In Context: 5 Web Perspectives On A Story In The News

UVIC students' union to boycott Maclean’s

(The Gateway) The University of Victoria's students society looks to ban the sale of Maclean's magazine in its student union building if Maclean's doesn't issue an apology for the article "'Too Asian'?" by the end of 2010. Maclean's has already released a response to the controversy that erupted after the article was published, but UVIC is demanding a second apology. The UVIC students society voted 12-5 in favour of banning the sale of the magazine unless such an apology is released. Maclean's representatives have said they are disappointed with the vote since university campuses are usually a "safe-spot for the discussion of ideas and issues, even if those issues are difficult, at times, to discuss".

1.

“’Too Asian’?”

Maclean's
An article entitled "'Too Asian'?" was released by Maclean's magazine on Nov. 10, 2010 and it quickly sparked controversy. The article describes a high population of Asian students enrolled in certain Canadian universities and the ensuing effect on white students. The article argues that because of large numbers of Asian students on campus, white students feel they face a higher level of competition. The article has been accused of racism as well as promoting racial stereotypes. Macleans.ca briefly removed the article from its website shortly after publication, and then reposted the article under the new title "The enrollment controversy."

2.

CCNC wants an apology

CCNC
The Chinese Canadian National Council was formed in 1979 by Chinese Canadians following the broadcast of a CTV program that contained racist overtones and inaccuracies. One of the council's goals is to confront stereotyping or racism in the media. The CCNC asked Maclean's for four things following the release of "'Too Asian'?". Firstly, it wanted Maclean's to publish a rebuttal article written by the CCNC. Secondly, to arrange for staff participated in "'Too Asian'?" to participate in public meetings regarding the article. Thirdly, for Maclean's to write three more articles about diversity and racism on university campuses with the help of students of Asian descent. The CNCC also asked for Maclean's to admit the article is offensive and contains stereotypes. Maclean's agreed to the first three requests, but denied the CNCC an official apology.

3.

Proud to be "Too Asian"

Tooasian.ca
This website was launched on Nov. 23, 2010, two weeks following the original publishing of "'Too Asian'?" The site's subhead reads "Voices of Asian Canadians who are tired of negative stereotypes published by the media." Creators of the site say that tooasian.ca is a place where everyone is free to discuss views on racism, and disagreement is allowed. Anyone can start a new topic, or comment on an existing one. Categories of content include articles, audio clips, discussion, photos and video. Most of these categories contain material concerning the Maclean's article. There are links on tooasian.ca leading to other sites and blogs concerning related topics.

4.

Racist questions wrong idea

The Ugly Chinese-Canadian
This website is called "Ugly Chinese Canadian" and contains articles on all things Asian-Canadian. The site has plenty of content and contains links to related sites and blogs. It features an article written by Henry Yu, a professor at the University of British Columbia. Yu acknowledges that the authors of "'Too Asian'?" were trying to make a valid point, but they voiced their argument the wrong way. Yu argues that instead of asking "racist questions" the article should be asking "how our campus communities can be improved, and we should understand the diverse backgrounds of our students and how racial stereotypes continue to have salience." He argues that relationships between people are too complex to lump everyone into the simple categories of "white" and "Asian." Asking racist questions ends up reinforcing racial stereotypes, rather than producing productive dialogue about the issue.

5.

"'Too Asian'?" not racist

rabble.ca
This article is posted on Rabble.ca and is written by Amarnath Amarasingam, a doctoral candidate at Wilfred Laurier University in religious studies. Amarasingam is also a visible minority. This response to the Maclean's controversy offers an opposing opinion to those offended by "'Too Asian'?". He says when he started receiving emails about the irresponsibility of the reporting involved in the article, he was "primed to be enraged." Then Amarasingam read the article and found that "'Too Asian'?" is not racist. He feels the article points out trends based on factual evidence. He argues that most of the controversy probably sparks from the title "'Too Asian'?" and that critics likely made up their minds to be offended before actually reading the article. Rabble.ca offers comments, most of which argue against Amarasingam's opinion. There are also links available to related articles, including the original Maclean's article and Maclean's response to the criticism.