SOCI 1121 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Kirpan, Sikh, American'S Creed
27 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Multiculturalism in Canada
Multiculturalism in Canada
Jomar Lanot- 17 (2003)
oPilipino
oHe was playing a pickup game of basketball
oThey were harassed by 10 South Asian men
oHe was killed
oOn the grounds of Tupper
oOnly 1 of the accused were charged and given charges
Cat Lake incedent (1998)
o14 philipino youth, 1 fijian boy aetc. all visible minority
othey were all subjected to racial slurs and injured
o25 white men attacked their camp ground
oThe squamish mayor did not want to see this as a racist incident
oWas thought of as a alchohol problem rather than a racism problem
Devon Allaire-Bell -19 (2011)
oHe was visible aboriginal
oWas attacked for this reason
oWas playing soccer on the grounds of a school
oThere were 6 men that attacked him and his friend
oThey were stabbed, Devon did not survive the attack
oSuspects were all South Asian males
In all of these cases, there was Racism at work
Revival of ORGANIZED racism
‘In Canada we are taught that this is a multicultural country, and somehow, that
racism can’t exist in a multicultural country… If you try to bring it up or make
accusations it’s like you’re being oversensitive, or saying you don’t like Canada”
As a result, “ racisim in Canada is hidden, or ignored. Education is the only way
to combat racism, but we cant develop any educational programmes until we
admit that there is a problem in the first place.”
oMay Farrales of the Filipino Youth Alliance
oReferring to the Jomar Lanot case
“After the big anti-racist movement in the 1960s something went wrong- peoepl
became content with multiculturalism. So now it’s like we appreciate people’s
ethnuc foods and fold celebrations, but still treat them like crap in the street.”
oNindy Naan- Coalition Against Racism and Extremism
There are a lot of ETHNIC ENCLAVES
oHigh populations of certain ethnicities of people
oEx. Richmond – Asian
oPeople that are not of this ethnicity feel like they are inferior
oThey feel that their needs are not being filled
o
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Mosaic Madness
Reginald Bibby argues that levels of racism and sexism have NOT increased
signifigantly in Canada since the 1960’s
oBibby argues that times were not the same – political correctness had not
yet come into vogue
oThings were handled differently in those days and the media was not as
quick to publicize incidents involving racism & sexism
The incidences have not increased, what has increased the VISIBILITY
oNow we are more aware, but there isn’t necessarily less or more
oMore social media, media coverage of racism etc.
“racism and sexism were there all along.But we didn’t define such behaviour as
particularily abnormal.”
“given our desire to have a more humane and just Canada, we are redefining old
practices in new ways”
Canadians are changing their behaviour – motivated by a desire to relate to other
in a more humanitarian way, but also by the need to protect themselves against
highly damaging accusations (racist, sexism, homophobic…)
In the light of these new norms, people are seeing more inappropriate behavior
than ever before – and the media is reporting it in ever greater numbers
How far are we willing to go to avoid the “racist” label? What will be sacrificed in
the name of political correctness?
Does the concept of pluralism, now institutionalized into law and policy as equal
rights for all, by legitimatizing everything, in the end create nothing
oPluralism: separate, but equal
oIf we give everyone equal rights, what are we actually creating in the end
o
“what has failed at every level… is integration… we have put our own good, as
individuals, as groups, as a nation, ahead of the common good.”
oAssimilation policies always fail
oWhat we need to try to do is integrate people
oWe failed at integration in Canada
oThey thought they were putting the nation ahead, but they were making it
worse
o
Critics of multiculturalism argue that it discourages immigrant adaptation and is
divisive and detrimental to a shared and coherent Canadian identity
owe claim to prefer the cultural mosaic over the melting pot
o80% approve of inter-racial marriage
o85% feel that immigrants have an obligation to learn Canadian ways
Is ethnic identification weakening the social fabric of Canada? When it comes
right down to it, are we more different than alike?
“The mere presence of diverse parts does not for a moment ensure an
integrated piece of art – let alone an integrated and prosperous society. In
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Canada, the time has come to address a centrally important question, both as a
country and as individuals…if what we have in common is our diversity, do we
really have anything in common at all? (Reginald Bibby)
othe assimilation vs. integration debate
ohow do we build a country on differences
U of T poli sci Prof Gad Horowitz:
o“multiculturalism in reality is the machoistic celebration of Canadian
nothingness”
saying that Canada is just going to hurt itself
if all we have is differences we have nothing at all
American creed: We, the people… - the theme of collectivity- Americanism and
patriotism as an ideology
oThey’re individuals unitl they come under a threat
oThen they’re AMERICANS
oPatriotism
Pledge of Allegiance, America the Beautiful, E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one)
oThere are no equivalent songs in Canada
oWe don’t have the same mentality
Words of national anthems
“Hail to the Chief” – what song do we play when the PM walks into a room?
Canada has no such “creed that binds:- there is no ideology of Canadianism
“We decree – with the authorization of pluralism – that an educated, enlightened,
sophisticated Canadian is a person who tolerates almost everything and seldom
takes a position on anything. If a person dares to advocate a position in an
ethical, moral or religious realm – such a person typically is viewed as narrow-
minded.”
“To speak up on anything in Canada is to run the risk of being labeled a bigot.”
Bruce Allen learned this lesson first handed in 2007 when he called for
consistency in applying the laws of Canada to its diverse population
oHe said that there should be no exemptions
oAllen is a music promoter
oSihk men wanted the law to change where they do not have to wear a
helmet because it does not fit over their turbans
What he said was “This is simple. WE have laws in this country. They are spelled
out and easy to get a hold of. If you’re immigrating here and you don’t like the
rules in place, you have the right to choose not to live here,”
These remarks earned Allen accusations of racism and calls for him to be
relieved of his Olympic duties
others, however, wondered whatever happened to the constitutional right of free
speech in Canada
Regardless of whether we agree with what Allen said, should we not support his
right to say it?
Apparently, 75% of us do… what does this mean for political correctness in
Canada?
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Document Summary
Cat lake incedent (1998: 14 philipino youth, 1 fijian boy aetc. In all of these cases, there was racism at work. As a result, racisim in canada is hidden, or ignored. After the big anti-racist movement in the 1960s something went wrong- peoepl became content with multiculturalism. So now it"s like we appreciate people"s ethnuc foods and fold celebrations, but still treat them like crap in the street. : nindy naan- coalition against racism and extremism. There are a lot of ethnic enclaves: high populations of certain ethnicities of people, ex. Richmond asian: people that are not of this ethnicity feel like they are inferior, they feel that their needs are not being filled o. The incidences have not increased, what has increased the visibility: now we are more aware, but there isn"t necessarily less or more, more social media, media coverage of racism etc.
