TOO ASIAN? HOW ABOUT TOO RACIST?

I realize I'm a bit late, but I was very disappointed with Macleans after having read an article about Canadian universities being too Asian. In my mind, the reporting done was absolutely terrible as I found that the writer made race an issue, which is funny, coming out of a Canadian magazine.

 Click here for the article.

 As an Asian-Canadian, I was incredibly offended.

 From what I got from this article, I got a sense that the writer felt that Asians were being forced into school. Perhaps, even into certain programs.

First of all, I'm Asian. Second, I was never forced into a program that I had no interest in.
In fact, I'm studying Journalism, a fairly small program with not many Asians at all.

The article starts off with a girl named Alexandra, who chose to go to Western because schools such as UofT were "Too Asian."

 "“Too Asian” is not about racism, say students like Alexandra: many white students simply believe that competing with Asians—both Asian Canadians and international students—requires a sacrifice of time and freedom they’re not willing to make. They complain that they can’t compete for spots in the best schools and can’t party as much as they’d like (too bad for them, most will say)."

 Well if I ever meet this Alexandra girl, I would like to say my fair share of equally offensive things towards her. But of course, I won't.  Causing more racism would not solve anything!!

I find it ironic how she says the issue isn't about race, because the whole article being spoken about deals with race!

Living in a country as diverse as Canada, students of all races should not feel resentment from choosing the university of their choice. And also, why is it a bad thing that Asians choose to work hard and get to go to a good school/program?  Perhaps, students who weren't accepted aren't trying hard enough and want blame other people for their problems.

That's like saying:  "I'M JUST GOING TO BLAME THAT ASIAN OVER THERE FOR TAKING MY SPOT BECAUSE I DECIDED TO SLACK OFF."

And the answer to why all Asians choose to stick together in groups? One will never know....


That’s not to say Asian students form any sort of monolithic presence on Canadian campuses. “The mainland China group tends to stick together,” says Anthony Wong, 19, a Waterloo software engineering student. “We can talk to them,” says Jonathan Ing, also 19 and in Waterloo’s software engineering program, “but we don’t mingle.” Complains Waterloo student Simon Wang, a Chinese national who is frustrated by the segregation at Waterloo: “Why bother to come to Canada and pay five times as much to speak Chinese?”

Although, I can take a crack at that answer: 
Seeing the way people think of them, I'd stick to my people too!

You see, if there weren't more ethnic people going to school in Canada, people would not be complaining about universities being "too white."

And besides, race shouldn't be an issue, as it doesn't completely make a person who he/she is. 

It is also terrible to say that Asians are taking away spots from people in university. I think that people have to take into consideration the work-ethic of people in general, and not people of a certain race. Of course, many Asians are hard-working, but just like every other human being, there are slackers as well. (YES, THERE ARE ASIANS WHO DON'T GO TO SCHOOL AND HAVE A CRAP JOB TOO! JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!)

And from what I know from my other Asian friends, they tried REALLY hard to get into competitive programs.

So what's the big deal? It's a problem for them to work hard so they can set out a good future for themselves and their families?

OH YES. WHAT A TERRIBLE THING FOR SOCIETY. *GASP*  

It is clear that racism exists in Canada with the many stereotypes made of people of colour such as African-Americans, Latinos, Indians, etc. (forgive me if this sounds offensive).

However, Canadians also need to realize that East Asians are also victims of racism.
As Canadians, we need to fully reevaluate the way we see people in our society. People are going to keep coming into the country for a better future. Hardly anything can change that. So please, just accept it. 

Now having said that, I have decided that I need to refrain from being such an "overachieving Asian" and stop writing this blog post.

I think maybe I'll just go play some hockey and eat some poutine. I hope that's Canadian enough for you.

 People also get  the notion that Asians like to pose like this. I like to keep that stereotype alive.

P.S. I'd also like to think that Miley secretly want to be as awesome as us ASIANS. SORRY, NO CAN DO!!!

Me a Year Ago...

One year ago, I made a self-portrait for my film class. It's pretty self-explanatory, but it's really nice to see how things have changed since then.

I know I still look the same and act sort of the same, but I feel so much wiser and mature from that point in my life. 

Though this time around, I am no longer wearing uniform and I am attending school downtown! Not to mention, I'm actually ALWAYS at the mall! High school seems like such a long time ago. Yes, I do miss it, but I'm glad to be studying a program I really love! Mind you, I can do without the mandatory English course though...and perhaps the marks I have been getting...

It's nice to look back at things like these. I hope I can make an update soon! Stay tuned!!

What makes a SuperDog?

All it takes to make a SuperDog is motivation and a lot of cookies.

At least, that’s how Sue Trout’s Rottweiler Slinger learns.

Slinger, who’s three, twisted, hopped, and danced in front of a roaring crowd Tuesday afternoon.

Trout, along with her dog, is in Toronto for the 88th annual Royal Agricultural Winter Fair to perform at the SuperDogs competition.

An owner of two Rottweilers, Trout, 58, prefers to train almost every day.

“I’m kind of a train-a-holic. I just enjoy spending the time with my dogs and seeing what I can come up with and what I can teach them.”

Having performed with her dogs in the SuperDogs show for 22 years, Trout says the best way to train a dog is to be very motivational, instead of getting frustrated and angry with them.

Alluding to shows such as The Dog Whisperer which uses choke chains to train dogs, Trout thinks the methods used are not the correct ways to help a dog learn.

“To anybody, who will take a dog and hang it till his breath has gone out of him and then put it on the ground and say ‘Look, I have control’, that’s not training. That’s abuse,” she said.

Instead, Trout advises dog owners to go to a proper dog training school.

She thinks that people abuse dogs because they don’t realize that dogs have to be taught to behave and learn from their mistakes.

“People expect that dogs just drop out of the womb knowing how to heel. Well they don’t. You have to teach them. So take a cookie, shove it in their nose and walk them up the driveway for three weeks saying, "This is where I want you to heel.”

For Trout, she prefers to spend time with each of her two dogs to give them the attention they need.

“I don’t want my dogs suppressed. I want them keen to be able to make a mistake and go: ‘I’m not going to get a reward for that,’ rather than being punished.”

Nicky Snook, a personal dog trainer, also says that a dog’s behaviour can be traced from how the owner acts.

“I believe what energy used and portrayed are what the dogs are going to feel. So if you’re scared, the animal is going to feel it. So you just need to be very calm, and be relaxed about it. They do better that way. They feel that you’re confident as well. That’s what I find with every dog I’ve worked with that have fear problems or aggression problems. You can’t get anxious. It just doesn’t work for them. Praise, telling them “Good Dog”, petting them at the right time, feeding them at the right time, you can get them over those obstacles.”

Snook, 38, says a lot of people are in too much of a hurry to train their dogs. She suggests taking small steps to show the dog to not be afraid and to learn.

“It’s taking the time to work with the dog. Taking the time to build that dog’s confidence. I want to help the people who want to help the dogs, and enjoy the dogs."

 

Sue Trout and her Rottweiler Slinger.