Thursday 28 June 2012

Chinese Irish Player Racially Abused By Opponents In Football Game


Sarsfields player Lee Chin.

The GAA have banned two players for racially abusing a Wexford county footballer – born and bred in the county.
Star player Lee Chin was the victim of the racial abuse when playing for Sarsfields against Duffry Rovers.

A noted dual star, Lee Chin has played hurling and football for Wexford at every level.
Wexford county chairman Diarmuid Devereux condemned the incident.
He stated: “Lee Chin is a Wexford man, born in Wexford, living in Wexford, educated in Wexford and working in Wexford. He is one of our stars of the future. Hopefully, many more will follow his example."
The two opponents were named in referee Brendan Martin’s report for racially abusing Chin. The ref specially outlined the racist remarks made by one player on the field from Duffry Rovers and by a substitute on the sideline.
The Wexford County Board have since banned both players for two months and re-iterated that they will not tolerate racism in their sport.
Duffry Rovers co-operated with the investigation and were not fined.
The decision to ban both players has been welcomed by the Gaelic Players Association which represents inter-county players in gaelic football and hurling.
A GPA spokesman told the Irish Independent: “Racism is a problem that, if allowed to go unchecked, is a huge threat, and the GAA have made huge strides to promote integration.“

Thursday 14 June 2012

How Far Will British Chinese Go To Gain Mainstream Acceptance?


British Chinese Aristocracy

In another article earlier this year, that criticised the meaning of a high achieving British Chinese,  this blog received  flack for criticising those high achievers, as if the definition of a high achieving British Born Chinese is someone who can gain as much mainstream acceptance as possible in their career.

However where does 'mainstream acceptance' end and begin for British Chinese community?

In the above photo, Mr Woon Wing Yip, was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the East Asian food industry.

As quoted here from Dimsum in an interview with Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary and head of the Home Civil Service at the time

 "The honours system is an important way of recognising the outstanding contributions made by dedicated people from across the country, who have gone the extra mile to make a real difference to lives of people around them."

To be fair to Sir Wing Yip, in an interview here , as he humbly says he wasnt really aware of why he was given the O.B.E... but would it have been too much to reject it? Or was it accepted for the purpose of 'business relations'? 


Either way, being that Sir Wing Yip is probably our most famous and successful British Chinese, has this accolade set the standard for other British Chinese to follow suit?



British Chinese Theatre

In The Guardian earlier this year, whilst many BBC's at the time were in agreement with British Born Chinese theatrical actress   Elizabeth Chan's complaints about Anti-Chinese racism in the UK, what most readers seemed to have missed, was the context of the argument-  blaming racism for the lack of roles for ethnic Chinese in U.K. theatre.

This indeed maybe an issue for British Chinese actors, but on a wider level, is theatre really a suitable offering for British Chinese who don't even really have a culture of our own, in the first place?



Lucy Sheen Hungry Ghosts




Benedict Wong Hungry Ghosts





http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/london/E8831289908519/Hungry+Ghosts.html



Lourdes Faberes Andres Williams Hungry Ghosts Liv Tyler

In this radio interview  with the  Director, Tim Luscombe, whose play which tackles 'Formula One racing and Chinese political oppression' is about a British racing driver who wants to take part in last race in Shanghai. He meets a Chinese journalist who introduces him to his sister, and whose other sister is waiting for execution for treason- who stole some papers from a Chinese government official and gets shot in the back of the head.

From Mr Luscombe's CV we can see a quote from a Guardian review
'he is one of few British Dramatists to confront the fact that China for all its embrace of a market economy, remains an oppressive militaristic dictatorship'

The play is set in China just at the end of the Cultural Revolution.

Here this British playwrite director, whose main interest it seems is to inform his white middle-class audience about the need for China to improve it's human rights, clearly has had his play authorised thanks to an arguably sinophobic UK media.

However, that being understandable for white mainstream audiences, why would any British Chinese want to take part in this? Is this another example of ethnic UK Chinese having no culture of our own therefore participating in small plays like this that arguably mock China is okay as long as out of work British Chinese actors get 'acceptance'?

British Chinese Actor Hopefuls

In the trendy makeover that British Elitist culture is undergoing, it is now reaching out to ethnic minorities, and, British Chinese are now invited.

Yes 'Unheard Voices - whats your story' is the most recent chance for  British Born Chinese playwrites get to sharing their experiences with British Theatre





Innocent lambs ready to be slaughtered on the theatrical stage of British Elitism

We already know of China's efforts to be on 'equal footing with British elitists', we are also aware of being excluded from mainstream musicals such as JUMP , and yet when it comes to TAKEAWAY the musical, the British Chinese community doesnt put up much of a fight when it comes to how we are seen in British arts, indeed we will jump any opportunity to be accepted, caring little of the final result, as long as individuals, we feel that our ethnic Chinese face has been accepted by mainstream UK media.

 If British Chinese so desperately want mainstream acceptance in Britain, shouldn't we at least demand more options other than being validated by white elitist culture in order to be accepted as members of British society?

Sunday 10 June 2012

Restaurant owners given one month to pay £1million

Ipswich: Restaurant owners given one month to pay £1million court order



Phing Woon Pun and his wife Kim Tai Wong, who ran the Temptation Chinese Buffet in Carr Street and the Lucky Star Takeaway in Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich, were ordered to pay a total confiscation order of £1m by a judge last year after they were found guilty of conspiring to breach UK immigration laws and converting criminal property.

Pun, 50, of Penn Close, Capel St Mary, was jailed for six years and was made the subject of a £683,370 confiscation order and his wife was jailed for 30 months and ordered to pay a £322,000 order.

Judge Peter Thompson adjourned the case until June 21 after hearing the couple were in the process of selling their Carr Street premises and arrangements had been made to sell property in Malaysia.

Judge Thompson told Pun that by the next hearing he expected him to have produced £25,000 worth of Rolex watches that had been seen by police officers during a search of the couple’s home, but had not been accounted for since.

The pair were arrested after immigration officers carried out raids at their two restaurants and discovered 20 Chinese and Malaysian illegal immigrants working at the premises.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

In China, English Teaching Is A Whites-only Club


Teaching English abroad is a popular option for BBC's who have become jaded with their UK-based lifestyle,  and for many BBC's with their native homeland in Hong Kong,  in the current economic climate, the switch to teaching English in the Far East is an obvious choice, especially when many have relatives or family members they are able to stay with, before finding more permanent accommodation.

In the following example that compares the application of an East Asian ( in this case, a Korean American ) to a White American, an article that investigates white privilege in English Teaching schools in China only now has been brought to the attention of mainstream press, specifically an American publication, MSN News, but maybe subtly looks at it from a slightly sinophobic angle in that 'Chinese are even racist against their own' without once mentioning 'white privilege'
"The discrimination comes, Evans said, because Chinese parents simply do not believe a non-white person can possibly be a native speaker. Thus, this logic continues, hiring a white person is the simplest and easiest way to ensure that the teacher is truly fluent.
“I was told that it was nice for parents to see foreign or white-looking teachers around the school,” Evans said, adding that he was encouraged to walk outside and greet parents. Advertisements for English teaching positions are up-front in their bias. A search for “English teacher” in The Beijinger’s classifieds section reveals dozens of ads that include language such as “Job requires American or Canadian white teacher” or “white color is preferred.”
As a BBC, who has some experience of being an English teacher, but not in the Far East, I have experienced discrimination, from foreign students, who often expect a White teacher to teach them English.

Funnily during my time I was teaching, there was another BBC who was teaching there, who had developed a kind of invulnerable happy go lucky attitude, so at the time it did make me think that it was probably my own attitude problem than anything else, which made me think that I was probably not cut out to be an English Teacher.

But whilst Teaching in the Far East, is a definite a career option,  does the fault of choosing white English teachers over British Born Chinese teachers lie with the English schools in China, arguably run by white people or white worshipping FOBS. Or with inherited traits of the English language itself and it's Colonial associations with white privilege?

Full Article: http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/15/11720584-in-china-english-teaching-is-a-whites-only-club