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"Rebecca Cohn" |
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Article: Canadians admit racist tendencies
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Jan 15th, 2007 - 10:22:20 |
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Toronto Sun
Mon, January 15, 2007
Canadians admit racist tendencies
By KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU
OTTAWA -- Shattering the myth of Canada as a colour-blind nation, nearly
half of Canadians admit they're at least a bit racist, a startling Sun
Media poll reveals.
The sweeping survey of attitudes toward immigrant ethnic communties,
conducted by Leger Marketing, produced eyebrow-raising results by asking
Canadians to take an honest look in the mirror. While 51% insist they
aren't at all racist, another 47% confess they harbour at least some
racist views -- and that their prejudice is planted firmly at the door
of Arab minorities.
"Canada prides itself on being an accepting country that is a number of
different ethnic communities coming together, and obviously immigration
is a big part of where we've come as a country," said Dave Scholz,
vice-president of Leger Marketing.
"But, that being said, almost half of us still believe that there are
some racist undertones within our behaviour."
Our bigotry doesn't evenly blanket all minority groups. The survey found
most Canadians hold a high opinion of Italian, Latin American, Asian,
Jewish and Black communities, yet only 53% said they think well of
members of the Arab community.
Those figures suggest a post-9/11 backlash that is unfairly tarring all
Arabs with the same brush as the Taliban, Scholz said. They also reflect
the power of media coverage and world affairs in shaping personal views
of our neighbours at home.
"I find it worrisome that coverage could potentially lead the Canadian
population to be prejudiced or racist against an entire group," he said.
The poll also shows that while most Canadians would vote for a prime
minister from an ethnic group other than their own, 21% believe some
races are more gifted than others. And while we're okay with a taxi
driver, supervisor, doctor or neighbour who's of another race, we're ill
at ease with the idea of our son or daughter entering a cross-cultural
marriage.
"With politics, it's more about how you deal with people and who you are
than about what ethnic community you come from. But when you start to
personalize it ... then that's a different case," Scholz said.
REDNECK
The poll also proves Alberta's "redneck" image is undeserved, with 6 %
fewer people than the national average saying they hold some racist
views. Ontarians are also less racist than most Canadians, while Prairie
dwellers are 2% higher than the average.
Because Sun Media's Racial Tolerance Report was compiled through an
online survey, Scholz said results are even more accurate than if
carried out by other methods that provide less anonymity.
This online Leger Marketing poll, commissioned by Sun Media, surveyed a
representative national sample of 3,0 92 adult Canadians between Dec.
27, 2 006, and Jan. 5, 2 007. R esponses are considered accurate within
plus or minus 1.8 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
Mon, January 15, 2007
Love ... and hate
UPDATED: 2007-01-15 01:58:15 MST
9/11's echoes and mixed bliss
By VIVIAN SONG
Canada is often celebrated as a nation of immigrants.
Many other nations are now struggling with their own changing
demographics.
As the immigration patterns change the face of Canada, Sun Media and
Leger Marketing ask some difficult questions of Canadians across the
country. We encourage you to ask them of yourselves.The discussion and
debate on how we live together in a changing Canada is worth having.
---
The news didn't come as a surprise but the expectation didn't dull the
sting of the truth either.
When told that a Leger Marketing poll for Sun Media revealed that
Canadians have the lowest opinion of the Arab community, Khaled Mouammar
didn't pause or express alarm.
Instead there was a slight sigh of resignation as the president of the
Canadian Arab Federation -- who is not Muslim -- launched into a frank
dialogue on the state of Arab-Canadian relations.
"What you're saying confirms that when people have low esteem of an
ethnic group, they're not going to hire them, or socialize with them,"
Mouammar said. "This is why young Arabs and Muslim youth are facing
issues of low self-esteem, alienation and marginalization."
Little more than half of Canadians polled had a good opinion of the Arab
community at 53%, while other groups received majority approval.
Mouammar pointed to a recent 2006 report from the Canadian Labour
Congress that found unemployment rates were highest among Arab and West
Asian populations in Canada at 14%, followed by Blacks at 11.5%.
His concerns were echoed by the executive director of the Canadian Race
Relations Foundation, who also called for less talk and more
implementation of antiracism legislation such as the Employment Equity
Act.
"Canada on the surface has viable legislation that deals with racism but
the implementation side is lacking," said Ayman Al-Yassini.
"Members of racialized groups are not getting jobs they're qualified to
fill because of stereotyping."
The latest annual report out of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, in
2005, chastizes the public sector for continuing to underutilize visible
minorities. They hold just 8.1% of all public sector jobs, while the
private sector was applauded for its overall representation.
The stunning arrests of 17 terror suspects in Toronto last summer also
brought the Anti-terrorism Act to the fore. The act is an institutional
form of discrimination, Mouammar charged.
"Instead of saying these are accused, alleged suspects, Prime Minister
Stephen Harper congratulated the security forces. He really convicted
them publicly before they were tried in courts."
But not everyone agrees.
"We demand that Charter rights be granted to all and that people be
presumed innocent. But we don't think the Canadian government has acted
contrary to that at all," said Munir Pervaiz, secretary of the Muslim
Canadian Congress. In fact, Pervaiz called on Muslim-Canadians to do
their part in educating Canadians, saying that instead of showing the
diversity of the Muslim world they've chosen to "Arabicize" themselves,
feeding the confusion.
"It's our duty to let Canada know what the true face of a Muslim is.
It's very diverse, multinational and comes from a community as diverse
as Canada now -- the Far East, Turkey, North Africa, India, and Sri
Lanka."
NOT TRUTHFUL
Meanwhile, 47% of Canadians may admit to being somewhat racist, but one
expert questions if the 51% of people who believe they're not are being
truthful to themselves.
"We may not see ourselves as racist but we all have some kinds of racist
attitudes to some extent," said Tuula Heinonen, an associate professor
at the University of Manitoba specializing in cross-cultural adaptation.
Respondents likely interpreted the label differently, she explained,
with some linking "racist" with behaviour -- never having assaulted
someone because of their race may be enough for some to shirk the label.
"I think it's a good thing to realize you might be racist and that maybe
you should think about it," she said. "If people are willing to admit,
they might be more willing to do something about it."
- - -
It's called yellow fever.
A social phenomenon that describes the preference -- usually among men
-- for Asian partners.
And it was precisely Scott Young 's immunity to the "fever" that Helen
Kim, a Canadian-Korean, felt drawn to him, she says laughing.
"Part of what attracted me to him was because he had never dated an
Asian before," she says in her Toronto-area home with son Noah, 2, in
her lap.
"There was no legacy of yellow fever here," Young jokes in return.
Theirs is becoming an increasingly common story in Canada where mixed
unions are on the rise. According to Statistics Canada, interracial
couples made up 3%, or 452,000, of Canada's married or common-law
couples in 2001 -- that's up 35% since 1991.
But while the majority of respondents had no problem dealing with a taxi
driver, doctor, supervisor or neighbour of another ethnicity, their
response was markedly different when asked how they would feel if their
child were to intermarry.
Sixteen percent say it would depend on the race, and 9 % said they would
react negatively.
"People in mixed unions tend to be younger, live in urban areas, and
tend to be highly educated," said Anne Milan, senior analyst at StatsCan
and author of the 2004 report titled Mixed Unions. Experts attribute the
rise to Canada's growing diversity.
And some sociologists, like University of Toronto professor Monica Boyd,
describe the growing trend as a barometer of social tolerance since
marriage is such a binding union between two separate identities.
"Intermarrying is the last frontier in social integration," she said.
"It's an intimate act that produces the next generation. It's one of the
most important indicators of acceptance and integration into an ongoing
social world."
SMALLER POOL
Milan's study found that the Japanese are the most likely to partner
outside their group. The long Canadian heritage of the J apanese
community partially explains why they have the highest proportion of
mixed unions, Milan says. But unlike the Chinese and South Asians, who
are among the least likely to intermarry, the Japanese also have a
smaller pool of eligible partners within their own group to choose from,
she added.
And what of the children born of these mixed unions? It's often said
mixed babies make for beautiful children and Noah is no exception. His
features are distinct, a hypnotic blend of Caucasian and Asian traits:
Dark, round eyes set in almond hollows, soft chestnut hair and
impossibly porcelain skin.
But if intermarriages result in mixed children, is there a fear of
cultural and ethnic dilution?
"The only thing I'm more worried about is if he gravitates more towards
one culture," Young said.
Noah is a bright young tot with a growing vocabulary --an English one.
He is already well-versed in hockey jargon -- and deft with a stick--
but only recently learned from his grandmother how to count in Korean.
Kim likens Noah's mixed heritage to her own identity as a
Canadian-Korean: She takes the best of both worlds.
"I'll sign him up for Korean lessons but I won't force him. Just how
I'll sign him up for French and Spanish," Kim said.
She's already anticipated a scenario in which Noah will be forced to
gaze back at himself.
"I asked Scott how he would handle it when Noah comes home crying
because someone called him a Ch---," she said.
For now, Noah sits quietly in his mother's lap.
His parents, too, have fallen into a brief silence when asked if it
would bother them were their adult son to come home with a partner of
another race.
Kim comes back with a resounding "no," while Young offers a more
cautious response.
"I have no issue with ethnicity. I have an issue with personality. If
it's a culture that forces him to change and become different, we
probably wouldn't want that. As ong as he can make his own decisions."
---
Q . To what extent do you consider yourself as someone who is racist?
_Strongly racist 1%
_Moderately racist 8%
_Slightly racist 38%
_Not at all racist 51%
_Don't Know/ Refused 2%
-People 55 years of age or older are more likely to say they are at
least slightly racist (52%), compared to those 35-54 (43%).
-47% of those under 35 say they are somewhat racist.
-Men are more likely to describe themselves as moderately racist (10%
vs. 6% of women).
Q. Are some races more gifted than others?
Yes 21%
No 68%
Don't Know / Refused 11%
-Those who consider themselves strongly/moderately racist are more
likely to think the statement is true (43% vs. 25% of those who are
slightly racist and 15% of those who are not racist.)
-66% of white people and 65% of visible minorities think this is not
true
Q . Would you have a positive reaction, remain indifferent, a negative
reaction, or would it depend on the ethnic origin, if the following
persons were of another ethnic group than yours?
Taxi Driver
2% Don't know
4% Depends on race
2% Negative
80% Indifferent
12% Positive
Immediate Supervisor
2% Don't know
5% Depends on race
3% Negative
76% Indifferent
14% Possitive
Doctor
2% Don't know
5% Depends on race
3% Negative
74% Indifferent
16% Positve
Neighbour
2% Don't know
5% Depends on race
3% Negative
73% Indifferent
17% Positve
Child were to marry
1% Don't know
16% Depends on race
9% Negative
55% Indifferent
14% Positve
Q . Do you have a good opinion or bad opinion of members of ...
Italian Community
9% Very bad
3% Somewhat bad
47% Somewhat good
41% Very good
Latin American Community
12% Very bad
9% Somewhat bad
51% Somewhat good
28% Very good
Asian Community
10% Very bad
13% Somewhat bad
47% Somewhat good
30% Very good
Jewish Community
12% Very bad
10% Somewhat bad
43% Somewhat good
33% Very good
Black Community
12% Very bad
18% Somewhat bad
46% Somewhat good
24% Very good
Arab Community
21% Very bad
27% Somewhat bad
37% Somewhat good
15% Very good
Q . Would you vote for a prime minister from another ethnic group than
your own?
70% Vote for PM of other race
13% Would depend on the ethnic origin
9% Not vote for PM of other races
8% Don't know/Refused
Vote for PM of other race
Would depend on the ethnic origin 13%
Not vote for PM of other races 9%
Don't Know / Refused 8%
This is also more prevalent among those with a higher education
(post-secondary: 74% vs. 61% of those with high school or less), and a
higher income ($80,000 or more 75% vs. 66% of those with a household
income of under $40,000).
WE ASKED YOU . . .
In part three of our series, which runs tomorrow, we will publish the
answers to the second set of our poll questions.
PREJUDICES
Q. Have you ever witnessed racist comments or behaviours?
Q. Did you take any action to intervene or inform authorities of this
behaviour?
Q. Have you ever personally been a victim of racist comments?
Q. Have you ever uttered a racial slur at a minority?
Q. Have you ever told a joke which included derogatory ethnic meaning?
Q. In your opinion, do you personally think that the law should condemn
any person who utters racist comments?
Q.Would you say that racism is a very significant, somewhat significant,
not very significant or not at all a significant problem in your city?
Q. Is your city more racist, as racist, or less racist as it was ten
years ago?
Rebecca Cohn
Communications Officer/Agente des Communications
United Nations Association in Canada/Association canadienne pour les
Nations Unies
300-309 rue Cooper Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0G5
+1(613) 232-5751x.245
www.unac.org
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