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“I have a
dr“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by
the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King
It always irritates me when
individuals I have just met ask me excessive questions regarding my ethnicity.
There is something offensive about these seemingly minor occurrences—even the
mundane task of filling out my ethnicity in the census and on college
applications feels like a slap in the face.
Who cares? Why does it matter? Why
can’t everyone just judge me by who I am? Now don’t get me wrong, I am by no
means self-conscious of my own skin, nor am I a self-loathing Asian. I just
feel like in the present day, my race should not be a factor that defines who I
am, or others’ perceptionsof me.
Many Canadians have long taken pride
in the national policy of “multiculturalism.” It has been vigorously promoted
and championed by the Liberal Party of Canada—long hailed as the “natural governing
party of Canada”—and its leading national figures like Pierre Elliot Trudeau
and Jean Chretien. Maybe its original intent was benign, but multiculturalism
has not only outlived its usefulness, but does more harm than good for the
so-called “visible minorities” that it claims to protect.
In a society that is supposedly both
post-racial and colorblind, we still have archaic institutions like
multiculturalism and affirmative action. These policies emphasize race—and with
that, an us vs. them mentality that acts to reinforce racial stereotypes,
marginalize “visible minorities,” and further ghettoize society as a whole.
Through multiculturalism, we divide rather than unite a nation; we alienate
rather than embrace our fellow citizens. All this in the name of embracing
one’s “culture.”
I often find it perplexing that
culture plays such an instrumental role in our world. It’s a buzzword that’s
been thrown around far too liberally. Many high school teachers and college
professors encourage, or even urge, their students to share their “cultural
experience.” Newly-minted college graduates make it a point to study the
“corporate cultures” of individual companies. There are even case studies and
analysis for distinctive “cultures.” What’s in a culture anyway?
I always feel like my own values and
“personal culture” are rooted solely in my personal experience. With time,
individuals develop their own belief and value systems, and that is how they
learn to operate. One of the main perks of living in the West is the freedom of
self-expression and self-identification. With the emergence of social
networking sites and personal blogs—as well as the election of America’s first
African-American president—the emphasis on individuality, originality, and
creativity rings truer than ever.
That is why I find
multiculturalism’s very existence and widespread support to be so puzzling.
It’s almost as if the government is funding cultural programs to push us away
from activities we’re genuinely interested in, and to tell us where
we belong. After all, it’s your “culture,” right?
Never mind the fact that most of us
in this generation were born and raised in the West. Never mind the fact that
many of us adopted the culture of our environment and the zeitgeist of the ’90s
generation as our own. I think I speak for many when I say that I feel more at
home at a hockey game than a display of dragon and lion dances, that I identify
more with the cheering crowds at a sold-out 50 Cent concert than the patrons of
a dim sum restaurant, and that I relate more to the angst of Lindsay Lohan’s
character in “Mean Girls” than I ever could to the characters of a teenage love
triangle in a Korean drama.
Sure, I would love to learn more
about Taiwanese culture and I relish the opportunity to try more traditional
Taiwanese cuisine (other than bubble tea). But my interest is just that: an
interest, a hobby, a break from the norm. It would not be unlike enjoying pho,
celebrating Christmas, studying Aborigines culture, spending spring break in
Cabo, or going to the club on Brazilian night.
I am lucky to have
progressive-minded parents who made a point of letting me become my own man.
Martin Luther King said his famous words back in 1963. It’s 2011 now. I don’t
expect everyone I meet from look beyond my skin colour, but when is my own
government going to start judging me by “the content of my character?”
