I realize discussing racism is a delicate game but I'll take a brief stab here.
Without getting too involved on what exactly defines racism (according to one former liberal colleague of mine there were degrees of racism. For example, the racism perpetuated against Irish, Jews and Italians were different than those of the Natives and Blacks) or however it manifests itself, I can just offer my unrefined personal observances for the purpose of this post.
You can't get too far along a political (or even sports) comments threads in the USA without the issue of race coming up. Before long, as your eyes glaze over, everyone's a racist.
I've seen the treatment of "race" on three separate regions: USA, Quebec/Canada and Europe.
All I can say is, of the three, America seems far more sensitive to the issue and faces it head on. European racism is pretty apparent. One need only go to a soccer game to see how they feel about one another and blacks in particular.
The racist chants are incredible. Stuff we'd NEVER see or condone here in North America.
As for Quebec, let's just say that sometimes things are said on live TV and radio that I close my eyes and believe I'm living in the Appalachians with a banjo on my thigh. Canada itself has a racist past that hardly gets any mention at all.
More interesting to me is whether my former colleague had a point. About the degrees of racism.
Just to be clear, you're saying it's as though Europe has a 3rd degree black belt in racism? Or as they would say in the States, a 3rd degree African-American belt.
ReplyDeleteParking our First Nations in reserves is racism, Bill 101 is racism, when the Orangemen refuse bilingualism, it's racism. All ideologically based nationalisms are racism.
ReplyDeleteCall it patriotism à la Tea Party or à la P.Q., preserving ethnic purity or what not, as Shaskepeare could have written: "what's in a name that racism by any other name just as foul would smell".
Racism is endemic and we all have our special brand...but let's not make a championship contest of it.
No, but we need to face and debate it more here in Canada!
ReplyDeleteAs for "refusing" bilingualism it may make someone ignorant but I'm not sure it makes them racist unless they explicitly state it's for racial reasons.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is Quebec has discriminatory language laws while the rest of Canada doesn't. There's a huge difference between not getting service in French in Manitoba and laws like Bill 101.
Huge.
Not so sure about a difference here save for the fact that one is legalized and not the other. That makes it maybe less open but more insidious.
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