Latest news with #TerryTang
Toronto Sun
09-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
SHAPIRO: Living with consequences and 'cancel culture'
A screenshot of an online fundraiser on the Christian fundraising platform, GiveSendGo, is seen on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Photo by Terry Tang / AP This week saw two odd but parallel stories. The first featured a white Minnesota woman, Shiloh Hendrix, who allegedly spotted a Somali child rifling her diaper bag at the park. She reportedly hurled a racial slur at the child. An irate park-goer with a rather questionable background then followed her down the street while filming her and yelling at her. She responded by doubling down. The video went viral. Hendrix claims her address was publicly revealed and that she is under threat, so she took to GiveSendGo to ask for money. She quickly raised over $500,000. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, a similar case broke in the news. A young Muslim man, Mo Khan, posted a video to his Instagram from a Barstool restaurant, in which he reportedly asked waitresses to bring out a sign reading 'F*** the Jews.' This prompted Barstool owner Dave Portnoy, who is Jewish, to call him out publicly. Khan then posted his own video begging for money, claiming he was being victimized by cancel culture. To date, he has raised approximately $15,000. So, what's going on? There is an ongoing argument breaking into the open about 'cancel culture' — meaning criticism, ostracization or social sanction for behaviour or opinion. The first perspective, which was the dominant left-wing perspective for over a decade, suggests cancellation is itself a positive good and ought to be widely applied; that any violation of taboo, no matter how minor, ought to be socially punished. This perspective, as applied, was censorious and ugly as it forbade useful conversations about vital but controversial topics. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The right responded by embracing the counter-perspective that social sanction and even criticism should be treated as wrong. The problem with the Cancel Nothing perspective is that if there is never any social sanction or criticism for bad behaviour or terrible opinion, we slide into a world of total moral relativism, in which the ugliest opinions and expressions are given equal credibility with decent or even controversial but useful opinions. The reality of social consequences for ugly behaviour and argument is more complex: Sometimes people deserve blowback. Not all blowback is created equal. Criticism is not social ostracization, is not firing, is not violence. For example, you have no duty to hire or have over to dinner someone who shouts a racial slur at children or who says that white people are colonizers and evil, but you also shouldn't post that person's address online so people can harass them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. We all know this in our daily lives. If there's a nasty fellow at the local diner who grumbles about Jews or whites or blacks, we simply avoid him. And that's generally the end of it. In practice, the emergent and informal standards of the social fabric work just fine. Most issues remain personal. But the social media age has ended all that. Now, mobs form to destroy people for reasons both good and bad — so we're all forced to decide whether we think that person in question is bad or good, hero or villain, deserving of shame or support. And we must decide what level of shame and what level of support. These are complicated questions. Add to that the fact that we, as a society, no longer hold in common any conception of what constitutes appropriate behaviour or argument, and we quickly descend into a world of bright lines: Cancel Everything or Cancel Nothing. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So, what is the solution? The solution is to prosecute those who violate the law — if you incite violence against someone because they said something nasty to a child on the playground, you should go to jail; to adjudicate, on a case-by-case basis and with dispassion, the nature of the behaviour or speech; to defend those who are innocent and those whose 'cancellation' is disproportionate. But will that happen? It's increasingly unlikely in a world in which the most extreme behaviour and opinion receive the loudest applause. Those who shout to Cancel Everything drive support for those who shout to Cancel Nothing and vice versa. If we wish for a better world and a better conversation, we ought to acknowledge that we are all human and deserve both criticism and mercy, when appropriate. Perhaps to build that better world, we all ought to log off for a while. Toronto & GTA Columnists NFL Ontario NBA
Toronto Sun
08-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
A woman who called a Black child a slur has raised backlash, thousands of dollars
Published May 07, 2025 • 4 minute read A screenshot of an online fundraiser on the Christian fundraising platform, GiveSendGo, is seen on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Photo by Terry Tang / AP NOTE CONTENTS: This story contains a term that refers to a racial slur. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A video showing a Minnesota woman at a playground last week openly admitting to using a racist slur against a Black child has garnered millions of views. Maybe equally viral has been a crowdfunding effort that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the woman now relocate her family. In the video, a man in Rochester, a city roughly 90 miles (145 kilometres) south of Minneapolis, confronts the woman for calling a 5-year-old boy the N-word. The woman appears to double-down on the racist term and flips off the man confronting her with both of her middle fingers. The woman, who could not be reached for comment, has since amassed over $700,000 through Christian fundraising platform GiveSendGo for relocation expenses because of threats she received over the video. The fundraising page said she used the word out of frustration because the boy went through her 18-month-old child's diaper bag. The Associated Press has not verified this assertion. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I called the kid out for what he was,' she wrote, adding that the online videos have 'caused my family, and myself, great turmoil.' The flurry of monetary contributions has reignited multiple debates, from whether racist language and attacks are becoming more permissible to the differences between 'cancel culture' and 'consequence culture.' Many want to see the woman face some sort of comeuppance for using a slur, especially toward a child. Others say despite her words, she does not deserve to be harassed. The NAACP Rochester chapter started its own fundraising campaign for the child's family. The GoFundMe page had raised $340,000 when it was closed Saturday per the wishes of the family, who want privacy, said the civil rights organization. It was speaking on behalf of the family of the child, who the organization said was on the autism spectrum. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This was not simply offensive behaviour, it was an intentional racist, threatening, hateful and verbal attack against a child, and it must be treated as such,' the NAACP Rochester chapter said in a statement. The Rochester Police Department investigated and submitted findings to the Rochester City Attorney's Office for 'consideration of a charging decision,' spokesperson Amanda Grayson said in a statement Monday. GiveSendGo did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Some say defending the woman defends racism The donations did and did not surprise Dr. Henry Taylor, director for the Center of Urban Studies at the University at Buffalo. But shifts in the political and cultural climate have emboldened some people to express racist and bigoted views against people of color or those they consider outsiders. A more recent backlash, from the White House to corporate boardrooms, against diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives have amplified those feelings. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The racism 'hovering beneath the surface' comes from blame, Taylor said. 'People are given someone to hate and someone to blame for all of the problems and challenges that they are facing themselves,' Taylor said. The volume of monetary contributions in the Rochester case is reminiscent of the surge of support for individuals like Kyle Rittenhouse, Daniel Penny and George Zimmerman. Rittenhouse, Penny and Zimmerman were cleared of wrongdoing or legally found to have acted in self-defence or in defence of others — Penny and Zimmerman after the death of a Black victim and Rittenhouse after fatally shooting two white protesters at a racial justice demonstration against police. Backlash against 'cancel culture' persists In the woman's case, a contingent of supporters just want to fight cancel culture, said Franciska Coleman, an assistant professor of law at University of Wisconsin Law School, who has written about cancel culture and social regulation of speech. For some it can include donating 'to everyone who they in quotes try to 'cancel.'' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Some people are focused on how 'it just seems too much that this mother of two young kids is getting death threats and rape threats,' Coleman said. Conservative commentators have gone online to applaud her for not capitulating to angry internet mobs while acknowledging she used a hateful word. 'No one's excusing it. But she didn't deserve to be treated like a domestic terrorist,' conservative podcast host Matt Walsh said in a Facebook post. A screenshot of an online fundraiser on GoFundMe organized by the NAACP is seen on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Photo by Terry Tang / AP Some fight over justifications and consequences There's an important distinction, Coleman said, between 'cancel culture' and 'consequence culture.' The latter is about holding people accountable for actions and words that cause injury such as with 'this poor child.' That is what many people want to see in this Rochester woman's case. Because a formal system of punishment may not impose consequences for the woman's racist behavior, 'we have to do it informally,' Colman said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She and Taylor agree that, in conventional societal thinking, using racist slurs against someone who has frustrated or even provoked you is never acceptable. Those who think otherwise, even now, are seen as being on the fringes. But donors on the woman's GiveSendGo page unabashedly used racist language against the boy, prompting the site to turn off the comments section. Others excused her behaviour as acting out of aggravation. There are communities where the racial slur is only unacceptable in 'racially mixed company,' Coleman said. Social media websites and crowdfunding platforms have helped people around the world speak with each other and with their wallets. It's intensified by the anonymity these platforms allow. 'Feeling that no one will know who you are enables you to act on your feelings, on your beliefs in an aggressive and even mean-spirited way that you might not do if you were exposed,' Taylor said. Television Canada Canada Soccer Columnists
Winnipeg Free Press
07-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
A woman who called a Black child a slur has raised a backlash but also thousands of dollars
___ NOTE CONTENTS: This story contains a term that refers to a racial slur. ___ A screenshot of an online fundraiser on the Christian fundraising platform, GiveSendGo, is seen on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Tang) A video showing a Minnesota woman at a playground last week openly admitting to using a racist slur against a Black child has garnered millions of views. But what's been equally appalling for some is that the woman has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in crowdfunds. In the video, a man in Rochester, a city roughly 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of Minneapolis, confronts the woman for calling a 5-year-old boy the N-word. The woman appears to double-down on the racist term and flips off the man confronting her with both of her middle fingers. The woman, who could not be reached for comment, has since amassed over $700,000 through Christian fundraising platform GiveSendGo for relocation expenses because of threats she received over the video. The fundraising page said she used the word out of frustration because the boy went through her 18-month-old child's diaper bag. The Associated Press has not verified this assertion. 'I called the kid out for what he was,' she wrote, adding that the online videos have 'caused my family, and myself, great turmoil.' The flurry of monetary contributions has reignited multiple debates, from whether racist language and attacks are becoming more permissible to the differences between 'cancel culture' and 'consequence culture.' Many want to see the woman face some sort of comeuppance for using a slur, especially toward a child. Others say despite her words, she does not deserve to be harassed. The confrontation is reminiscent of others from the internet age in which the instigator of assaults or verbal attacks obtained almost folk hero status, while the victim received a tepid show of support by comparison. The NAACP Rochester chapter started its own fundraising campaign for the child's family. The GoFundMe page had raised $340,000 when it was closed Saturday per the wishes of the family, who want privacy, said the civil rights organization. It was speaking on behalf of the family of the child, who the organization said was on the autism spectrum. 'This was not simply offensive behavior—it was an intentional racist, threatening, hateful and verbal attack against a child, and it must be treated as such,' the NAACP Rochester chapter said in a statement. The Rochester Police Department investigated and submitted findings to the Rochester City Attorney's Office for 'consideration of a charging decision,' spokesperson Amanda Grayson said in a statement Monday. GiveSendGo did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Some say defending the woman defends racism The donations did and did not surprise Dr. Henry Taylor, director for the Center of Urban Studies at the University at Buffalo. But shifts in the political and cultural climate have emboldened some people to express racist and bigoted views against people of color or those they consider outsiders. A more recent backlash, from the White House to corporate boardrooms, against diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives have amplified those feelings. The racism 'hovering beneath the surface' comes from blame, Taylor said. 'People are given someone to hate and someone to blame for all of the problems and challenges that they are facing themselves,' Taylor said. The volume of monetary contributions in the Rochester case is reminiscent of the surge of support for individuals like Kyle Rittenhouse, Daniel Penny and George Zimmerman. All three men were legally found to have acted in self-defense or in defense of others after the death of a Black victim — except Rittenhouse, who killed two white protesters at a racial justice demonstration against police. The support and opposition in these cases has often been split along party lines. Backlash against 'cancel culture' persists In the woman's case, a contingent of supporters just want to fight cancel culture, said Franciska Coleman, an assistant professor of law at University of Wisconsin Law School, who has written about cancel culture and social regulation of speech. For some it can include donating 'to everyone who they in quotes try to 'cancel.'' Some people are fixated on how 'it just seems too much that this mother of two young kids is getting death threats and rape threats,' Coleman said. Conservative commentators have gone online to applaud her for not capitulating to angry internet mobs while acknowledging she used a hateful word. 'No one's excusing it. But she didn't deserve to be treated like a domestic terrorist,' conservative podcast host Matt Walsh said in a Facebook post. Some fight over justifications and consequences There's an important distinction, Coleman said, between 'cancel culture' and 'consequence culture.' The latter is about holding people accountable for actions and words that cause injury such as with 'this poor child.' That is what many people want to see in this Rochester woman's case. Because a formal system of punishment may not impose consequences for the woman's racist behavior, 'we have to do it informally,' Colman said. She and Taylor agree that, in conventional societal thinking, using racist slurs against someone who has frustrated or even provoked you is never acceptable. Those who think otherwise, even now, are seen as being on the fringes. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up But donors on the woman's GiveSendGo page unabashedly used racist language against the boy, prompting the site to turn off the comments section. Others excused her behavior as acting out of aggravation. There are communities where the racial slur is only unacceptable in 'racially mixed company,' Coleman said. Social media websites and crowdfunding platforms have helped people around the world speak with each other and with their wallets. It's intensified by the anonymity these platforms allow. 'Feeling that no one will know who you are enables you to act on your feelings, on your beliefs in an aggressive and even mean-spirited way that you might not do if you were exposed,' Taylor said. ___ Tang reported from Phoenix. Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Los Angeles Times
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Elisa Wouk Almino named editor in chief of Image magazine
The following announcement is sent on behalf of Executive Editor Terry Tang: I'm delighted to announce that Elisa Wouk Almino has been named editor in chief of Image magazine. Wouk Almino joined the L.A. Times in 2022 as Image's deputy editor. Her creativity and editorial ambition are exceptional. Under her leadership in 2024, the magazine has thrived by offering readers a glorious and authentic view of the makers of L.A. style, fashion and art. She has recruited top talent for the magazine's pages and published thought-provoking, unexpected stories on art and fashion, from deeply felt essays on surfing and personal style to visual stories, such as one that re-created old K-town beauty pageants. Wouk Almino has also written memorable essays of her own, including profiles on L.A. luminaries such as Catherine Opie, Sérgio Mendes and Ed Ruscha. And she has led new projects such as Image's activation at Art Basel Miami in 2022 and the Image party at Soho Warehouse, which drew over 600 people last year. Prior to joining Image, Wouk Almino was a senior editor at Hyperallergic, where she launched and ran the art magazine's L.A. bureau. Before moving to Los Angeles in 2018, she lived in New York for 10 years, where she worked at and wrote for various publications including Words Without Borders, n+1, the Paris Review, the New York Review of Books, Rizzoli, Guernica and the Nation. At one point, she gave gallery tours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and taught art criticism and literary translation at UCLA Extension and Catapult. She started in her new role Monday.
