is racism common in Toronto?

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Toronto is not perfect, but as a black male in his mid twenties I have never felt overt discrimination against me except for one case where a deaf tourist appeared to make a comment to her family about me being at a restaurant with a white woman. I assume it was a tourist because I overheard some members of the group talking about "the time zone back home."

It's not to say that I don't feel out of place at times. I like to bike through ritzy neighbourhoods and look at the houses and I do sometimes feel that people are staring at me - but that's about it.

I'm more concerned about people who perceive that their race limits their socio-economic progress and as a result they don't even try.

people stare at me all the time, and i mean like serious stare. either i'm really sexy or handicapped. i think i need to create a helmet with a really bright light attached to the top so people avoid staring at me like they avoid staring at the sun.

 

[urbandreamer]

^lol, UofT is a big joke. You don't have to demonstrate knowledge of the English language at all!

Racism still exists; to deny it implies living in a bubble.

But is Toronto as racist as Japan, various Middle Eastern countries or former Soviet Union areas? No.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

What is interesting is that the groups who experience racism are racist themselves

 

[jenny_zhang]

Rumanian immigrants going on endlessly about Gypsies ...

My father owns a printing business, and used to get this Russian customer who would rant endlessly about the Jews, and went so far as to offer my father a copy of a Nazi propaganda video. I'm not sure if he saw the irony.

I'm sure that it happens, but I don't think it's common among Canadian-born folks.

I don't know what happens in white communities behind their doors, so maybe they're all secretly racist, but as far as I can tell white Canadians are possibly the least racist segment of society here as far as percentages go.

 

[nfitz]

I don't know what happens in white communities behind their doors ...

Well there was that piece on SNL when Eddy Murphy went undercover ...

 

[sangcho1989]

Other than the fact that someone called me a troll, im very pleased with the answers. Thanks. and no, i didnt think toronto would be a place of high levels of racism in the first place, but more so, I was wondering if job applications were denied due to ethnicity. Im sure this is true all around the world, even in a melting mosaic figure like Canada, but I was curious as to whether how often racism occured in a more specific point on the map because im planning to live there for the next couple years. So far my plans of moving to toronto have not changed and i have no thoughts of turning back.


Thanks to all.

 

[Chinese Jamaican Bloke]

i don't know what to call this:

several years ago i answered an ad for a telemarketing position. it said applicants should be at this place for 3pm on a specific day/time etc. i went and handed my resume and there were several people there who responded to the ad. This man came out ask to tell him a little about himself/herself, after all that the man call out some names and said something like "if you don't here your name called leave or something similar" i did not heard my name so i basically wasted bus fare and time.

 

[jenny_zhang]

i don't know what to call this:

several years ago i answered an ad for a telemarketing position. it said applicants should be at this place for 3pm on a specific day/time etc. i went and handed my resume and there were several people there who responded to the ad. This man came out ask to tell him a little about himself/herself, after all that the man call out some names and said something like "if you don't here your name called leave or something similar" i did not heard my name so i basically wasted bus fare and time.

Are you trying to say this was because of racism? That's a bit of a stretch. Unless every single person who made it through was one race and everyone who failed wasn't.

 

[Chinese Jamaican Bloke]

My father owns a printing business, and used to get this Russian customer who would rant endlessly about the Jews, and went so far as to offer my father a copy of a Nazi propaganda video. I'm not sure if he saw the irony.



I don't know what happens in white communities behind their doors, so maybe they're all secretly racist, but as far as I can tell white Canadians are possibly the least racist segment of society here as far as percentages go.

eastern europeans(Slavic people which includes russians) faced a lot of racism in the past and are not considered "white" by the Anglo-Saxon/Germanic types that were racist towards them

 

[Chinese Jamaican Bloke]

Are you trying to say this was because of racism? That's a bit of a stretch. Unless every single person who made it through was one race and everyone who failed wasn't.

i don't know if this was racism

 

[Tacoma]

...Or if you mean when you apply for a job will you not get that job based on your racial group? Again, unlikely but you can never be sure.
...

Racism in Canada has largely been covert but I think there's generally less racism today than, say, 20 or 30 years ago (at least in Toronto which is what I know). However, there are still many corporations here whose Executives are almost exclusively white male while other staff are mixed. So I would say racism is unlikely for most jobs today but for Executive management positions where the real power resides, that's a different story.

I agree with afransen. Either you're a troll, or so profoundly ignorant of well-documented social realities.

Since you're attending U of T - one of our best universities and one where you have to write an essay demonstrating critical thinking skills to enter - I am inclined to believe that you are the former.

I disagree. I don't find it the least bit unusual or trolling that the OP who is apparently Korean and is moving to a new place, would be interested in knowing whether or not racism is prevalent in the new place. It's a very relevant question if you're a visible minority.

And I am curious in knowing what "well-documented social realities" exists that somehow puts the book to rest on racism in Toronto?

 

[prosperegal]

Most racism I've ever encountered has been among immigrants; Rumanian immigrants going on endlessly about Gypsies ... Chinese immigrants threatening to disown their child if they married someone who was white. Absolute shameful behaviour ...

Perhaps as Toronto has more immigrants than anywhere else, there is more racism here?

But I'd think this is a problem in BC too ... and I can't think there's more here than there.

I think Chinese immigrants are more likely to disown their child if said child married someone black than someone white. In my experience, anyway.

 

[cdr108]

if you're planning to go to U of T, you may not hear or experience overt racism but there definitely is an under-current.

there was an anti-asian vibe there bc asians were/are a prominent visible minority, and some were very rich with nice cars, etc.

similar racism/jealousy occurred b/c a high % of asians were getting into medical school, etc.

 

[Chinese Jamaican Bloke]

I think Chinese immigrants are more likely to disown their child if said child married someone black than someone white. In my experience, anyway.

i always see Chinese dating and going with with blacks and whites

 

[cdr108]

a little off-topic but i find the new Swiss Chalet commercial racist.

it's the one where the white older male manager walks with a white young trainee through the restaurant.

all the backroom cook staff are immigrants ... black, brown, asian.

suddenly the new trainee is gone and shown eating a meal and asking a waitress for some extra sauce ... the manager states the young trainee is going places.

why the manager or trainee couldn't have been non-white, or why the kitchen staff were all immigrants are beyond me ...