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??

It's a highly loaded statement because of the role that dogs play in western culture. I don't think the TA should have said that without qualifying or explaining their statement. It is a statement where you have open the "the whole other kettle of fish" of cultural expectations and how they are subjective.

So I don't know if they meant it racist but I can definitely see how it might influence how kids think of the Chinese and I can imagine that kids will use it to taunt their Chinese classmates.

But it’s true. Koreans have a special market just for dogs.

It’s barbaric and it’s awful to see so please don’t google it. I’m slightly traumatised by watching a tv show of it years ago.

To those saying the wording of “the Chinese” is off, would you say the same if someone said “the English”. People who originate for China are, more often than not, Chinese. FFS.

@JustForThisOneTime
Is it not more racist to ignore part of another culture because it doesn’t sit right with our own culture?

I think it should be done sensitively with good explanation so young children don't have negative connotations about other cultures seeded into their brains. Especially when you're dealing with statements that have historically been used as insults.

Yes, it's clearly a topic that needs a sensitive and informed approach.

Absolutely. In an attempt to appear embracing of all cultures and colours (which is racist in itself) the OP is exposing herself somewhat. She's also being very patronising. If the teacher had said 'the French eat horsemeat' - would she have been up in arms? I doubt it. And why is that I wonder?

Are you absolutely sure the TA used the phrase 'the Chinese' rather than that being the version you're getting from a seven year old? Since the phrasing does matter. Because people in China eat a huge variety of meat that would horrify most westerners (yes I have been multiple times and the meat markets were something else) and people in the UK eat things that would horrify people elsewhere. I think it's good they're understanding that people see things differently, although you're right that it should be part of a wider discussion.

Does she also say the French eat horses without any explanation? I doubt it. Speak to the school.

Why is it racist to say Chinese people eat dogs? It’ no more racist than saying English people eat roast beef, or American people eat hamburgers. Nobody imagines those statements mean all the people BTW. If anything you’re being racist placing your own western value judgment on the eating of dogs, and even more so with that maybe poor starving people did in the past bollocks. You’re actually doing the incredibly offensive racist white person paternalistically getting offended on other peoples behalf thing. Honestly, precisely no Chinese people are going to be terribly grateful that you’ve assuaged some of your white guilt by wokescolding somebody on their behalf.

HermioneWeasley
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

Absolutely. In an attempt to appear embracing of all cultures and colours (which is racist in itself) the OP is exposing herself somewhat. She's also being very patronising. If the teacher had said 'the French eat horsemeat' - would she have been up in arms? I doubt it. And why is that I wonder?

@Raffington55

Read the thread... yes, I would!

I find the OP’s judgmental and superior attitude to other cultures troubling. Why try to sanitise other cultures according to Western standards of acceptability, by downplaying or denying what is acceptable practice in other countries.

Eating dogs was not only done in the past and by the poor in China: they are still eaten there and considered a delicacy. Snails and horses are widely eaten in France.

Much better that the TA educates the DC on the world as it is, than OP tries to “educate” her DC on the world according to her Western standards.

Have 5 minutes to read the thread.

I’m Scandinavian, we eat horse beef, a lot of it. If you say Scandinavian people eat horse meat, it’s a fact, even though some probably don’t. It’s the truth.

A local to me Chinese all you can eat buffet had a food inspection. There was dog's found in a chest freezer that they claimed were for personal consumption not the restaurant. I myself have eaten at the restaurant with family and friends. But when we heard about the dog meat they had stored it put a lot of people off going. Sadly the restaurant closed not long after.

@Spinxsta
You’re over thinking this…your 7yo is probably over it by now.

If not, they’ve learned a fact about another culture.

I highly doubt you do this when discussing anything from another culture with your son of everything would turn into a huge lecture.

Christ, no wonder teachers are leaving in droves.

But that's never been used in a derogatory and racist way towards Scandinavians living in the UK though

FFS
I’m French. People will say « French people eat snails ».

Does it mean every single person eats snails on a daily basis? Of course not.
Is it racism? Of course not.
Anybody in good faith understand that it means « in France, snails are not considered disgusting but are part of the traditional gastronomy and some people enjoy eating them ».

As PP have pointed out, the dog eating in China hasn’t stopped / wasn’t only when people were starving.
Why would people lie to themselves instead of accepting that different cultures have different « rules » around what can be eaten and what can’t? This is what makes the world interesting.

Factual statements can still be racist - it depends on the context, presentation, audience and, to some degree, the intent.

Telling a group of young children, who can be expected to have fairly rudimentary critical thinking skills, that "the Chinese eat dogs" is (IMHO) likely to have a racist impact. Only the person making that statement knows what their intent actually was and even then it may be subconsciously racist. The statement is also not entirely factually correct as it doesn't account for the fact that not all people in China consume dog meat and most people of Chinese heritage outside China don't.

Glad I cross posted with you @Spinxsta what about my example? Eating something considered disgusting is no less derogatory than eating an animal considered a pet, is it?

"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."

A more appropriate context would be to explain that in some countries people eat dogs, but they are not weirdos chopping up their cherished family pet, they are eating animal meat, in the same way we at home eat chicken. Some countries eat dogs, some eat horses, some eat cows, some eat snails, etc.

@Spinxsta I did read it, thanks!

When you are dealing with a sensitive subject you have to give context. You can't just make a statement like this and hope that your audience won't interpret it wrongly especially when we are talking about children.

Maybe the TA did give context or maybe they didn't. I don't think it would be wrong to ask the school if more context was given. Otherwise an "innocent" statement like "the Chinese eat dogs" in the minds of a seven year old becomes "eeks the Chinese eat dogs. They are disgusting" because of the role that dogs play in this culture.

I'm originally from India and many British hold certain views about India or Indians that they consider as primitive or barbaric as they don't know the reasoning behind them, eg eating with your hands or using toilet paper. I have had countless people tell me.after visiting India something like "wow beautiful country but gosh their toilets are really primitive. They are essentially just holes in the floor and They don't even use toilet paper". The reason why a lot of Indians prefer Indian style toilets is because squatting down is great exercise and because it aids bowel movements and using toilet paper rather than washing yourself with water is considered unhygienic. But people think that Indians just don't know better...

Exactly!

I thought it was fact. Not just China, but in other parts of Southeast Asia like Vietnam and the Philippines too. There is an annual festival (Yulin?) where dog meat is eaten. I donate to a charity called the Soi Dog Foundation that works against it.

So not racist, but fact.