Boba tea controversy: What Simu Liu said after is also important

The boba tea controversy began when Simu Liu pointed out the cultural appropriation of a brand on a Canadian show—and rightfully so. But in the outrage, what he said afterwards was drowned out.

Of all the Asian things that could cause a stir, we didn’t think it would be a pygmy hippo and boba. The two things seem to occupy the opposite extremes. Moo Deng is universally loved while boba has caused an uproar. Actually, it’s Bobba, a bubble tea company that has been the object of contempt for many in the past few days. And it’s all because of the now-infamous appearance of their owners on the show Dragons’ Den and what actor Simu Liu pointed out.

Simu Liu and the Dragons’ Den boba tea controversy: What he said on the show and after

Dragons’ Den is a reality TV show in Canada where entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to a group of venture capitalists who are referred to as “Dragons”. Simu Liu, who is a Canadian and also has his own venture company, was a guest in a recent episode when owners Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette pitched their business, Bobba. 

Their pitch was a more “convenient and healthier ready-to-drink experience” for the “beloved beverage”. Fiset also mentioned something about “disturbing” the bubble tea market, which raised red flags for Liu. “There’s also an issue of cultural appropriation. There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and ‘making it better,’ which I have an issue with,” he said.

In the end, Simu didn’t back the company. “I started this venture company for a lot of reasons but really primarily to uplift minority entrepreneurs,” Liu said. He continued by saying that supporting the company “would be uplifting a business that is profiting off of something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage.” The two owners said they respected his decision. Despite this, another Dragon, Manjit Minhas, decided to invest in the company.

The clip showing their pitch and the Dragons’ deliberation went viral on social media. A firestorm of outrage began, and in all the outrage spewed out against Bobba and their owners, barely anyone seemed to listen to what Simu Liu said afterwards.

Backlash and Simu Liu’s response after the boba tea controversy

 

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Shortly after the clip went viral, Liu went on Instagram and also posted on his TikTok to address the “boba of it all”. He says that while he has received “a massive wave of positivity and support”, which he’s thankful for, he was also made aware that Bobba’s owners started receiving “death threats, and harassment… and bullying”. 

Some of the comments and videos made about the situation have been poking fun at the company while some have been more snide than others. But there are some that are just downright hateful. One user called the owners “f***ing a**holes”. A comment on one of Bobba’s videos said “Taiwanese people hate you”. Another comment called them “racist”, while another said, “I hope your business fails and you go into crippling debt”.

Let’s be clear: it’s right to call out cultural appropriation, which Bobba was definitely doing. It’s understandable to be angry, even furious, since this has been happening for a long time. What isn’t right is harassing them, and that’s what Liu was pointing out the video he made on TikTok. “It’s never okay to make threats. It’s never okay to bully or harass online.”

“I just don’t want the legacy of this segment to be pitchforks and people fearing for their safety,” he continued. “I think we’re starting to lose the plot… which is let’s educate people, let’s make the world a better place, let’s make people aware that some things are not okay from a cultural perspective.”

Bobba’s apology

Liu went on to say that he believes the owners came “in good faith” to pitch their business and that “a lot of grace should be afforded to them because they’re French-Canadian, I think their exposure to these cultural conversations was limited”. 

Bobba did release an apology. An overwhelming amount of people have criticised the apology as being AI-generated and insincere. Other users said that saying English was their second language in their apology was a cop-out. Interestingly, Liu mentioned in his video that this along with the fact that they were being filmed and “put on the spot” would result in them “saying things that were not perfect”.

He also addressed the backlash directed at the other Dragons on the panel, he said that everyone on the show was supportive and that the Dragons were “all ears” and wanted to hear more about his perspective in the break room. It was a moment he said he wished would have been filmed. Liu most likely felt he needed to address this since Manhjit Minhas, who was the Dragon who decided to invest in the company, also began receiving abuse for her decision. She has since announced on her Instagram that she wouldn’t be continuing with the investment, adding “It is never okay to send hate and threatening messages to the entrepreneurs.”

Disagreement and compassion

“I wish social media could be more of a habitable place where we could actually voice respectful disagreement with one another,” Liu continued. “Let’s disagree with each other… But what we’re not going to do is threaten people’s physical safety… and cause them trauma that they don’t deserve as entrepreneurs who in good faith attempted to pitch a business.”

“Was it misguided? I believe so. Were they a little ignorant? Absolutely. But those are all human things,” the actor concluded. “I guess I’m just asking for empathy and compassion.”

[Hero image: CBC]