It is the unnecessary reference to race in a news item which is important

Dec 06, 2009 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I can’t help your reader V. Redman with his apparent xenophobia (psychological fear of foreigners), as it appears in his letter, “Mr. Faria’s attack on the newspapers is ill-informed and ill-founded” (Kaieteur News, 3 December, 2009).
What I can do is correct his appalling distorting of what I wrote in my letter in another section of the press (“The race of Chinese nationals should not be mentioned”, GC 26 November, 2009).
I don’t want to make a big issue out of this, but it will be recalled that I was expressing concern about the sensationalist and unprofessional reference in a SN article to the race of two persons allegedly involved in an altercation outside a restaurant on Regent Street in Georgetown, sometime in November.
I will list Mr/Ms. Redman’s so called points in quotation marks and then my corrections.
1.”Those owners of restaurants and other businesses have Chinese writing on them and the restaurants are actually called Chinese Restaurants, so therefore and want to be identified as Chinese.” That may be so, as it relates to business practices. It is an image thing. It is smart advertising: to let potential customers know that only this type of food is served there. It is the same with other “Ethnic Cuisine” outlets. Most pizza places have the Italian flag colours or a man dressed in a typical Italian costume on their advertising. This has nothing to do with my main point: the SN should not have referred in the news item to the race of those involved because it was unnecessary. This is an elementary journalistic professional practice. So too, should there be no reference to a person’s marital status, physical or other challenges, sexual orientation or religion or other personal traits. Afro-American and Hispanic organisations in the US had to intervene and help stop the US sensationalist media from constantly referring to the race or nationality of African or Hispanic suspects or perpetuators in crime stories.
Such unnecessary descriptions, the organisations argued correctly, reinforced in the minds of impressionable and ill-informed readers that the ethnic groups referred to were inordinately involved in crime. It gave a skewed impression. It is called stereotyping.
If , to make the distinction clearer, the persons of Chinese descent had been arrested for an Immigration offence, then it would have been acceptable to refer to their nationality in the said newspaper report.
2.”The Chinese Government, (Ms/ Mr. Redman presumably refers to the People’s Republic of China—the PRC) describes Chinese nationals in two categories Home Chinese and Overseas Chinese”. This has nothing to do with my argument – which is about a lapse in journalistic professional practices in the deplorable drive by some newspapers in Guyana to sensationalise news, especially regards to crime, to sell the most copies and notwithstanding the outstanding traditions of good and responsible journalism and newsmen and women in Guyana. Mr/Ms. Redman appears not to have grasped the context in which I urged the non-reference to race.
Most countries pay some attention to what is commonly referred to as the “Diaspora”. Guyana does.
After all, those who have left our shores can assist in the sending country’s ongoing development including through remittances. But governments also recognise that their nationals may fully integrate into their new found homelands.
The Chinese government can speak for itself, but it stands to reason it would respect the wishes of those persons overseas. Many generations of Chinese have sunk roots in their adopted homelands. The US is a good example. President Obama appointed several to top Government positions.
3. “Chinese people have always believed in race superiority and describe non-Chinese as barbarians.” The statement is highly offensive to all decent minded and democratic readers including long established Chinese-Guyanese and recent immigrants of Chinese descent.
It has no basis in fact. I am surprised Kaieteur News editors permitted it to be published. The Chinese government and people (at least in the PRC) has done sterling internationalist solidarity work in many countries of the developing world. These are peopled mainly by those of colour (African, Asian and Hispanic). Chinese immigrants in this Hemisphere including Guyana and Jamaica have contributed immensely to its progress and development.
History is replete with ethnic minorities such as Chinese, and Guyanese I may add, in industrialised and even developing countries like those in the Caribbean not being accepted as equal citizens, but being considered “outsiders” by the dominant population. These minorities may be used as scapegoats by opportunist politicians and opinion makers during economic downturns.
Commendably, the Guyana Government since 1992 in its programmes and announcements has promoted the integration and well being of all the races and religions in Guyana. We note however, right wing and neo-fascist outfits in UK and Europe are trying to use ethnic minorities in their nefarious ambitions. The unnecessary reference in the mass media to race (and nationality – some may be even as “white” as the longer established dominant population) there assists this evil. In Guyana, it harms the good work the government has done to include all races and religions in ongoing national development.
For what it’s worth, “little things” like the repeated unnecessary reference to race in the mass media needs monitoring. A media watch to prevent irresponsible news reports encouraging divisions and social and racial tensions among our people is necessary.
Norman Faria

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