Const. Khoa N. Hoang
All right I admit it – I'm hooked. I have Linsanity! Not only do I love the underdog-Cinderella story, but his current struggles as an Asian-American basketball player make me to reflect on how far I've come in my own struggles as an Asian-Canadian police officer.
According to my mother, I should have been more like my cousin, the computer programmer. I should have studied math more, partied less, and fit into the stereotypes of a "good" Asian son. But I didn't. I rebelled, often, failed math, often, did what everyone told me not to do and pursued a career in policing.
In May 2003, I moved from Ottawa to Hamilton and became the first Vietnamese police officer with the Hamilton Police Service. It was a time of mixed emotions and overwhelming pressures. The Hamilton police chief was very excited at the opportunity to have his own Asian officer serving the Greater Toronto Area. But the hype of my arrival was quickly replaced with the hard reality of the difficulties some had in accepting what I was, what I am . . . different.
All eyes were on me and when I failed at anything, it became a big deal. You could hear the snickers as I walked down the halls at the Ontario Police College. "He’s just window dressing," they said. Some officers took it upon themselves to never sit with me at lunch. Others went out of their way to disconnect my alarm clock while I was sleeping so that I would show up late to class and be embarrassed. The echoes could be heard from a distance: "He doesn't belong here."
Fast forward almost 10 years to 2012. The New York Knicks, struggling with a horrible 8-15 record, gave Jeremy Lin a chance to play basketball. Lin had been passed over his entire life by top basketball teams because he didn’t fit the mold. He’s currently the only Asian playing in the predominantly African-American NBA league.
From the moment Lin started playing, Knicks' fans no longer felt hopeless, because "Lin-sanity" took over and changed the world of basketball as we know it. Jeremy Lin scored more points in his first six games than players like Jordan, Johnson, Iverson, and Lebron James did in their first six games.
So, in my own twisted rebellious way, I smile at the flashes of racism that Jeremy Lin's success has exposed in society. Two ESPN commentators described a New York Knicks loss as a “chink” in the armor. After a spectacular Lin performance, Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock tweeted that “Some lucky lady in NYC is going to feel a couple of inches of pain tonight.”
While playing on his own home court, Madison Square Garden, Lin's name is displayed alongside an image of a fortune cookie; as though it would be somehow acceptable for Carmelo Anthony's name to appear next to fried chicken.
Racism still exists. It’s a nasty, dirty, and taboo word, racism. It feeds off stereotypes and requires us to stay silent in order to survive.
Now, I know what you're thinking, Jeremy Lin plays in the U.S., politically-correct Canadians would never do such a thing. But we do. Our arrogance in believing we're somehow immune to biases and stereotypes is what makes us susceptible to it. However, our ability to discuss difficult issues will determine if we can overcome the challenges we face in an ever changing world.
In the meantime, I'll continue planning my trip to New York City to bask in Linsanity!