The Racism Epidemic in Canada and the United States
Lately I’ve been reading about the outrageous racism that seems to be sweeping the United States now that Obama is the president. I felt pretty smug as a Canadian, judging Americans for their outdated racist attitudes. As it turns out I was about to get owned by my own brain as it brought up many examples of Canadian racism. I had kind of thought, naively, that racism was an attitude that was almost gone besides a few freaks that still thought it was <1950.
I knew that there were was some serious racism in America toward Barack Obama and his family left in the comments on many conservative blogs, but it really hits home when you experience it first hand, which I did recently. I had some American truckers come into the place where I work. This is the conversation that I overheard:
Trucker: "Man that Obama sure is an arrogant son of a bitch. You know I listen to fox news all day in my truck and you should hear what that nigger is doing. He’s turning us into a socialist country(he continues to blather on about the auto industry and taxes)."
Truckers Wife: "One of these days someone’s gonna assassinate him and that’s probably a good thing…"
Trucker: "Well if they do they better do it during the day, because you know you won’t be able to see him at night!"
Canadian Co-worker: "You just gotta make him smile." (he’s not such a bad guy, I think he just wanted to fit in with the crowd, which is a very common theme here in Saskatchewan and I’m sure, all over Canada. I’ve seen decent people jump on the racism bandwagon many times in my day, myself included, when I was younger and less educated).
Trucker: "Those niggers should remember where they came from. They used to pick cotton, now they sell crack." (I think this was meant to be a joke)
Needless to say I was appalled and wasn’t sure if I should risk my job by flying into a rage lecture and accentuate my speech by firing a computer chair through the nearest window. I decided to remain silent.
In Canada, or at least in Saskatchewan it’s not really black people that we focus our racism on, but the Aboriginals or First Nation people(the Canadian equivalent of Native Americans for you United Statesers). The remarks usually revolve around crime and substance abuse, pretty much judging and mocking them for being in the terrible situation they are in. If anything we should be ridiculing the government and the Catholic Church for doing this to them. If you were ripped from your home as a child, abused both physically and sexually, and had your language and culture stripped from you, I’m sure you’d consider turning to the drugs that are available in mass quantity to ease your pain.
Here’s what I don’t get. It’s 2009! Everybody knows(or should know) that racism is… just stupid, yet we seem to cling to the past like a dumb hick who clings to their confederate flag. Why is it that when one person makes a racist comment the others, who definitely know better, will awkwardly chuckle along anyway? Why is it that studies show that most people won’t say anything when someone is being racist?
I sort of get off by rejecting the status quo, so I for one will not tolerate this bullshit anymore. The next time I hear people being racist I hope I have the balls to say something, and I hope you will too. Truckers can be kind of scary, especially the American ones, but if I hear some average Joe or even worse, a friend utter a racial slur, I’m going to remind them that we are all human beings and that racism is something that simply should not be tolerated in this day and age. Remind people that it’s 2009!
August 28th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
As a person who as been on every continent except Antarctica, I can tell you few things about Spoken Racism.
Spoken Racism is Nothing More than Mockery / Disrespectful / Casual way of talking. Had there only been white people in Canada, the truckers joke might have directed to big nosed people or skinny people.
In almost every Country there are places where casual violence is the norm. Its as male as checking out women. “You can’t tell how good a man or a watermelon is ’til they get thumped.” As society moves more and more towards reduced tolerance for these age old testosterone releasing activities. It forms a clot in your heart and simmers. And Racism / Verbal hate is how it comes out.
Id rather live in a Society, where I, as a brown person is openly made fun of, even discriminated against at the work place, a place where men can be men than one in which where human nature is choked to the limit, that it breeds Serial Killers, Rapists, and Child Porn addicts. I wouldn’t have liked to work for him, even if I had been white and got the job. But no! we are forced to live as though we are chosen representatives of our Race / Community. Its FAKE. And its plain to see.
The moment Man left the Jungle to live in a Society, is the day man discovered stress. Racism / mutual hate is a natural by-product. It should dealt with like we deal with like speeding. Make venues / gatherings / race tracks where people can openly be as racist / violent as they want.
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December 12th, 2010 at 1:23 am
I have been somewhat of a trucker and a cab driver during the late 1970s and early 80s and have never heard a trucker use words such as "blather". Your point however, is well taken. You have hit on two issues associated with racism: (1) racism involves incredible violence and aggression - both psychological and physical; and (2) it is "virulent" – spread from person to person until it reaches epidemic proportions. I'm not quite sure what you're blathering about in the last two paragraphs though…
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