1 April 2002
Wong Yew Yun

I read with interest the article "Being Chinese in a Westernised Workplace" by Wai Kwok Cheung, as well as Kei Huynh's response to it. I recognise the all too familiar dilemma of being different in a British workplace.

On the subject of office banter or name-calling, Wai believes that its offensiveness is only a subjective experience; "it is up to the individual as to how they conceptualise this banter", so he says. Wai prefers not to risk confrontation and cause discomfort in his work mates but to endure the bantering stoically. Wai has learnt from his experience that if he "regularly joke around" and emanates "a relaxed personality", he can be rewarded with greater intimacy, comradeship, and fishing trips with work mates. Wai's work mates may not be members of the Ku Klux Klan and being called "Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls" may seem alright to Wai on great hair days; but why is Wai accepting this office banter "whilst cringing inside". Clearly Wai feels uncomfortable, and if I may guess, slightly demeaned by it.

Jokes are one of the most common forms of harassment in the workplace. Hidden behind much humour are prejudicial beliefs so ingrained that people are blind to the offensiveness of them. When such jokes are challenged, people become defensive and find it hard to understand why others object to their use. I can understand why Wai will go along with the jokes (sometimes returning the insults) and try not to appear hurt. Not joining in office humour is risking rejection by members of the group. Wai, like all of us, feels the need to be socially accepted at work.

Humour is a social skill and is used to foster friendships and trust in social interactions. Humour can be cruel or it can be kind. It can be used to express liking or disliking. Office banter sometimes can have a demeaning effect on people. Making fun of somebody's haircut or clothes can make them feel uncomfortable and demeaned. However, making fun of somebody's haircut or clothes is not the same as making fun of their ethnicity. One can change one's haircut or clothes but one cannot change one's ethnic origin. In the book, 'The Equal Opportunities Guide', by Phil Clements and Tony Spinks, researcher Hugh Foot believes that humour may be the only socially acceptable way of expressing hostility. Humour aimed at a minority group is a power tool used to exert the superiority of the joker. If Wai cringes inside each time he is being called "Fu Man Chu" at work, I can only guess that it is because Wai knows, at some deep level, that his work mates are abusing their dominant position as a majority group. Wai feels one down, but Wai does not want to be seen as someone who 'can't take a joke'. Apply this litmus test: If Wai1s work mates were a minority group in China, would they have continued to indulge themselves in these racial jokes?

The question we need to ask ourselves is at what price are we willing to pay for this social acceptance or assimilation?

Kei's view of this sort of name-calling is that it's "not malicious racism but stereotyping which is very difficult to get away from". Too right. Wai's work mates have used humour to reinforce stereotypes of Chinese people leaving Wai on the receiving end of it with few options of challenging it, making weak hints at their unacceptability or suffering the discomfort in silence. So is racial stereotyping really as harmless as some recipients perceived it to be? Is low-level radiation harmless? Like low-level radiation, prolonged exposure to stereotyping can have a very debilitating effect. Perhaps rather than looking for the presence of negatives, we ought to be looking for the absence of positives. Is this a climate in which one can achieve one's full potential? Personally, I think not.

So what are Wai's options? Wai knows that challenging racial jokes at work can create tension and bring about further "racial divide". But why should Wai be responsible for other people's reactions? Most of all, why should Wai's work mates have all the comfort of making these jokes whilst Wai has all the discomfort of listening to them? Wai's responsibility is to himself - to keep his self-esteem intact, both internally and externally. Change is pain. Some tension is to be expected when people struggle to come to terms with the need of changing their behaviour. We are not asking people to change their personality, just their behaviour. The other option is not to challenge racial jokes. Not challenging racial harassment means not setting standards of behaviour in the workplace that is necessary to promote a positive working environment. Non challenge allows jokes to perpetuate myths about minority groups feeding into assumptions or ideologies about superiority. The next time Wai goes on fishing trips with his work mates, Wai can reflect how much it is costing him to be there.

Being Chinese In A Westernised Workplace - Assimilation At What Price?
Being Chinese In A Westernised Workplace - A British perspective

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