Lily White Crowd
- Thread starter TinMan
- Start date
Sanch
Again I love your avatar - have a laugh every time I see you posting.
And about your last post - you have generalized my friend... try living in southern California. It is a huge global community and if someone cried racist around here, we all start laughing. In fact race here is now used to excuse criminal behavior rather than face up to the fact we are ignoring our young.
It isn't a matter of schooling or doing the "right thing" as you seem to think it is. When one reaches a point where race is a non issue and people's behavior and commitment to a good community are the issues of the day, so their children are given the wealth of a
non-race future....then we will have our society....
Even so we will still have bad guys and good guys living among us.
That's the area in which we need to direct and invest our time...
Not race - race works itself out in our children who don't see race at all unless their parents or the media teach them observable but imaginary differences.
Again I love your avatar - have a laugh every time I see you posting.
And about your last post - you have generalized my friend... try living in southern California. It is a huge global community and if someone cried racist around here, we all start laughing. In fact race here is now used to excuse criminal behavior rather than face up to the fact we are ignoring our young.
It isn't a matter of schooling or doing the "right thing" as you seem to think it is. When one reaches a point where race is a non issue and people's behavior and commitment to a good community are the issues of the day, so their children are given the wealth of a
non-race future....then we will have our society....
Even so we will still have bad guys and good guys living among us.
That's the area in which we need to direct and invest our time...
Not race - race works itself out in our children who don't see race at all unless their parents or the media teach them observable but imaginary differences.
"for those of us who live in Calgary and DO know the city that's a LIE. "
Celebrity, if you work in the downtown business core you may believe that Calgary is not made up of 15-20% visible minorities. They don't usually show up until after regular working hours to clean the office towers. Travel to the N.E. quadrant of Calgary (you know....the poor area) and tell me what percentage of white people live in there? Like it or not, that is the future. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have already become integrated cities, if Calgary continues to grow it will become integrated as well.
As for this racist argument I am not saying that the CP discriminates directly, I am just saying that they do not have a broad appeal with minorities of any stripe.
According to John Ibbitson in the "Polite Revolution" the CP represents a view of "old Canada" (rural and white)that is rapidly disappearing.
Celebrity, if you work in the downtown business core you may believe that Calgary is not made up of 15-20% visible minorities. They don't usually show up until after regular working hours to clean the office towers. Travel to the N.E. quadrant of Calgary (you know....the poor area) and tell me what percentage of white people live in there? Like it or not, that is the future. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have already become integrated cities, if Calgary continues to grow it will become integrated as well.
As for this racist argument I am not saying that the CP discriminates directly, I am just saying that they do not have a broad appeal with minorities of any stripe.
According to John Ibbitson in the "Polite Revolution" the CP represents a view of "old Canada" (rural and white)that is rapidly disappearing.
Re: RE: Lily White Crowd
Jay, excellent observation.
There is an irony to the original post: those who exploit the race, religion, minority card as ammunition to push their political agenda.
"Hey, look at that guy in the third row, is he dark enough? Should we list him as a Whitey? Could he be Latino? Maybe a Muslim?
2Jay said:
Jay, excellent observation.
There is an irony to the original post: those who exploit the race, religion, minority card as ammunition to push their political agenda.
"Hey, look at that guy in the third row, is he dark enough? Should we list him as a Whitey? Could he be Latino? Maybe a Muslim?
Re: RE: Lily White Crowd
:lol: This cracks me up to no end (and I'm a lefty on the political spectrum!) :lol:
I dated an American when I lived in Eastern Europe for a while and people always thought he was a gypsy and gave me nasty looks when we were out. Then we went to Belgium and everyone thought he was a muslim. Now he lives in California and everyone thinks he's Mexican. He's spent a lot of time explaining his parents were from Nicaragua, but he's American... Really, people need to get over it.
Calberty said:
:lol: This cracks me up to no end (and I'm a lefty on the political spectrum!) :lol:
I dated an American when I lived in Eastern Europe for a while and people always thought he was a gypsy and gave me nasty looks when we were out. Then we went to Belgium and everyone thought he was a muslim. Now he lives in California and everyone thinks he's Mexican. He's spent a lot of time explaining his parents were from Nicaragua, but he's American... Really, people need to get over it.
You're basically right Jay. The Liberals are responsible for promoting the multi-cultural policies of Canada, and what if Trudeau hadn't opened the doors to the 3rd world? The population of Canada would be in a free fall and would soon fall beneath 20 million. According to Ibbitson who is definitely not a Liberal, this has been the most successful integration policy ever carried out and it is the salvation and the basis of the future success of Canada. No other first world country has been able to do this as well.
Wednesday's Child said:
I have a mixed race family. I am white or peachy pink as my children who are brown and from Africa like to point out. They are acutely conscious of race as are their friends and all descriptions of any person invariably include their colour. They did not learn this from us.
Society also treats them different, something that I thought would not apply to us as we live in the kind of neighbourhood where race does not matter. But it does matter. My son has to learn to behave very differently around authority figures. While he observes his white friends playing with toy guns and shooting passers by in play he has to be told that the same behavior can get him shot. It is very hard to have to explain this to a 6 year old. There were a number of incidents that preceded me having to do this that I won’t go into.
My point is that there is just as much bigotry in the liberal community as there is in the conservative. It is easier to spot among conservatives as they are open about their biases. I see more opportunity for change here than among liberals who have deluded themselves into believing they have no bias yet they continue to separate the world on the basis of colour. And this is not some imaginary line I have drawn in the sand.
Sanch
I am terribly sorry to hear that about your children. Perhaps without realizing it you have passed along your anxieties to them...
Until we grow without race in our minds as a dividing issue.... we will always be concious of it. We have been taught or have been exposed to racial commentary all our lives.
Witness little children who have no understanding of "race" play well with each other and if they squabble it is usually over some toy or action taken rather than their skin colors.
It may take several generations for people to stop noticing racial differences. And some may never wish to learn and will perpetuate the ugliness through their families ... I feel sorry for them.
I have two mixed race children in my family - their mother came from Africa and their dad is Canadian. To date they have never
experienced what we could term overt racism... and have lots of little friends whose parents come from many countries. Their friends are more curious than critical....as most children are.
I would be surprised to be at any group event or even shopping to be among all white people where I now live.... it would seem strange to me if I didn't find members of at least five different racial groups all circulating around doing their thing..... Because of this I have had grocery store lessons in all the new fruits and veggies which are being sold in supermarkets now because of these new groups....I am shown how to prepare and cook them and given lots of wonderful ideas for new kinds of food. If that doesn't enrich a person's life I don't know what would please them.
I am terribly sorry to hear that about your children. Perhaps without realizing it you have passed along your anxieties to them...
Until we grow without race in our minds as a dividing issue.... we will always be concious of it. We have been taught or have been exposed to racial commentary all our lives.
Witness little children who have no understanding of "race" play well with each other and if they squabble it is usually over some toy or action taken rather than their skin colors.
It may take several generations for people to stop noticing racial differences. And some may never wish to learn and will perpetuate the ugliness through their families ... I feel sorry for them.
I have two mixed race children in my family - their mother came from Africa and their dad is Canadian. To date they have never
experienced what we could term overt racism... and have lots of little friends whose parents come from many countries. Their friends are more curious than critical....as most children are.
I would be surprised to be at any group event or even shopping to be among all white people where I now live.... it would seem strange to me if I didn't find members of at least five different racial groups all circulating around doing their thing..... Because of this I have had grocery store lessons in all the new fruits and veggies which are being sold in supermarkets now because of these new groups....I am shown how to prepare and cook them and given lots of wonderful ideas for new kinds of food. If that doesn't enrich a person's life I don't know what would please them.
:roll:TinMan said:Don't know how many noticed the Lily White crowd at the televised reception for Stephen Harper last night. It was quite a contrast to the multi-cultural makeup of the crowds gathered at both the Liberal and NDP receptions. For those who do not know Calgary the population is not that white, it's composed of about 15-20% ethinic minorities. The exception is the business elite which is of course 99% white and male. If you're a visible minority does that say anything to you??? Where do you suppose the gay CP members were located in that room?
This is a racist post disguised as a perceived Conservative bias.
Imagine it reversed. Harpers TV reception mostly Black and Arabic.
The Tinmans of the world would be yelling Racists from every hot tin roof in the country.
If,when you see any person on the street and you automatically say to yourself something along the lines of "She's Black ", then you are a rascist.
Wednesday's Child said:
This is a paradigm that asserts racism is essentially a liberal fabrication and that if divisions weren’t constantly pointed out they wouldn’t exist.
I think I was very specific and said that certain incidents contributed to my view. I have though done community work in African American neighborhood in a couple of US cities over the course of the last 15 years. Believe me racism is very real. I know paranoia is contagious.
I am actually looking for a neighbourhood like yours. Where is it? I’m serious. This is why I am preparing to move back to Canada.
I'm afraid you'll find out that racism is alive and thriving here in Canada,too. In my town, it's the Asians who are the targets of the slurs .
Awww Sanch you are gonna be disappointed in me...
I live in Southern California just south east of Santa Barbara....and I can't think of a more populated global community than the areas around me.... Asian, African, Latin, European, Canadian, UK - you name it... It's like a tiny United Nations all broiling around in the sun, grumbling, making money, working, getting their kids to school....you know.... nothing new and nothing different.... and there are racial incidents but no more commonplace than any rudeness that goes on among people of the same race....and the same kind of crimes too....not necessarily attributed to race at all.
It's an equal opportuity place...to make what one wishes it to be.
My bi-racial relatives live in Canada however as do all but a few of my family members. Perhaps you would be happier there, and that would translate into more relaxed perspective for you and your family too. You sound unhappy with your environment as it is now. That would wear anyone down...and the children will pick up on it like the little sponges they are.
I live in Southern California just south east of Santa Barbara....and I can't think of a more populated global community than the areas around me.... Asian, African, Latin, European, Canadian, UK - you name it... It's like a tiny United Nations all broiling around in the sun, grumbling, making money, working, getting their kids to school....you know.... nothing new and nothing different.... and there are racial incidents but no more commonplace than any rudeness that goes on among people of the same race....and the same kind of crimes too....not necessarily attributed to race at all.
It's an equal opportuity place...to make what one wishes it to be.
My bi-racial relatives live in Canada however as do all but a few of my family members. Perhaps you would be happier there, and that would translate into more relaxed perspective for you and your family too. You sound unhappy with your environment as it is now. That would wear anyone down...and the children will pick up on it like the little sponges they are.
I admit to being fairly sheltered when it comes to racism, but I definitely see it more now. I grew up in a very white town, went to Toronto and was surprised to be one of the few white people in my building. Then I came here from Toronto and I was shocked at how white my neighbourhood is. If I see someone of another race in this neighbourhood, they are usually nannies or gardeners (we do have a huge number of gay couples though, so I think that might be what turned my dog gay). In Toronto I was so used to constantly speaking with non-native english speakers that it took me a while here to stop speaking slowly with people. The city itself is very diverse, with a particularly large Laotian and Cambodian community, but individual neighbourhoods don't seem to be.
I have also heard a lot of racist comments some from whites, some directed to whites. I was so surprised and hurt when a friend didn't approve of me dating a black man. I've heard at least two families in the last year use the n word to our unit manager or when speaking about her. I actually told someone I didn't like the movie Crash because I thought it was so unrealistic. That sparked quite the discussion and some of their stories shocked me. I'm definitely more aware! I kind of miss being blissfully ignorant.
I have also heard a lot of racist comments some from whites, some directed to whites. I was so surprised and hurt when a friend didn't approve of me dating a black man. I've heard at least two families in the last year use the n word to our unit manager or when speaking about her. I actually told someone I didn't like the movie Crash because I thought it was so unrealistic. That sparked quite the discussion and some of their stories shocked me. I'm definitely more aware! I kind of miss being blissfully ignorant.
This is a racist post disguised as a perceived Conservative bias.
Imagine it reversed. Harpers TV reception mostly Black and Arabic.
The Tinmans of the world would be yelling Racists from every hot tin roof in the country.[/quote]
Racist post??? How so? I'm making the observation that from what I could see there were virtually no visible minorities in that audience. I could also have said "from what I could see there were a lot of visible minorities at the NDP and Liberal receptions". Both statements are true. Just as at a hockey game you will not see a lot of visible minorities, is it racist to point that observation out? Or does it simply tell you that visible minorities are not that interested in attending hockey games?
Imagine it reversed. Harpers TV reception mostly Black and Arabic.
The Tinmans of the world would be yelling Racists from every hot tin roof in the country.[/quote]
Racist post??? How so? I'm making the observation that from what I could see there were virtually no visible minorities in that audience. I could also have said "from what I could see there were a lot of visible minorities at the NDP and Liberal receptions". Both statements are true. Just as at a hockey game you will not see a lot of visible minorities, is it racist to point that observation out? Or does it simply tell you that visible minorities are not that interested in attending hockey games?