Stereotype

“The idea that ‘all’ members of a group are
the same, rather that individuals with
differing abilities, personalities and values.”

Scottish people are stingy.
Teenagers are loud and obnoxious.
Koreans are good at math.
White men can’t jump.
Blondes are dumb.
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Prejudice

From the words “Pre” and “Judge”.

In other words, “to have an opinion or image
based on previously held ideas rather than
knowledge or experience”.
It is when you agree with the stereotypes.

Discriminate

“To treat a particular group, or member of a
particular group differently or unfairly.” It is based
on prejudices.

For centuries women have been stereotypically viewed
as being less intelligent, or incapable of doing things
such as say math or science. They were to be “barefoot
and pregnant in the kitchen”. This prejudicial attitude
led to discrimination when it came to women of ability
being allowed to hold down traditional male jobs that
required math/science. And if they did get the job,
women were paid less for doing the same job.
Racism

“The mistreatment of people on the basis of
race, place of origin, or ancestry; belief that
one group of people is inferior or superior to
another.”

Racism is any action based on stereotypes that
view all members of a racial, ethnic or cultural
group as being the same, rather than individuals.
Racism and
Prejudice in
Canada
Do you think racism is a
serious problem in Canadian
society?
Historical Examples of Racism in
Canada

The Native Experience

The African Experience

The Chinese Experience
The Native Experience

Native Canadians are the only non-immigrants
in Canada but are treated as though they are.

Europeans imposed their rules and regulations
onto the natives.

Created Acts which controlled and restricted the
Native’s freedom to serve the government’s
interests
Gradual Civilization Act 1857


Purpose was to make natives English-speaking,
Christian and farmers.
Cultural Immersion, so kids removed from homes
and rewarded those deemed successful.


Given 50 acres of farm land and tribal and treaty rights
removed to be more like the white man (enfranchised),
which was considered the school’s ultimate goal.
Is this Cultural Genocide? Ethnocentrism?
The Indian Act (1876)

The Canadian government created a form of
racism that was designed to promote, primarily
through school and church, forced ‘assimilation’
(to make everyone feel they are the same or are
part of, to make similar). In short, make the
natives more European.

Native social and political institutions were
systematically destroyed
The Native Experience

The Indian Act (1876)
- a mandate for government administrators to control the lives
of Natives
- They could not manage their own reserve lands or money
and were under the supervision of the government
- could not own their land
- must ask for permission to develop on the land
- Natives did not have the power to decide whether nonnatives could reside on their land
- cannot leave the reserve without permission from a
government agent

“I want to get rid of the Indian problem. I do not think as a
matter of fact, that the country ought to continuously protect
a class of people who are able to stand alone… Our objective
is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that
has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no
Indian question, and no Indian Department, that is the whole
object of this Bill.” Dr. Duncan Campbell Scott – 1920

Scott was the head of the Department of Indian Affairs from
1913 to 1932.

Even before Confederation, the Canadian government
adopted a policy of assimilation. The long term goal was to
bring the Native peoples from their ‘savage and unproductive
state’ and force (English style) civilization upon them.

all native children between the ages of seven and fifteen must
attend one of Canada's Residential Schools.
“Idle No More” Movement


Is a reaction to many of the mistreatments and
injustices that our native people feel they face.
It is not a cohesive movement at the moment,
but a “groundswell” action that may result in
some changes by the Harper government.
The African Experience



“White” culture, intellect and morality was
thought to be much more superior over the
black race.
Many arrived in Canada via the underground
railroad; settled in Nova Scotia and
Southwestern Ontario.
When “free” blacks came to Canada, they were
promised equal land and necessities by the
British but received none or very little.
The African Experience

In 1850, black Canadians experienced restricted land
ownership and were refused equal education; not
allowed in “white” schools

Segregated schools existed in Nova Scotia until the
1960’s.

Black Canadians forced to settle in segregated
communities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and
Ontario

Africville, NS
Africville, NS

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Part of the City of Halifax, isolated from the rest of the
city
Population of about 400 black Canadians; coming from
80 different families
Were law-abiding, tax paying citizens who were proud of
their community
Africville area soon became home to many dirty
industries; a prison, disposal pits, a city dump and an
infectious disease hospital
The city failed to install sewers, lights, water or roads
Africville, NS

In 1947, Halifax designated Africville industrial land.

Without consultation with the members of the
community, between 1964-70 Africville residents were
given $500 and relocated to public housing, some via
city dump trucks, and the houses were leveled.

It is fair to state that while this tight knit community
paid taxes they were treated unfairly due to their race.
Africville
BEFORE
The town of Africville, 1965
AFTER
Africville Monument, 2000
Canada’s Early Bias – “Keeping
Canada White and Christian”



In general, Canada in the first half of 1900s was
very selective about who they let in, despite the
fact they needed more people to work in
agriculture
If they couldn’t get Brits or Western Europeans,
they preferred farmers from Eastern Europe.
There were exclusion laws tried to keep out
Chinese, Japanese, Indians (India). These are
countries with huge native populations.
The Chinese Experience


Arrived in British Columbia in the 1850’s
Recruited to build the Canadian Pacific Railway
Were given the hardest and most dangerous jobs;
more Chinese victims than white
 Were paid ¼ to ½ less than whites



Anti-Chinese Bill in 1885 to limit Chinese
immigration (railway was built)
In the USA it was even illegal for a white to
marry a Chinese person (changed in the 1940s).
Chinese Experience con’t


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Chinese “Head Tax” of $50 per person, in 1900
$100, and 1903 to $500 (two years wages).
Too expensive to bring family, so usually males
came and sent money back to support family.
Created a “bachelor society” for Chinese in
Canada
1923 Canada passes the Chinese Exclusion Act
and in the next 14 years only 50 Chinese
immigrants were permitted to enter.
These Experiences…

Provide a backdrop to help illustrate the
different forms of racism found in our
society today….
3 Forms of Racism

Cultural – “Ethnocentric”

Institutional

Individual
Cultural Racism

Ethnocentric – belief that one’s culture and beliefs
are better than others.

“we” and “they” mentality where one’s own racial
group is considered to be better than other groups

When the Europeans encountered Native North
Americans it was inconceivable to them that natives
were their equals. As well, it was believed that nonEuropeans would want to be like them…superior.
Institutional Racism

The process by which organizational practices
and procedures are used to either directly or
indirectly discriminate against “others”


Rules, procedures, rewards and practices that have the
intent or effect of excluding “others”
Examples include: differential admission policy
of Jewish students at McGill, black individuals
were regularly excluded from entry into theatres
and restaurants.
Institutional Racism

Laws and practices that segregated
minorities, especially blacks, from equal
participation in Canadian society until the
1960’s
Individual Racism




The attitude, belief or opinion that one’s own
racial group has superior values and customs
Personal attacks on others who are perceived as
culturally or biologically inferior
Racial violence against individuals by groups
with deep racial beliefs, such as the White Aryan
Notion Movement and the Skinheads found in
many Canadian cities
Polite racism
Skinheads


This group believes that
the white race is superior
and are prepared to
transform society along
white supremacy lines.
Believe “White is right!”
Racist Beliefs Today

Henry (1978)
First to measure racist attitudes in Canada
 16% of whites are considered extremely racist,
35% are somewhat racist


Focus Canada Survey (1998)
7-20% are strongly racist
 13% of Canadians would exclude non-white groups
from immigrating
 7% would not vote for a black political candidate

How do Racial Minorities Feel?

Toronto in 1992

80% of Black, 63% of Chinese and 62% of EastIndian Canadians felt that they had experienced
racial prejudice towards them.

73% of Blacks, 48% of Chinese and 47% of EastIndian Canadians felt they had been racially
discriminated against in obtaining a job
Ipsos-Reid Survey 2005

1 in 6 Canadians say they have been the victim of
racism.

Approximately one in ten (7% or 1,680,000 Canadian
adults) would not welcome people from another race as
next-door neighbours.

13% (3,120,000 Canadians) would never marry or have
a relationship with someone of another race.

15% (3,360,000 Canadians) say skin colour makes a
difference in their workplace.
In 2005 which group did
Canadians feel are the most
likely to be targeted in their
community with racist acts?
Muslims/Arabs
So…do you think racism is a
serious problem in Canadian
society?
Individual Racism – Polite???

Most racism in Canada is considered to be
“polite” racism
no racist comments are shared openly with others,
derogatory comments instead are made in private
 Attempt to disguise a dislike of others through a
non-prejudicial appearance
 Evident when turned down for jobs, promotions or
accommodations; told job is full when it’s not
 More sophisticated racism but serves the same
purpose to control, exploit and exclude others

Polite Racism? Are we Really a
Mosaic Country?

Decima Research, October 1993
- 1200 respondents
- 75% rejected the concept that Canada is a
cultural mosaic
- 72% believed that different racial and ethnic
groups should adapt to Canadian society
- 41% think that Canada lets too many people
from different cultures and races into
Canada
Prejudice Defined
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines prejudice as:
“preconceived judgment or negative opinion
formed without just grounds”
In other words, prejudice is a negative attitude that
we carry toward individuals or groups of people
Patterns of Prejudice &
Discrimination by Robert Merton
Theoretical Perspectives:
Differential Association & Conflict


Differential Association by Edwin Sutherland – also
known as The Learning Theory
Basic Propositions of the theory:
(i) Criminal/deviant behaviour is learned through the process
of social interaction with those individuals the person has
intimate relationships with (no one is born a criminal)
(ii) Through social interaction, the individual also learns:
motives (excuses and justifications) about their deviant
behaviours, attitudes, and techniques (however simple or
complex)
Differential Association Cont’d
(iii) A person becomes a deviant because he or she
has excessive associations with deviant groups
and limited associations with non-deviant
groups
(iv) The process of learning deviant behaviour is
the same as the process by which non-deviant
behaviour is learned
Differential Association Cont’d
(v) Associations with deviant and non-deviant
groups vary in:
a) Priority – when in life these associations occur
b) Intensity – how meaningful associations are to
individual
c) Duration – how long the associations last
d) Frequency – how often the associations occur
Prejudice (Pre-judge):
To have an opinion or image based on
previously held ideas rather than knowledge
or experience.
Discriminate:
To treat a particular group, or member of a
particular group differently or unfairly. It is
based on prejudices.
Differential Association Cont’d



Children learn racism and learn to hate members of
ethnic groups (no one is born with racial attitudes)
In regards to the reading from Tanner “Skinheads and
the Politics of Race” the learning theory can be applied
to explain the deviant ways of the Skinhead youth
Mark Hamm argues that Skinheads “are the products
of white, working class families [who] grow up
conforming to the dominant achievement ethic and are
successful in school”
Differential Association Cont’d

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These youth learn to be racist and
discriminatory from the people they choose to
associate with
The fact that these youth grew up in “good,
working class” families does not make them
immune to becoming deviants
Though the family is considered to be a primary
agent in the socialization process, some
individuals may be more heavily influenced by
their peers
Differential Association Cont’d
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The same can be said about the reading in our text
“Why do they hate us? What to do.” by Fareed Zakaria
The reading is about Arab resistance to U.S. policies
through the use of terrorism
Terrorism can be looked at as being a learned
behaviour
Sutherland would argue that “Terrorists” learn their
criminal behaviour from people they associate with and
are influenced by
In general, it can be argued that racism and prejudice
are learned behaviours that are the result of negative
associations in one’s life (be it family, friends, etc.)
Criticisms of Differential Association
Theory




1. Theory cannot explain all complex processes
involved in criminal behaviour (some individuals
commit crimes without learning practices)
2. Perspective ignores personality or psychological traits
3. Many techniques learned by criminals are learned by
legitimate means
4. Emphasis is on socialization – does not explain why
criminal or deviant behaviour was there in the first
place i.e.) why did person start hanging around
deviants?
Conflict Theory

Relevant Propositions of Conflict Theory
Power is the most important explanatory variable
- use power to maintain one’s position at the
expense of others is the fundamental cause of
social problems such as racism
 Groups that have clashing interests compete with
each other, therefore producing winners and losers
- conflicts benefit the winners at the expense of the
losers

Power is the most important
explanatory variable
- use power to maintain one’s position at the
expense of others is the fundamental cause of
social problems such as racism
- The Indian Act, Africville
Groups that have clashing interests
compete with each other, therefore
producing winners and losers
- conflicts benefit the winners at the expense of the
losers
- The winners interests and beliefs are strengthen
while the losers beliefs are abused
- American History X example
Raising Awareness
Raising Awareness

Since 1966, March 21st has been recognized as the
International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination by the United Nations

Initiated in response for the need to increase awareness
of the harmful effects of racism

Canadian youth have spoken out: there’s no room for
racism in their lives

Youth are the voice of the future
2003 Winner of Racism. Stop it! National
Video Competition

“Why Do You Tease Me?”
Southview Community School
Medicine Hat, AB

Students across the country are challenged to
create a one-minute video that expresses their
feelings about racism
Discussion Questions

Is racist behaviour considered deviant in all
situations?
Discussion Questions


Is racist behaviour considered deviant in all
situations?
Is affirmative action “reverse discrimination” or
an unfair advantage to members of minority
groups?
Discussion Questions



Is racist behaviour considered deviant in all
situations?
Is affirmative action “reverse discrimination” or
an unfair advantage to members of minority
groups?
Will events like Racism. Stop it! And other
awareness programs be able to erase racism in
our society? Why or why not?