Racist comment or statement of fact?

[Spinxsta]

7 year old DS said that a TA at his school stated "the Chinese eat dogs". He said they were talking about what people in other countries eat.

I feel there should be some context behind a statement that stereotypes people. Maybe "in the past, some of the poorer people in china ate dogs as they were starving" or something.

Another school mum said the statement didn't sit right but she didn't see it as racist.

We spoke to DS about how people have made statements like that in the past to be racist towards Chinese people and make them seem like disgusting people. I want to say something to school but I'm not sure if this is even complaint worthy... it just doesn't sound like something I want my children growing up saying or thinking.

Am I right to feel cross about this or am I overreacting??

That’s really racist.

It's a statement of fact .

in the past, some of the poorer people in china ate dogs as they were starving" Is this actually the case? Or are you layering your interpretation on ?

Its not just a few poor people, back in time. It happens every day over there. They have a different culture. Its not racist.

It’s not a statement of fact. My son’s dad is Chinese and I don’t want my child being tied in with stereotypes. What she should have said is “Some Chinese people used to eat dogs when they were starving”. Not stating that all Chinese people eat dogs. What the fuck. That’s like saying all black people are criminals, all white people hate spicy food, all Muslims are terrorists.

It's a statement of fact some people do, did the TA say everyone in China does?
The images are distressing so I don't want to Google, but is there not a famous "dog meat" festival?

My chinese friends tell me it happens

Like people in the west eating cows. Some Indians are as horrified at it as the west is horrified at eating cats and/or dogs. (Others get with the program ;-))

I have seen dog meat hanging up in a market in China, so I would say it is not a racist comment. Some people do eat dog meat.

Yeah it happens, not just when people are starving or 'in the past', but the problem is saying 'the Chinese do this'. You could say 'dogmeat is more acceptable in China than the UK' for example.

I'm sure some would question why we think dogmeat is worse than pigmeat, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.

"The Chinese" has the connotation of 'all Chinese people'.

"Some Chinese people" would be very different. Like , "some French people eat snails".. it's not a nation of people slurping molluscs out of shells.

“Some people eat dogs in China” would have been more correct. And no it’s not just poor starving people!

Yes, dogs are eaten. Also in Korea

It's considered a delicacy in some areas.

So I'd say it was factual

If you visit a Chinese market, you'll find many species that are not usually considered as food in other parts of the world being offered for sale (alive or dead) as meat.

Yes it needed a "some" in there. I don't know why people are making up that it was only in the past and when starving though.

I bet if they had said "French people eat snails" you woukdnt have cared. Both statements are as true as each other.

The world is a big place with many different cultures. Just because you don't agree with something doesn't make it racist to say it. If someone said "English people eat eels" would you care? I don't eat eels, probably not many people do, but it's true.

Tbh you're saying qualifiers - eg 'some' - would have made it more acceptable Your DC is 7. I doubt they remember if the teacher qualified their statement. They will have taken the overall meaning and relayed it back to you not quoted word for word.

This is a statement that has been used historically in Britain in a derogatory sense. I do think we need to be careful about what we're passing on..

"In china, some people eat dog meat"

Would you be horrified if a teacher in India told her class, “the English eat cows”?

pigs are as intelligent as dogs and we happily eat them. There’s nothing morally superior about our stance.

it’s racist to impose our values on another culture and judge them

Did you want to argue with posters on MN? Or did you want to contact the school? I'm not sure what the purpose of your thread is.

Depends on the context of the whole class/discussion. I agree with Pootles that the problem is saying 'the Chinese do this' and saying 'dogmeat is more acceptable in China than the UK' would be less simplistic. As would discussing different cultures and why, for example, in the UK pork and beef are (generally) acceptable but not, say, horse.
As I don't know if the discussion did get broader and more comparative, I can't say for sure what I think of the TA.

It’s factual. You can buy dog meat there.

It’s as racist as saying that Westerners eat beef and pork, French eat snails and horsemeat. Because they do, not all, but it’s as generalised as saying Chinese and Korean people eat dog meat.

I do know that it is a fact that different countries and cultures have different social conventions about food. Acknowledging that isn’t racist. I would say that judging those cultures by our own arbitrary food conventions is the racist action.

Some Europeans eat horses. Do people in China still eat dog meat? If so some people in China eat meat but nobody in the UK does would be a better statement?

I personally would care if a TA said 'French people eat snails' as a blanket statement, for that very reason. Opening up a discussion of what some people/regions in France eat is different.

You explained it well to your child.