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Hockey, Sports

Coaching changes for Montreal Canadiens must foster improvement

by Sarah Farnand on

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On Feb. 24, the Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Claude Julien and associate head coach Kirk Muller. The decision came directly after the Canadiens lost two games in a row to the last-place Ottawa Senators. Julien, who had been with the Canadiens since 2017, was immediately replaced by assistant coach Dominique Ducharme, who has been with the Canadiens for two seasons. The replacement of Claude Julien was a necessary move—his coaching decisions did not hone the skills of his players.

Hours after dismissing Julien and Muller, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin thanked the coaches for their service, but emphasized the need for change.

“I would like to sincerely thank Claude and Kirk for their contributions to our team over the past five years during which we worked together,” Bergevin said. “I have great respect for these two men whom I hold in high regard. In Dominique Ducharme, we see a very promising coach who will bring new life and new energy to our group. We feel that our team can achieve high standards, and the time had come for a change.”

On March 2, following Julien’s departure, goaltending coach Stephane Waite was dismissed after eight years with the Canadiens. Waite helped Carey Price develop into the star goaltender he is today—but Price’s recent lacklustre performances indicates that change is necessary and will hopefully reinvigorate the goaltender. 

Price, who took home gold in the 2007 Ice Hockey Junior World Championships, the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, is the backbone of the current Canadiens team. In July 2017, Price signed an eight-year, 84-million-dollar contract extension with the Canadiens, becoming the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL. With such a high salary, the Habs expect a lot from their goaltender. From Prices’ 45 goals against in 17 games, it was clear that Waite was not effectively coaching Price.

Ducharme, who was hired to create the spark necessary to win games, is off to a bad start—the Canadiens have lost six of their past ten games. Losing streaks are becoming a standard for the Habs: In 2019, they suffered two eight-game losing streaks, and lost seven games in a row after winning the first in 2017. Later, in their last 34 games of the 2017-2018 season, they only managed nine wins. 

While the Habs had promising performances at the beginning of this season, winning five of their first seven games, the team has entered yet another losing streak. Their current 13-8-7 record places the team fourth in the North division, putting them in playoff contention. However, the fifth place Calgary Flames are only four points behind, and have beaten the Canadiens in three of their past four meetings. It is possible that the transition is responsible for the continuous losses, and the Habs will begin winning more consistently once they settle into a new routine. 

This is a crucial season for the Habs to make it to the playoffs. Time is running out for stars like Carey Price and Shea Weber, who are nearing the end of their careers, and key players like Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar, who have contracts set to expire this year. As the Flames close in on fourth place, Ducharme must lead the Habs to wins immediately. With half of the shortened season underway, the Canadiens need to secure victories to gain the confidence necessary for the playoffs. Playing in a less competitive division with only seven teams, all of which they have previously beaten, gives the Canadiens a better chance of making the playoffs, and the team must not let this opportunity slip through their fingers.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Claire Ridgely discusses her latest EP, ‘Flowers For A Friend’

by Deana Korsunsky on

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Having a song stuck in one’s head can be an excruciatingly irritating experience. Yet, over the past month, I have found myself delighting in the fact that Claire Ridgely’s lyrics, “All I ever wanted was a kick of serotonin” have not left my mind. This wildly relatable sentiment—particularly in today’s dispirited times—comes from Ridgely’s catchy indie-pop tune “All I Ever Wanted,” the first song on her EP, Flowers For A Friend.

Claire Ridgely (BA ‘17) has been singing her whole life: Raised in Virginia, the Montreal-based singer participated in choirs and acapella groups for 10 years in Switzerland before moving back to Virginia, and finally joining McGill’s a cappella group Effusion. After putting out her first single in 2018, Ridgely continued to sing professionally, and ultimately released her EP on Jan. 21, 2021. 

Ridgely recalled that it was the vibrance and friendliness of Montreal’s music scene that guided her toward singing professionally. 

“It wasn’t until I really came to Montreal that I found a crew of musicians and I started to realize that there’s a whole lot of other people who have the same kind of dream as me,” Ridgely said. “Once you get on that wave, you start to know all of these people, and it’s a very supportive place to be.”

After riding the waves of Montreal’s music scene for three years, Ridgely released Flowers For A Friend, an indie-pop ode that navigates the tumultuous nature of relationships, romantic and otherwise. The melodically addictive first track “All I Ever Wanted” paints a picture of potently uncertain euphoria, as the upbeat blend of instrumentals seamlessly harmonizes with Ridgely’s relaxing, mellow vocals. Only the nonchalant plucking of guitar strings stands out, punctuating the simultaneously tense and easygoing tone of the song. 

Every song that follows on Flowers For A Friend gingerly explores the limits of trust and unreciprocated love; Ridgely urges her listeners to choose strength over bliss and accept harsh realities. Ridgely’s EP concludes with the breezy and steamy track “Island,” which adds a range of emotions into a five-track album, demonstrating both versatility and authenticity to her art.

Ridgely noted that each track encompasses elements of positive and negative emotions. Despite this, the final products still stand alone as songs to invoke happiness and an urge to move. 

“There’s [a] contrast between the stories behind the songs,” Ridgely said. “They have that bittersweet sort of tinge. But at the same time, the production makes it so that you can dance to something that is somewhat traumatic.”

Although Flowers For A Friend indubitably prompts listeners to sway to the beat and sunbathe in the chilled-out sensation of the music, more solemn undertones pervade most of the project. Tapping into her emotions to write the EP was a challenge for Ridgely due to the vulnerability she had to reveal in the lyrics, but the final result unwittingly turned into a sense of emotional closure. The music takes on a life of its own, and exists in the world independently from its creator. 

“The songs are deeply personal,” Ridgely said. “When the project came out it felt like a breath of fresh air, like a reset [….] Subjects that I didn’t really think would reveal themselves ended up being the focus of a song. Then it was out, and I do my best to just let it live.”

Ridgely describes her music as a living entity, a vehicle for listeners to apply their own stories into the subtle, ambiguous details within her lyrics. Her songs come from a place of genuine authenticity—“homegrown,” as Ridgely describes it—encouraging her listeners to reflect and to grow. Ultimately, Claire Ridgely’s music is about choice: The listener chooses between giving oneself over to the lyrics and meditating on one’s memories of both trauma and joy, or simply seeking solace in the captivating beat of the tunes. Either way, it most certainly will be a kick of serotonin.

You can listen to Flowers for a Friend here. Catch Claire’s upcoming television appearance on Belle Et Bum on March 27th.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

2021 Golden Globes were more controversial than glamorous

by Michelle Siegel on

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After Hollywood decided to push back the 2021 awards season to accommodate delayed releases due to COVID-19, it finally began last week with the broadcast of the 78th Golden Globe Awards. The Globes, long associated with bizarre nominations and even more bizarre winners, did their best to recreate the same glamorous vibes over two cities—New York City and Beverly Hills—while hosting their presenters and nominees through Zoom calls. 

In some ways, the attempt at a virtual awards show was successful: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler returned for their fourth year as hosts, and celebrities casually interacted with each other—albeit in what appeared to be Zoom breakout rooms. There were several unexpected winners throughout the night, such as Jodie Foster (The Mauritanian) for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

The virtual ceremony, however, was filled with technical inconsistencies and awkwardness. While the show’s opening monologue was lively and fun, the physical distance between Fey and Poehler, who hosted from New York City and Los Angeles respectively, hindered their electric comedic timing and chemistry. The first winner of the night, Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, was accidentally muted while he began his acceptance speech. As Laura Dern awkwardly offered congratulations while shifting to the next segment, Kaluuya’s audio cut back into the broadcast midway through her speech.

Equally awkward, the show often had nominees conversing in small groups just before cutting to commercial breaks. Most groups sat in confusion and stared at each other, with some actors trying to start conversation to varying degrees of success. While the Best Actress in a Television Show nominees charmed viewers when gushing over the pets of Sarah Paulson (Ratched) and Emma Corin (The Crown), most of the night’s bits ultimately felt like a sad and uncomfortable reminder of our next Zoom meetings. Additionally, some of the glamour of the show suffered with some of the attendees’ wardrobe, with Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso) accepting his award in a tie-dye hoodie. 

To add insult to injury, the clumsiness of the broadcast was overshadowed by the recent controversies surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization that produces the Golden Globes. A recent investigation from the Los Angeles Times revealed a lack of representation amongst the HFPA’s voting body, as none of their 87 members are Black, which led to many celebrities on social media demanding more transparency and diversity from the organization. The HFPA has also been accused for many years of accepting bribes as well as nominating and awarding individuals and films based on the amount of schmaltzing and wooing rather than the quality of the work. 

In light of the recent coverage of their indiscretions, the HFPA attempted to do some damage control during the show, with several senior members of the organization making statements about rectifying their failures in diversity and membership issues. Ultimately, cramming accountability and self-promotion into a two-hour window did not work. It came off as disingenuous for the HFPA to try to call themselves out on-air and for winners to call for change all whilst participating in and upholding that same organization. 

With many questioning if awards shows hold any value at all, it feels tedious to hold onto the HFPA’s mostly inconsequential voting body when there are other, more prestigious—though equally problematic—broadcasts to put stock into, such as the Academy Awards. Although the HFPA hoped that the 2021 show would demonstrate its value, it ended up furthering the narrative for its potential obsolescence. 

Features

Let’s go for a walk

by Jasmine Acharya on

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Before the pandemic, I relieved my stress by chugging beer from a regulation Sleeman cup. Now, I go for walks. Which one is healthier? I couldn’t tell you. 

 

Whether I am sad, happy, overwhelmed, or lonely, I go for a walk. These days, all I do with my free time is go for walks, exploring the city until my wanderlust is satisfied. Although I enjoy strolling the icy streets in solitude, sometimes I hope for company––I would love for you to join me today.

If you were not here, I would plug in my headphones and put on some music or a podcast to avoid being left alone with my thoughts. I especially enjoy listening to podcasts about mental health and music that reminds me of a night out with friends before the pandemic. Sometimes, I wonder if TikTok dances will dominate the post-pandemic club scene––I sure hope not. Well, I am glad you are here today so I am not dwelling on the haunting memories of Tuesdays at Café Campus.

We begin our journey by wandering through the unique and artistic Plateau neighbourhood. This community captures the best of Montreal: Beautiful snow-capped streets, incredible street art, and eccentric coffee shops. Between the beautiful architecture and the intricate murals, one feels transported to an art gallery.

Inevitably, one of us slips and falls—it is winter in Montreal, after all. We also try to avoid all the icicles about to fall and end our lives. The weather may be unforgiving, but our face masks, although hard to speak through, help keep us warm. As we continue walking, we find ourselves at Parc La Fontaine, which––surprise, surprise––is under construction. 

To avoid the construction, we walk towards the skating rinks. Although we did not bring skates, we stop for a moment to watch the skaters. We watch children trying to imitate their parents, friends crashing into each other, and couples sharing tender moments. We reminisce about when we could skate with our friends and family until our toes froze. We notice more and more people lacing up their skates and we decide to leave before we lose our minds over people gathering in big groups during a pandemic. We get hungry from all this walking, so at our next stop, we decide to get some food. 

Creative, Video

Tribune X Musicians Collective Present: Pomegranate Planet

by Sarah Ford on

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The Multimedia team virtually joined forces with the SSMU Musicians Collective to bring you a fun and energetic performance by Pomegranate Planet.

Pomegranate Planet is a jam band from Montreal, with Sacha L’Heveder on bass, Jackson Foellmer on guitar, and Marc Maalouf on drums. You can find their music on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube and more. They are working on a second EP which will be released soon.

 

 

Science & Technology

From the BrainSTEM: The ocean is scary but deserving of love

by Zoe Karkossa on

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Despite covering more than two thirds of Earth’s surface, the ocean remains notoriously unexplored. In fact, the American budget for ocean exploration is 150 times smaller than that for space exploration, which has successfully captured cultural and public imagination for decades. While the moon’s surface has been mapped to a resolution of seven metres and that of Mars to six metres, the best maps of the ocean only have a resolution of slightly over one kilometre. 

There are a host of reasons limiting ocean exploration. From the technological challenges of mapping the ocean floor through kilometres of water to a common fear of the dark abyss, the Earth’s waters rarely receive the same level of enthusiasm as deep space exploration. However, the ocean is far more significant to modern human life and its sheer size holds great potential for discovery. 

The health of the ocean is essential for human well-being. From an atmospheric standpoint, plankton in the ocean produces between 50 and 80 per cent of the oxygen on Earth. One species known as Prochlorococcus produces 20 per cent of Earth’s oxygen, more than all of the tropical rainforests on land combined. The ocean also absorbs 25 per cent of the carbon dioxide humans emit every year. 

Earth’s oceans have a large impact on weather and climate, playing major roles in the distribution of precipitation and moisture around the globe, and storing solar radiation. Additionally, it distributes heat throughout the planet, which is essential for temperature and weather regulation, even on dry land.

The flora and fauna of the ocean are also of great importance. Seafood has been a part of the human diet for millennia, and the increased demand has put a strain on fish populations. The ocean hosts an incredible array of biodiversity: 91 per cent of the 2.2 million marine eukaryotic species have yet to be identified. Marine eukaryotes make up a quarter of all species on the planet, and more than half of them may be on the verge of extinction by 2100.

A better understanding of the effects of climate change on the oceans can allow scientists to mitigate environmental damage. Additionally, gathering data on the oceans  is essential for developing sustainable management of marine natural resources, from sustainable shrimp and salmon farming to deepwater drilling.

Scientific progress in a variety of fields benefits directly from ocean exploration. Underwater sediments can reveal the history of tectonic activity, and researchers can predict tsunamis and their impacts by using computer models of the ocean floor. 

Natural products found in the ocean also have numerous applications in the medical industry. Substances found in plants and animals have been used for treating illnesses throughout human history and still have their place in modern healthcare. Marine substances also provide essential compounds used in modern medicine, such as chronic pain medication developed from cone snail venom and herpes treatment developed from sea sponges.

It is impossible to predict what strange organisms remain to be discovered in Earth’s oceans, considering the surprises of “immortal” jellyfish, and Jurassic era microbes that would need to be observed for a thousand years to ensure they are alive. Even the giant squid, which had long been mythologized as the beastly Kraken, was only caught on camera in the depths of the ocean in 2004. 

The ocean is likely filled to the brim with valuable discoveries. Learning more about the depths of Earth’s waters and the innumerable forms that life can take is a worthy pursuit. Human curiosity has driven the discovery of our planet’s hidden expanses for millennia and the ocean is worthy of our time, effort, and passion.

Features

Isolated nights

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In March 2020, many McGill students unwittingly set off on what would be their last night out for a very long time. Students currently sequestered at home often long for nights spent in dimly lit, sweaty spaces. Even for those who abandoned the Saint-Laurent club scene after their first year at McGill, the loss of Montreal’s 2SLGBTQIA+ and alternative nightlife spaces, along with the unique sense of community fostered within, has been deeply felt. 

 

As lockdowns swept across the globe, most will remember where they were when restrictions first affected them directly. Drag queen Uma Gahd was midway through a drag brunch. 

 

“During the brunch, the staff had to get up and lock the doors because […] the lockdown was put in place in the middle of our show,” Gahd said. “So we basically looked at the audience and we were like, ‘You’re allowed to leave if you want, but we can’t let anyone in. And this is the last thing you’re going to be doing for a while.’” 

 

The beating heart of Montreal’s nightlife was quickly quieted as fears mounted about the spread of the virus. Everything appealing about nights out—the anonymity of crowds, the promise of encounters with strangers—was antithetical to the measures now required to curb viral spread. 

 

Will Straw, a professor in McGill’s Department of Art History and Communication Studies, is researching the urban night and the structures that govern it. He recounted the near-instant impact of the pandemic on nighttime culture across the world.   

 

“Between […] March 7 and March 15, 2020, you had this massive shutdown of nightlife around much of the world,” Straw said. “So we can really say the culture of the night was one of the first non-human victims of the pandemic, because it was believed [that you had to] begin by controlling what people do at night.” 

 

Montreal has long been known for its nighttime thrills. During the prohibition era, the city’s proximity to east coast cities in the U.S. earned it a reputation as a party haven for parched Americans. This reputation persisted throughout the 20th century, as Montreal became internationally recognized for its jazz and nightclub scene even as organized crime and police corruption rendered the city’s nights uncontrolled and dangerous.

More recently, some feel that Montreal’s nights have become overly controlled through increased police presence and prohibitive licensing restrictions, stifling some of the freedom that previously defined it. Although attempts to monitor nightlife predated the pandemic, nighttime culture remains a significant—and somewhat unavoidable—casualty of the last year. This loss was well-documented across the internet, from Peter McCabe’s eerie Empty Montreal photo series to YouTube videos pronouncing the city’s nightlife dead and gone.

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

Study finds gender gap continues to persist in archaeology

by Laurie Chan on

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For centuries, women have fought to have their scientific contributions recognized, and the challenge to secure tenure-track positions in academia is no different. Despite women representing two-thirds of all Canadian doctorates in archaeology today, they only comprise one-third of the country’s tenured faculty. 

Lisa Overholtzer, an assistant professor of archaeology in McGill’s Department of Anthropology, and Catherine Jalbert, a member of the advisory board of the Canadian Archaeological Association, conducted a study that examined gender disparities in academia, probing four main areas: Doctorates earned, research awards received, tenure-stream faculty, and the placement of PhDs.

Using data from Statistics Canada, Overholtzer and Jalbert analyzed PhD recipients by gender over the past 15 years. They found that women received 58 per cent of archaeology doctorates during the 15-year period, and that two-thirds of all archaeology PhD recipients in the last five years were women. The current representation in faculties, however, does not reflect these statistics, with women composing only 33 per cent of archaeology faculty members across Canada.

Overholtzer and Jalbert found that some women leave academic positions due to its “chilly climate,” a term that refers to the subtle practices that stereotype, exclude, and devalue women in the workplace. These actions include gender stereotyping, dismissing women-led research accomplishments, perpetuating sexual harassment, and ignoring the disproportionate care responsibilities of women. 

According to the study, obstacles facing women in the field became more prominent when the representation of women reached a level considered threatening by men—somewhere between 20 and 35 per cent. Such obstacles pushed women out of the discipline, a trend the study termed the “leaky pipeline.” 

“The biggest leak in the ‘pipeline’ happens precisely at the moment we are close to breaking the glass ceiling—that is, entering as assistant professor,” Overholtzer said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “The point that we saw most women leaving was right after getting a PhD and before getting a tenure-track job.” 

The study shows that women’s lower success rates in grant competitions, tenure-track job searches, and tenure-track hiring in archaeology all contribute to poor retention of women in the proverbial pipeline of archaeology.

“Given that these women are doing so well on the market in the U.S., I do not think you can say that all women archaeologists are unqualified, poorly trained, or [are] leaving academia entirely,” Overholtzer said.

While this study focusses on gender disparities within archaeology, the findings closely mirror sexism in other fields. 

“As it turns out, archaeology in Canada fairly closely approximates the average for all the professoriate overall,” Overholtzer said. “Malinda Smith, [a Canadian political scientist], demonstrated how despite the increasing number of women as PhD recipients, the faculty representation remains stalled at one third. That is exactly the number we found for archaeology overall.”

These gender disparities are often more pronounced for women with other marginalized identities. 

A recent survey by the Canadian Archaeology Association (CAA) of Canadian archaeology faculty found that between 87 and 90 per cent of the 551 respondents self-identified as white. The Indigenous and Latin American scholars were represented in similar numbers to the Canadian population, at 5.3 and 1.1 per cent respectively. However, Black and Asian archaeologists were starkly underrepresented in the survey, at zero and 2.7 per cent.

Overholtzer hopes this research will prompt people to think critically about hiring practices to identify where biases must be addressed. She aims to use her position as an assistant professor to open doors for more women and people from underrepresented communities. 

“Part of the reason we talk about needing to diversify higher education [is because] faculty serve as role models,” Overholtzer said. “If you see yourself represented in the professoriate, then you see a place for you.”

Know Your Athlete, Sports

Know Your Athlete: Juliano Cobuzzi

by Reza Ali on

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McGill Redbirds Soccer centre-back Juliano Cobuzzi, U4 Engineering, spends most of his spare time on the soccer pitch and in the kitchen, two places central to his upbringing.

Cobuzzi’s soccer career began under the watchful eye of his father, his first coach. Some of his earliest memories centre around his time playing soccer. Cobuzzi realized his love for the sport from a young age, when he noticed that game cancellations affected his mood. 

“I distinctly remember games being cancelled because it would rain and getting super upset about it,” Cobuzzi said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. 

Cobuzzi developed his love of the game into a skill, competing in high-level club soccer throughout his youth and playing with the Montreal Impact Development Academy, an elite soccer program. After training with Impact, Cobuzzi even considered playing professionally.

“I was a part of the Impact Academy from 13 or 14 to 19 years old,” Cobuzzi said. “I went to a couple of national team camps and was a part of the provincial team. My original goal was to play professionally in some capacity, but that never really worked out. I had a lot of injuries, and obviously, it is difficult.”

After high school, Cobuzzi knew he wanted to go to university while continuing his soccer career as well. As a chemical engineering major and a computer science minor, Cobuzzi currently serves as a machine learning research assistant. In March 2020, he was granted the Eugenie Ulmer-Lamothe (EUL) Award, a scholarship awarded to fund summer research projects for undergraduate chemical engineering students.

Outside of academics, Cobuzzi cited the camaraderie amongst his teammates as the best part of his experience at McGill. Most of his friends are either current or former members of the program, and they have developed lasting bonds while on the team together. Cobuzzi enjoys spending time with his teammates, whether it be on pre-season trips or away games in Quebec City.

“That is another reason why I really love the game,” Cobuzzi said. “It is not a solo game, it is with a team, and I really excel at that. That is the main part I enjoy.”

Team bonding is critical to team success; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult, forcing the team to carry out all bonding activities virtually. Although many members of the men’s soccer team are not currently in Montreal, Cobuzzi believes that his team has improved in communication since the start of the winter semester.

“We have Facebook chats and the coach sets up Zoom meetings sometimes,” Cobuzzi said. “Once a week, we get together for a run, and […] we even went snowshoeing.”

Cobuzzi remembers being raised in two foundational places: The field and the kitchen. Cobuzzi, who was born into a 100 per cent Italian family, said his heritage and culture are big parts of his life. His favourite dishes to cook include chicken stir fry and the Italian classic: Baked rigatoni.

“A big part of my upbringing is being in the kitchen with the family cooking Sunday lunch,” Cobuzzi said. 

All four of Cobuzzi’s grandparents were born in Italy. With such a strong Italian heritage comes a rich culture passed down through the generations. For him, that culture is best expressed through cooking. 

“I feel like most stories and traditions are passed down at the dinner table,” Cobuzzi said. 

Cobuzzi is looking forward to being an independent adult once he graduates from McGill this spring.

“Hopefully, the things I learned at McGill can be used in the future and the rest of my life.”

Off the Board, Opinion

Anti-Asian racism was rampant before COVID-19-related hate

by Helen Wu on

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Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, incidents of anti-Asian racism across the country have surged. In Montreal, several statues at Quan Am temple were defaced, the main gates of Chinatown were vandalized, and a Korean man walking to a market was stabbed in the city’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. Between March and December 2020, the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) recorded 30 crimes targeting Asian-Montrealers, a five-fold increase from 2019. These statistics are disheartening, but they still do not reflect the underreported racial slurs and stereotypes that Asian-Canadians face every day in the workplace, at school, or simply while minding their own business in public. Often, anti-Asian racism is dismissed as harmless, which only normalizes discriminatory behaviour and undermines the severity of these issues.

Walking through the streets as an Asian person in Montreal or even on McGill campus, it is not unusual to hear a racial slur directed my way. A significant part of my racialized experience is not necessarily being a target of racism but constantly anticipating when it will come next. That is why I plug in my AirPods, hit shuffle on Spotify, and turn up the volume to avoid hearing any racist remarks hurled my way. When asked where I am from, no one is satisfied with my answer of “Vancouver”—where I was born and raised—and often go on to ask where my parents are from, only content when I reply with “Hong Kong.” Time after time when I rebuke these remarks, I am told by a non-Asian person that their behaviour is not racist and that their “Ni Hao” just meant that they wanted to say hello. These incidents are hostile and enraging; I remember every one, and I dwell on some for months.  

The recent spike in hate crimes towards Asians in North America has been attributed mainly to the rhetoric purposely used by the previous U.S. President, who referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus.” While the former President’s large platform amplified his remarks, they are still no different from the derogatory slurs that have long been casually tossed around by individuals. These remarks encourage hate, and their widespread use normalizes anti-Asian racism to a point where the damage to Asian people is overlooked. As a result, I often shove aside my experiences of racism, believing that they are less important because there are other BIPOC facing more severe forms of oppression.

Anti-Asian racism is not limited to harmful rhetoric—these beliefs also perpetuate discriminatory behaviour. Common stereotypes labelling Asian people as smart and hardworking have portrayed them as one-dimensional, reducing their chances of getting hired or promoted to managerial positions. A report presented by Ascend Pan-Asian Leaders found that, of minority groups, Asians were the least likely to be promoted to executive positions in Silicon Valley—even though they are the most likely to be hired by tech companies. The pandemic has only surfaced how harmful these attitudes can become, and yet anti-Asian racism is still swept under the rug until a videotaped assault grabs our attention.

As McGill students return to campus for the Fall 2021 semester, many Asian students will be doing so in fear of becoming the victims of COVID-19–related hate. As social distancing and quarantine have instilled a sense of loneliness in all of us, the additional xenophobia rampant towards Asian Canadians adds to feelings of ostracization. Asians are not the carriers of coronavirus, and rhetoric blaming us for the pandemic must stop. While vaccines can snuff out the pandemic, Canadians must dismantle the discrimination that faces Asian-Canadians and continue to examine under-platformed forms of racism.

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