Watch the news in Vancouver and one might not be faulted for thinking that all South Asians are bloodthirsty thugs.

There are many times when I feel that the political radar of the Georgia Straight’s Charlie Smith is skewered by irrelevance, a point that I have written about in the past and an opinion which is only buttressed with blog updates like this by his staff.

This piece, however, shows that Smith, when on, is still one of this city’s best commentators.

I have often pontificated, both verbally and in print, about the Vancouver media’s portrayal of South Asians when associated with any type of criminal activity – either alleged or proven.

Right now I am off to meet a high profile South Asian who thankfully doesn’t seem to be pigeonholed based on his or her race.  But later in the day I will be back with a more in depth analysis on how South Asians are always classified in such a limited way by local reporting.