Viral ‘Dangerous Boba’ Post in Bay Area Was Actually a Racist Jab at Asian Neighbors

More details have emerged regarding the “boba” controversy in Millbrae, California, where some parents appear to be genuinely voicing their concerns about how local bubble tea shops are ruining their children’s future.

Weeks ago, a post on social media platform Nextdoor went viral, proclaiming, “I agree with the lady who spoke at the public hearing who said that kids hanging out at boba milk tea shops are throwing their futures away when they should be studying SATs, nonstop.”

As it turns out, the post was a satire, written to mock their Asian neighbor who spoke up at a city council meeting to highlight the need for quality after-school activities in their community. Instead of hearing out her actual concerns, her neighbors poked fun at her. 

A concerned Millbrae resident told NextShark that the Millbrae City Council Meeting, held on March 27 discussed a vote to approve a proposed project which includes plans for a number of residential units, commercial office space, and hotel on the parking lot of the local BART station.

“One Asian mother went up to speak, noting that students spend a great deal of time at Boba tea shops because of the shortage of quality after-school activities and enrichment programs that will help our students be more well-rounded,” the neighbor, A. Wong explained. “She was lobbying for the city to improve school conditions.”

The mom, identified as Christy Lao, told NextShark that her speech merely used children going to tea shops to make her point on the need for better programs for Millbrae students.

“My children are now in college and no longer hanging out at the Millbrae Boba Tea places,” Lao said. “But I firmly believe all young children deserve quality programs while growing up and I am advocating that for all the school age children in Millbrae.”

Here is her piece in its entirety:

“I was warned to be careful about saying Millbrae currently does not provide quality education to the students. I was also warned that it was very difficult to compile data to support the conclusion that Mills’ school quality has been declining. The answer is right in this room. Look at the last award that distinguished school Taylor received, it was 2003 (2013 in her prepared speech). As a matter of fact, Millbrae parents contribute significantly to the success of the students. Millbrae parents pay less than arms and legs to attend C2 and Think Tank to increase the children’s chances to good colleges. Unlike BHS students, Mills’ students can rarely get into Stanford or the Ivys. Why? Do Mills students do not work as hard as BHS students? We all know the answers, Mills High students work harder but Mills does not have the variety and the quality extra-curricular activities and ethnic programs that BHS has. Top-Tier colleges look for students not only with good grades but students that are well-rounded, unique and have their own mind.

“What does Millbrae has the most? After-school programs, okay, and what else does Millbrae has the most? Boba milk tea cafe. Why? When schools fail to provide students with enrichment programs they are interested in, students will hang out at boba milk tea cafe. School administrators and teachers know the importance of extracurricular activities but they cannot do anything when funding is not available..”

She was not able to finish her speech, which was supposed to further bring her point on the impact the proposed project may bring to the community. Her last paragraph read:

“The current plan in this TOD project, I believe will not be able to generate high revenue that would help improve our schools and provide the best education Millbrae children deserve.In addition, the impact of additional students from these 444 units proposed in this project should not be underestimated. Councilman, how many schools do you think we will need for these additional students? And where is the money coming from?”

While she did talk about students flocking to boba tea shops, Lao’s aim was to make clear a point of the lack of programs to for the students. As she made no mention of “studying for SAT,” her speech was either misunderstood by her neighbors or intentionally taken out of context to mock her.

Wong explained why it appears to be more of the latter, “It linked uniquely Asian American elements (Boba) to a stereotypical ‘Tiger Mom’ who overburdens their child with tasks at the expense of any leisurely break. Such comments only work to perpetuate Asian stereotypes and reduces them to little more than caricatures, burdening them with poor self-image and self-doubts.”

Featured Image via YouTube/Millbrae Community Television

The post Viral ‘Dangerous Boba’ Post in Bay Area Was Actually a Racist Jab at Asian Neighbors appeared first on NextShark.

Contributer : NextShark