There’s a new addition to an internet debate that’s been going viral as of recent.
ICYMI, in a recent episode of Dragon’s Den (the Canadian version of Shark Tank), a grab-and-go bubble tea business brought up concerns of “cultural appropriation” for Simu Liu, a guest investor on this season of the show. In the episode, he explained these issues to the businessowners, and clips of this interaction have since taken the internet by storm.
CBC / Via gem.cbc.ca
“There’s also an issue of cultural appropriation,” he said in the episode. “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and quote-unquote ‘making it better,’ which I have an issue with.”
“What respect is being paid to this very Asian drink that has blown up around the world?” he asked. “And is it in your teas? Is it in your product development? Who is on your staff; who is on your cap table that is providing that for you?”
The debate is definitely multi-faceted, with voices on all sides of the conversation. But one thing that’s been happening a lot since the clip went viral? People have been calling out the business — as well as Manjit Minhas, another investor on the show that made a deal with the company (which has since been rescinded, but we’ll get to that).
Tik Tok ran that Bobba company into the flames, my god.
— Steven Underwood (@blaqueword) October 14, 2024
Well, it’s clear Simu Liu has his eye on this internet debate, because he just weighed in again in a TikTok video posted Sunday, Oct. 13. And his comments definitely bring a new perspective to the table.
Hector Vivas / Getty Images
He starts off by saying, “I think we hit on a really important discussion about cultural appropriation: what it is, how is something exploitative rather than kind of paying homage and paying respect, and when is that line crossed?”
Simu Liu / TikTok / Via tiktok.com
Simu also expressed his appreciation for the “massive wave of positivity and support” he’s gotten from “people from every community.”
“I’ve been made aware that the businessowners have received a lot of death threats, and harassment, and otherwise kind of bullying and dogpiling. And I just want to say that, full stop, it’s never okay to make threats. It’s never okay to bully and harass online,” he said.
“I don’t mean that the businessowners don’t deserve valid criticism, and I don’t believe that you should not be vocal about your disagreement, but I think we can all agree: common sense, there’s a line,” Simu explained. “There’s a line that you don’t and shouldn’t cross. There’s a line that you wouldn’t cross in person.”
Simu Liu / TikTok / Via tiktok.com
“I just don’t want the legacy of this segment to be pitchforks and people fearing for their safety. I think we’re starting to lose the plot of, I think, what ultimately the positive energy of this is, which is: let’s educate people. Let’s make the world a better place. Let’s make people aware that certain things aren’t okay from a cultural perspective.”
He proceeded to explain how he’s been on the other side of “internet dogpiling” before, and how it’s “one of the worst things that you can go through.”
“I believe that the entrepreneurs of this business came on Dragon’s Den to pitch a business in good faith. There were a lot of things with the pitch that I took issue with, that I disagreed with, and as a result, I pulled out as a potential investor. But that doesn’t mean that I believe that they deserve harassment and threats. I think a lot of grace should be afforded to them: they’re French-Canadian; I think their exposure to these types of cultural conversations was limited, and I also think English was not their first language,” he said.
Simu Liu / TikTok / Via tiktok.com
He reminded us that nobody is perfect and everyone deserves a bit of grace, which the internet often isn’t great at.
At the end of the day, Simu expressed his wishes that social media be a more respectful place. And no matter what side of this debate you’re on, that’s something we can likely all agree with.
Simu also discussed some of the backlash that the show itself has been experiencing. “A lot of the time you’re seeing knee-jerk reactions and micro-expressions that happen faster than the blink of an eye, and then we can’t take them back because the camera is rolling.” He explained that the other investors were supportive and had a thoughtful discussion about the situation off-camera.
Simu Liu / TikTok / Via tiktok.com
He didn’t name any names, but people have since assumed he’s talking about Manjit, because in the episode, she made a deal with the company.
Speaking of Simu’s castmates, Manjit Minhas — the investor who made a deal with Bobba, the bubble tea company in question — has since spoken out as well.
“After more reflection, due diligence and listening to many of your opinions I will not be investing in Bobba Tea,” she said in a statement posted on Instagram. “I believe wholeheartedly, our cultures are meant to be shared, and this includes food, drink, clothing, dance, languages and weddings.”
Manjit Minhas / Instagram / Via instagram.com
This video has gotten a pretty negative reaction from the internet, with users saying she “didn’t address the issue at all.”
As for the business itself? They responded to the situation, too. Their statement begins with an apology and some clarifications for a few comments they made in the episode. “What we were trying to do is celebrate that many other cultures are now enjoying this wonderful drink,” they wrote. “We never claimed that boba is new; what we explained during the show is that we have produced a different way to package it with a ready-to-drink glass bottle. […] At no point did we mean to insinuate that our Bobba bubble tea is better than traditional bubble tea in any way.”
CBC / Via gem.cbc.ca
It continues with: “Despite our intentions, we take responsibility and are accountable for the impact that this has had. It is clear to us that we should have called upon the expertise of our Taiwanese partners to shape the ways in which we give credit to the roots of bubble tea and ensure cultural integrity by properly acknowledging its origins in Taiwanese culture.”
This apology hasn’t been super well-received, either. “This was worse than Manjit apology,” one commenter wrote.
So now that three of the major parties involved in this situation have responded, it’s definitely stirred up more discussion, and even looping in individuals who hadn’t yet seen the clip. People are expressing all kinds of different opinions all over the internet.
Not me getting apology screenshots from that Dragon show AND Bobba on my fyp 💀 I don’t even watch that show
— Nanami Kento (@rj_hooks) October 13, 2024
