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potteresque-ire · 4 years

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Is Cho Chang a Racist Stereotype? - [2] Her House

Another very long post (this time Confucius comes to say hello). My thoughts are under the cut.

Once again, this isn’t a JKR discussion. This is my 2nd post on whether I think it’s fair to call Cho Chang a racist stereotype. The 1st one is here.

My short answer is still no.

Another critique I’ve seen of Cho Chang’s portrayal is that she was a Ravenclaw, which fit into the “smart Asian” stereotype.

But what, exactly, is “Ravenclaw smart” and “Asian smart”? I think it’s worth investigating. Intelligence comes in many forms, and the allegation would only be valid if the two kinds of “smart” are equivalent.

Here’s what the books and JKR, via Pottermore, have said about “Ravenclaw smart”:

“if you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind;”

“Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.”

“…our people are the most individual – some might even call them eccentrics. But geniuses are often out of step with ordinary folk…”

"Most of the greatest wizarding inventors and innovators were in our house…”

The day-to-day illustration of “Ravenclaw smart” was the answering of riddles to enter the common room. A good answer was “well-reasoned”, and it was known that the door would refuse to open until such an answer was provided, which sometimes led to long discussions outside the common room by the locked-out students. Another manifestation of “Ravenclaw smart” was described as going “full-nerd” on a subject that wasn’t necessarily practical or popular (ovomancy was the example given on Pottermore).

Since “wit” was such a heavily used word in Ravenclaw’s description, I looked up its definition as well.

* Intelligence and the ability to think quickly (Cambridge dictionary) * Mental sharpness and inventiveness; keen intelligence; a natural aptitude for using words and ideas in a quick and inventive way to create humour (Google) * The ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse (Merriam Webster) * Wit is the ability to use words or ideas in an amusing, clever, and imaginative way. (Collins)

My understanding of “Ravenclaw smart” from this info is: the ability to connect dots freely and nimbly. Social norms and expectations are noted, but happily disregarded if they get in the way. “Ravenclaw smart” is by nature argumentative and open-ended. It expects the dot-connecting to lead to places, but doesn’t have a specific place in mind; all endpoints are valid and welcomed as long as they’re logically sound. The strength of “Ravenclaw smart” is it leads to revolutionary innovations; its tendency to unbridle itself from social needs and expectations, however, can lead to amoral/immoral behaviour (Lockhart). The wisdom from “Ravenclaw smart” is also in danger of being ignored or misunderstood when its owner makes insufficient effort to make it comprehensible, or accessible to others (Luna, and likely, Rowena Ravenclaw.)

Those who’ve studied under an East Asian education system (especially in the 90s), or those who’re familiar with those systems, probably know by now where this discussion is leading to.

“Ravenclaw smart” isn’t “Asian smart”. It’s … about the opposite of Asian smart.

What is “Asian smart”? Outside this discussion, any kind of intelligence. But here, I’ll restrict it to the kind of smartness that leads to the racist allegation, the kind of Westerners typically associate with East Asian students (such as Cho Chang, who, for the sake of simplicity, I’ll assume is Chinese from this point on; however, the arguments will likely still stand if she was, for example, Korean, for reasons that will be clear later on). The kind of smartness that is good at math, that gets the highest scores in exams and seems to understand everything. Never asks questions, never makes trouble.

"Asian smart” sounds great. But what if I suggest the following “dark sides” to it?

1) Good at math: with practice, lower level maths are likely to require the least reasoning among school subjects, with their unambiguous, close-ended answers. A child who has done 7x9 enough times no longer need to calculate or think through the logic of their answer. They write down what they’ve memorised by repetition — 63 — and get full score.

2) High scorer: does everything as told. Prioritise the wishes of authority (teachers, parents) above everything else.

3) Seems to understand everything, never asks questions: views knowledge as “model answers” to be regurgitated in exams. Whether it makes sense doesn’t matter.

These are very cynical takes, aren’t they? I’ve cast in these students in a very negative light.

But what if this negative light isn’t negative at all if these students have stayed in the land of their ancestors? What if these “cynical takes” were considered virtues for the budding Chinese scholars of old?

What if “Asian smart” is purely a consequence of history and culture?

First of all, if you ask “Asian smart” students and they’re honest with you, most would tell you that their smartness isn’t the product of miracles or extra brain juice. Some would say it’s not even intelligence. It is the direct result of extra hours spent at the desk.

What is their motivation? Are Chinese children simply born to be extra hardworking?

Perhaps it’s their so-called “tiger moms”? If then, are Chinese moms born more … feline?

The answers, as you may expect, are no, Chinese aren’t born any different from other races. Their drive to study can largely be explained by an ancient, nation-wide exam system known as the imperial examination system (Ke-Ju, 科舉), plus a dude with a name of Confucius.

Many are aware that Chinese have long considered scholastic aptitude as important. But how long is long? The answer: 1.4 millennia. The imperial examination system, or Ke-Ju, began in 605 AD and while the system had evolved over time, the gist of it was this: students participated in locals exams and the “winners” moved up to the county, then provincial levels etc, until the students who’d won all previous exams sat for the final one in the capital palace, at times proctored by the Emperor, where the grand winners would be decided. The Ke-Ju system was essential in shaping Chinese’s attitude towards academic achievements, because the final top 3 winners, regardless of birth, would be hired by the Imperial Court (+ in some cases, get to marry a princess!).

Ancient Chinese studied and studied and studied for that reason; Ke-Ju was one of the very few social ladders available to commoners, who mostly lived in poverty. The Chinese folklore-scape has therefore been filled with “inspirational” stories about how people overcame exceptionally challenging studying conditions (like this one) to become successful in some way.

How, exactly, does Ke-Ju shape the traditional Chinese view towards studying and education?

1) Historically, Chinese views studying as a means to a better life. The pursuit of knowledge was secondary. The modern analogy to studying hard in ancient China is working three part-time jobs to pay the mortgage for a house, and there is, in fact, a famous Chinese idiom that reflects this: 書中自有黃金屋 (“In the books, there is a golden house”). According to the poem (勸學詩) where the idiom came from (written by an Emperor, by the way: 宋真宗, ~ 1000 BCE), other things found in books included high wages paid in food, beauties, chariots and horses. All practical stuff.

2) Because of 1), getting high scores, or “winning” the exams, was seen as the paramount goal of studying. Far less emphasis was put on understanding the exam material. The teachers of ancient Chinese schools (私塾) were known for doing little explaining; instead, they made recite passages and expected them to figure out the meanings by themselves later. The attitude that scores are everything was further fuelled by the fact that the Emperor had the final say on the result of Ke-Ju — the Emperor who’d most probably claimed the throne by genetics and was not always the most intelligent or knowledgable. While the ability to formulate well-researched and well-reasoned answers helped tremendously, the most important skill for the final Ke-Ju winner was, therefore, the ability to guess what the Emperor wanted to hear, and sometimes, what they wanted to see (there were instances where the Emperor swapped the rankings because they found the original victor too ugly).

ie. The most important skill was to know the Emperor’s Answer, and to be able to frame it as the winner’s own perspective even if the winner didn’t, in reality, believe in a single word of it.

3) The tradition of having an “Emperor’s Answer” means its modern equivalent, having an “one and only” model answer, have remained the norm in education systems in many Chinese-speaking communities. Many educators have asked for reforms, argued that model answers discourage independent thinking and creativity, but teachers have also been trained on model answers and they’re often unsure of their own opinions, and at times, fearful that they’ll pass on a “wrong” perspective to their students. The latter is especially true in places under authoritarian rule, where school lessons must follow closely the regime’s propaganda (which can be vastly different from year to year).

You may wonder then: but certainly, the students would revolt. How could children learn in such a stifling environment for so long?

This is where Confucius (孔丘, 551-478 BC) comes in. The education system is only a slice of a culture where authority is not to be questioned, where silence is seen as a virtue even among the youngest of children.

Many may know Confucius to be a philosopher, but he was also a political advisor and not a very popular one. I’ve half-jokingly summed up his slogan as “Make China Great Again”, as he lamented his era for having lost the social etiquette and order of several centuries before, and he was set on bringing them back. He researched on rites and rituals that were already old for his time, postulating that every detail of how people behaved around each other would affect social harmony. Social order, he believed, could be achieved by people respecting and obeying their elders, not only in their thoughts but also in their day-to-day behaviour, which was to be bound with a set of intricate rules that dictated their word choices, actions and even postures according to the situation and kinship between the interacting individuals (a fun video here showing a Confucian rite, including the sheer variety of Confucian bows). The elders would, in return, take care of those with less authority than they had, share with them their wisdom.

Confucius also believed that harmony of the world could be achieved by self-discipline from the base level of the society to the top. In this “discipline pyramid”, individuals sat at the bottom. The discipline of families came above it, in which elder generations of each family reined in the rebellious younger ones, made each family a true unit where its members were unified in thoughts and actions. The nation (government) then exerted its authority on families and cured their conflicts — to drive this point home, the term 父母官 has remained in use in China today, which likens the government officials (官) to parents (父母) and constituents to children who should listen to their parents (imagine someone likening Boris Johnson, or Donald Trump, as your father). Finally, the world, with the Emperor as its ruler, smothers the insurgences among nations to achieve the ultimate order and harmony. (修身、齊家、治國、平天下).

Confucius did put a big asterisk in his theory. For this “discipline pyramid” to work, the asterisk said, the Emperor who’d establish the final world order must be a good one. The problem was: most Emperors thought they were pretty good. Confucius’ philosophy appealed to them because the Emperor sat at the pinnacle of this power structure, and as each level ruled over the one below, the lowest level — the individual commoners — had so many constraints piled on them that their individuality was stripped. This made governing much easier.

And so, while Confucius’ political theories were not particularly popular during his lifetime, Confucianism became the official school of philosophy for Chinese imperial courts after ~100 BC. China’s immense power in the ancient world meant Confucianism also became the prominent school of philosophy in its sphere of influence, which included, among others, the modern nations of Japan, S. Korea and Vietnam, all of which also held their own versions of Ke-Ju.

(Hence, this post would very likely remain valid if Cho Chang was Korean.)

In addition to locating talents among commoners, the Ke-Ju system further cemented Confucianism as the “proper” school of thought because it required the students to learn Confucian texts. These students, who would also become disseminators of knowledge outside the Imperial Court, would bring Confucianism to the commoners who’d practise it as well, as a display of cultured upbringing, in the hopes that their descendants would one day know it well enough to enter the Imperial Court. The discipline pyramid soon infiltrated every aspect of Chinese culture, and Confucianism became Imperial China’s tool for reinforcing social hierarchy and a social stabilizer. It remained revered in all levels of the Chinese society until, during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), the Red Guards, with the blessings of Mao Ze-Dong, made an all out-attack on Confucian values and while remnants of them have survived in China’s social fabric, they’re largely in tatters (As a result, the best places to observe the legacy of Confucianism nowadays are in Japan, S. Korea and Taiwan.)

Back to the “Asian smart”. “Asian smart” was an impression built from students who were (children of) recent immigrants from Confucianism-influenced communities. Students who’d been educated in the tradition of those who’d sat in the ancient schools, their backs ramrod straight and spoken only when called, their mouths opening only to satisfy the teachers’ requests because teachers were the authority in the classroom and never to be questioned. Students who’d expected an Emperor’s Answer to every exam question, the answer that was, always, the final word. Students who’d studied hard because golden houses could be found in the books.

This “Asian smart” is as different as can be from “Ravenclaw smart”. Asian smart is quiet and unquestioning, while Ravenclaw smart challenges and argues. Asian smart views knowledge as a servant of society, while Ravenclaw smart sees knowledge, and the pursuit thereof, as lording over social expectations. Asian smart is about reinforcing social order while Ravenclaw smart is about breaking the mould. Asian smart has groomed the establishment for over a thousand years while Ravenclaw smart has nurtured eccentrics.

Of note, this disparity between the two “smarts” doesn’t mean one is superior to another. Our current pandemic has made a case for Confucian collectivism; individuals in E. Asian countries have shown themselves to be more willing to sacrifice personal freedoms and aesthetics for the sake of their communities, more comfortable at obeying new rules despite the questions of their need have yet be answered satisfactorily by science, and the benefits of these attitudes have been reflected in the case and death counts. The pandemic has also reminded us of the importance of knowledge that serves society (for example, epidemiological research, vaccine development, contact tracing), even if it’s not always the most exciting. Healthcare is a discipline that requires a “no ifs and buts, no matter how well-reasoned” attitude towards certain rules (how to put on and remove PPEs, for example).

Anyway, I digressed! The conclusion I have, after so many words, is this: Cho Chang being assigned Ravenclaw isn’t racist stereotyping, as some have alleged. I can appreciate where the allegation comes from. The common association with intelligence aside, many sorting tests have also tied academic achievements to Ravenclaw, even though Ravenclaws were never described as book smart in the series. But the allegation doesn’t hold up well after an investigation into the way Ravenclaw House was written, and the kind of smartness Cho Chang was expected to have if it was, indeed, race-based.

It doesn’t mean, I’d like to note, that some Asians aren’t being unfairly judged because parts of our society still hold the false impression that our racial group are somehow born to excel in academics or any work where maths are involved. I understand—I truly do—the frustrations of having one’s accomplishments belittled, attributed to a quirk in the DNA that doesn’t exist. I’ve, too, had to certify that my Mom is 100% human, free of the tiger too many times.

But the HP books cannot be blamed for that, and the longer the blame is placed on something that doesn’t deserve it, the longer the focus, and effort is shifted away from the actual problem and its potential solutions. The time and words spent on such “call-outs” can be better spent, I believe, by explaining how the misconception of “smart Asians” can affect real people like you and me.

And like Cho Chang, perhaps, if we love to think about the HP world. If her classmates wondered why she wasn’t the top of her class for her year, why she wasn’t famously book-smart like Hermione Granger to win them some house points. Why did she sign up for Quidditch? Why would any Asian, never mind a tiny, fragile E. Asian girl like her, even think about touching sports? Shouldn’t she be studying? Learning advanced arithmancy even though their OWLS were still a year away?

And Cho would come back to the common room hours later, flushed with sweat and smiling, and announced that she’d made seeker.

#pie metas #cho chang #ravenclaw

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thebookkeeperslibrary · 5 years

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The Time Page’s Wish: Ch. 14 - Welcome to Magic

Fandom: Time Warp Trio

Author: The_Bookkeeper_96

Rating: G

Summary: It’s been four months and Uncle Joe is still missing. On his twelfth birthday, Joe decides it’s time to track him down. One wish lands them in the middle of a revolution. And it seems the only way to get them home is with the help of some untrustworthy thieves. As long as they don’t take The Book for themselves.

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I got distracted by a certain long-awaited video game... Anyway, here’s the final chapter for the Time Page’s Wish! (Bonus A/N at the end of the chapter.)

Read on AO3

Joe winces as Cassius places his hand over his nose.

"Sorry. I'm trying to be as gentle as possible." Cassius' hand glows a soft green as he begins to heal Joe.

The magic feels warm against Joe's skin. Like sunlight. "You have healing magic?"

"We both do." Cas winks at him. "Time heals all wounds, right?"

Joe pauses. He had never really thought about what his time magic could and couldn't do. He knew he could manipulate time, stop or slow it as he pleased, but outside of that, he had no idea what he was capable of. He has so much to learn.

"Of course, I'm nowhere near as talented of a healer as my wife. She's an animantist, so it's kind of her specialty."

"An animantist?" Joe raises his brows, and another thought occurs to him. "Wait, Rowena's not your wife?"

Cas grimaces and turns green. For a moment, Joe thinks he might actually vomit. "Ro is my sister. My twin actually. I'm surprised you couldn't tell."

"Oh, sorry." Joe presses his lips together and looks away. He decides to change the subject. "So, what's an animantist?"

"An animantist is someone who practices the magic of the living. They're healers, basically. Animancy is one of the nine magics. We'll be able to talk more about it once we start your lessons. Ro and I are planning it all out right now. This last quest provided a lot of information for us. We have a pretty good idea of what you all need to work on. When you return next summer, everything will be ready for you."

"Right. Thanks again for saving us." Joe still can't meet Cassius' eyes.

Cas offers him a small smile. "Not every quest and mission you go on will be a success. Just remember Ro and I will not always be here to protect you."

"I know." The memory of yesterday's attack is still fresh in Joe's mind. If not for Rowena and Cassius, they all would be dead right now.

"Stop."

The drake freezes in mid-air, its claws inches from their throats.

Everyone freezes, not sure if the threat is gone or not. The tension melts away as soon as they see two familiar faces walk up to them.

Sam nearly faints. "Oh, thank goodness!" He falls to his knees, gulping down air.

Everyone else relaxes, relieved to see Rowena and Cassius hear to rescue them.

Cassius pulls the beast to him, a green glow emanating from his hand, and flings it into the trees. A loud crash can be heard in the distance, but no sounds of pursuit rise up. They're safe, for now.

"I thought we were goners," Fred lets out a nervous chuckle.

"And you would have been if we had not shown up."

"You're lucky we were watching you."

The kids' smiles vanish when they notice Rowena and Cassius' unamused faces.

Rowena takes a deep breath, purses her lips, and glares at each kid in turn. "This should have been an easy mission for you. Instead, it turned into a disastrous failure. And you all are to blame. I have never-"

"Ro," Cassius cuts her off, "we can lecture them later. Right now, I think it's more important we get them back to Horae Manor. They need rest and a visit to the infirmary." He gestures to Joe and Arwen.

She sighs and closes her eyes. "Fair enough. But we are not done with this conversation."

Joe wasn't ready for that conversation yet. He knew he had messed up in Cealus. He already regretted most of the things he said. The anger and frustration that had been coiled in his gut had faded. Being awakened was a huge relief.

He feels different after the awakening. More alert. More alive. Colors are brighter. Sounds are sharper. Touches are… electrifying. It's almost painful. He had considered wearing sunglasses just to turn the lights on.

Magic was all around him. Joe felt connected to the world in a way he never had before. He had been reborn, and he wasn't sure how he had gotten by before this

"It's quite the sensation, isn't it?" Cas says, pulling Joe out of his thoughts. "Don't worry, the pain will fade. Footsteps will stop sounding like gunshots. Lights won't blind you. That buzz in the air however, will always be with you. You are now connected to time."

Joe nods his understanding. "Was your awakening as eventful?"

The older Warp Wizard chuckles. "No, unfortunately, Ro and I had a normal awakening. Well, as normal as a magical event like that could be. Really, our whole time as Warp and Aether wizard has been pretty uneventful."

"Think Tessa and I will be as lucky?"

"Maybe."

But Joe can tell from Cassius' tight-lipped smile that he's hiding something. He never has a chance to find out what.

Arwen limps into the infirmary. The gash on her legs isn't as bad as it originally looked. All her bones are in one piece, but the injury would leave a scar. At least she had a cool story to go with it.

"Looks like my next appointment is here." Cassius gestures for Joe to stand. "Make sure to get lots of rest. You might want to consider keeping the lights low for a bit too."

Joe heads out of the infirmary, nodding to Arwen as he passes by. Everyone had been in this weird limbo state between friendship and distrust since the fight. None of them had really spoken to each other. It wasn't a comfortable situation. It was a rocky start to their venture into the world of magic.

Unfortunately, Joe's walk back to his room isn't as quiet as he hoped. He spots the last person he wants to see right now heading in his direction.

"Hey," Tessa says. Joe can tell she's trying to smile, but she's too exhausted for it.

"Hi," Joe responds. His voice comes out hollow and sharp. It'll be a while before he can forgive her for everything that happened in Cealus and learn to trust her. He didn't care that they were supposed to be great wizard partners.

"I'd say sorry, but I don't think you'd believe me."

"Because you wouldn't mean it."

"You catch on quick, bun-" She cuts herself off. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "Look, I know it wasn't a great start to our partnership, but we're in this together 'til the end. Whatever end that may be. Like it or not, we're stuck together, but everything will be a lot easier if we can be friends. It might take some time to get there, but you have all the time in the world." This time Tessa does smile. She moves past Joe and continues her walk down the hall.

"Are all of our adventures going to be that crazy?" Joe asks without warning. Even if they did become friends, he wasn't sure he would survive any more days like yesterday.

Tessa pauses. The corners of her mouth quirk up as she looks at Joe over her shoulder. "Welcome to magic."

A/N: And that’s it for The Time Page’s Wish! It may take a while for the sequel to be posted, I want to try to write the story out in full before posting it online. I also plan on experimenting with different writing styles, POVs, and adding some new stuff in. The next story may read a little differently because of this. Anyway, thanks for reading, and as always: please review!

#time warp trio #fanfiction #twt fanfiction #timewarptrio #time warp trio fanfiction #my post #kellie writes #kellie twt #kellie fanfic

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