How is the educated, non-stereotypical black dude treated in Canada

[Neutre]

Originally Posted by nickjbor

First of all be aware that Toronto and Montreal are the only two cities in canada with "american levels" of black people, and in Montreal, they all speak french.

In Toronto you wont find as much racism as in the US, but be aware that this is changing. There is a growing ammount of crime commited by black youth (mostly against other black youth) that makes people start to see everyone in a bad light. I'll be very bluntly honest with you right how, and dont take this the wrong way, but if you have an "african american" accent, you likely WILL run into roadblocks. Many of the blacks here either speak "white" english, or are immigrants from africa, and have heavy nigerian/ghanan accents. The thinking among white canadians is "why cant these people talk proper english if they were born and raised in an english country?" Remember, Toronto is a city of immigrants. More then half of the people who live here were not borh here, and a huge number were born in other countries. If they have children here, and those children have accents, people kind of see that as a failure. Rather then racism being based on skin colour, it is based on how you speak. (This is shown well in the quebec-canada arguments) It is also important how you dress, and this goes for anyone of any colour in Toronto. Wearing baggy pants and a backwords ball cap will indicate that you wish to appear "tuff" and that tends to not go over well. Rather then black people, I mostly see children of spanish and pakistani immigrants wearing this getup.

In short - people in Toronto expect certain things from those born in a "white" country. They will accept an immigrant who is 'different' but they expect those born here to act a certain way, dress a certain way, and talk a certain way. If you dont fit into that (and the steryotype of the african-american male does not) then you might well be shunned; not because of the colour of your skin, but because of other things.

This attitude is similar to Germany, or probably Europe in general. If you're discriminated against, then it's more likely because of your attitude in general rather than the color of your skin.

[mellabella]

[quote=WZL;2574889] I would get a lot of calls from employers and get phone interviews done very quickly, before moving on to the final face-to-face interviews. It was after this stage that I would be met with dead silence. Emails and calls not returned. I wouldn't even get a "We found someone else" gesture.


My husband looked for jobs and got the same treatment and he is white. It wouldn't say it is racial at all.

[Fred Derf]

This is an old thread so perhaps this is pointless but Toronto (at least) does not have one seamless black community. We have people who have been here for generations, we have some people who have moved here from the United States, we have a large number who have moved here from Jamaica, we have many people who have moved here from Trinidad and other Caribbean countries, we have francophone people who have moved here from West Africa, we have a large number of people who moved here from Somalia and other east African nations. In short, we have a diverse mix of black dudes. My son's current best friend is of West African descent. There are no particular 'rules' about who has to do what. The OP would pretty much be free to be who he wants to be.

[kkgg7]

I think someone already pointed out earlier than "American" can refer to all people in the this continent, not just the USA, which happens to have the word "America" in the name of the country.

Originally Posted by Sonrise

Moosejockey,
Black Canadians aren't "african american". Sorry to be anal but that particular statement is a major pet peeve of mine and is becoming more prevalent due to insane p.c. as a matter of fact Sports Illustrated did a lil write up about Ottawa's goalie remarking that he's the first "african america" to lead his team to the stanley cup. Despite the fact that Ray Emery is born and raised in Ontario, CANADA. We as a society have become so concerned with politically correct terms that we don't let facts get in the way. UGGGHHHH!!!!!! Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Proceed.

[kkgg7]

I myself judge people (completely strangers) by how they behave and talk. Here in downtown Toronto, I often see young black people, wearing their extremely loose and baggy outfits, hanging out in groups of 4 or 5 doing nothing on the street, sometimes talking random weird stuff to strangers. Usually I will choose not to walk close by them, because I would assume they could be trouble makers. I have wondered for very long why they do this. It is not even cool if they think so. I am not sure if it is just me, what I avoid most is such small gangs of youngsters who do nothing but "chilling" there. They may be harmless but they are not presenting them in a good way.

On the other hand, if I see a nicely dressed black man carrying a briefcase minding his own business on the street, I wouldn't perceived him as anything different.

I think what boils down to is how we present ourselves in the way we act and talk. There are tons of white trash on the streets as well, and I don't think people like them any better just because their skin color is lighter.

Steorotypes will never cease to exist, and yes sometimes it is very frustrating. But honestly speaking, when someone repulses others, it is always about how he or she acts, not about race. So of you are well educated and have good manners, others will see that within 2 minutes and will very unlikely to group you with the streets doing-nothing gangs I mentioned above.

[Neutre]

Originally Posted by Fred Derf

This is an old thread so perhaps this is pointless but Toronto (at least) does not have one seamless black community. We have people who have been here for generations, we have some people who have moved here from the United States, we have a large number who have moved here from Jamaica, we have many people who have moved here from Trinidad and other Caribbean countries, we have francophone people who have moved here from West Africa, we have a large number of people who moved here from Somalia and other east African nations. In short, we have a diverse mix of black dudes. My son's current best friend is of West African descent. There are no particular 'rules' about who has to do what. The OP would pretty much be free to be who he wants to be.

Yes. And in Canada there doesn't seem to be the black culture/accent/community comparable to that in the US.

Originally Posted by kkgg7

Steorotypes will never cease to exist, and yes sometimes it is very frustrating. But honestly speaking, when someone repulses others, it is always about how he or she acts, not about race. So of you are well educated and have good manners, others will see that within 2 minutes and will very unlikely to group you with the streets doing-nothing gangs I mentioned above.

True, although some stereotypes seem to be stronger in the US than in Canada.