On Thursday October 7, at 10 AM, I was crossing the street at the Robie-Coburg intersection. With the pedestrian walk sign clearly on, a grey pickup truck, driven by a white male (balding, heavy-set, round face, and clean shaven) came speeding from the left, nearly hit me, and the bastard was even generous enough to give me the finger.
Here is a question that may have a complicated answer: what does racism look like?
What is it?
– when someone talks/looks/make eye-contact with a white colleague and ignores me for an entire 10 minutes of conversation
although the topic of discussion involves me as well?
-when someone speaks to me REEEAALLLY LOUDLY AND SLOOOWWWWLY AND CAREFULLY (Is it because they think “Oh she speaks with an Indian accent. Maybe she is deaf and stupid too”???)
– when a white colleague mentions Indian corruption, pollution, poverty and disease at least once in every conversation
– when someone asks me how I speak such good English and explains it by saying that I must have lived outside India a long time already?
– when my white partner and I are scrutinized from head to toe and back again, especially by older people
Well, I think I could deal with the psychopathic redneck with the beer-gut and the pickup truck – he is just the visible tip of the ugly iceberg. The special brand of middle-class, blindfolded, liberal, hypocritical polite-society racism is so very hard to digest.
Racism is alive and well in this so-called liberal multicultural paradise. The silence and political correctness here cloak it, make it a rude thing to shout and rage about. Racism lives! —Furious Person from Very Far Away
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.
Eep, I’m steering clear of this one.
OP. Please don’t confuse ignorance with racism. Ignorance can be cured.
I’ve been subject to most of what you have described,…take out white and indian, I’ve had them all and then some.
Sucks when you know that it’s directed at you. Ask these people if they have been SHARP trained, works for me.
Maybe the old folk think you make a hot couple.
the only racism i hear, is from the o.p. at this point. how do we take you. you talk down about this and that group. so look in your mirror first, and see the racism there.
I don’t know how long you’ve been in this country or how extensive your grasp of English is but the word “redneck” is generally used as a pejorative term for individuals thought to be of a low level of education and narrow minded views who are of predominantly white European descent. So, while I sympathise with your anger at your encounters with bigoted morons, you kind of lost me there at the end. Unless it is your contention that some prejudices are more acceptable than others, in which case may I offer you congratulations on becoming a fully fledged Canadian.
On the subject of your co-workers; perhaps they wish to engage you in conversation about Indian corruption, pollution, poverty and disease because they are heartily sick of talking about the home grown variant.
Furious Person, racism starts where skin colour is mentioned. Quality of character is not determined by skin colour but rather the ability to see beyond that superficiality. Some people get it, some don’t. Which one do you want to be?
Racism is all over the globe.
Even in India, and Africa and Asia.
People look down on people because they come from a different sect, caste, tribe, religion etc.
Get used to it.
Looks like you also have issues by your reference to “redneck with the beer-gut and the pickup truck”.
I can smell your feeling of superiority and almost feel like I am back in the nicer parts of Bombay.
None of the things you listed are necessarily related to racism. India is very polluted – air, water and land… That’s a fact, not racism. Same with the poverty. It would be racist if someone said, “Those dirty Indians!”… but making a comment on the pollution or poverty is not racism.
Someone complimenting you on your good English isn’t racist either. It’s not in good taste and maybe they are a tad ignorant, but racism is not the word to describe it.
You’re trivializing the word “racism” so PLEASE stop using it so frivolously. The fact that you call the driver of the grey pickup truck a redneck really shows that you’re not much better than the so-called “injustices” done to you.
And maybe your white colleagues (or colleagues of any race) ignore you because you’re a bitch.
Naveed, it’s annoying as fuck to have people constantly talk about your supposed “home country” because of the way you look, when you may not have ever been there.
I think Spiny Ivan got it right.. it is very likely your coworkers want to engage you in conversation about India, instead of the usual complaints about Canada, the US, etc.
As far as people ignoring you, is it possible they can tell you are on edge?
Racism does exist, everywhere. I don’t know who told you this was “paradise” but they exaggerated. There will always be ignorant and downright terrible people. But I hope that desipite them, the majority can go about their lives in the most liberal multicultural ways.
Well, I think I could deal with the psychopathic REDNECK with the BEER-GUT and the pickup truck – he is just the visible tip of the ugly iceberg.
Bad news for you bitcher.
You’re a discriminatory (had to mention his weight, why is this important again??) RACIST (redneck eh?).
Judging from your bitch posts, you’re a fucking COWARD (too afraid to confront any your co-workers, etc) too, but who’s counting?
Hey pot, the kettle called. He says you’re black.
Jstyle, I believe the current accepted PC phrase is “The pot calling the kettle South Asian Aluminum”.
We should also rethink our latest immigration slogan “Come To Nova Scotia – We Treat You Like Cattle”. It may be subject to some misinterpretation.
(Really Sorry – I never met a Simpsons’ reference I didn’t like)
Eh, maybe I will say something.
It’s called subtle racism. Your skin colour need not be mentioned and is done in such a way that once called racism can be “countered”.
Just realize a lot of people are ignorant. If your co-workers won’t engage you, engage them. If they don’t respond you’ll know who to stay away from. Refrain from using other derogatory terms like “redneck”. It undermines your argument and makes you look prejudice as well. Um, yeah. The only other thing I can say is do not let these things take a toll on you, just let them go and maintain a positive outlook. I think you’ll find there are some great ppl out there who see beyond colour/accent/culture.
OP: I assume you got the plate number. Sounds like an aggressive/dangerous driver, which police take seriously. Cases like this are easy for cops and adds to their monthly-quotas.
LOL Ivan… neither have I.
i still like the one bart does,” i didn’t do it”. works in all kinds of situations.
I just read this and had to share:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1206405…
Is there some kind of unknown virus that affects human brain in NS that makes people treat others like s*&^?
Too much Keiths and group singing of Barrett’s Privateers, Newt. Does weird things to the human psyche.
I still haven’t heard the song. Does this mean my brain is safe?
You seem nice enough for now. Rawk!
brrrraaaaaaaaaainssss
Thanks Newt. Need a new keyboard now since they tend to not function so well with a double nostril shot of Talea spiked mocha frappuchino snorted all over them. >: )
OP, at least we don’t have the fucking caste system India has. Be thankful you live in Nova Scotia, as shitty as this place can be sometimes.
How does someone almost hitting you in a crosswalk racist? I’m no expert but flipping someone the bird is not a racial slur, unless accompanied by a racial slur. Why does this incident in particular conjure up a racism debate?
There are racists out there, don’t get me wrong, I know this, but it seems to me with all of your examples say that you have never really been the recipiant of racism. It sounds to me that you are a little self concious of your minority status, and not fully comfortable being ” considered ” different. I think maybe your problem has a little more to do with you than everyone else. I will say that I am not a minority, well not a visual one unless you consider Scottish/Irish ( Eurotrash ) a minority, so I really have no idea what it’s like. But I think that stereotyping all ” white ” Canadians as racist is a little racist in itself…
Mr. Pokey Ivan, I would love to have some frappaccino myself…but sorry for ruining your keyboard.
In the racism debate, it is always innocent until proven otherwise, hence covert racism is rampant in this country and anti-racism isn’t very effective. If I were you, OP, I would confront your co-workers next time and say “I am not sure if corruption in India is relevant to our conversation. Are you bringing it up simply because I am Indian? In that case, I am afraid I cannot contribute much to the discussion, because I have not paid particular attention to what’s going on in that country.” or “I appreciate your being considerate, but you do not have to speak slowly to me, I can understand you just fine.” or something like that. They’d probably be embarrassed and stop doing that now that they are conscious of what they are doing and how that is being perceived by you.
All you have to do is make people realize you do not appreciate the way they communicate with you. Calling people racists do not solve any immediate issues that affect you, even if that was the truth. Calling people racists, on the other hand, make people defensive and it leads nowhere and generally counter-productive.
Everyone who took the time to read my rant and tell me what they thought – thanks. For pulling me up on my bitterness (redneck, beergut etc)- thanks. No, the guy in the truck was just a rash driver, not a racist. But that incident was the last straw coming on top of other pinpricks and I guess I see things through very biased eyes myself. Self-conscious of my minority status, yes, maybe, increasingly over time here. Bitter? I do not want to be. Confront the issue? Too sick, scared and tired to take the trouble any more.
People who have lived in NS all their lives don’t realize how “white” it is compared with many other places.
It is something that people who travel a bit pick up on right away.
But it isn’t just people of colour who attract attention from the curious. Being considered a “come from away” unless your grandfather was born here doesn’t help, and even then you will likely be considered a recent arrival. This clannishness can be off-putting to some. Having a last name that isn’t obviously derived from the U.K. or Ireland still draws attention and curious questions:
Bluenoser: “What’s Lithuania like?”
ComeFromAway: “I don’t know. My great-grandparents left there in 1894 to come to Canada.”
I think there are many reasons for this state of affairs. Lack of economic opportunity which has seen young Nova Scotians going “down the road” for decades also means very little influx of newcomers and that includes people of colour. This province is shrinking, not growing, and it has never attracted significant numbers of immigrants (almost none) in contrast to other parts of Canada which, since the late 19th century, have seen large influxes of immigrants from all over the world.
In spite of that, and being “from away” myself, I still like it here. It was a great place to raise my kids. Don’t know if I’ll hang around when I’m retired, though. Aside from the cost of real estate, this is one of the most expensive places to live in all of Canada. Food, fuel, retail goods and services and post-secondary education don’t come cheap here.
So OP, I wouldn’t necessarily attribute your sense of being an outsider to your skin colour. Just being from somewhere else is enough to keep you slightly “on the outs” in some social circles here.
I think the truck driver you encountered was an ass. He might be racist, too, but I think you’d need more evidence than what you described in order to make that label stick.
Good luck to you and your partner farrendahl. Hopefully the good days will outnumber the bad ones and hopefully you will encounter enough decent people to minimize the conduct of the rude and stupid. It is the bonds formed by individuals that count the most.
Racism is a touchy subject, & I’m one of those who has railed against stupidity such as the so called reverse racism…no such thing, just racists of one skin color or another.
This is from an e-mail I got that has comments made in a courtroom supposedly by Michael Richards aka Krammer.
Quote-
” There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans , etc. And then there are just Americans. You pass me on the street & sneer in my direction call me ‘whiteboy’ , ‘cracker’, ‘honkey’, ‘whitey’, ‘caveman’….and that’s ok..
But when i call you ,’nigger’, ‘kike’, ‘towel head’,’sandnigger’,’ camel jockey’ , beaner’,’gook’, or ‘chink’… You call me a racist.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you…so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live ?
You have the United Negro College Fund. You have the Martin Luther King Day. You have Black History Month. You have Ceasar Chavez Day. You have Yom Hashoah. You have Ma’uled Al-Nabi. You have the NAACP. You have BET….If we had WET (White Entertainment television), we’d be racists. If we had a White Pride Day you would call us all racists. If we had a White History Month we would be called racists.
If we had any organization for only whites to ‘advance’ OUR lives, we’d be racists.
We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber of Commerce, and the we have the Chamber of commerce, I wonder who pays for that ??
A white woman cannot participate in the Black American pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.
If we had a college fund that only gave money to white students scholarship, we’d be racists.
There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black College in the US….Yet if there were ‘White Colleges’, that would then be a racist college.
In the Million Man March, you believed you were marching for your Race & your Rights. Yet if we ever marched for our race & our rights, you would call us racists.
You are proud to be black, brown. yellow ,orange, and you’re not afraid to announce it ! But if we announce our White pride, you call us racists.
You rob us, car jack us, and shoot people. But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or takes out a black drug dealer running from the law & posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.
I am proud as you are proud, but you call me a racist.
Why is it that only whites can be seen as racists ?” – end quote
I often wonder that myself.
… *le sigh*
I presume you’ve seen his tirade … I wouldn’t quote that man for anything.
The Michael Richards / Cosmo Kramer “proud to be white” speech is a complete fabrication that was written by somebody else and spread over the Internet. Michael Richards never made this speech in court because he did not appear in court over this incident -there were no charges laid. He made public apologies on television following the incident.
As I posted …”comments supposedly made by Micheal Richards”
Doesn’t change the facts quoted about schools the Miss Black American pageant in the comments are true.
Doesn’t change anything except RACISM is fine as far as many people are concerned….as long as its commited against white people.
While not being white…I still don’t think racism is right against anyone, & white people are included in that “ANYONE” clause.
By having special grants or programs for one group ,excluding others & allowing contests & schools just for people of one color of skin or nationality no matter what color they are…that is racism, you support those schools & contests you are a racist -period-
Fuck people, get a grip. Every time I’ve ever read a bitch about racism in Halifax, a bunch of commenters freak out and start pointing fingers at the OB – everything from “well, none of those things are really racist” to “you’re the racist”
[because the OB referred to a dickhead driver as ‘a redneck’…funny that….my friends and I, who are white, have used that term for years as have countless other white people; guess that’s only racist when someone who isn’t white uses the term] to any number of the other condescending and defensive comments I read.
Basically, many of you here seem to feel the need to lecture someone – who I would bet actually knows what racism feels like – on what racism really is and how racists really behave. Really?
You’ve gotta love the irony: by making your comments in response to the OB’s bitch, you’re reaffirming her point that racism is indeed alive and well in this lovely paradise of ours.
More, you really need to look up the definition of racism. None of the examples you’ve provided are representative of racism, not to mention how totally, absurdly obnoxious it is for a member of a majority group to be crying “racial inequality”. Someone needs a nice big steaming mug of STFU.
You keep saying you’re not white/Caucasian … what are you?
I would have hoped at your age you’d have found some clarity on the issue. Apparently not.
Donkey I’m a mutt…none of that 1/2 shitzu & 1/2 yorkie for me…that’s a feel good balm for those who don’t want to face the truth, your dogs a mutt !
But I degress, must be something to do with my black,english,french,native, family tree .
Pshhht dood. Mmm you can stand next to me in the mutt line to heaven 😉 you know those boxes on forms that as your race I wanna write autobot in there one day.
Racism, colorism, weightism, casteism, sexism, ageism, ethnocentrism, linguism -different places, targets, culprits, degrees, perceptions, expressions. What they all have in common – the damage to people, the doers and the receivers. The worst kind of hidden damage is the antagonism, anger, and revulsion the victim comes to harbor against others. I realise that has happened to me. Whatever I have experienced is small change compared to what happens with others. But even so, it has put me in danger of turning into a hate and anger filled person. Suspicious of the whole world. I mean, who wants to get hurt, really? At the same time, before, living in Europe for awhile and visiting the larger cities of Canada, I did not sense antagonism from anyone, and I always felt safe and welcome. Anyone think that more ‘away people’ here in NS will solve this problem? I am pessimistic, but I would also like to think that this pessimism is misplaced.
some of us bitches are cfa’s and this place is good for un-loading all bad thoughts^^
– when a white colleague mentions Indian corruption, pollution, poverty and disease at least once in every conversation
(1) The person in question is our boss. (2) I am not the only target of this behaviour. (3) I completely accept that India is polluted, with violence and corruption, with multiple vile forms of discrimination. I have always known this. But why is this point and related points about Pakistan and Bangladesh brought up ALL THE TIME AND UTTERLY OUT OF CONTEXT FOR ME TO ANSWER?? I mean, am I personally responsible for all the ills of the Indian sub-continent? How the hell do I confront a powerful superior and avoid losing my job, my living, support for my family? To flip the question around: What if I were to take up some random problem from Canadian society and verbally harangue a Canadian colleague with that straight out of the blue in the middle of work? Does that mean I am interested in a discussion or does it mean I want to embarrass my colleague?
I really feel bad for you. It is such a terrible feeling to be harrassed and made to feel belittled by your superior. You feel like you can’t do anything because you could lose your job. I’ve been in this situation, altough not because of my race. Actually, I’m still in this situation.
Farrendahl: Personally it took me a long time to let go of the anger I felt at how I perceived Canadians of my own background were regarded by my fellow citizens. It reached it’s nadir in the mid-90s and I carried that anger for a very long time, because I felt it as an attack upon myself and my family and a complete negation of what we had contributed to our loved ones, community and nation. That prejudice still surfaces, often here, but I try very hard to not take it seriously because it does not deserve to be taken seriously. It is simple ignorance – a lack of understanding dressed in the cheap garb of politics. Nothing more.
I will not pretend to have ever been the victim of systemic discrimination based upon race or ethnicity but I do understand how hurtful negative sterotypes are when perpetrated in the media and sustained by those who claim to be educated and broadminded. I would like to sincerely apologize to you for my flippant comments earlier in this thread. I find irreverence preferable to anger, but like anger, it occasionally misses the mark and I find myself guilty of the very things I despise.
Again, let me repeat, I hope the good you encounter here manages to outweigh the bad.
just give us the word pf, we can pay your boss a visit…we’ll just talk i promise *snort*
oh pg that would be so appreciated lol… except I don’t think you’d get in without an id. Just cross your fingers for me that I get a Parole Officer position 🙂
Oh, and if you’re hiring let me know. I have a lot of experience in a lot of positions!
PF – You gotta stop making it easy for Lifesucks. He likes to work for his double entendres. Keeps him sharp. *HeeHaw* >; )
LOL, my bad… although it actually is true for me no matter which of the two ways you take it!
i’d love to hire you sweet thang, but i don’t think you have our particular skill set. you can always come by for candy and libations on saturday
what is it you do pg? I’ll come anywhere for candy!!
i cannae name names, it would be folly of me…but if you do find me, please identify yourself^^
oh no was that a hint? Can I have a hint?
That’s the problem! I would love to come visit for candy too… but I just can’t figure out what the “shop” is. You need a particular skill set… no cooks… likes dogs (lots of shops so), I have the feeling it’s in the N end… le sigh. Someday maybe I’ll figure it out.
Oh man, I don’t know anything about places in the North End… it’s a place that combines dogs and candy???
we don’t sell candy, just give it away. we don’t sell dog related products, but we have treats. northwest
oh my lord… this is impossible. Any more hints? What kind of business is it? If it’s retail, what kinds of things do you sell?
hmmm, i’m torn sweetie. we sell stuff and fix stuff, if you do figure it out don’t tell
Painey’s seen Walken in “Stalk Talk” on SNL. She can’t make it too easy for us Painites. RAWK!
I know, I know :>)
You shoots doggies in da bum, don’t you
OK… if I ever do figure it out, I won’t tell… is Christopher Walken a hint?
no and no, but i *mouse ears* mr. walken…he sure can dance
No, we’re just fans. I’ve had my suspicions about potential Paingirl lairs but the idea of going in and saying “Excuse me, would you think I was barking mad if i said to you RAWK, RAWK” requires more 3 o’clock in the morning courage than I possess.
Ha ha… I think I’ll just walk in and say “PAINGIRL” in a regular voice and see if any heads turn…
It’s like a mega mystery… I feel like I need Nancy Drew or maybe that one Detective from Law & Order Criminal Intent who seems to figure anything out with the most random of clues.
Are you clients happy?
our customer’s are generally cheerful
Cheerful but not happy, humph, any relation “in name” to that place in Tantallon?
sorry nope, and i should have said happy and cheerful…99.9% anyhoo
Now I’ll have to send out Spiny Norman.
Watch for a giant Hedgehog seeking “Paingirl”
just remember to bring your doggie…rooooo
LoonDrunkard, Thank you. You more than made up for some of the pain caused by gems such as Naveed’s “You’re trivializing the word “racism” so PLEASE stop using it so frivolously…
And maybe your white colleagues (or colleagues of any race) ignore you because you’re a bitch.”
But Naveed is right with “The fact that you call the driver of the grey pickup truck a redneck really shows that you’re not much better than the so-called “injustices” done to you.”
Anyway, I am probably better off knowing a little more of what prejudice feels like on the ground. Its part of the growing-up process, maybe. If I can take this stuff on the chin, and still be able to stay some kind of ok, well, alright then. Am I a coward, as some people think I am? Yes and no. I am afraid OF my own anger. I am afraid FOR my loved ones. Did that stop me from coming to this country, and others before? No. And prejudice will never stop me. So, all the prejudiced scum out there, take my heartfelt sympathy for your ignorance and short sight. You will have to deal with others like me, and you will either grow up or crawl into whichever dark place makes you feel at home. Adios.
@NAVEED , ur absolutely right..
its not racism its and opinion , well as for me i had lots of conversations about my country and i do myself say that EGYPT (which is where im originally from) is the world most disgusting and polluted and disorganized country ever.. when ppl say yeah, we heard that i never get offended , hello its a matter of fact ..
glamourouschic – a fact can be used in a dozen different ways. The question is: is the fact stated in or out of context, and with what motivation, what bias? Facts aren’t just facts.
EEEEWWW!!@ LISTEN TO ALL THESE PEOPLE DESPERATE TO DENY RACISM!! hahahahh it could be anything but!! they are willing to grant ANY explanation of the event OTHER than racism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it can be quite infuriating!!! get over people of halifax and people of canada!! racism exists!! helllllllooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! do you think hudreds of years of our colonial history and philosophies just go away???? we cant just keep the parts of our history we like and then throw out the rest and pretend that only the good parts had an effect!! we cant just keep the ideologies that have been embedded in the way we are governed,think, live etc. that we like or that make us sound good!!! the bad ones are there toooo!!!! look at all these fools tryna act like racism dont exist!! ‘eek im steering clear of this one’!! you cunt!!! or, ‘please dont confuse ignorance with racism’ you fucken moron!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why is it so hard to accept that racism still exists? cause you dont think of yourselves as racists and you might do some of the things the op mentioned so those arent racist acts? i dont know what it is, but the bottom line for myself is this|: there is a problem going on when noone wants to admit that something exists when it certainly does!!! try to shake some of your assumptions here!!! realize that even not trying to get new assumptions but keeping the ones you already have is a choice in itsself!! you are CHOOSING to think the way you think!! CHOOSING!! and that type of attitude that doesnt want to admit that something exists when it certainly does is part of what is contributing to the death of this world!!! its like the republicans trying to say there is no global warming! its like people living in a community where they know there is incest and sexual abuse going on but noone says anything!!! come on people!!! cant you see you need to try to change the way you think??? try to let some other views in the ole noggin once in a while!!! let those brains BREATHE theyre so damn rigid!!! ya uptight cunts come on now!!!!