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Sorry - but this makes absolutely no sense. I don't see how it's practical to completely ignore people's races, as you're suggesting. You're saying if I'm describing a black guy I talked to to you I'm not ever suppose to acknowledge the fact that he's black? Sorry, that to me is more in spirit with what I object to with PC ideas.
People in England and Canada may not like the specific term African-American, but it's not as though race is not an issue and not discussed.
First of all the largest populations of blacks in England and Canada don't have the same heritage as most American black people - so yeah, I know lots of black people who don't like the term African-American, because a larger percentage of the black people in England/Canada emigrated more recently and they're identifying themselves more with their homelands in the Caribbean or other colonized countries in South America.
Secondly the scope and scale of the history of slavery in America makes your comparison apples and oranges. Also blacks aren't the largest group of minorities in England. England's race issues with Indians and Pakistani's are much more pronounced.
If I agree with you at all, it's in this spirit - as an outsider (to some degree) when I've been to the US I don't see a cultural difference between black and white people at all.
I also agree that I find PC objectionable - mostly because I think that the truth is always better no matter who the truth appeals to - but I don't think that's the issue with the term African-American. If black people in America have come up with their own term that they're comfortable calling themselves - without the history of racism attached to it, then complying to that description is not the same issue as PC to me at all. I guess policing the use of the term could be - but I still don't see how that's the main issue driving the racial divide in America - and I certainly don't get how you think that England doesn't have racial divisions.Comment
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I've read a lot of American black people don't like the term African-American so as a courtesy I never use it.
I just say blackComment
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^^^
Just to build on Brazoo's point. One the surface, I know that many people find a hard time differentiating between the culture of the United States and Canada (even Canadians themselves), but here is the one crucial difference when it comes to the cultural landscape....
Canada is the only Country on this planet that has Multiculturalism as part of it's constitution. Multiculturalism is government policy on the federal level. If America is the melting pot, we've adapted the mosaic as our cultural metaphor. After French and English relations nearly blew this country apart, we had visionaries like Trudeau and Pearson who foresaw the future of Canada in it's immigration policies a generation ago, and while instituting bilingualism, they went the extra distance and built in multiculturalism. The society we live in today is the realization of an incredibly innovative set of policies that foresaw our increasingly shrinking global village.
When you immigrate to Canada, you are encouraged to bring the best with you and leave the rest behind (although admittedly, that is not always the case). Thus the most racially diverse city, Toronto is divided into many overlapping cultural communities and the government pours an incredible amount of tax dollars into the ethnic and cultural events that on one level might seem to be a huge waste of funds, but actually in my opinion, helps cement the fabric of understanding and comradarie between ethnicities and cultures, if every single weekend of the summer months you can attend any number of open street parties based in one of the dozens of ethnic communities in the Greater Toronto Area and are encouraged to sample their food, dress, dance and music extending that year-round.
This isn't to say that we do not have racially charged issues crop up, but on the whole, the policy of multiculturalism in this country has become the model that other countries come here to study (German diplomats for example recently admitted the failure of multiculturalism in their country on a recent research trip to Canada).
Of course it helps that we are a country of primarily immigrants, which gives us a leg up from Europe, Asia or Africa, which obviously has many more centuries of cultural conflict and baggage to deal with. I think it also helps that most of our parents and ancestors came to Canada with dreams of a better life than the ones they left behind in the old country, without needing to leave the cultural comforts behind as well to assimilate (food, music, dress, dance etc).
What most people call "Political Correctness", I simply call the reality of being Canadian, living and playing in the heart of Toronto with a hundred cultures and ethnicities. For the most part, it works, and the alternatives to an open mind and an open heart towards each other are unthinkable. Settling misunderstandings and differences with respectful words and phrasing and government instigated signage in different languages sure beats sticks, stones, guns, bombs and other biological and chemical weapons any day of the week if you turn on the world news every night.Last edited by samurainoir; Dec 20, '10, 11:02 AM.Comment
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From now on I'm only going to refer to myself as an "Irish-American".
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As long as you don't call yourself an Irish setter.Comment
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I'm not surprised at this. To ask a what has been historically a culturally homogeneous society to adopt multiculturalism is a pretty tough sell. The Europeans are giving it a shot with hit and miss success. The ethnic strife in Africa is apalling; then there's the Japanese and Chinese who won't even consider it.
Geez... This sounds like a sound-byte from a Michael Moore documentary. I'd have to disagree on this. There is a lot of "Political Correctness" in Canada that is not based in attitudes of open mindedness -- it's based in ignorance and gullibility, or a fear of being called the R Word -- a racist. Then there's the cynically Politically Correct professional who jumps on the band wagon in order to make a buck or promote their own career. Toronto has struggled with Political Correctness for a while now. They made huge blunders in the 1990's giving in to special interest ethnic groups who were more interested in laying blame than accepting responsibility.
I would agree with you though that Canada has been successful at multiculturalism -- going on for the past 200 years. When my great great grandfather came to Canada from Scotland via the West Indies with his "black" (I prefer the term Creole) wife she was accepted by her new Canadian community. Her children married men and women who were of mixed European and Native American ancestry. That's what Canada is about.90, Joe 90.... Great Shakes : Milk Chocolate -- Shaken, not Stirred.Comment
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^^^
What I'm saying in my sugar-coated way, is that the positives of multiculturalism policy in the country outweigh the negatives, and I believe you are saying the exact same thing.
It's all a matter of degrees, and whatever games of politics people play with the system is fairly minor compared to the wars and violence the rest of world faces on a daily basis when it comes to ethnic and cultural based conflicts. But as you say, a homogeneous society based in one geographical area since close to the dawn of civilization is much different than a country primarily based around three centuries of immigrants escaping all of that, with more room and resources than we know what to do with.
If it's not obvious, I'm deliriously happy that to be Canadian in this day and age. But yeah, it's not all peaches and cream.Last edited by samurainoir; Dec 21, '10, 8:55 AM.Comment
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Given the fact that my spouse is two generations out of Ireland, and one generation out of Quebecois, and still identifies herself as both, it still astounds me that you might view that term as a negative!
But again... Melting Pot vs Mosaic.
But it's all contextual isn't it? This is hugely generalizing, but an American did point out this distinction to me while we were chatting at MegoMeet last year. In an international crowd, a Canadian of any ethnic/cultural backgrounds will probably identify themselves first as Canadian... particularly if they are visiting the country of their parent's/grandparent's/ancestor's origins.
Amongst Canadians in Canada, they are more likely to identify themselves with their ethnic/cultural background, because it's a given that we are all Canadian.
This might give you insight why...
Canadian Multiculturalism
In 1982, multiculturalism was referred to in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 27 of the Charter states:
This Charter shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians.
You don't hear terms like "Irish-Canadian", "Pakistani-Canadian", "Korean-Canadian", "Carribbean-Canadian", etc. because in our conversations with each other, we simply say "I'm Japanese", "I'm Indian", "I'm Italian", "I'm originally from Guyana", "My grandparents came here from Hungary", or "Half Irish, Half Quebecois" (although we do say "French-Canadian" as well)... because the hyphenated Canadian is obvious unless you are actually a visitor (and generally that is pretty clear within the first moments of a conversation... people visiting from another country like to announce that they are from another country, here to study or on vacation etc.).In seeking a balance between cultural distinctiveness and equality, the Act specified the right of all to identify with the cultural heritage of their choice, yet retain “full and equitable participation ... in all aspects of Canadian society.” In effect, the Act sought to preserve, enhance and incorporate cultural differences into the functioning of Canadian society, while ensuring equal access and full participation for all Canadians in the social, political, and economic spheres.Comment
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^ I tell people I'm half Scottish and half British simply because that is where my grandparents came from. Then I joke that I'm always at odds with myself. My girlfriend is Asian (half Chinese and half Laotian) but she was born here in Canada.Comment
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When people ask me "what I am" sometimes I say Polish and sometimes I say American ... but I never say Polish AmericanComment
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Just out of curiousity, is this racist group based in the U.S. or Europe? I didn't bother looking at the website.
Also, maybe because I live near Washington D.C.; I am very accustomed to living among people of various ethinic backgrounds and am always interested in hearing about their home countries and customs (especially when they are first generation)."The farther we go, the more the ultimate explanation recedes from us, and all we have left is faith."
~Vaclav HlavatyComment
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