It was interesting to me, because I know that I do some of those things (like being nervous when I'm alone and a black or Latino man walks by me), but I also hate it when others of those things happen to me (like people asking me where I'm from or what I am).
We're supposed to be receiving online sexual harassment training soon at my workplace. A lot of us have been joking that we already know how to sexually harass people without the training. I wish I could make my students take it.
I'm curious what differences you perceive in the US vs. Canada. I definitely know that my own perception of multiculturalism in the US has changed as I age and travel more widely. I used to think that racism was a think of the past, as was sexism, but sadly I've learned that is not true.
Any suggestions for things you think individual people in the US can do to help defuse racial tensions here?
Meanwhile, I'm curious as to the validity of your own perception that there isn't as much racism in Canada as the US. My point isn't to throw your judgment into doubt, just to confirm it with outside sources. Do you know of any such sources that confirm your perception? One thing I was able to dig up was this image from Wikipedia showing income disparity throughout the world (because in the US income is often tied to your race). Canada has less income disparity than the US, potentially confirming your perception.
I deleted my posts because I realized I'm not the best person to describe Canada's multiculturalism to you, and I didn't want anyone else reading it to be misled. You'll just have to visit some day and see yourself :-) And having visited the US five times now, all I can say is that it's not like home :-)
First off, I don't consider myself racist, but I suppose I prefer dealing with smart people rather than stupid people. That's a clear bias. (I'm sure I've got others.) I've been on the wrong end of racial slurs more than once -- I've been called a chink in the subway by a group of african american girls, and my name has certainly not done me any favors. My view for helping fight racism is to teach it in school, and let law enforcement deal with the blatant cases. As for people looking at your own race in a better light? Do so by being a good person
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We're supposed to be receiving online sexual harassment training soon at my workplace. A lot of us have been joking that we already know how to sexually harass people without the training. I wish I could make my students take it.
I'm curious what differences you perceive in the US vs. Canada. I definitely know that my own perception of multiculturalism in the US has changed as I age and travel more widely. I used to think that racism was a think of the past, as was sexism, but sadly I've learned that is not true.
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(The comment has been removed)
Meanwhile, I'm curious as to the validity of your own perception that there isn't as much racism in Canada as the US. My point isn't to throw your judgment into doubt, just to confirm it with outside sources. Do you know of any such sources that confirm your perception? One thing I was able to dig up was this image from Wikipedia showing income disparity throughout the world (because in the US income is often tied to your race). Canada has less income disparity than the US, potentially confirming your perception.
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