Ugly Toronto
June 10, 2013
KIDIST P. ASRAT, at Reclaiming Beauty, counters the argument that mass immigration to Toronto has made it a more vibrant city. She writes:
Yet, when we go to the areas most densely populated by these “ethnics” all we see are deteriorating restaurants and dull, colorless houses. So much for vibrancy. Even those areas where reasonably well-to-do (these days they are “Asians” – i.e. Chinese, Koreans and Filipinos, and the South Asians – i.e. Indians and Pakistani) immigrants reside, we find generally inferior homes, with no landscaping or maintenance of the surroundings. Dull and lusterless places.
— Comments —
Michelle writes:
I do not understand your problem with Chinese food store fronts. These are decent restaurants where my friends and I can go for dinner at a good price and get tasty nutritious food at a low cost. How much is a meal at the French restaurants that you covet? Are the Chinese food storefronts uglier than McDonalds, Wendy’s or KFC?
Laura writes:
Of course they are not uglier than McDonald’s. (Actually, I take that back. They feature a language that is alien to most Canadians. So that makes them uglier.) But Kidist is responding to the argument that Asian immigrants improve Canada and make it more vibrant. In this case, vibrancy is ugliness.
I never said anything about French restaurants. Kidist makes the point that the politician in question probably would prefer French restaurants. Again, she is addressing a particular justification for the transformation of Canada.
Daniel S. writes:
Ms. Asrat wrote:
Even those areas where reasonably well-to-do (these days they are “Asians” – i.e. Chinese, Koreans and Filipinos, and the South Asians – i.e. Indians and Pakistani) immigrants reside, we find generally inferior homes, with no landscaping or maintenance of the surroundings. Dull and lusterless places.
Not having been to Toronto I can speak to this particular situation, but thought I should mention that while maybe the Toronto-based Koreans have little interest in aesthetics, not so their ethnic brethren still in their native land. I am currently living in Seoul and must say that many neighborhoods here in the more affluent areas display quite pleasant architecture and landscaping. Furthermore, most of modern urbanity in the West is often ghastly or banal. I say this not to defend immigration, which I don’t, but it seems odd to single out Asians when one could produce numerous equally dull and inferior shop fronts run by Anglo-Americans.
Laura writes:
But, again, Kidist is responding to the point that Asians (and other non-Western immigrants) make Canada better.
Alex writes:
Daniel S. writes:
I am currently living in Seoul and must say that many neighborhoods here in the more affluent areas display quite pleasant architecture and landscaping.
People capable of creating affluent neighborhoods with pleasant architecture and landscaping for themselves in their own countries, stay in their own countries. They have no reason to emigrate. It’s people who are incapable of this that we get as immigrants.
Jay from Goshen writes:
If a municipality wants to take the trouble, it can pass ordinances that even McDonald’s has to follow. That is why in some locales, McDonald’s restaurants look not only inconspicuous, but attractive. My family and I drove a long distance once in a very isolated part of the southwest. We finally found a McDonald’s. Normally I hate the place, but in that instance, it was comforting and reassuring. It was constructed of local materials and that normally garish golden arch was small, and attractive, under the circumstances.
I’ve also had experiences ducking into a McDonalds to buy a tea, or a salad, during my business trips to New York City (as rare as possible), and have been pleasantly surprised at the decor. In one, there was even classical music playing. Someone must have read the research that classical music keeps out the riff-raff. The restroom was spotless. It was a nice place to gather my thoughts for very little money.
But Chinatown’s a different story. I used to enjoy the place, when it was small and tucked between what used to be Little Italy, and the Lower East Side. No more. It’s bursting at the seams, and it’s a mess. It’s loud, crowded, and utterly filthy. The stench and the garbage are overwhelming. You feel as if you are in downtown Somewhere-in-China, and not New York City. A crowded, hideous mess. The attitude of the people is very odd. It’s hard to explain, but they look at you, or rather don’t look at you, as if you are an alien from outer space.
My business takes me to all sorts of places (very “diverse”), and it is always interesting to note the reactions to a middle-aged tall skinny white guy. The attitude of the Chinese is by far the most hostile. It’s not violent, but it’s decidedly hostile. They make it clear that though they tolerate you for your business, they despise YOU. I wonder if any of your other readers have the same feeling.
In any case, their design sense is horrific.
