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??

Given the tonal difference of "in China some people eat dogs" and "Chinese people eat dogs" I'd want to be very sure DS was repeating verbatim before I raised anything. What was the context? I know you said international cuisine but what happened after? What was her reaction to the kids reaction? Without knowing that your son can absolutely recount this perfectly, I'd clarify to DS but otherwise leave it.

I’m Chinese and yes, some people in Mainland China do eat dogs as do some people in Vietnam, Korea etc. Some Swiss in the mountains eat cats, Thais have rats. Stating a fact is not at all racist. It bc should be pointed out that not all Chinese eat dogs. I’m not at all sensitive about it though the thought of anyone eating them makes me heave.

The overwhelming majority of people on MN saying it’s a statement of fact should be your first indicator as to how racist it is.

Im
Chinese and I sure don’t! But we do joke about it amongst ourselves.

I agree with this.
You look down on those who eat dog.

They have massive wet markets over there where you can buy all different kinds of meat including dogs and cats, however there is also a lot of what we would consider “standard” meat options too. It’s not racist to acknowledge other countries have different cultures or that those cultures still continue in the present day. Perhaps not all Chinese people eat dog, the same way not all British people eat meat, but then you’re getting into minute discussions and it sidetracks from the overall learning.

more to the point its a contentious example that could be taken the wrong way - its not like dog is the national snack food. Maybe noodles would be a better choice.

Maybe it is a statement of fact, but it is made in such a bad taste that sounds simply racist.

Imagine if another country they say : A big proportion of British kids are overweight.

It is a fact, but we wouldn’t like it, right?

It would entirely depend upon the context and the delivery of the statement. There are all kinds of creatures eaten in different parts of the world...

Guinea pigs in the South Americas like Peru and Ecuador.
Tarantulas in places like Cambodia and in Mexico.
Dog in Korea and other countries.
Horse widely eaten in Europe and elsewhere.

I guess so long as it's not just one culture or country being singled out for eating things that we generally don't, then it's not racist.

Is this appropriate to tell a 7 year old? Mine would be confused and possibly upset, given we have pets. I understand it is reality and some people do eat Dogs but does a 7 year old really need to know this?

I agree with your take on it. When people in this country say that 'the Chinese eat dogs' it's usually to confirm a stereotype of 'the Chinese' as a cruel and cold people, because the British traditionally love dogs and are super pet-oriented. When you remove the nuance and context it's just an emotive statement that paints a whole nation in a really bad light.
Obviously eating dogs is a divisive topic. I'd want to take the time to discuss this with my child, particularly to make sure they didn't now assume that their friends with Chinese family/heritage were regularly tucking into dogs of a Tuesday night. That could be very awkward.
It's also somewhat concerning that a TA would say this quite othering statement in a school that might have Chinese/Chinese heritage pupils. Depends where you are, OP, and what your local demographic is like, but it's a bit weird to talk about 'those people' as if they aren't ever to be encountered locally.

What context did she say it?
Was she talking about food in different countries eg in the UK some people eat cows but in some countries that would be considered wrong just like in China some people eat dogs and we think it is wrong.
Or was it said I'm a derogatory way. In which case yes it is racist . Obviously not all Chinese people eat dogs just as not all English people eat lambs or calves.

I suspect the TA, in whatever words she happened to use, might have been trying to draw out examples that would seem unusual to us. We know about noodles,
most of us have tried them but not so much dog.

It's not racist. I've seen dogs being eaten in Asia it's a statement of fact www.hsi.org/news-media/dog-meat-trade-faqs/

That goes for every single thing you could say about any country in the world.

My DH and his family are Chinese. They don’t eat dogs and don’t know anyone who does. So to say “Chinese people eat dogs” is not a statement of fact.

It’s the connotation of it that makes it racist. If I said that to my class of 7-8 year olds, they would immediately think it was a negative thing if I just said that statement. Because of the relationship we have with dogs here in Britain.

Let’s not forget the horrible things said about Chinese people eating bats at the beginning of covid. It’s all part of a negative tarring of a culture just because it’s food is different in some ways.

@WhatATimeToBeAlive

Awful post. I can't believe you typed that.

'Thank you! That's exactly it! The drip drip of negative connotations and racial bias is exactly the words I needed.'

Do you think eating dogs is a BAD THING then op? Do you want your child to grow up thinking that it is okay to judge people eating dogs? Are you so western centric that you promote the belief that what westerners eat is correct?

'Thee Chinese eat dogs' is not a statement that conveys any value or judgement unless you percieve that what you do is right and what other nations do is wrong.

From a world wide perspective, eating dogs is no better or worse than eating pigs.

Nods

No that's not analogous! That is exactly factual, and is stated as such.

If you then gave suggestions of why, which into racial stereotypes, that would be different.

Again, context.

This is not racist. Imagine the exasperated headteacher dealing with strike action this week and a parent complains about a TA being racist. Please don’t complain. It’s exactly like someone saying ‘Brits eat pigs / pigeon / venison’. Some of us do, some of us don’t. It’s true.

China is the biggest consumer of dog meat globally.

I think if the TA said 'in China some people eat dogs' then that's fine as it's true, saying 'the Chinese' though, like they're all one homogenous group isn't acceptable though.

I don't think I'd contact the school as you can't be sure exactly what the TA said as it's only how DS remembers it - but I'd talk it through with DS.

@monkeysmum21 those two examples are non compatible. We can be offended by the stipulation that most British children are overweight by all means, but that isn’t a cultural matter and if we’re really going to get up in arms over a statement like that maybe it should be the nudge needed to crack down on the obesity crisis in children.

Culturally dogs don’t have the same connotations in China that they have here, they have no reason to be offended by the statement because it is part of their culture and the only time it becomes offensive is if the person stating the fact is looking down on another culture and judging them to be lesser somehow. Chinese people have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to their food choices - especially not since the vast majority of them seem to make a damn sight healthier choices than us!

It's a racial stereotype but like most stereotypes there is some truth in it.