The not so Great Racism in Canada Thread

[kevinbottawa]

Hey SSPers,

Yesterday I wrote an article about my experience as a black man in Canada ahead of my CBC Radio segment about George Floyd and racism in Canada, for those who would like to know what it's like to be a black man in this country.

https://shiftermagazine.com/kevin-bourne/im-not-racist-canada

Here's something else I wrote during Black History Month.

https://shiftermagazine.com/kevin-bourne/black-history-month-opinion

[Truenorth00]

Bad as it can be for black and brown people sometimes, our real shame is how we treat aboriginals. Even the most sophisticated Canadians will show the exact same ingrained mentalities as whites in the US, show towards African Americans.

[WhipperSnapper]

My BFF will not drive in Southern Ontario anymore. He has being pulled over by the OPP and has seen the hand firmly gripping the holster one too many times and for no apparent reason.

There is blatant profiling happening in Canada. In general, the difference between Americans and Canadians is that we are pretty laissez-faire about anything serious and we hide any feelings than express them in conversation. Everybody is closeted. It's insidious and perhaps even more dangerous than the, in general, open book next door.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

Hey SSPers,

Yesterday I wrote an article about my experience as a black man in Canada ahead of my CBC Radio segment about George Floyd and racism in Canada, for those who would like to know what it's like to be a black man in this country.

https://shiftermagazine.com/kevin-bourne/im-not-racist-canada

Here's something else I wrote during Black History Month.

https://shiftermagazine.com/kevin-bourne/black-history-month-opinion

Woah we have a CBC anchor in the house!

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

My BFF will not drive in Southern Ontario anymore. He has being pulled over by the OPP and has seen the hand firmly gripping the holster one too many times and for no apparent reason.

There is blatant profiling happening in Canada. In general, the difference between Americans and Canadians is that we are pretty laissez-faire about anything serious and we hide any feelings than express them in conversation. Everybody is closeted. It's insidious and perhaps even more dangerous than the, in general, open book next door.

I will share my incident in Port Dover too. It was August last year. I was in the Timmies there looking for wifi. All of a sudden, I received an airdrop (I use an iPhone), and it was the picture of some youngsters titled “Get out of here”. I was really pissed so I called the O.P.P. (non-emergency line) the next day. Unfortunately they couldn’t do anything because there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove anything... What got to me is that these are teenagers.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

My BFF will not drive in Southern Ontario anymore. He has being pulled over by the OPP and has seen the hand firmly gripping the holster one too many times and for no apparent reason.

There is blatant profiling happening in Canada. In general, the difference between Americans and Canadians is that we are pretty laissez-faire about anything serious and we hide any feelings than express them in conversation. Everybody is closeted. It's insidious and perhaps even more dangerous than the, in general, open book next door.

While I recognize the element of irony, the Prime Minister acknowledged anti-Black racism (among others), systemic racism, and unconscious biais in Canada in his comments to the media yesterday.

[WhipperSnapper]

Yeah, who cares. That's what PMs do and this former drama teacher never passes on an opportunity to be woke in pulbic.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

Hey SSPers,

Yesterday I wrote an article about my experience as a black man in Canada ahead of my CBC Radio segment about George Floyd and racism in Canada, for those who would like to know what it's like to be a black man in this country.

https://shiftermagazine.com/kevin-bourne/im-not-racist-canada

Here's something else I wrote during Black History Month.

https://shiftermagazine.com/kevin-bourne/black-history-month-opinion

Nice pieces that do a good job describing the daily, often banal, racism faced by ethnic minorities, particularly Canadians of African Descent, and our First Nations.
A very good friend of mine (who is from Togo) has told me many similar stories...about being followed by security guards in stores, and repeatedly being followed by police as he was walking home at night. One time, the cop rolled down the window and yelled at him [in French], "Where do you think your're going?" My friend replied "to my house...I live over there [gesturing to a large house in a tony neighborhood]. To which the cop replied "Don't lie to me. There are no black people living in this neighborhood." I spent years as a manager at McD's (1980s, early 1990s), and I stood up for many black employees when they were on the receiving end of hostility (e.g., "Vanessa" opened a wicket to deal with the crush of customers, but the family next in line refused to be served by a black employee [quite audibly muttering racist comments]). These sorts of things didn't happen every day, but I would be lying if I said that they were very rare occurrences.

Many of my Asian colleagues at work have experienced palpable increases in hostility directed towards them, since the COVID crisis unfolded. I dread the day something like this will happen to my wife (who is Asian).

[scryer]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

While I recognize the element of irony, the Prime Minister acknowledged anti-Black racism (among others), systemic racism, and unconscious biais in Canada in his comments to the media yesterday.

Irony? More like hypocrisy... And this guy's words mean less than nothing at this point in his shameful stint at leadership.

Anyways I don't think that this thread will last too long before it gets locked. Too many triggered people crawling these forums to have a productive conversation about issues that certain groups of people face; especially when it comes to the corruption within the way our government (and those groups' leaders) employ on a regular basis - usually in the form of piggy-backing off of something that's trending. One thing that comes to mind is Trudeau handing African nations money before getting running water out to First Nations settlements.

With that nugget dropped; I'm signing off. Not my fight but I'm awake to what's happening around me.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Yeah, who cares. That's what PMs do and this former drama teacher never passes on an opportunity to be woke in pulbic.

Isn't the point that, on this subject, we should all be "woke"?

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Yeah, who cares. That's what PMs do and this former drama teacher never passes on an opportunity to be woke in pulbic.

Bang on! Gotta hand it to Trudeau, he’s read his prepared scripts well throughout the plandemic, trouble with Trudeau is when he goes off script and starts making up words and phrases, people kind talking moistly come to mind!

[Spocket]

Don't forget about Person Holes.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Bang on! Gotta hand it to Trudeau, he’s read his prepared scripts well throughout the plandemic, trouble with Trudeau is when he goes off script and starts making up words and phrases, people kind talking moistly come to mind!

He's made up words wrt racism?

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

He's made up words wrt racism?

So it’s become the job of the PM to state the obvious, what’s tomorrow’s zinger, the world is round?!?

[MolsonExport]

like a fly on shit.

[logan5]

There is racism in Canada no doubt, but there seems to be an accusation of racism levied against white people in general in the article. I'm racist, but I just don't realize it. That's convenient.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

Hey SSPers,

Yesterday I wrote an article about my experience as a black man in Canada ahead of my CBC Radio segment about George Floyd and racism in Canada, for those who would like to know what it's like to be a black man in this country.

https://shiftermagazine.com/kevin-bourne/im-not-racist-canada

Here's something else I wrote during Black History Month.

https://shiftermagazine.com/kevin-bourne/black-history-month-opinion

It's interesting to note that what you're describing seems to be half-racism, half-sexism:

Originally Posted by Kevin Bourne

Being a black man is a 24/7, full-time job. We have to be on our best behaviour at all times.

I don't think a black woman would rank anywhere near the same as a source of fear or as a potential criminal in the mind of the "average semiracist white person" (for lack of a better way to express this). In fact I'd even go further and say there's three main components here and only one is skin color - the other two are gender and age. Young white males might also be more watched in a store just because they're 1) male and 2) young. (I don't disagree with you that if you add "3) black" to their case, it's even worse.)

Race is probably a minor factor in police profiling, actually. In other words, if you compare the case of a black 95 year old woman in a wheelchair in a suburban shopping mall parking lot in broad daylight versus the case of a muscular young white male covered in tattoos and gold chains in a dark alley in a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night, it becomes pretty obvious skin color isn't the main factor police use when determining how much caution should be needed in a given situation.

[vid]

Originally Posted by lio45

It's interesting to note that what you're describing seems to be half-racism, half-sexism:


I don't think a black woman would rank anywhere near the same as a source of fear or as a potential criminal in the mind of the "average semiracist white person" (for lack of a better way to express this). In fact I'd even go further and say there's three main components here and only one is skin color - the other two are gender and age. Young white males might also be more watched in a store just because they're 1) male and 2) young. (I don't disagree with you that if you add "3) black" to their case, it's even worse.)

Race is probably a minor factor in police profiling, actually. In other words, if you compare the case of a black 95 year old woman in a wheelchair in a suburban shopping mall parking lot in broad daylight versus the case of a muscular young white male covered in tattoos and gold chains in a dark alley in a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night, it becomes pretty obvious skin color isn't the main factor police use when determining how much caution should be needed in a given situation.

You grasp those straws so furiously, it's a wonder they don't combust!

[lio45]

Originally Posted by vid

You grasp those straws so furiously, it's a wonder they don't combust!

I'm merely trying to have a conversation with the OP. I assumed that if he opened a thread here about it, it was his intention
Inquiring mind(s) want to know though - what are YOU personally doing about the glaring gender imbalance in Canada's carceral population? I demand 50% females in prisons, "because it's 2015".

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

It's interesting to note that what you're describing seems to be half-racism, half-sexism:


I don't think a black woman would rank anywhere near the same as a source of fear or as a potential criminal in the mind of the "average semiracist white person" (for lack of a better way to express this). In fact I'd even go further and say there's three main components here and only one is skin color - the other two are gender and age. Young white males might also be more watched in a store just because they're 1) male and 2) young. (I don't disagree with you that if you add "3) black" to their case, it's even worse.)

Race is probably a minor factor in police profiling, actually. In other words, if you compare the case of a black 95 year old woman in a wheelchair in a suburban shopping mall parking lot in broad daylight versus the case of a muscular young white male covered in tattoos and gold chains in a dark alley in a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night, it becomes pretty obvious skin color isn't the main factor police use when determining how much caution should be needed in a given situation.

I tend to agree with this but there are still things that make you shake your head.

When I was in my early 20s I had a black girlfriend who lived in Ottawa and she reported having been followed a few times by police. As in driving home from university classes in her mom's Ford Tempo at 9 pm with her girlfriends in the car. On a few occasions stopped by cops asking them where they're coming from, what they're doing, what they're up to.

It only happened a few times between the time she was 18 to 21 (when I started going out with her) but it still strikes me as fishy - even if it only happened twice.

It's never happened to me in my 50 years on this earth. Never in Ottawa or anywhere else in the world. And I've been to about 50 countries. I've also been out at all hours, in cars, walking around, on transit. Sometimes drunk. Sometimes alone or with other people. Never.

Never happened to my wife either.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Nice pieces that do a good job describing the daily, often banal, racism faced by ethnic minorities, particularly Canadians of African Descent, and our First Nations.
A very good friend of mine (who is from Togo) has told me many similar stories...about being followed by security guards in stores, and repeatedly being followed by police as he was walking home at night. One time, the cop rolled down the window and yelled at him [in French], "Where do you think your're going?" My friend replied "to my house...I live over there [gesturing to a large house in a tony neighborhood]. To which the cop replied "Don't lie to me. There are no black people living in this neighborhood." I spent years as a manager at McD's (1980s, early 1990s), and I stood up for many black employees when they were on the receiving end of hostility (e.g., "Vanessa" opened a wicket to deal with the crush of customers, but the family next in line refused to be served by a black employee [quite audibly muttering racist comments]). These sorts of things didn't happen every day, but I would be lying if I said that they were very rare occurrences.

Many of my Asian colleagues at work have experienced palpable increases in hostility directed towards them, since the COVID crisis unfolded. I dread the day something like this will happen to my wife (who is Asian).

Cpvid19 has made being a visible minority worse in pretty much every country, from then Chinese evicting black people from apartments, the Philippines banning Chinese nationals from university campuses, to even here in Japan. I haven’t experienced anything too overtly direct yet but there has been a palpable increase in how many times someone goes out of their way to avoid me / gives me a good glare down. Not to mention the Covid19 jokes from my own students, but that is just dumb high school boys.

These events just paint a lot of people for who they are in the end.