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Well I don't know what to say really. Like i mentioned i myself have been in mixed race relationships before and i've never encountered any issues. Do my experiences reflect on canada anymore than yours do I don't know?
I still feel people (especially here) tend to exaggerate their own personal experiences to try to make broader social issues out of them that may or may not exist. I still disagree with your choice of title. Racism exists in canada like it does everywhere but it's far from pervasive in my experiences.
I agree. I've been in mixed race relationships, and nobody batted an eye. You know why? Because "noone" gives a **** anymore. It doesn't make you special or unique.
From my experience, you probably get looks from people, not because they are judging your skin colour/relationship, but because you're giving everyone the stink-eye, because you expect them to judge you based on your relationship. Once I realized that for the most part, it was all in my head.....I stopped seeing it all together.
Sorry, but to label basically all Canadians who aren't a visible minority racists is crazy. You're Canadian too, Arctic Gardener. Does that also make you a racist? No, of course it doesn't.
I'm an ethnic East Indian and I've spent all my adult life in Canada. My wife is a Caucasian from western Europe. We always observed subtle signs from people that they considered us a weird couple because of the difference in skin colour and/or the perceived cultural differences (although, in my wife's own words, she feels culturally closer to me than to a Canadian - take that for what it's worth).
We never gave these stereotypes much thought until what happened to us yesterday. A Canadian airline employee harassed us (and particularly me), demanding to know why we had different nationalities, why we were claiming to be married, and why my wife had not taken my last name if she was indeed my wife. He refused to let us board until we had finished answering his intrusive personal questions (only CBSA and CIC are allowed to ask such questions, or so I thought). I've never been treated so badly, not even by CBSA and not even by USCBP. He was clearly on a power trip, and I'm sure we were not the only ones harassed by him, but it crystallized all the experiences we had had. I plan to file a complaint with the airline but it's going to do us a fat lot of good.
I want to know why Canadians are unable to accept that mixed-race, mixed-culture and mixed-nationality couples are not only normal, but common as well. I've never faced such attitudes in Western Europe or even on the two coasts of the United States (never been to the heartland of the U.S so can't comment on that). You do see intense ideological racists in Europe, and thankfully not a lot in Canada, but the *average* level of racism held by the common Jane or Joe seems to be higher in Canada.
I don't think this is an example of racism. Airline employees are responsible in making sure the passport matches the holder and can refuse to board you. Also if they feel the passport is damaged and might not be accepted at your destination, Mexico is an example of this, they can also refuse to board you. I had a Dutch boarder guard try to pick at the edges of may passport to see if it was real. I also had Swiss guards board the train and call in the details of my passport. Both time they were quite rude, but it wasn't racism, unless it was against a blonde hair, white male which I am. As for the rudeness, that does not equate racism since all people of all races have issues with airline employees, clerk etc. My own white Quebecois mother was told by one U.S. border guard that she didn't look Canadian when crossing a land crossing with her then U.S. passport holding boyfriend. Was that racism? or just plain ignorance and a power tripping guard who saw two people travelling under different national passports as suspicious for some silly reason.
You seem to want to paint Canada with one brush. You are simply wrong. Mixed couples do not raise eyebrows in any of the places I've visited in Canada. I have several friends are mixed race couples and none have every had any feeling of racism towards them.
I'm an ethnic East Indian and I've spent all my adult life in Canada. My wife is a Caucasian from western Europe. We always observed subtle signs from people that they considered us a weird couple because of the difference in skin colour and/or the perceived cultural differences (although, in my wife's own words, she feels culturally closer to me than to a Canadian - take that for what it's worth).
We never gave these stereotypes much thought until what happened to us yesterday. A Canadian airline employee harassed us (and particularly me), demanding to know why we had different nationalities, why we were claiming to be married, and why my wife had not taken my last name if she was indeed my wife. He refused to let us board until we had finished answering his intrusive personal questions (only CBSA and CIC are allowed to ask such questions, or so I thought). I've never been treated so badly, not even by CBSA and not even by USCBP. He was clearly on a power trip, and I'm sure we were not the only ones harassed by him, but it crystallized all the experiences we had had. I plan to file a complaint with the airline but it's going to do us a fat lot of good.
I want to know why Canadians are unable to accept that mixed-race, mixed-culture and mixed-nationality couples are not only normal, but common as well. I've never faced such attitudes in Western Europe or even on the two coasts of the United States (never been to the heartland of the U.S so can't comment on that). You do see intense ideological racists in Europe, and thankfully not a lot in Canada, but the *average* level of racism held by the common Jane or Joe seems to be higher in Canada.
Keep all your boarding passes, airticket stubs or computer printout, etc. Send in a formal written complaint.
I'm an ethnic East Indian and I've spent all my adult life in Canada. My wife is a Caucasian from western Europe. We always observed subtle signs from people that they considered us a weird couple because of the difference in skin colour and/or the perceived cultural differences (although, in my wife's own words, she feels culturally closer to me than to a Canadian - take that for what it's worth).
I want to know why Canadians are unable to accept that mixed-race, mixed-culture and mixed-nationality couples are not only normal, but common as well. I've never faced such attitudes in Western Europe or even on the two coasts of the United States (never been to the heartland of the U.S so can't comment on that). You do see intense ideological racists in Europe, and thankfully not a lot in Canada, but the *average* level of racism held by the common Jane or Joe seems to be higher in Canada.
Why do you make the assumption that because they view you as a "weird couple" they're naturally racist? What kind of subtle signs do they give you? I'm not necessarily disputing your assertions, but I'm curious if you're equating curiosity and a desire to not make a cultural misstep with subtle racism.
As to why we have trouble accepting a mixed-nationality or mixed-race couple as normal and common - Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, you wouldn't have been either normal, nor common. However, I don't recall ever being aware of any negative feelings existing towards any particular group of people, so I don't think it's fair nor accurate to label our lack of worldliness as racism.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by Mhundred
Well I don't know what to say really. Like i mentioned i myself have been in mixed race relationships before and i've never encountered any issues. Do my experiences reflect on canada anymore than yours do I don't know?
I still feel people (especially here) tend to exaggerate their own personal experiences to try to make broader social issues out of them that may or may not exist. I still disagree with your choice of title. Racism exists in canada like it does everywhere but it's far from pervasive in my experiences. I would add that in maybe more cases than not the more uncomfortable groups with the inter-racial relationships tend to be from the non-white immigrant communities.
This. I think people's perceptions will vary widely on their experiences.
I have found that Canadian customer service employees - especially those with a bit of power - are very likely to be very exacting and ask lots of detailed questions, in an attempt to follow all the rules to the exact letter of the law. I'm not sure if it's racism, or just that Canadian demeanor of perfectionism even when unnecessary. For example, when we went to trade in our driver's licenses from the U.S. for a Canadian license, the clerk could not fathom how a woman could take her husband's last name and replace her middle name with her maiden name, as is extremely common in most parts of the U.S. - see Hillary Rodham Clinton for example. She kept insisting that the name MUST be hyphenated, which we adamantly refused. The U.S. license being traded in clearly stated the correct name, and a marriage certificate was shown to her, but she insisted she couldn't do it without a name change document.
My wife, who is part Asian, gets the occasional strange look in the local stores in our small Ontario city where the vast majority of people are white. I don't think it's racism, just people who are stuck in their small town bubble and are surprised to see someone who looks different. The homogeneity is quite striking in this area (Niagara region) compared to where we came from, and compared to areas closer to Toronto, for instance.
Just for the sake of clarity, if it was an airline employee in Frankfurt, it's highly likely that they were GERMAN. The cost of sending an ex-patriot clerk is highly prohibitive. Just because they work for Air Canada, doesn't make them Canadian.
I can't speak for the OPs personal experience, but I can say that I don't see much racism in my community at all. I do see some minorities claiming racism when they don't get their way (i.e. "playing the race card"), but for the most part, everyone seems pretty even-keeled as far as racism goes.
I agree with BIMBAM that racism was far more prevalent up until the 80's, but IMO that was mainly due to ignorance stemming from lack of interaction with visible minorities. As more of them became integrated and their cultures understood, the racism slowly disappeared to the point where it is virtually non-existent today. That is not to say there isn't any racists in Canada (they exist in all countries and cultures), but Canada is hardly overrun by them by any stretch of the imagination.
If racism is really virtually non-existent today in Canada, as you claim, how come the highly racist term "visible minorities" is still so widespread and legal in Canada? You use it without any reservation and without even realizing about how racist it is.
How can you justify that?
Last edited by movingwiththewind; 02-18-2013 at 08:58 AM..
I have found that Canadian customer service employees - especially those with a bit of power - are very likely to be very exacting and ask lots of detailed questions, in an attempt to follow all the rules to the exact letter of the law. I'm not sure if it's racism, or just that Canadian demeanor of perfectionism even when unnecessary. For example, when we went to trade in our driver's licenses from the U.S. for a Canadian license, the clerk could not fathom how a woman could take her husband's last name and replace her middle name with her maiden name, as is extremely common in most parts of the U.S. - see Hillary Rodham Clinton for example. She kept insisting that the name MUST be hyphenated, which we adamantly refused. The U.S. license being traded in clearly stated the correct name, and a marriage certificate was shown to her, but she insisted she couldn't do it without a name change document.
My wife, who is part Asian, gets the occasional strange look in the local stores in our small Ontario city where the vast majority of people are white. I don't think it's racism, just people who are stuck in their small town bubble and are surprised to see someone who looks different. The homogeneity is quite striking in this area (Niagara region) compared to where we came from, and compared to areas closer to Toronto, for instance.
I'm a little confused by this story. If your wife's old license had her name on it as did the marriage certificate, where did the clerk get the notion that her name was anything else? Also when it comes official government issued identification, I would hope the clerk DOES follow " the rules and the exact letter of the law".
Oh, you think it's not racist? The term "visible minority" is just descriptive? And who does the term "visible minorities" describe and why?
The term "visible minority" is not only racist, it's insulting! It singles out some Canadians (as well as some immigrants) because of what? What the hell!
IMO, it tells you something about Canadian society.
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