page 10 THE OTHER PRESS October 5th, 1984 Prejudice: thethorn Inside the walls of the University of British Columbia’s majestic library, a wealth of knowledge and wisdom awaits students. Cornerstones of a university, such as the works of by CHRIS WONG reprinted from the UBYSSEY Aristotle, Einstein and Shakespeare, sit available for inspection in this stately building. But nearby these classics, some anonymous writers display their craft. Their work is neither on the bookshelves nor listed in the card catalogue or microfiche. Instead, these writers choose a private but much more frequented spot to scrawl their views. Three stalls in the men’s washroom near the library’s fine arts division are the main medium of communications for these unknown authors. Their writings in ink, pencil, felt, and paint carry disturbing messages that rely on violence, sexual degradation and stereotypes as their motive forces. “Kick a Paki in his balls--it’s a great feeling.’ ‘‘Why can’t you Chinks admit you are bad drivers?’’ “‘Good, now that you have settled down a bit, get the fuck out of our country,’’ One writer counters: ‘‘All racists should be shot, pissed on, and then boiled until there is nothing left but a gross-looking stew that should be dumped into an active volcano.’’ This is the language of hate, says Don Dutton, a UBC social psychology “Foreign Students want to be accepted.” professor. A quick glance at the walls of bathrooms and any other buildings covered with graffiti on Canadian campuses reveals the language of hate is spreading In 1982, there was a rash of anti-semitic graffiti at the universities of Ottawa and Manitoba. At McGill University in October, 1982 the cam- pus and surrounding. neighbourhood was also covered in anti-semitic slurs. Dutton says graffiti writers are usually young males, between the ages of 18 and 25, frustrated about work prospects and feeling inad- equate. Choosing a bathroom stall as a place to express such feelings also shows they are frightened, he says. ‘People who — scrawl grattiti are angry and scared,’’ says Dutton. “They're basically gutless. Maybe if they had more courage, they wouldn’t have so much anger.”’ ‘Graffiti is not indicative of nor- mative attitudes,’’ he continues, ‘‘it’s indicative of a small, bitter group of people.’’ The graffiti artists target minority groups because they may not fight back, says Dutton. Chinese and East Indian people are singled out most frequently in the graffiti. These groups are the largest minority populations in B.C. and as a result are perceived as a threat, he says. “‘B.C. has an incredible climate of racism,” says Dutton. ‘‘Part of the problem is that it is a very provincial place. It doesn’t have a very cosmo- politan world view so there’s no tolerance for other cultures. There’s definitely a kind of ‘hick’ mentality that runs through B.C.” Rori McBlane agrees B.C.’s redneck attitudes lead to racism. McBlane, director of UBC’s international student drop-in centre says about five students come to him every year for advice after encountering some form of racism. “I’m quite convinced the actual amount of racial tension (encountered by UBC foreign students) is much larger. No one hears about it,’’ says McBlane. Most students are unwilling to fight racism by seeking the help of an ombudsperson or a human rights organization, he says. Foreign stu- dents want to be accepted in Canada and will avoid trouble at all costs, McBlane says. Similarly, Dutton says trends in the U.S. show an increasing reliance on assimilation--the blending of cultural groups--as an answer to racism. He cites the prime example of pop star Michael Jackson--’’a black who had surgery on his face to make it look white. ’’ Some UBC students have a name for Chinese people who undergo the assimilation phenomenon: bananas --‘’yellow on the outside and white on the inside.’’ Sitting in a tiny and cluttered room in the SUB, four Chinese students talk freely about racism. Their reactions to racist graffiti range from mild surprise to shock. ‘‘1 wouldn’t be surprised if some of this graffiti came from Canadian born Chinese,’’ says Nancy, a fourth year Arts student. Nancy, and other stu- dents: who requested anonymity, say ‘‘bananas’’ try to blend in with white society to lose stigmas attached with being Chinese. “yellow onthe outside and white onthe inside.” They say some students fear Chi- nese are becoming the _ intellectual elite at UBC. This fear is expressed in graffiti saying UBC should be renamed the ‘‘University of a Billion Chinks’’ and pointing to the alleged presence of “‘Hong Kong money.” ‘“‘When they see all these (Chinese) people getting extremely high marks and being in distinguished faculties, they feel left out,’’ says one of the students. ‘I think a lot of times they see it as a clandestine plot--it’s so paranoid.”’ This type of graffiti can be dis- missed, he says, adding other more vicious attacks evoke violent images, disturbing and angering him. One of the other Chinese students says he does not react angrily to graffiti. ‘‘l don’t even take it person- ally. | take it as part of human nature. Racism is a dark side of every individual.’ He grew up in Richmond, an outlying Vancouver suburb, where racism was a daily problem. While he remains indifferent to racism on campus, as a youth he would react violently to personal attacks. ‘‘On a personal level that. was the only solution.’’ - There’s nothing tasteful about any of the graffiti,’ he continues. ‘‘But it does reflect the attitudes of at least a minority on campus. All it shows is just the majority group trying to hold on as long as they can.’’ Nancy says youth must be educated to understand and appreciate all cultures. Dutton agrees, saying cur- rent education methods about racism are too intellectual and conceptual in nature. ‘“‘We’re not reaching people emotionally in the education system.” High school workshops showing stu- dents the alienation and hurt resulting from racism could be one method of education, adds Dutton. On the university level, Dutton says there is some truth to the graffiti that reads: ‘‘Ten years ago, this form of racist bigotry would have never ap- peared on any campus wall.’’ Dutton says students were more politically aware ten years ago. ‘‘UBC has always been conservative, but back then, there was more of a left Liberal stance. “’ But students today are more right- wing, says Dutton, and the walls of the ivory tower are marred by their fear and hatred.