Am I offended by this Globe story on an Asian female scientist not being acceptable on the new $100 bill? Oh, yes. I’m not thrilled that civilized, educated people in this country still believe that you should be able to tell a person’s nationality by the colour of their skin and the shape of their eyes.
The details the story brings isn’t encouraging:
The Strategic Counsel conducted the October 2009 focus groups in Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Fredericton, at a cost of $53,000.
The Toronto groups were positive about the image of an Asian woman because “it is seen to represent diversity or multiculturalism.”
In Quebec, however, “the inclusion of an Asian without representing any other ethnicities was seen to be contentious.”
One person in Fredericton commented: “The person on it appears to be of Asian descent which doesn’t rep(resent) Canada. It is fairly ugly.”
Now, there are those who might argue that the design of legal tender is no place for the expression of a political idea. Sad to say, any imagery on government currency has to be seen as an expression of a nation’s shared values, and selecting those images is the realm of politics.
I think what bothers me about this is the idea that I, a citizen of Canada born in B.C., am still being judged as “not representative of national values” purely by virtue of physical appearance. Surely that attitude should have disappeared from our national psyche by now, right?
And then I look at Pauline Marois, and realize that society still has a long way to go.
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Personally, I’ve rarely looked at the picture, just as I rarely look at the writing , it all spends the same… only a complete goof would be upset over the perceived ethnicity of the figure on the bill.
I am also opposed to multiculturalism, since it another aspect of what I call identity politics. The insistence on hyphenated Canadians and the rejection of the individual outside of being a member of a group does not build a sense of national unity. The colour of one’s skin or one’s sex should be neither a positive nor a negative. Each individual should be judged on his or her own merit.
I have no problem with the ethnicity of the person on the bill. But I would like to maintain traditions of former leaders being on the bill. If this Asian female scientist had a record of achievement as a Prime Minister I would be all for it.
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I agree Victor totally Mind Blogging………….
I don’t see anything wrong with having an Asian woman on the bill. I may be biased, as I married a Chinese lady, and she is a wonderful person.
Well said Alain!
Now you got major employers who are offering career employment asking if you’re a visible minority on the job application: eg CN and CP Rail, Calgary Transit recruiting along with all other areas of civic employment within the City of Calgary and many private corporations stating openly that they seek to hire visible minorities.
If they would have said the scientist was a cross dresser instead of a female it would have been accepted.
Myself, I sent in the suggestion that instead of a asian scientist in a lab coat they should have a hermaphroditic, legally blind Australian aboriginal quadriplegic with Down’s Syndrome wearing a village People T-shirt.