The esteemed University of Toronto recently came under fire after its staff gave out ang paos , or red packets, to its students and residents filled with "hell money". According to a post on University of Toronto's subreddit, the university's graduate house staff had placed the ang paos in the common area for students and residents alike to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Used during Chinese festivals like the Qingming Festival, the notes are joss paper meant to be burned as offerings for the deceased.
Giving it to a living person, however, is offensive in Chinese culture. When given to a living person, it is like telling the other person that they are dead to you, or that you're wishing death upon them. The university has since apologized for the mishap, saying that by the time they realized the mistake, it had already been too late; people had already taken the envelopes. An apology written in Mandarin was also issued on the university's WeChat page , along with an explanation of the measures taken to rectify the situation.
The University of Toronto understands the impact of this incident and apologizes for the error," it said. U of T is firmly committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. We will continue to strengthen important campus education efforts to increase knowledge and understanding of our diverse community to deepen inclusivity and belonging across our three campuses. Despite the apology, some of the Reddit commenters on the subreddit are more skeptical about the mistake, pointing out that the bank notes literally have the words "Hell Bank Note" written on the top.
Others questioned why the university staff didn't just opt for chocolate coins in the ang paos. At the time of writing, a total of 6, students have signed a petition to stop on-campus Anti-Asian racism.
The petition calls for an official apology and investigation from the university, mental health support for students affected by the incident, a detailed course of action to prevent further appropriation of cultural contents and expressions, and lastly, to have a student-centered monitoring system to prevent offensive practices.
