This document contains a summary of Chapter 7 of the book "Bifocal" from November 2019 by M. Riddell. It discusses Kevin's racist actions toward a woman of color who was parking her car. It notes that many immigrants come to Canada to escape bad situations in their home countries. It also lists some common stereotypes portrayed in the chapter, such as that all Muslims are terrorists or that all Asians are good at math. The reaction is that reading about stereotypes made the author uncomfortable as they can be hurtful and should not be joked about. It questions whether racist jokes can ever be okay.

1. BIFOCAL
CHAPTER 7
NOVEMBER 2019
M. RIDDELL

2. 1. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO KEVIN’S
ACTIONS ON PAGES 90-91?
• IT UPSETS ME THAT SOMEONE COULD BE SO CRUEL TO A STRANGER, MAYBE A
NEWCOMER TO CANADA.
• WHY DO PEOPLE COME TO CANADA? MANY HAVE LEFT A BAD SITUATION IN
THEIR HOME COUNTRY.
• IF I THINK ABOUT IT FROM THE OTHER DRIVER’S PERSPECTIVE MAYBE SHE
COULDN’T READ THE SIGN, MAYBE SHE HAD SEEN OTHER PEOPLE PARKING LIKE
THAT AND THOUGHT IT WAS OKAY.
• I BET SHE WAS SCARED TO HAVE THREE LARGE TEENAGERS PULL UP BESIDE HER
AND ONE OF THEM YELL AT HER.
• MANY STUDENTS WERE SURPRISED AND SHAKEN. SOME HAD NOT REALIZED
KEVIN WAS RACIST. AFTER ALL HE PLAYED FOOTBALL WITH PLAYERS OF
DIFFERENT RACES.

3. 2. IDENTIFY TWO STEREOTYPES THAT ARE
PORTRAYED IN THIS CHAPTER?
• ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS, SUICIDE BOMBERS
• ALL BROWN SKINNED PEOPLE ARE THE SAME – ARABS, SIKHS
• ALL CHINESE PEOPLE EAT DOGS AND CATS
• ALL CHINESE PEOPLE ARE BAD DRIVERS
• ALL ASIANS ARE GOOD AT MATH AND COMPUTERS
• ALL SWEDISH PEOPLE ARE BLONDS
• ALL BLACK PEOPLE CARRY KNIVES
• ALL BLACK PEOPLE LOVE FRIED CHICKEN

4. 3. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THIS
CHAPTER?
• I FOUND IT UNCOMFORTABLE TO READ BECAUSE I RECOGNIZED THE
STEREOTYPES AND I WORRIED THAT MAYBE STUDENTS WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND
THE POINT OF THE CHAPTER.
• STEREOTYPES ARE HURTFUL AND SHOULDN’T EVER BE JOKED ABOUT.
• IS IT EVER OKAY TO LAUGH AT A RACIST JOKE?