Germany forum < Racism in Germany - how bad is it?

  • our problem

    posted by Deleted user in Germany forum 

    I belong to social and human rights sector this is why I see many nasty things which not every Canadian can see or observe.

    I don't disagree that Germans not racists but my argument is that Canadians and other nations are too. Did you forget last year's survey when we had mayor elections in Toronto, they found a quite high level of anti-immigration sentiment among people. Ok lets not touch Pakistani taxi cab drivers (although all are highly qualified people and came to Canada as internationally trained professionals). If Canada is so open then why it has a big time problem with Roma moving to Canada and you know for this reason Canada has a constant diplomatic conflict/relation with Czech Republic. Ok forget this issue, I want to come back to your claim about "Everyone feels equal in Canada" as everyone gets equal opportunities.

    You wont trust me then read this survey, its done by NARCC and not anyone else, this is why I say self-denial will take us no where.: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/ngos/narcc-ne
    w.pdf

    1. Economic Inequality & Racialized Poverty of Women in Canada
    Aboriginal, racialized and immigrant women, are disproportionately poor, when
    compared to other Canadian women, and to their male counterparts. In 2000 36% of Aboriginal women, 23% of immigrant women, 29% of visible minorities, and 26% of women with disabilities lived in poverty. In 2003 19% of senior women lived in
    poverty.125 Many of these groups intersect.

    2. The following are Statistics Canada Census 2001 average annual income and even in recent years nothing has been improved figures126:
    - Average for all Canadian men: $36,865
    - Visible minority men: $28,929
    - Men with disabilities: $26,890
    - Average for all Canadian women: $22,885
    - Aboriginal men: $21,958
    - Visible minority women: $20,043
    - Women with disabilities: $17,230
    - Aboriginal women: $16,519

    3. Racism is still a major barrier to employment: Many employers and managers make
    assumptions about work habits, suitability of certain types of work and ability to "fit in" on the basis of race.

    More evidences to become realistic:
    4. Racialized groups in Canada generally have higher education levels than non-racialized groups, yet their employment and income levels trail well behind. While they make up 12% of the Canadian population, they are only 5.9% of government employees and 3% of executives. Blacks, South Asians and other people of colour generally have lower employment statuses than Canadians of English and French backgrounds, even when controlling for education level. About half of university graduates from racial minority communities find professional employment compared to two thirds of White graduates. Within this group, racialized persons earned approximately $7 000 less than White graduates.

    5. It must also be remembered that Canadian-born persons of colour tend to be better educated than Canadian-born Whites. Of men belonging to racialized groups, only 46% have pensions, compared to 57% of other male workers. Among those with equivalent education, 38 per cent of Canadian-born Whites ranked in the top income quintile, compared to 29 per cent of Canadian-born people of colour.
    In Toronto, over 50% of families in some racialized groups live below the official low income cut-off. Among White ethnic groups, the rate is less than 10%.

    6. They all find employment one way or the other but not in field of their own specialty and ironically not for the skills for which they qualified to be an immigrant to Canada in the first place. So in one stroke “we” have de-skilled those people who “we” chose as “suitable” immigrants for Canada while not resolving the issue of shortages of labour in those fields for which we chose them.

    7. Although several institutions are charged with ensuring equity and a discrimination-free society, very few elected officials or senior representatives of organizations speak out against racist views and comments. In fact, many of the comments that marginalize racially identified communities come from elected representatives. (i.e Betty Granger, Canadian Member of Parliament, Roy Bailey, Last mayor of Toronto, Mel Lastman.)

    Despite a notion that Canada is a ‘tolerant’ and welcoming country where overt forms of racism are unacceptable, there are many systemic ways in which racism operates under the guise of other issues, such as the consideration of credentials, exclusion in workplace networks, and more favourable treatment of people from the dominant group. Furthermore, the concept of ‘tolerance’ is rarely problematized as to its clearly condescending undertone. For to ‘tolerate’ others in no way establishes that they are one’s equals, but maintains a notion that racialized persons are fortunate when the superior dominant group decides to put up with them. And the list goes on...

    I've witnessed racism and discrimination in Canadian work place and I can give you several examples and names. This is the reason I say, you are sitting 1000s of miles away from Germany and complaining about German racism and at home you have several examples of racism but you simply deny it...or does it mean you're part of that system that you hardly observe all above given racism and discrimination issues...???

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