# Humanitarian of the New Year - Janet Fan. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 14, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611 "2011-01-14T16:31:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/1 "2011-01-14T16:31:36Z")
[Janet Fan](http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/01/13/bc-ubc-hospice-rejected.html) organized a protest against a hospice care facility adjacent to her condo, whipping people up into a dither about supposed cultural insensitivity. It worked, because we certainly wouldn’t want to appear to be intolerant. Their petition read in part “‘Death is the Yin and ‘Live’ is the Yang. If the Yin and Yang are near to each other, ‘Death’ will bring bad luck, meaning sickness and even death. The ghosts of the dead will invade and harass the living.” In my experience, over-the-top superstition and venal nimbyism is _not_ an integral part of Chinese culture. It is very disappointing that the St. Johns society caved to this; it will only serve to create more alienation and xenophobia. I hope Ms. Fan is proud of herself. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/2 "2011-01-14T16:41:26Z")
Assuming that the land the hospice is to be built on is actually zoned for research facilities only, fair enough. But yeah, that lady and her cultural issue can go fuck themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/3 "2011-01-14T17:53:04Z")
First damn line on the wiki entry: > [@](#): > > In [Chinese philosophy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_philosophy), the concept of **yin yang** ([_yin_ – [simplified Chinese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters): 阴; [traditional Chinese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters): 陰; [pinyin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin): _yīn_] [_yang_ - [simplified Chinese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters): 阳; [traditional Chinese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters): 陽; [pinyin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin): _yáng_], normally referred to in the West as yin _and_ yang) is used to describe how polar or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn Bitch doesn’t even get her superstition right. You’d think having seen a yin-yang symbol once in her life would have given her a Clue. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/4 "2011-01-16T17:34:53Z")
Hey, get folks to donate to a fund to study “Death and dying in urban communities” and the place can be a research institute. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/5 "2011-01-16T17:44:36Z")
NIMBYism for hospices? I thought that was reserved for rehab and homeless centres. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/6 "2011-01-16T18:02:31Z")
It’s ridiculous. Also, hospices are awesome. My mother and my mother-in-law both died in hospice, and you couldn’t ask for more compassionate care at the end of life. Personally, I’d love to live near a nice cemetery. Wouldn’t bother me a bit. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/7 "2011-01-16T18:10:53Z")
I think this has more to do with it than any cultural insensitivity. From the linked article. > [@](#): > > A two-bedroom condo in the Promontory sells for almost $1 million, and people fear their property value will plummet if the hospice is built. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/8 "2011-01-16T18:46:32Z")
She’s just disoriented. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/9 "2011-01-16T19:29:59Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > It’s ridiculous. Also, hospices are awesome. My mother and my mother-in-law both died in hospice, and you couldn’t ask for more compassionate care at the end of life. > > Personally, I’d love to live near a nice cemetery. Wouldn’t bother me a bit. I know, right? Nice, green rolling spaces that are kept up arduously, quiet neighbours - what’s not to like? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/10 "2011-01-16T19:32:38Z")
Well, the zombies will eat you first. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/11 "2011-01-16T19:33:46Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > She’s just disoriented. I’m sure it was just an occident. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/12 "2011-01-18T03:16:08Z")
Just because it can’t be built there doesn’t mean it won’t be built at all, does it? Or doesn’t it? If she was stopping it from being built at all then yes, she’s a total slimefucker. But if it’s still built somewhere else, then it’s less of a big deal. Paranoia over property values after the real estate bubble popped is understandable right now. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humanitarian-of-the-new-year-janet-fan/567611/13 "2011-01-18T04:50:51Z")
I wish I had someone like Janet Fan around in my building. Goddamn old folks home next door. They can’t fucking drive. I almost die in the local roundabout every week when one of those old fuckers just blows through the stop sign. At least the CMTS has no load on it though.