{"id":6432,"date":"2010-04-11T12:48:50","date_gmt":"2010-04-11T03:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=6432"},"modified":"2010-04-11T12:51:20","modified_gmt":"2010-04-11T03:51:20","slug":"sunday-tangent-sumo-suits-controversy-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=6432","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Tangent: Sumo Suits Controversy in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. \u00a0As a Sunday Tangent, here’s something I heard a couple of weeks ago about the banning of “Sumo Suits” at Queens University in Canada. \u00a0I thought, well, Canada I guess has a lower tolerance for potential “cultural misunderstandings”. \u00a0While I don’t think “Sumo Suits” are on par with “round glasses and buck teeth” types of Asian stereotyping one has seen in the past in points east (and thankfully mostly put a stop to), it’s an example of how liberal college debates against all types of stereotyping (in this case, anti-“weightism” and “cultural insensitivity”, I would have guessed, but the arguments included “deeply imbedded histories of violent and subversive oppression that a group has faced”) have led to a rather odd, arguably overcompensating decision and a very verbose, OTT self-flagellating statement.<\/p>\n

If only this attitude applied to all the Japanese TV shows with their “blond wigs and big noses” tacked on to give anything a “gaijin” feel<\/a> (and that’s before stretching it to cover wartime histories of violent and subversive oppression…).\u00a0\u00a0But expecting that much cultural-sensitivity comity is probably muri<\/em> for the next generation or two. \u00a0I have a feeling Trey Parker and Matt Stone are planning a South Park episode on this… \u00a0Courtesy of DS, who comments below. \u00a0Arudou Debito in Sapporo<\/p>\n

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Hi Debito. \u00a0Greetings from rainy Nagoya. \u00a0Just ran across this article in my local newspaper from Canada. It concerns the use of so-called “sumo suits”, those big inflatable costumes that you see people wear and then lumber into each other. A university group was using them as part of a fund raiser for a food bank. However, the university Alma Mater Society decided they were offensive and racist, ” a symbol of oppression”, and cancelled the event. They also wrote a long, heartfelt apology letter to those who may have been hurt and\/or offended by the horrible event.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here is the main article:<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.nationalpost.com\/news\/story.html?id=2740807<\/a><\/p>\n

and the apology:<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/network.nationalpost.com\/NP\/blogs\/posted\/archive\/2010\/03\/29\/sumo-suit-apology-letter-the-full-text.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n

I first thought this was an April Fool’s joke, until I saw the article was dated March 29th… DS<\/em><\/p>\n

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Sumo suits instruments of ‘oppression’: Queen’s [University, Kingston, Ontario] student government
\nJoseph Brean, National Post (Canada), Courtesy of DS
\nPublished: Monday, March 29, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n Queen’s Alma Mater Society on Monday published a two-page apology letter, and cancelled a food-bank fundraiser scheduled for Tuesday, which was to feature two sumo suits such as the ones shown in this …<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sumo suits, the plastic novelties that can transform a skinny sports fan into a comically unstable sphere for the delight of a stadium audience, are racist and dehumanizing instruments of oppression, according to the student government of Queen’s University.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

They “appropriate an aspect of Japanese culture,” turn a racial identity into a “costume,” and “devalue an ancient and respected Japanese sport, which is rich in history and cultural tradition.” They also “fail to capture the deeply embedded histories of violent and subversive oppression that a group has faced.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Alma Mater Society on Monday published a two-page apology letter, and cancelled a foodbank fundraiser scheduled for Tuesday, which was to feature two sumo suits. The letter scolds the student government’s own executive for “marginalizing members of the Queen’s community” and failing to “critically consider the racist meaning behind [the fundraiser.]”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It also vows to discourage other campus groups from using the suits, owned by the school’s athletic department.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“We recognize racism as the systemic oppression, both intentional and unintentional, of individuals and groups based on racial or ethnic identities,” the letter reads.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Given the quick apology, which came in response to complaints registered on a Facebook page promoting the event, the racism of the Queen’s “SUMO Showdown” seems to have been unintentional, and not an effort to belittle Japanese people.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Brandon Sloan, communications officer for the Alma Mater Society, suggested “white privilege” had blinded the student government, which is largely but not entirely white, to the seriousness of the issue.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Likewise, the owners of the two suits have never imagined they could be considered offensive.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“It’s the first time we’ve heard of [the racist aspects],” Mike Grobe, a spokesman for Queen’s Athletics, which uses the suits at football and basketball games for half-time shows, when people run obstacle courses in them. “They’re just big puffy suits. They’re pink… No one’s complained.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

They come with a helmet shaped like a head with a bun of hair, like a sumo wrestler, but nothing overtly stereotypical. They are new this academic year, and are often loaned out to student groups. They were even loaned out to the Ontario Hockey League for its all-star hockey game.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the past, professional sumo wrestling in Japan itself has been accused of racism for excluding foreign-born wrestlers, although non-Japanese wrestlers have had notable successes, even rising to highest rank of Yokozuna.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For its part, Queen’s has a proud tradition of inclusivity. It was the first school in Canada to graduate a black man, Robert Sutherland, who became a prominent lawyer. Its student pub, Alfie’s, is named for the son of a runaway slave who became a football mascot. And it continues to receive generous donations of art and real estate from chemist-turned-philanthropist Alfred Bader, a refugee from the Nazis who was turned away from McGill because its Jewish quota was filled.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But Queen’s today has an awkward relationship with political correctness, exacerbated by its reputation for drawing its student body from the privileged neighbourhoods of Toronto and Ottawa.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In a report last week on racism in Ontario universities by the Canadian Federation of Students, one Queen’s student reported that “white privilege” permeates the “walls, books, classrooms and everything that makes Queen’s what it is.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

That aspect of the controversy is mentioned in the apology letter, which says “some of us [AMS leaders] … do not have the lived experience of someone who is oppressed due to their race. We recognize our privilege in this circumstance.” It then vows “a series of discussions” about oppression.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“We would never want to host an event that would offend some members,” Mr. Sloan said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year, in a story that made national headlines, the Queen’s administration appointed six “dialogue facilitators” to promote discussion of social justice, partly by intervening in conversations when they overhear offensive speech. The resulting scandal led to the appointment of an expert panel, including a former head of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which cancelled the program as “incompatible with the atmosphere required for free speech.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The student government was to meet last night to discuss another fun activity as a replacement for the sumo suits, Mr. Sloan said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Also on Monday, the nomination period closed for the government’s Anti-Oppression Award, given for exceptional achievement in counteracting oppression both in and out of the classroom.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

National Post<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

jbrean@nationalpost.com<\/p>\n

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Sumo suit apology letter: the full text
\nPosted: March 29, 2010, 7:17 PM by Gillian Grace, Courtesy National Post.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Queen’s University student government has declared the sumo suit an instrument of ‘oppression’, and cancelled a food-bank fundraiser that was to feature two sumo suits.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The full text of the Alma Mater Society’s apology letter, published on Monday:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear AMS members and members of the Queen\u2019s community,<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We are writing in regards to an event that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday March 30th, organized and run by a group in the AMS. This event was planned to have students don padded suits, coloured and designed to resemble Japanese sumo wrestlers. The Facebook event created to advertise this event, entitled \u201cSUMO Showdown,\u201d included a picture of two cartoon Japanese wrestlers grappling.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We recognize racism as the systemic oppression, both intentional and unintentional, of individuals and groups based on racial or ethnic identities.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Regrettably, those of us who were aware of the event did not critically consider the racist meaning behind it. Asking students to wear these suits and partake in the activity appropriates an aspect of Japanese culture. This is wrong because it turns a racial identity into a costume; the process of putting-on and taking-off a racial identity is problematic because it dehumanizes those who share that identity and fails to capture the deeply imbedded histories of violent and subversive oppression that a group has faced. The event also devalues an ancient and respected Japanese sport, which is rich in history and cultural tradition.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The decision to hold this event, and the failure of many students who hold senior positions in the AMS to recognize the inherent issues of racism tied-in to the event, marginalized members of the Queen\u2019s community. As an organization and as individuals who allowed this to go on unchallenged, we are deeply sorry for having caused feelings of hurt and not being safe on-campus by planning this event. We are implicated in systems of oppression by not challenging things such as this, and perpetuating racist stereotypes.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Events such as this take place at other institutions and within Queen\u2019s as well; it is imperative that we learn from this experience to ensure that we constantly work towards challenging various forms of oppression. We will also be following-up with other groups at Queen\u2019s who utilize these suits so that we can encourage them to also engage critically with issues of racism and oppression.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

While it is important to recognize that by planning this event we marginalized students on-campus, it is also critical to recognize that some of us in the organization who played a role in planning and perpetuating the event do not have the lived experience of someone who is oppressed due to their race. We recognize our privilege in this circumstance, and will work hard to better engage with it and issues of racism and oppression in the future. An integral part of this process is to ensure that those who were implicated in the event in any way come out of this experience with a desire to learn more about how to combat racism and other forms of oppression on a regular basis. It is necessary to facilitate a discussion about how oppression permeates our experiences, and what our role is in challenging forms of oppression that all too often go unchallenged. We will be engaging in a series of discussions \u2013 both formal and informal \u2013 with all involved parties to ensure that they understand the ways in which this event is both harmful and discriminatory.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Although we are taking active steps as an organization and as individuals to ensure that we are better able to name and challenge racism and oppression, it is clear that this does not in any way negate the damage done in the creation and advertising of this event. We have already alienated individuals from the AMS as a result of this event, but we plan on working towards facilitating the development of a campus climate in which this wrongdoing and others like it are not repeated.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sincerely,
\nThe Alma Mater Society<\/strong>
\nENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Queen’s University student government has declared the sumo suit an instrument of ‘oppression’, and cancelled a food-bank fundraiser that was to feature two sumo suits.<\/p>\n

Dear [Queen’s Alma Mater Society] members and members of the Queen\u2019s community,<\/p>\n

We are writing in regards to an event that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday March 30th, organized and run by a group in the AMS. This event was planned to have students don padded suits, coloured and designed to resemble Japanese sumo wrestlers. The Facebook event created to advertise this event, entitled \u201cSUMO Showdown,\u201d included a picture of two cartoon Japanese wrestlers grappling.<\/p>\n

We recognize racism as the systemic oppression, both intentional and unintentional, of individuals and groups based on racial or ethnic identities.<\/p>\n

Regrettably, those of us who were aware of the event did not critically consider the racist meaning behind it. Asking students to wear these suits and partake in the activity appropriates an aspect of Japanese culture. This is wrong because it turns a racial identity into a costume; the process of putting-on and taking-off a racial identity is problematic because it dehumanizes those who share that identity and fails to capture the deeply imbedded histories of violent and subversive oppression that a group has faced. The event also devalues an ancient and respected Japanese sport, which is rich in history and cultural tradition…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,22,26,13,11,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anti-discrimination-templates","category-cultural-issue","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-media","category-problematic-foreign-treatment","category-tangents"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6432\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}