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An award-winning sketch on the ABC television channel for school-age children has sparked widespread controversy in the Chinese community of Australia.
More than 1. 200 people have signed a petition calling for a boycott of the Horrible Histories program. This concerns an excerpt from an episode of the children’s comedy series from 2015, which was broadcast last Friday evening on ABC Me.
On the show, which was produced by the BBC, a British actress of Asian origin appeared in traditional Chinese dress and ate rats, cockroaches and jellyfish, among other things.
It was part of a section explaining the food culture from the Chinese Tang Dynasty, which began over 1. 000 years ago.
Many Chinese Australians believe that the sketch was not intended to be offensive to the community.
However, they are concerned that doing so could lead to further misrepresentations of their culture, beliefs, and practices, and could result in their children being questioned or bullied in their schools.
Some members of the Sino-Australian community have asked the ABC to publicly apologize for the content in order to achieve a full boycott of television programming.
« I hope ABC can turn off the television series Horrible Histories, especially Series 6, » said Say Leng Kapsis, president of Fair Go SA, a nonprofit that has provided anti-racism services to Chinese Australians since the coronavirus pandemic.
« We also hope that ABC can give further consideration in the future . . . whether it is culturally appropriate to show this type of content to our small children’s audience. «
Ms. Kapsis said Chinese Australians saw a shift in their awareness of racism this year after conspiracies linked the origin of COVID-19 to images of Chinese eating insects, snakes and bats.
The mother of a two-year-old girl told ABC that some Chinese Australians were disappointed that the episode was repeated because the pandemic « changed the definition of cultural sensitivity. ». .
« We have the Me Too movement and the Black Lives Matter. These are the examples that show how the political landscape and humanism have changed massively over the years, « she said.
ABC and BBC were asked to comment. The BBC said any answer would best come from the ABC.
In a mock version of « I’m a Celebrity » from the 8th. century . . . Get me out of here, where participants often eat things that are not considered common sources of food, two hosts introduce the audience to « bushtucker trials ». .
After declaring that Empress Wu murdered many people in order to take power, the two hosts ask if the Empress can « finish » eating some of the common foods of the time.
A plate of cockroaches is laid out, followed by boiled camel’s hoof, bamboo rat, jellyfish and steamed bear.
« You know that in Tang China these are things we normally eat, » the actor tells the hosts.
The British program is popular worldwide and has up to 7 million views on China’s online streaming site Bilibili.
And while some members of the community would like it to be removed immediately, others have no problem with the content.
Those affected started an online petition calling on the signatories to boycott the show and asking ABC to apologize and stop broadcasting the Horrible Histories series.
Some Sino-Australian parents told ABC they were concerned about the segment’s impact on their children.
Jing Li, from Adelaide, said he was surprised to see the video Saturday morning after a parent shared the clip on the Chinese social media platform WeChat.
« After watching the video, I immediately asked my children, ‘Did you have any questions about Chinese people who eat strange things at school?' » said Mr. Li.
« Because children can easily be misled. You couldn’t easily tell the difference from someone who was fun or [if] someone was really serious. «
I’ve often joked that soy sauce ran through my veins. When my kidney doctors told me not to eat anymore, I was devastated, writes Carla Gee.
Mr. Li said that many countries have strange cuisines and that the « misleading » episode doesn’t really reflect Chinese culture.
« I think [the vast majority] of Chinese people don’t eat such things. And I think our reaction would be very similar . . . it’s actually pretty gross to even think about eating these things, « he said.
« You may think it’s just fun . . . But the damage done to ethnic minorities – they probably weren’t aware of the consequences, « he said.
Karen Lin, mother of a five-year-old daughter, said the content was « inappropriate » for children, despite ABC Me recommending parental guidance.
« It’s very easy to make children believe [this is a common practice] because many parents may just leave their children alone to see the program, » she said.
« If their parents haven’t given them guidance, they can believe it and subconsciously say something to [other] Chinese or Asian children. «
While worried about the content that was being broadcast on the national broadcaster’s television station, Ms. Lin said she did not sign the online petition because the content was not produced by ABC.
« Chinese Australians shouldn’t be so narrow-minded. We should just ask ABC to take the sketch off, « she said.
« The comedy series was known for making fun of the history of every country – a lot of people in Australia didn’t think that was a problem.
« Forcing the ABC to apologize could single out Chinese Australians and create a public sentiment that believes the Chinese are too demanding. «
On Sunday, Chinese state tabloid Global Times criticized ABC for broadcasting the skit, saying it had « maliciously stigmatized the Chinese ». .
« ABC, a government-run Australian media, aired a program on its children’s channel that slandered the Chinese people and said the Chinese would eat anything disgusting, » the article said.
« As for the broadcaster ABC and the producer BBC, their reactions to the dissatisfaction of the Chinese will be a test of whether they are really against racism or just playing double standards and politics. «
Emily Sun, a Sino-Australian mother, said while she was not concerned about racial discrimination in Australia, she was very concerned that China’s « excessive » media coverage of the incident could be used to attack Australia.
The ABC asked readers to share their personal experiences with racism during the coronavirus pandemic. The response was overwhelming.
Ms. Sun told ABC she was overwhelmed by messages from her friends and family in China asking if she was being racially attacked during the pandemic.
A series of racist incidents earlier this year prompted Beijing to warn Chinese students and tourists not to come to Australia.
Ms. Sun said Beijing’s nationalist message to the Chinese diaspora was « a weapon » in her diplomatic tactics that she only realized when she saw the differences between what the Chinese media reported and the reality after she moved to Australia.
Ms. Kapsis, an Australian from Singapore, spoke emotionally when asked about the Global Times article.
She said this was the dilemma between pronouncing it and using it by a foreign government for political purposes.
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AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time, 10 hours before GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Horrible Stories, China, Racism
World News – AU – Horrible Stories Ancient Chinese cuisine is causing controversy in the Chinese community
Ref: https://www.abc.net.au
