Racism in Montreal

[Hemme]

I wonder why we can’t call french quebecer haters as racists…

I wonder why we can t call anglos stupid cunt haters as racist as well. Guess i will live another day to find out.

 

[envelopes]

I keep hearing about how racist Quebecers are but I have experienced less racism here in Quebec than in NYC, London, or LA (the only 3 cities I lived in for more than 6 months).

I'd say the most racist place I ever stayed in was Madrid or London... they are pretty close.

 

[Chouin95]

It’s Canada here not Switzerland, we’re not European origins or whatever we are Canadians sounds like you just saw a bunch of tourists going at each others.
Stupid and disrespectful people are everywhere, all the time, maybe your expectations about highly educated folks from metropolitan area are wrong after all.

So, me and a few friends of mine have noticed a tendency in Montreal for people to like make really gross racial stereotypes about people of non european origins. While this is something that is usually more typical among the more trashy or more bottom of the barrel elements of society in say Singapore or Dubai, it is pretty accepted in what are seen as even more middle/upper class elements of society here. Like i'd expect these sorts of attitudes to be more common in more rural areas where people are just not very well educated or exposed to other cultures and don't know any better, but like in a metropolitan and diverse city, it's kind of disturbing that these attitudes are even tolerated. It's bad for business, it's trashy, and contributes to a view of quebec as being more backwards/hick from an international businessmen pov.

 

[Fradi]

In all honesty I think Europeans, Americans, Canadians are probably the least racist of all and more tolerant than most.
Many times the people calling racism turn out to be more racist than the ones they are accusing.

You really think racism doesn’t exist anywhere else and it is only people of European origin who are racist.
Wonder how you would be treated as a white European, if you went to live in Iran, Nigeria, Japan, China, India, Pakistan etc….
I am really getting tired of this constant BS.

Like Toto beefcake said I have been called every name in the book first because I didn’t speak English in one country and then by some here because I didn’t speak French, you learn to ignore it, but the huge majority of people treat you the same as everybody else and base their opinions on how you behave not how you look or what language you speak.

 

[Toto beefcake]

In all honesty I think Europeans, Americans, Canadians are probably the least racist of all and more tolerant than most.
Many times the people calling racism turn out to be more racist than the ones they are accusing.

You really think racism doesn’t exist anywhere else and it is only people of European origin who are racist.
Wonder how you would be treated as a white European, if you went to live in Iran, Nigeria, Japan, China, India, Pakistan etc….
I am really getting tired of this constant BS.

Like Toto beefcake said I have been called every name in the book first because I didn’t speak English in one country and then by some here because I didn’t speak French, you learn to ignore it, but the huge majority of people treat you the same as everybody else and base their opinions on how you behave not how you look or what language you speak.

And id say morals and values play a big role in that as well

 

[Halloween Mike]

Always finding it amusing when watching a Habs game on TV, French, French, French, French, He shoots, he scores

Never heard a french descriptors says "he shoot he score". Pierre Houde always says "le tir et le buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut" and even tough i don't really watch TVA Sports much, i often heard "il lance et compte"

Anyway to get back into subject. I think it resort to a few things. The first is Trudeau's flood of immigration. He exagerated and this really trigger a lot of peoples. I think especially as French Quebecer we already feel like we in constant battle to keep our identity in an English country, so when you add other cultures in the mix (who will often assimilate more into english if they want to assimilate at all), it does not help.

Then you have certain peoples behaviors like the peoples who took dumps in Ontario's beach, they give a bad rep to many more peoples sadly, even if its underserved. And of course i can't pass upon the current conflict in the middle east coupled with the rise of terrorisms/terror organizations since 9/11. When i see the "pro-palestine" protest in the streets (as they called them on the news, but lets be honest, its more a rally call for antisemitism and hate) it really makes my blood boil. We are in a troubled time.

I also feel certain communities are extremely more demanding than others. I am not the biggest fan of the chinese communist party or how things are run in that country, but i feel chinese who comes to Montreal to have a better life often seem extremely friendly and nice in general. I often had some try to speak to me in french even tough it was very basic and i was the one saying "its ok we can switch to english". At least they made the effort.

But other communities have more of a "conquering" nature in general, and a lot don't wanna escape their countries for a better life but rather to create a better version (in their opinion) of that said country.

Its a very triggering subject in general and im sure sooner or later this thread will be close, hopefully all i said came out "fine enough".

Ultimately i always said i judge peoples on their actions, not on skin color. And i think skin color is the dumbest ways to judge peoples. It mean nothing. I condemn as much anyone who participate in these Gaza protest whatever their skin color, as its their actions i consider absolutely terrible.

 

[CLOUD 500]

Never heard a french descriptors says "he shoot he score". Pierre House always says "le tir et le buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut" and even tough i don't really watch TVA Sports much, i often heard "il lance et compte"

Anyway to get back into subject. I think it resort to a few things. The first is Trudeau's flood of immigration. He exagerated and this really trigger a lot of peoples. I think especially as French Quebecer we already feel like we in constant battle to keep our identity in an English country, so when you add other cultures in the mix (who will often assimilate more into english if they want to assimilate at all), it does not help.

Then you have certain peoples behaviors like the peoples who took dumps in Ontario's beach, they give a bad rep to many more peoples sadly, even if its underserved. And of course i can't pass upon the current conflict in the middle east coupled with the rise of terrorisms/terror organizations since 9/11. When i see the "pro-palestine" protest in the streets (as they called them on the news, but lets be honest, its more a rally call for antisemitism and hate) it really makes my blood boil. We are in a troubled time.

I also feel certain communities are extremely more demanding than others. I am not the biggest fan of the chinese communist party or how things are run in that country, but i feel chinese who comes to Montreal to have a better life often seem extremely friendly and nice in general. I often had some try to speak to me in french even tough it was very basic and i was the one saying "its ok we can switch to english". At least they made the effort.

But other communities have more of a "conquering" nature in general, and a lot don't wanna escape their countries for a better life but rather to create a better version (in their opinion) of that said country.

Its a very triggering subject in general and im sure sooner or later this thread will be close, hopefully all i said came out "fine enough".

Ultimately i always said i judge peoples on their actions, not on skin color. And i think skin color is the dumbest ways to judge peoples. It mean nothing. I condemn as much anyone who participate in these Gaza protest whatever their skin color, as its their actions i consider absolutely terrible.

Trudope created a phenomena called Balkanization due to mass immigration. But that was one of his first pledges when he first got elected was to turn Canada into a Post-National State.

 

[dkr_ring]

is usually more typical among the more trashy or more bottom of the barrel elements of society in say Singapore or Dubai, it is pretty accepted in what are seen as even more middle/upper class elements of society here. Like i'd expect these sorts of attitudes to be more common in more rural areas where people are just not very well educated or exposed to other cultures and don't know any better, but like in a metropolitan and diverse city

While your aims to call out racism, your own language contains judgmental and biased elements. Your arguments are weakened by the very tendencies you criticize, as you rely on stereotypes and generalizations. This highlights the importance of self-awareness when discussing sensitive topics like racism to ensure comments or critiques doesn’t replicate the issues it seeks to address.

Suggestions for improvement: You should avoid making generalized statements about specific regions, socioeconomic groups, or cities. This would align your critique of stereotyping with your own writing style. In other word.

Focus on exemples: Providing specific, in context examples of the behavior you criticize in Montreal. This can make your argument more credible and relatable.

Be sensible: Avoiding phrases that might seem to conflate racism with particular nations or economic classes would help refine your argument.

 

[CantSeeMrHappy]

I get reverse racism a lot, especially in Quebec regions when they hear me speak English 100% like a dude from Ontario, until I talk back to them in French with no accent.

The other group, in IT and multiple companies, are the people that originate from India, unless they are from the lower castes that had the lucky chance for a better education here in Canada thanks to their parents.

The problem for us Canadian born, we cannot distinguish from which caste an Indian person is from by looking at them, only by interacting with them. I've had quite a few fights with them in the past, with certain situations needing to be resolved by the CIO and both of us getting fired, then, that CIO got fired, an Indian dude took his place and hired back his friend.

This was at a F500 company with a head office in Toronto & Montreal. That new CIO closed down all IT in Montreal, and opened a satellite office in India. My friends still working there miss me sorely. A simple problem takes weeks to get fixed, that I would do in minutes.

Black people (Africa or islands) or South Americans, no matter their origins, Zero Problems !!! I think eye contact and not being agressive helps, sometimes you see the other person brace themselves, and nope, I treat them with respect, eye contact, curteous. Especially if I'm the customer, I'll go out of my way to make it pleasant for them. Seems that for my age group, this is rare.

Especially when travelling, we are often thought to be Uppity Americans, not down-to-earth pleasant Canadians.

 

[talkinghead]

The threads on race are consistently the worst threads on MERB. They're dispiriting and unilluminating. Everyone is angry and reactionary, pointing fingers and casting blame (which is always ... elsewhere). There is rarely any self-reflection or even much self-awareness.

Instead of comparing racisms or lecturing others on their failures, why don't we agree that racism of any sort is wrong and that we can all (however we identify) aspire to show respect and compassion for everyone.

 

[Workingman]

The threads on race are consistently the worst threads on MERB. They're dispiriting and unilluminating. Everyone is angry and reactionary, pointing fingers and casting blame (which is always ... elsewhere). There is rarely any self-reflection or even much self-awareness.

Instead of comparing racisms or lecturing others on their failures, why don't we agree that racism of any sort is wrong and that we can all (however we identify) aspire to show respect and compassion for everyone.

Because most people today are only concearned with themselves. That's why! Lol!

 

[MCTJ]

The threads on race are consistently the worst threads on MERB. They're dispiriting and unilluminating. Everyone is angry and reactionary, pointing fingers and casting blame (which is always ... elsewhere). There is rarely any self-reflection or even much self-awareness.

Instead of comparing racisms or lecturing others on their failures, why don't we agree that racism of any sort is wrong and that we can all (however we identify) aspire to show respect and compassion for everyone.

Hey I brought in some sociology and psychology

 

[talkinghead]

Hey I brought in some sociology and psychology

Ha! I genuinely wasn't thinking of any individual post, and I agree with some of comments in this thread--but overall these threads don't go anywhere and may end up doing more harm than good. I'm sure I'm not alone in rolling my eyes when I see the word "race" in a thread's title. Let's all get back to complaining about SPs' rates!

 

[Johnny test]

when I see the word "race"

i try as much as i can to use the word "ethnicity" instead of "race", technically we are all "homo sapiens sapiens".

 

[Julia Sky]

i try as much as i can to use the word "ethnicity" instead of "race", technically we are all "homo sapiens sapiens".

That would be species not race, although I see where you're coming from. But in my opinion trying to imply there are zero differences between humans is disingenuous and it's erasure of so many cultures. I'd rather embrace the diverrsity of human experience than act like it doesn't exist if that makes sense.

 

[Johnny test]

Depending on where you come from the meaning is different you're correct, we tend to use more the term "ethnicity" while in north america, "race" has a slightly different meaning.
Anyway, my point, and we may agree on this, is that your behavior/personality depends on a lot of factors and are not determined by a pigmentation or a place of birth

La race est une subdivision d'une espèce vivante en fonction de caractères morphologiques. En ce qui concerne l'espèce humaine, le critère de différenciation qui l'a emporté, sans fondement rationnel, est celui de la couleur de la peau. « Dans les années 1970, avec l’essor de la génétique, qui a montré que l’espèce humaine partage le même patrimoine génétique à 99,8 %, le concept de "races", qui n’a donc aucun fondement biologique, est totalement abandonné. Cependant, de nos jours le terme conserve un usage social ou juridique. » (Patou-Mathis, 2013).

Il est donc admis aujourd'hui que la notion de race humaine est totalement dénuée de fondement scientifique et elle est politiquement inacceptable. En effet, les différences morphologiques retenues entre groupes humains sont négligeables au vu des différences biologiques entre individus d'une même population.

Après avoir beaucoup utilisé la notion jusqu’aux années 1930 dans le contexte de la colonisation – et en Allemagne jusqu'en 1945 – , la géographie européenne contemporaine n’y fait plus référence. En France, le terme « ethnie » est parfois utilisé en substitut euphémisé à la race, c'est pourquoi son emploi peut être controversé. Pour rappeler que le fait de désigner les personnes par leur couleur de peau est toujours une représentation, mais aussi que cette assignation sociale est loin d'être sans conséquence dans la vie quotidienne des personnes concernées, les chercheurs en sciences sociales parlent de « groupes racisés ». Aux États-Unis, la race et l'ethnicité sont considérées comme deux identités séparées et distinctes.

 

[Julia Sky]

Depending on where you come from the meaning is different you're correct, we tend to use more the term "ethnicity" while in north america, "race" has a slightly different meaning.
Anyway, my point, and we may agree on this, is that your behavior/personality depends on a lot of factors and are not determined by a pigmentation or a place of birth

I think a good part of people's personality, behavior and experiences is informed by their culture, surroundings and upbringing. All of which are heavily influenced by ethnicity. We can agree to disagree though (and of course this isn't always the case)

(Also my point was mostly that homo sapiens is a species not an ethnicity haha and I don't love the idea of reducing humans to our species when discussing the diversity of human beings and our experiences)

 

[Johnny test]

i don't think we're talking about the same thing but that's ok

 

[Workingman]

Diversity Day is one of the best episodes of "The Office"

 

[Carmine Falcone]

In all honesty I think Europeans, Americans, Canadians are probably the least racist of all and more tolerant than most.
Many times the people calling racism turn out to be more racist than the ones they are accusing.

You really think racism doesn’t exist anywhere else and it is only people of European origin who are racist.
Wonder how you would be treated as a white European, if you went to live in Iran, Nigeria, Japan, China, India, Pakistan etc….
I am really getting tired of this constant BS.

Like Toto beefcake said I have been called every name in the book first because I didn’t speak English in one country and then by some here because I didn’t speak French, you learn to ignore it, but the huge majority of people treat you the same as everybody else and base their opinions on how you behave not how you look or what language you speak.

If you're going give examples of specific countries, you should be familiar with them.

I've spent time in Nigeria before. White people there (expats or Westerners working there) aren't discriminated against. They're waited on hand and foot because they are perceived to have money. I'm not saying this completely invalidates your point that Europeans can also be discriminated against. I'm saying with the exception of an extremist from Boko Haram (which translates to "Western education is a sin"), Nigeria as an example is not apt.