SuppliedIs it surprising that racism is alive and well in Canada? It shouldn’t be, yet somehow it is. Sure, maybe for us university students, we can generally understand that there are systematic forms of racism that continue to persist in society. Despite that, it seems as though whenever a racist act in our own community makes headlines, which has happened three memorable times a matter of months, the knee jerk reaction seems to be shock and disbelief.
The first was at the end of July when U of A student Bashir Mohamed recorded a couple calling him a nigger while biking. Then last week Jesse Lipscombe was recording a PSA promoting downtown Edmonton when his cameraman caught the moment several men in a car called him a nigger before driving off. And just as Lipscombe and Mayor Don Iveson started their #makeitawkward campaign meant to encourage people to call out racism, a group called the Soldiers of Odin, which is inspired by several European anti-immigrant groups and at one point had said on their website that “Islamist intruders cause insecurity and increase crimes,” is said to have established a branch in Edmonton and is out and about “patrolling the streets.” While these instances of in-your-face racism may be distracting from more subtle and systematic manifestations of racism, instances like these really remind us that racism isn’t just an issue that any society simply conquers.
Despite the fact we ought to know better, the notion we’re a country that’s somehow immune to racism is one that sticks around and refuses to go away. In an interview with Maclean’s, Don Iveson said “Mainstream Canadians, what some might call the dominant culture, like to think this sort of thing doesn’t happen.”
Clearly, part of the problem is it’s so easy to forget about how racism can be a problem in our own streets and it’s not hard to see why. This year especially we’ve constantly heard about how Donald Trump thinks Mexicans are rapists, or UKIP’s triumph over Brexit a few months back is a victory that many simply see as a matter of xenophobic attitudes winning over rationality. There is no end to the present examples of racism that can be found elsewhere. This contrasts with the fact that our Prime Minister is constantly taking selfies with people of all kinds or races, our diverse cabinet, and the idea that Canada is a multicultural paradise. For these reasons, it becomes difficult to remember that underneath that post-racial skin, Canada isn’t immune to the problems other countries have.
If #makeitawkward wants to be more than a fleeting hashtag that outlasts people’s attention span, then it will have to recognize some of the factors behind our perennial amnesia and not just become another opportunity for people to pat themselves on the back. Not only does it have to confront racism hidden in niche little enclaves — from your racist uncle to the Soldiers of Odin Alberta chapter’s closed Facebook page — but it needs to address the pervading idea that we are somehow incapable of being racist.
Not only do we live in country with a prevailing notion that it’s some kind of multicultural utopia surrounded by lesser examples, but for students on a largely liberal campus, we’re even further insulated from the harsh realities of the community we live in. The recent examples of outright racism is a reminder that beyond campus is a society that can use some of the political correctness that is so abundant here.
