two, many times on purpose in order to satisfy their goal without sounding racist i.e. bitch about how different cultures don't get along so they can get rid of them, which coincidentally will get rid of certain races since they are mostly linked with that culture.

    There is something in a multiracial society and "harmony", where each race does not shy away from their roots and heritage. Whether that makes it multicultural, well you could say things already are multicultural with whites, with those of celtic origin have vastly different cultures to those of anglo saxon, nordic and slavic origin.

    As for sport in uniting races together, only if they win. There was a huge backlash of racism against blacks when France exited the first round in the last world cup. See how quickly the majority natives turn on their fellow countrymen based on their skin colour. It is a false premise that it unites them - only in sport in that particular event.

    Also, representation and "getting along" in sport, media etc. does nothing for the majority of ethnic minorities living in slums and ghettos, to use the same example blacks and asians in France mostly live in run down areas whilst being treated "equally" in their racially segregated schools. And of course it does not change the attitudes of the majority white public, the ones who hold all the cards - employers, officials, police etc.

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  13. Yes, I recall the French team at the last world cup were predominantly Black of African descent, there were only a few non-Black players.

    Multiculturalism is the result of a White British empire that has its hands blooded from colonisation. Of course if one makes a comparison between living in city that is 99.99% White vs living in a city that is multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, I know I'd rather choose the latter, however multi-culturalism isn't the answer for those of us who are Chinese and want to establish our identity 'fully.'

    Don't you think racism is different and dependent on how unpalatable the 'country' of your ancestors is?

    For example unlike blacks of West Indies descent - that are 'chilled out' and say they're proud of Jamaica, there's no 'evil' nor 'threat' there, whereas if you're British Pakistani and say you're proud of Pakistan, thats a no no, Pakistan is country that harbours terrorism.

    Patrick Chan said he wished he could represent China...reactions from White Canadians would probably be one of disgust along the lines of....."what!! you mean you wanna represent that rogue evil third world communist human rights violating country that eats dogs and runs over children...over our beautiful first world civilised country Canada?"

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  14. Id agree that multiculturalism only works when it comes to sports because a country has to save 'face' of racial inclusion and later everyone goes back to their segregation, and this obviously only happens in white countries.

    Agreed also that multiculturalism is a supposed 'antidote' to British Colonisation. Its the same reason immigrants 'are allowed' to live in the UK and should feel 'grateful'. After all, if India, Africa and Hong Kong werent colonised by England , England wouldnt have been able to purge the riches from these countries and have such a high standard of living that every citizen is the equivalent of a king and the actual country produces nothing.

    Its the same reason i now see white vans driven by brickheads with big fat opium poppies stuck on the front of their grillplate. Why?

    'we died in the war for you lot' blahblah

    Its a face-saving exercise. Nevermind the same fuckers were sent to war by imperialist warmongers and STILL being sent to war to colonise iraq middle east and latest news, maybe iran, who are hiding bin ladens long lost brothers great auntie's false teeth

    Yeah you keep wearing the plastic poppies mate, no point mourning the dead when your own government are still sending out people to be killed. Keep enrolling in the army for king and country, how patriotic.Morons.

    Multiculturalism is a terminology , to me, that reprsents separation between the cultures and yet togetherness. To me has no different from multiracial, both hold the same segregated values.

    And for a white person being multiracial because he is a quarter anglo irish and quarter french- thats hardly multiracial is it?

    Its like the white bourgoise who say 'oh i have a quarter of chinese blood' ie they have enough Chinese in them to be considered an exotic species of whiteness but not enough to be the subject or western demonisation. Anyway this is straying into hapa territory so lets not go there. Once again ill quote mr anonymous above who rightly said

    'If the majority were truly integrating minorities, loyalty wouldn't be an issue.'

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  15. Daniel York writes-

    'If the majority were truly integrating minorities, loyalty wouldn't be an issue.'

    Sense, Happy. I couldn't agree more.

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  16. ^ You can thank anonymous 02:43 for that insight. If you can get a google ID anonymous 02:43 , would be great, your BBC insights are much appreciated.

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  17. But why do you people live in the West at all? I'm Chinese, I speak and write Chinese fluently, and I am very close to Chinese culture, and yet I'm more loyal to my adopted country than to China.

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