issue 10 / volume 41

There is nothing subtle about racism

» How should we feel about everyday racism?

Elliot Chan

*.... Opinions Editor
NM opinions

si @theotherpress.ca

 

I enters our conversations,
appears on television, and

is even broadcast in the news.
Whether we go there on purpose
or if it was just a Freudian slip of
the tongue, subtle racism, like a
chronic sore muscle, requires us

to shrug it off or address it with a :
: Chow called out Donato, and
: rightly so, but will it lead toa
: progressive outcome, or will

: more hate spread both ways?
: That has yet to be seen.

tight squeeze.

In the war against everyday
racism, I’m a conscientious
objector. It’s a messy game, and
I cannot see peace at the end of
calling every person out for the
asinine things they say or do.

Do stereotypical references and
cultural appropriation make me
angry? Sure, sometimes it’s done
out of pure spite and is meant
to demean a whole racial group
of people, but other times it’s
done out of ignorance, stupidity,
and insensitivity. When it
comes down to it, we all say and
do stupid things occasionally.
Dumb thoughtless acts do not
make you a racist, and we need
to stop dropping the R-word so
loosely. It solves nothing.

Seeing the Toronto Sun
editorial cartoon of mayoral
candidate Olivia Chow, dressed
as Chairman Mao, riding the
coattail of her late husband Jack

: Layton, made me want to vomit.
: How did the publication not

: foresee the poor taste of their

: illustration? Why at no point

: between pen to print did they

: acknowledge the hatefulness of

: their art? There is nothing subtle :
: about it; however, it remains one :
: man’s opinionated expression,
: for that is clearly how cartoonist
: Andy Donato sees Chow,

: female politicians, and perhaps

all people of Asian descent.

The Vancouver Sun recently

: had its own foray with subtle

: racism, naming Canucks

: prospect Jordan Subban as “the
: dark guy in the middle” in the

: caption for a photograph. We

: all cringed a bit when we read

: that, but a moment later, we

: chuckled at the publication’s

: stupidity. Was it a placeholder

: that snuck past proofreaders

: and ended up in print, or was it
: asnarky presentation of racism?
: Whatever it was, Subban took

: it with grace, claiming it was a

: “pretty honest mistake.”

From those two examples,

: we can clearly see the party that
: took the subtle racist gesture

: better or at least with a healthier
: attitude. We are all unique, we

: all have our home team, and

: we—especially as Canadians—
: have friends, co-workers,

: teammates, and even families

: of different races, which is why
: I believe it’s important to give

the benefit of the doubt when it
comes to subtle racism.
Although we live ina

: liberal country, where we all

: claim to accept each other, I’m

: pessimistic that we are all kind-

: hearted people. Realistically,

: weall have our preconceptions.

: The way to put an end to those

: preconceptions isn’t by striking

: anyone who dares voice their

: opinion, but by educating them.
: Canada is made up of a mosaic

: of cultures, and we tend to split
: up into our own groups and

: communities. Just look at the

: Lower Mainland and you can

: see the Chinese community, the
: East Indian community, and the
: Italian community all centralized
: at different geographical

: locations. We need to break this
: way of living, learn to coexist not
: ina mosaic but ina mixing pot.

: Harmony cannot be appreciated
: from the perimeter; we must

: delve into it wholeheartedly and
: embrace other people.

So when you see or overhear

: subtle racism, don’t approach

: it with anger, but rather with

: empathy. Acknowledge, educate,
> and move on.

 

opinions // 19

 

Did they cheat on all of us?

» Public perceptions of cheating and their affect on careers

, Angela Espinoza
News Editor
; . Mnews
=. @theotherpress.ca

 

We've discussed Gamergate in
this and last week’s Features
section of the Other Press. For
more information, refer to our
‘A brief history of Gamergate”
and “The height of Gamergate”
articles.

>: August 16, Eron Gjoni
published an over-8,000-

word diatribe about his ex-
girlfriend Zoe Quinn. This
particular diatribe was a post on
his blog and reveals more than
anyone wanted to know about
the months-long relationship
Gjoni and Quinn shared.
Gjoni outlines a few
examples of Quinn’s rampant
lying and cheating with rants
and screencaps of texts and
social media messages. Quinn
is an independent game
developer, and since Gjoni’s

post, Gamergate, a misogynist

: Movement against women in

: the games industry, has led to

: the flame war of all flame wars.

: Quinn has been in hiding since

: she was doxxed—the revealing

: of one’s private information

: online—and is currently hated

: by many, all because she cheated
: on her boyfriend.

Evidently, Gjoni hoped that

his blog post about Quinn would
: affect her career. As her career-

: of-choice involves a specific

: niche, there’s no saying how

: much of her career will actually

: be affected in the end. Those in

  

: the games industry who have

: taken Quinn's side have had

: to hold back from saying too

: much, for fear of being doxxed
: themselves, and because our

: society often clings to specific
: public figures who cheat.

You might recall the Tiger

: Woods scandal in November
: 2009, when the public learned of :
: his repeated infidelities. Woods’
: relationship with his then-wife

: Elin Nordegren ended in divorce :
: in August 2010. The revelation

: of Woods affair caused him to

: lose sponsorships ranging from
: Gatorade to General Motors,

: yet Nike and Electronic Arts,

: arguably his biggest sponsors,

: stayed with him. Today, froma

: standpoint of public perception,
: it’s fair to say Woods’ career was
: not affected by his cheating.

You might also recall former

president of the United States

: Bill Clinton, who in 1998 was

: briefly impeached (the decision
: was acquitted some months

: later) following the reveal of

: his affair with then-White

: House intern Monica Lewinsky.
: Clinton initially denied this

: before eventually revealing to

: the publicthat he hadindeed —:
: cheated on his wife. So, basically, :
: Clinton’s life was not affected by
: his cheating either.

A written interview

between Gjoni and Buzzfeed

: writer Joseph Bernstein via

: Skype was released online in

: mid-October following the

: published article, “The Man

: Who Sparked GamerGate

: Regrets the Harassment, Says

: He'd Do it Again.” The transcript
: reveals that Gjoni’s ultimate goal

: was that Quinn’s career would

: be abolished based on how she

: acted in their relationship and

: how she’s treated others in the

: gaming industry. Various other

: persons around the Internet

: have made claims that defend

: the perception of Quinn being a
: compulsive liar.

Whatever the reason for

: it, cheating and lying are shitty
things to do, but where lying

: is easily justifiable depending
on the situation, cheating is

: difficult to justify.

To backtrack, Woods’ and

: Clinton’s careers were ultimately

unaffected by their cheating,

and Quinn’s career shouldn't

: be either. Gjoni is right to feel

: betrayed, as any partner who has
: been cheated on might feel. If

: cheating should affect anything,
: it should be the public’s

: perception of that person, but

: it’s not right to say cheating

: should affect one’s career.

; Whatever happens with Quinn’s
: career, let it be based on her

: work ethic, if nothing else.