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“YoU think it’s annoying? Hey, at least you ARe Dashan!
Imagine how annoying it is for us?” the American student exclaimed.
I realized he was right.
There has always been something of a Mr. Rogers quality
to the Dashan character – he’s such a nice guy you sometimes
wish he’d make a cameo appearance in a horror movie just so
you could watch him get ripped to shreds and then replay it
over and over on YouTube.
I often say that being a celebrity or a public figure is not
who I am, it’s just what I do. So it’s important to be able to
stand aside and analyse your public image as objectively as
possible. That’s why I often speak of Dashan in the third person;
he is me, yet he isn’t.
In short, the reasons seem to be as follows:
1. Overuse – People are sick and tired of hearing the name
“Dashan;”
2. Resentment (Part A) – Dashan’s not the only Westerner
who speaks Chinese fluently;
3. Resentment (Part B) – Being a foreign resident in China
is not easy, and Dashan gets all the breaks;
4. Political/Cultural – People wish Dashan had more of an
edge;
5. Stereotyping – The assumption that Dashan is a performing
monkey.
For a more detailed discussion:
overuse
The number one reason seems to be simply the frequency
with which Dashan’s name is brought up when it comes to
the subjects of Canada-China relations, or Westerners learning
Chinese, etc.
There is a parallel here with the mention of Canada in
general in China, and Dr. norman Bethune, a Canadian surgeon
who died serving the Communist Revolution in China
and was later memorialized by Chairman Mao. For decades
now, every time Canada is mentioned in China, the memory
of Dr. Bethune is sure to be raised. Frankly, many Canadians
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