Who Appointed You Gatekeeper of a Culture? A Boba Tea case with Simu Liu

[IceJad]

Boba tea company apologises over Canada Dragon's Den row

Marvel actor Simu Liu accused Canadian entrepreneurs of culturally appropriating the Taiwanese drink.

www.bbc.com

Simu Liu defends boba company owners amid cultural appropriation accusations

“Shang-Chi” star Simu Liu has come to the defense of two “Dragons’ Den” contestants after they became the target of online hate and threats. The entrepreneurs, Sebastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette, were accused online of cultural appropriation after pitching their alcoholic bubble tea business...

nextshark.com

Recently Simu Liu just made himself a custodian of Boba tea. How? In one episode of Dragon's Den a Canadian reality show, he admonished two White business owners for proposing to sell Boba tea of their own variant. Reason being he believe they do not understand the cultural aspect of the drink. This led to the two to issue apologies. When the business owners inevitably receive harassments due to his remarks on cultural appropriation, he comes to their defense like it wasn't his doing in the first place.

The Canadian-Chinese actor also pressed the business owners, Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette, about whether they had members of staff who understood the cultural significance of the "very Asian drink", which is made with tapioca balls.

My question is does Simu himself understand? What significance is there? Do all ethnic Chinese people on earth know? The answer is there is no significance. It's just a drink someone created and then propagated in the society which later became a cultural icon. How much do you need to understand? That statement was not meant to invoke understand but rather a display of authority over another. A disgusting display I may add, especially since Simu is not even born in Taiwan (he is born in China). Yet takes upon himself to gatekeep Taiwanese culture.

I as an ethnic Chinese person would personally like to condemn to the fullest extent the behavior of one Simu Liu. He doesn't speak on behalf of the ethnic Chinese. Nor do I for that matter. Do not feel guilty if anyone would like to produce a culturally Chinese cuisine and sell it. Don't let cultural bullies who don't speak on behalf of the collective bludgeon you into submission.

Go ahead, make the Boba tea of your dream and sell it. Make a profit and be better off in life. REGARDLESS OF YOUR SKIN COLOR!

 

[Nithavela]

I'm not sure how oversweetned milk tea filled with sugar water bubbles can be "cultural".

OTOH, alcoholic bubble tea sounds vile.

 

[Rajni]

I never understood the concerns surrounding so-called
'cultural appropriation'. No one owns a culture; they're
merely born into it. It's just being borrowed for a minute.
So yeah, I object to the occasional gatekeeping
connected to it.

(I apologize if I sound a bit like I'm gatekeeping against
the gatekeepers.)

If one took the concern for cultural appropriation to its
logical conclusion, no one would leave their country of
origin, because by moving to another country, one is
appropriating that new country and the culture that
comes with it. Can't learn a new language and start
speaking it, either, because then one is appropriating
another language that isn't their own.

In such instances, things could get way too restrictive,
and just downright boring.

ETA: I would even go so far as to say, as someone
who believes we are not technically from this world in
the first place, that all of us are appropriating all sorts of
culture six ways to Sunday from the very moment our
souls are embodied.



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[durangodawood]

I never understood the concerns surrounding so-called
'cultural appropriation'. No one owns a culture; they're
merely born into it....

Commercial pop culture products are fair game for people from other cultures, imo.

By contrast I dont think people should be marketing deeper aspects of foreign cultures unless theyve had intensive immersion. Im thinking of things like white people all of a sudden selling healing Indian sweat lodge experiences, and so on.

 

[Chesterton]

I hate cultural appropriation. It's always wrong. I recently learned that people of African heritage are playing basketball, baseball and football. Makes me sick.

I also like it when people say they "have an issue" with something. Could you be a bit more vague? Just come right out and say you're racist, Simu.