Racism in Vancouver- have you been a victim?

Hi guys,

Again, nothing offensive. I'm trying to keep my posts clean and unoffensive.

I was wondering who here has been a victim of racism? I'm not talking anything big-a rude comment, discriminatory treatment at work, dirty looks by other races, etc.

I'm definitely an ethnic minority, but I don't look like any race in particular because I'm mixed. Many people think I'm part black even though neither of my parents are from Africa, the Caribbean or African American. But that's not important. I'm going to recount incidents that happened to me, its not important what race they thought I was. What's important to look at is who, why, how, could people be so racist in such a multicultural city?

I am only going to name a few things that have happened to me. I'm from Burnaby, and many years ago when I was in high school, my friend's boyfriend (whose parents are Italian), told my friend that she was a n**** lover because she loved to hang out with me. I was totally caught of guard when she told me he had said that.

Another incident, I was at a party (again, many moons ago in the early 200o's), and a guy (the son of Croatians), was really annoyed that I was looking at him. He was very drunk. I wasn't looking at him in a way that I was obsessed with him, I just happened to look his way. People had to control him. He was going off saying how much he hated blacks, hail Hitler, how black and horrible I was, he wanted to kill me, etc. People had to keep him off of me. He was inevitably going to hit me. I had said nothing, I'm actually a pretty looking girl, but he was bothered by the colour of my skin.

Most recently, I commented on my Facebook friend's status. He had a funny status and I wanted to add my two cents. Some guy I don't even know, a friend of his who is not my Facebook friend, I had never met him before, wrote something along the lines of "and why would you know you COON?"

I didn't even include all the ignorant comments I used to get, but those are more ignorant rather than hate filled racism.

Anyhow, now I want to hear your tales. I am flabbergasted that this kind of racism occurs in such a diverse city.

 

I grew up in east Van which was very multicultural. The students at my school were from very diverse ethnic backgrounds. I have encountered racist comments from people of many ethic and racial backgrounds, but generally from older generation people including those from my own race. I have not encountered such attitudes from people I know who have grown up here.

 

Funny thing, I grew up next door to East Van on Boundary Road *North Burnaby. It maybe a skin colour thing. I find sometimes there's less racism towards those with lighter skin even though they may not be caucasian. Maybe I've just had bad luck.

 

... didn't encounter racism when living in vancouver and the surrounding region ...

... however, the class system in vancouver, primarily in the white collar scene, bankers and lawyers and government officials, is so harsh it basically amounts to hardcore bigotry. if those groups decide they don't like you, especially the lawyers, they band together and form a wall of hatred against you, feeling totally justified in doing anything to you and stealing anything from you and your family they want to ...

 

Interesting observation. It could be based on many things. As you said, class, the generation you grew up in, plain ol' bad luck, etc. In the end, racism & bigotry comes from ignorance, and ignorance is a nasty seed that plants itself into any socio-economic class or culture.

I grew up around middle class and working class sons and daughters of European immigrants. Maybe this lended to the fact that I was often mistreated by kids who were taught to hate anything different. These kids' parents often came from hole in the wall villages of Europe. And this isn't racist saying "hole in the wall villages." Often these parents and their kids proudly sported the fact that they were from a Maltese village of 70 people, or from a mafia-ridden town of 500 people in the South of Italy.

The parents didn't know any better and taught their kids to be the same. I still remember a friend telling me that a black girl we knew wasn't allowed to visit another friend's house because the father hated black people. The father was Croatian and was quite vocal about his hate towards blacks.

Anyhow, enough about my experiences and those around me, I wrote this thread to hear about other's experiences.

 

.... good post, ForeignButNot!

... just to get back to your comments about class and hatred, the thing is, with lawyers it pays for them to hate people, it's how they make a living, choosing targets to victimize and prey on them. problem is, the psychopathic lawyers of vancouver just take their bullying way too far ...

 

Very interesting!! I have a family member and a best friend who are lawyers, neither of them classically "white." I need to get their weigh-in on this subject. It's so funny how this racism exists in law, especially when there are so many quote on quote, "ethnic minorites," grading from law school in Vancouver.

 

... thanks for your reply ...

... however, i haven't said anything about lawyers being "racist." i'm saying they are bigots who treat EVERYONE else (including their own races) as though they are above them ...

... there might be racist programming in their thinking too, who knows? probably ...

 

My in-laws have a practical attitude towards dealing with people of different races. They feel that as non-caucasians, they tend to get better treatment/service from non-caucasians than from caucasians. They travel often and they tend to choose to be services by non-caucasian customs agents (when possible) because they feel they will get less hassle from them than from caucasians. I don't travel as often as they do, but when travelling with them, that is what they recommended that I do. Personally, I have not noticed any different treatment based on the race of customs agents.

 

That is interesting to point out. It goes back to the whole concept of racism: I get preferred treatment and service if I deal with "x" race, whether "x" race be caucasian, asian, whatever. However, speaking as a non-caucasian (at least in the eyes of the world), your in laws may have a point. I've been discriminated against by white custom agents. Shortly after 911 I was detained in Alberta based on the colour of my skin. I was coming back from a study abroad in Europe and the customs agents in Alberta thought I was rather suspicious looking. Also, in one European country, the customs agents thought I was a person from Africa *eventhough I don't look African (ignorant on so many levels), and were questioning me, thinking I was going to their country to sell counterfeit Rolex watches. Ever since these incidents, I'm always happy to see a non-Caucasian face at customs.

 

I scarcely ever have this problem in America today. But in the 1980's or 1990's I dealt with subtle prejudice by dropping hints to authorities that I had connections with civil rights organizations, that I was a media tipster who had created scandals by exposing racial nonsense. Uniformed persons got scared and processed me just to be rid of me.

As a young man I would send a letter to the manager of a private business complaining that employee X gave me rude stares or half-hearted service because I was in the company of a white female. Employee X seems to dislike interracial couples, and I'm discussing his behavior in a letter to your corporate office. Man, you should see how the manager straightened that ill-mannered employee out!

FEAR is what you need to foster in bigots. Fear of legal, political and employment consequences.

 

Great thread! Years ago, I was at Office Depot on Broadway where the No Frills is now. An old white lady walked up to me and my friends and tells us to "go back to China". We are all Canadian born. I'm not even Chinese.

These days, the racism is not so blatant but it's definitely there. Frankly, I feel the xenophobia is getting a lot worse lately due to real estate prices and the media is definitely fueling it. Week after week, there are headlines about corrupt Chinese money, vacant homes, foreign buyers, international investors, shark fin soup, etc.

The ignorant have difficulty differentiating between non-citizens, immigrants and Canadian born citizens. All Asians get lumped together and painted with the same broad brush. It doesn't matter if you are Japanese and born in Vancouver, people will still blame and judge you for their inability to afford a house.

 

That is awful milquetoast! Ignorance breeds everywhere hence it's impossible to escape it in any place or any land. Anyhow, I'm not Asian, but I remember a few years ago in Burnaby, I ran a 4 way stop. It was my "bad," and I admit to it. I almost hit a man crossing the 4 way stop with his bike. Two young white men chased me in their jeep. They were in their 20's, and all they could see was my dark hair, and me driving a Toyota Camry. They finally caught up to me and my heart sank. I rolled down the window as they pulled up to my driver's side. Suddenly, they smiled and winked at me "ohhhhh, sorry, we thought you were something else, be careful out there cutie " Then they drove off. I was cute, in my 20's and not Asian. Had I been Asian I don't want to even think what could have happened! So I feel ya, it's not fair that any race gets profiled and discriminated against!

 

1. During my lunch break in downtown, I was waiting for the light and an older, beat-down looking homeless guy asked me for change. I already had my wallet in my hand, so I thought if I said no, it would look kinda weird. Plus I had a lot on my mind so I just automatically opened my wallet to give him a dollar. To my surprise, he says this: "what the f--- am I supposed to do with this. your f---ing people take all the f---ing jobs, get the f--- out of my country." I was trying to step back because he was really angry, and I looked around and I see people on the street around me just staring at us.

2. I was getting a membership for the gym at the closest community centre, and as I leave, I see two really tall guys in their 50s, looking like either homeless people or druggies or both, on the side of the sidewalk, crouched over putting things into some fabric bags. They were staring at me and muttering something, so I purposely gave a wide berth when I was passing by them. I see one turn his head to me as I walked by and ask me very distinctly, "do you have your citizenship cards ready?" I looked at him and kept walking. They then start walking behind me saying something, "................ ching chang chong". I make a sharp turn and try to let them pass as I try to call the police. They keep pointing at me, yelling, and when they saw my phone, they walked away, still yelling, making arm gestures like they wanted to fight or something.

 

Yes! You are a racist and don't try to deny it, in this very same forum there si plenty of proof [removed] those who processed You where right in doing so, and that is enough proof of what You are!

 

racism in nanaimo against chinese realtors

 

Vietnamese Hate Chinese?

This guy is a Vietnamese, he posted this race-related hatred slogan on the back of his car, which is very offensive to most Chinese people. I saw a lots of Chinese people on internet are talking about this, at first they thought it's done by a white person, but by searching the car insurance number they finally found out the guy who did this race-related posting is a Vietnamese! problem is, does this Vietnamese guy did this on purpose to make Chinese people hate local Canadian people, or is there somebody or even a Vietnamese government behind this drama?

 

That is against the Beijing government, not against Chinese people as an ethnic group. And I agree with that statement. I have nothing against Chinese as human beings, but someone has to stand up to Beijing's communist villains.

 

BULLSHIT!

CHINA BECAME A COMMUNIST REGIME 60 YEARS AGO, NOBODY REALLY CARED WHAT CHINA WAS. CHINESE IMMIGRANTS CAME TO THIS COUNTRY 100 YEARS AGO, NOBODY CARED WHO THEY ARE. NOW JUST BECAUSE THE NEW CHINESE PEOPLE JOINED THE RICH CLUB, SO CHINA & CHINESE PEOPLE BECOME THE VICTIM OF HATE!

THINK ABOUT THE AMERICANS 100 YEARS AGO, IN EUROPE EVERYBODY HAS SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT AMERICAN'S BEHAVE, BUT AFTER 100 YEARS , EVERYBODY WANTS TO IMMIGRATE TO AMERICA!

 

Racism is everywhere but here in Vancouver it's the Chinese who are the worst racists of all.