The controversy surrounding Simu Liu and boba tea
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Film and Television Discussion
Nathanred — 1 year ago(October 16, 2024 02:09 AM)
Summary: Simu Liu was a guest investor of a Candian "Shark Tank" inspired show called "Dragons' Den" where he chastised a group of presenters for their boba tea company. Boba tea has Taiwanese roots so Simu Liu accused them of cultural appropriation and rejected their business proposal because he would rather help minority business owners. Many on social media were supportive of Simu Liu's stance and some sent death threats to the business owners. The business owners have since apologized for their lack of sensitivity about boba tea's origins
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/10/14/simu-liu-boba-tea-appropriation/
The saga kicked off last week, when an episode of “Dragons’ Den” aired Thursday on Canadian network CBC. The show, which is similar to the U.S. program “Shark Tank,” invites entrepreneurs on to pitch their products to would-be investors. On Thursday’s episode, the founders of a Quebec-based line of bottled boba appeared, asking for a $1 million investment.
As the business owners presented their drinks, one of the “dragons” - the potential bankrollers - seemed skeptical. Guest “dragon” Simu Liu, known for roles including Shang-Chi in the 2021 Marvel movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” called out the business owners for the way they talked about boba, or bubble tea, a drink that was invented in Taiwan, has long been a favorite in Asian communities and in recent years has caught on around the globe.
“There’s … the issue of cultural appropriation,” Liu said. “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and quote-unquote ‘making it better,’ which I have an issue with.”
And he pressed the pair about the lack of acknowledgment about boba’s Taiwanese roots in its packaging and branding. “I started this venture company for a lot of reasons, but really primarily to uplift minority entrepreneurs,” said Liu. “And not only do I feel like this is not happening here, but that I would be uplifting a business that is profiting off of something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage.”
Simu Liu spoke out against the death threats but also stood by his criticism of the company and said they should be held accountable for their lack of historical knowledge of their product.
The episode triggered a wave of criticism on social media, with many viewers angered by the Bobba founders as well as the supportive Dragons.
Liu ultimately weighed in, posting a TikTok video of his own in which he said he stood by his concerns about the company, but also thought some people had gone too far, describing “death threats, harassment, bullying, and dogpiling” that the founders had since experienced.
“I think we’re starting to lose the plot of what, ultimately, the positive energy of this is, which is let’s educate people, let’s make the world a better place, let’s make people aware that, you know, certain things aren’t okay from a cultural perspective,” said Liu.
While he said he thought the brand should be held accountable to “valid criticism,” Liu said he thought Frenette and Fiset had appeared on “Dragons’ Den” in “good faith” and that their exposure to “cultural conversations” like the one he has sparked were limited. “It’s 2024 and we expect that people do their part and educate themselves,” he said. “But I try to give grace and I ask for a lot of grace.” -
/.ㅤ — 1 year ago(October 16, 2024 07:50 AM)
Why are people celebrating Simu Liu openly discriminating against this company just because they aren't Asian? Only Asians can sell tea? If this was white people openly discriminating against another race then they would be cancelled. Racism isn't acceptable in any direction.
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