Sondage sur le racisme au Québec

[deBeauxOs]

(Post in English will follow.)

Léger Marketing a diffusé les résultats de leur sondage sur le racisme.  Il y a eu beaucoup d'interprétations et explications attribuées aux données recueillies.  Celles que je trouve intéressantes, ce sont celles qui dévoilent la franchise et l'esprit d'auto-critique de celles et de ceux qui ont partagé leurs attitudes et leurs opinions.  Oui, il existe aussi tout autant de xénophobie ailleurs en Ontario, et dans le reste du Canada.  Pourtant, les discussions à ce sujet dans les médias québecois semblent disposées à mettre en cause le bien-fondé de ces valeurs, un événement exemplaire et positif à mon avis.

Ailleurs au pays, une tendance à balayer ces questions sous le tapis semblent régner.

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Léger Marketing has released the results of their survey on racism.  There has been much interpretation of the data collected.  Those that I find relevant are those that reveal the honesty and spirit of self-reflection of those who shared their attitudes and values.  I've observed that xenophobia exists also in Ontario and in the rest of Canada.  However, the discussions in the Québec media question the validity of such values - an occurrence which is, in itself exemplary and positive.

Elsewhere, it seems to me that the tendency is to sweep these concerns under the rug.

[kuri]

I'll repeat what I said at Scott's blog here:

I recently answered a really similar survey (maybe same one, I dunno) and I had to label myself as "slightly racist". When you have privilege and live in a racist society (and Canada is very much built on an official racism towards First Nations) you cannot be 100% "not racist". The best you can be is aware of any institutional prejudices you may have internalized and work to correct them.

Phil Fontaine explains the differences in this speech:

Racism is generally categorised into three types:

1) Individual, direct, racism when individuals expressly espouse racist views as part of a personal credo;

2) Subconscious, indirect, or unintentional racism when individuals hold negative attitudes towards racial minorities based on stereotypical assumptions, fear and ignorance; and

3) Institutional or systemic racism when institutions such as government agencies, businesses and organizations that are responsible for maintaining public policy, health care, education, housing, social and commercial services and other frameworks of society, functioning such a way as to limit rights or opportunities on the basis of race. Institutional racism can be both direct and indirect.

Even the best intentioned person with skin privilege still has #3.

So perhaps this poll result means that Quebecers are more aware of the racism within their society than other Canadians? With a question as poorly designed as this one, it's difficult to make any hard and fast conclusions.

[deBeauxOs]

Something in the text above linking to Phil Fontaine's speech is wonky; here's another link to it.

[lagatta]

Don't want to start another thread for this, but the owners of the bar "Le Surf" in Longueuil are appealing their conviction for refusing to serve Black men due to the colour of their skin:

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Mont ... ppel.shtml

On Radio-Canada and CBC, the racist turds were whining about "street gangs" (gangs de rue). Here, anyway, street gangs is shorthand for criminal gangs of (usually young or youngish) people of colour - Black, Latino, Filipino etc etc. The Hells, the Mafia and all their hangers-on are NOT called street gangs, though they control a lot of the same kind of "street" crime.

How can a bar that refuses to serve patrons on the basis of the colour of their skin still have a licence?

['lance]

Still happening in a bunch of Calgary clubs, too.

[deBeauxOs]

On Radio-Canada and CBC, the racist turds were whining about "street gangs" (gangs de rue). Here, anyway, street gangs is shorthand for criminal gangs of (usually young or youngish) people of colour - Black, Latino, Filipino etc etc. The Hells, the Mafia and all their hangers-on are NOT called street gangs ...

Who are those whining ... are they quoted in news item or are they those who call in or write in, expressing their opinions?

As for the 'gangs' - yes, I agree that it's a blatant generalization, blaming youth of colour for all evils.  Those kids who are indeed involved in criminal activity (I concur with lagatta, there are many racist assumptions involved) have likely been recruited by the 'pure laine' mafia, Hell's Angels and others who have controlled 'la pègre' for decades.  In fact, the nature of this exploitation is no different from other manifestations of racism, in legitimate areas of employment.

[lagatta]

The racist creep was quoted, saying that he wouldn't pay the fine levied as what he had done was not "that serious".

I had the misadventure of googling something like "bar le surf longueuil racisme" and the first hit was a Neo-Nazi White Power site, obviously approving the tenancier du bar and talking about how Québec was being invaded by "monkeys" including these "subsaharan Islamists" (obviously if the guys had been Islamists, i.e. fundamentalists or strictly observant, they wouldn't have been ordering a beer in a bar)  :roll: but I guess logic is not the strong suit of Neo-Nazi racists (hey, d'ya remember what the KKK said about French Catholics down Louisiana way?)...

Edited to add: I really like what deBeauxOs wrote about the "street gangs" - ils sont en quelque sorte les "sous-traitants" de la Mafia et des Hells -

[deBeauxOs]

... the "street gangs" - ils sont en quelque sorte les "sous-traitants" de la Mafia et des Hells -

Well racism is systemic - n'est-ce pas? Thus the higher-up bosses of 'organized crime' can use and abuse their indentured street gang members of colour, just like your garden-variety racist capitalist entrepreneur who does not engage in illegal activities.

ETA - and I would not be surprised to learn that the criminal 'establishment' in Toronto, for example, uses its Caribbean ancestried street gangs recruits in the same manner - as disposable 'foot soldiers'.