Teh One Who Knocks
01-26-2012, 12:17 PM
The Spec
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The owner of a hillbilly-themed restaurant on the Mountain says he was only clarifying his cuisine by posting signs saying he doesn’t sell Middle Eastern and Asian foods and serves customers in English.
But Evelyn Myrie, executive director of Hamilton’s Centre for Civic Inclusion, says the signs at Hillbilly Heaven on Upper James Street are “very offensive and against the principles of diversity and inclusion.”
The restaurant has a big sign by the cash register that says halal, rice, kabob, shawarma, fries, wings, ¼ chicken, Mexican and burgers are “things we don’t have and never will.”
On the door it says “to better serve you, our staff speaks ENGLISH” and “What would make you think this was a Korean BBQ? Do you see any f’n ducks in the window?”
Myrie says the owner should take down the signs and apologize.
“Why would he go and attack the people who eat those kinds of foods? He’s ignoring a great deal of the population. It’s very stereotypical … It’s unacceptable and feeds into a stereotype … He has the right to sell his goods but doesn’t have the right to trash other foods that are culturally driven.”
But the owner of the restaurant, Cameron Bailey, says he means no offence. He says his business at Upper James and Fennell Avenue “is in a bit of an Arab neighbourhood. I got tired of people coming in here and asking me if I have halal. I put a sign up saying we don’t have halal, so stop coming in here and asking me.”
As for the sign about Korean barbecue, that was in response to a Korean customer who got angry with Bailey, he said, because his restaurant didn’t serve Korean duck.
He said he’s fed up with people who don’t understand what his restaurant is about. The theme is Southern U.S.-style barbecue that uses smokers that cook the meat for 12 hours at a time and then it’s sold in very large portions.
McMaster University sociology professor Cyril Levitt says he would describe the comments as being xenophobic rather than racist.
“One could also take it as political satire making fun of our official policy of multiculturalism. It could also be taken as an attempt to self-deprecate the ‘hillbilly’ stereotype as illiberal, intolerant and ignorant. I am inclined to give people a lot of leeway in terms of expression,” said Levitt, a board member of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association who noted he was not speaking on behalf of the organization but stating his own opinions.
He sees it more as a swipe against political correctness “the sort of thing that one finds on TV satire” such as Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Steve Colbert.
“I suspect that the intent is simply to garner more business for the restaurant. I believe we have to give broad protections to civil liberties. As many people have suggested, the corrective to odious speech and expression is not to criminalize it but to invite more critical speech. If freedom of expression is to mean anything, it surely must mean the recognition of the right of those with whom I am in vigorous disagreement to express their opinions.”
Bailey says he has heard second-hand that people have complained about his signs but he has only received one critical email. I said, “lighten up, it’s not a shot at anybody.”
He says the sign saying his staff speak English is a joke relating to signs he’s increasingly noticed at banks and other places that note various other languages are spoken.
Asked if the signs could be construed as racist, he said: “People can look at it like that, but I don’t look at it like that. If that’s the spin someone wants to put on it, then be my guest.”
The Hamilton Spectator
He has the right to sell his goods but doesn’t have the right to trash other foods that are culturally driven.
Evelyn Myrie, Executive director, Centre for Civic Inclusion
I suspect that the intent is simply to garner more business for the restaurant. I believe we have to give broad protections to civil liberties.
Cyril Levitt, Sociology professor
I got tired of people coming in here and asking me if I have halal. I put a sign up saying we don’t have halal, so stop coming in here and asking me.
Cameron Bailey, Owner, Hillbilly Heaven
http://i.imgur.com/doDUe.png
http://i.imgur.com/DbdmS.png
The owner of a hillbilly-themed restaurant on the Mountain says he was only clarifying his cuisine by posting signs saying he doesn’t sell Middle Eastern and Asian foods and serves customers in English.
But Evelyn Myrie, executive director of Hamilton’s Centre for Civic Inclusion, says the signs at Hillbilly Heaven on Upper James Street are “very offensive and against the principles of diversity and inclusion.”
The restaurant has a big sign by the cash register that says halal, rice, kabob, shawarma, fries, wings, ¼ chicken, Mexican and burgers are “things we don’t have and never will.”
On the door it says “to better serve you, our staff speaks ENGLISH” and “What would make you think this was a Korean BBQ? Do you see any f’n ducks in the window?”
Myrie says the owner should take down the signs and apologize.
“Why would he go and attack the people who eat those kinds of foods? He’s ignoring a great deal of the population. It’s very stereotypical … It’s unacceptable and feeds into a stereotype … He has the right to sell his goods but doesn’t have the right to trash other foods that are culturally driven.”
But the owner of the restaurant, Cameron Bailey, says he means no offence. He says his business at Upper James and Fennell Avenue “is in a bit of an Arab neighbourhood. I got tired of people coming in here and asking me if I have halal. I put a sign up saying we don’t have halal, so stop coming in here and asking me.”
As for the sign about Korean barbecue, that was in response to a Korean customer who got angry with Bailey, he said, because his restaurant didn’t serve Korean duck.
He said he’s fed up with people who don’t understand what his restaurant is about. The theme is Southern U.S.-style barbecue that uses smokers that cook the meat for 12 hours at a time and then it’s sold in very large portions.
McMaster University sociology professor Cyril Levitt says he would describe the comments as being xenophobic rather than racist.
“One could also take it as political satire making fun of our official policy of multiculturalism. It could also be taken as an attempt to self-deprecate the ‘hillbilly’ stereotype as illiberal, intolerant and ignorant. I am inclined to give people a lot of leeway in terms of expression,” said Levitt, a board member of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association who noted he was not speaking on behalf of the organization but stating his own opinions.
He sees it more as a swipe against political correctness “the sort of thing that one finds on TV satire” such as Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Steve Colbert.
“I suspect that the intent is simply to garner more business for the restaurant. I believe we have to give broad protections to civil liberties. As many people have suggested, the corrective to odious speech and expression is not to criminalize it but to invite more critical speech. If freedom of expression is to mean anything, it surely must mean the recognition of the right of those with whom I am in vigorous disagreement to express their opinions.”
Bailey says he has heard second-hand that people have complained about his signs but he has only received one critical email. I said, “lighten up, it’s not a shot at anybody.”
He says the sign saying his staff speak English is a joke relating to signs he’s increasingly noticed at banks and other places that note various other languages are spoken.
Asked if the signs could be construed as racist, he said: “People can look at it like that, but I don’t look at it like that. If that’s the spin someone wants to put on it, then be my guest.”
The Hamilton Spectator
He has the right to sell his goods but doesn’t have the right to trash other foods that are culturally driven.
Evelyn Myrie, Executive director, Centre for Civic Inclusion
I suspect that the intent is simply to garner more business for the restaurant. I believe we have to give broad protections to civil liberties.
Cyril Levitt, Sociology professor
I got tired of people coming in here and asking me if I have halal. I put a sign up saying we don’t have halal, so stop coming in here and asking me.
Cameron Bailey, Owner, Hillbilly Heaven