Racism

Do you know what I hate?

Racism.

Today, I received my first racist comment on one of my blogs. Hell... right below where people are free to leave comments, I state that comments about race et al are not welcome. Is racism blind? It would be better if they were blind to race.

I published it within this - You Know What I Hate? - blog only to admonish the anonymous commentator.

I have no idea why I am surprised about receiving a racist comment. It wasn't directed at me, but was more of a casual offhand remark which is perhaps more surprising, as in this day and age, it's real easy for anyone, should they wish, to track down who exactly is doing what on the Internet.

And yet.. I was surprised. By the 21st century, overt racism has been replaced with acceptance and understanding... or perhaps, for some, it's just gone into hiding.

It would be ignorant of myself to have assumed racism doesn't exist - it does.

A very good friend of mine described the phenomenon of DWB. Driving while Black here in the greater Toronto area.

He's not the stereotypical Black dude gang-banger we see on television or the rapper type on the music videos, rather he is a well-spoken, educated young man with a family who, like myself, lives in a community that is largely White dominated.

It is because there so few Blacks in the area, whenever he drove his own car there, he would be pulled over by the police for a 'routine' check. He wasn't pulled over because he was breaking the law, but rather because the police suspected he, a young Black man, was up to no good in the predominantly White area.

Toronto does not have segregated areas. I should state that, up front. But, the farther one gets from the city of Toronto proper, the fewer visible minorities there are.

When my family (of Indian descent) moved into the current part of Etobicoke (now part of the City of Toronto) back in 1973, we were pretty much the entire minority population... although there was one another family farther down the block, and a Filipino family around the corner. Otherwise, it was Ukrainian, Italian, and Canadian White - which is a term I can't explains, but if you saw the folks, you might understand. I'm just describing the area... I never really noticed anything else, except that the kids were curious about me and asked questions and learned.

While my friend who happens to be Black, after the police determined he 'was supposed to be in the area' because he lived there, they simply let him go on his way. No explanation about why he was stopped. No apology for the inconvenience.

So... racism exists.

In my family, I have a White wife, a mixed son, aunts and uncles from India, The Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, French Canada, English Canada, Americans, Scottish, Irish, English, and mixes of all of those. Canada is a melting pot. I was engaged to a Buddhist Japanese woman at one time.... Jewish grandma... it's a whole grab bag. My friends are from all corners of the world and of every race, color, creed and sexual orientation (and then some). They are rich, poor, richer and poorer for better or for worse married, divorced, single, thinking about changing their situation and from a variety of professions that would make your head spin. But, unless they have no idea who I am, none of them are racist.

Despite by taste for racism, race means nothing to me. The same with religion. Despite having a political science degree, I'm not likely to care about one's political affiliation. Sexual preference - whatever. Love and do as you will.

As I get older, it seems to me that more and more people to whom I am exposed to in my daily life are not the type to care about race - it has given me hope to think that such archaic racial stereotypes or fears would be on the way to extinction.

And then... I'm reminded we aren't there yet.

Do you know what I hate?

Racism.