September 10, 2009
One of the things I love about Canada is the cultural diversity. Bringing people together from many different backgrounds is not without its challenges, but as a whole I strongly feel that we benefit from this cultural wealth as a society. However, I’m sometimes frustrated by the paralysis of being overly politically correct. Of course I don’t want to offend anyone, but it seems that this fear of offending people prevents us from having potentially rich conversations about each others backgrounds, cultures, and religions.
Here is Ghana, it is quite refreshing when people are very up front with their questions. “What is it like in your place?”; “Why don’t you live with your parents?”; “Why don’t you like the skin of the cow, when it is so sweet?”; “What religion are you?”; and “Why does it seem that white people don’t believe in things unless they see them?”.
People have genuine curiosity about my culture and religion, and aren’t afraid that they will offend me or be perceived as less intelligent by asking the questions. Likewise, I can ask them many questions about their culture, behaviors, and religious beliefs without them thinking less of me. (“How do you know which chickens are yours when they all run around?”; “How is it that Muslims and Christians live together so peacefully here?”; “Why do you pray during the middle of the night during Ramadan?”; and “How am I supposed to know who your actual sister is, when you call everyone your sister?”).
It leads to some very interesting conversations, and I wonder why we can’t openly have more of these conversations back in Canada where we have such a huge opportunity to learn about cultures from all corners of the globe, without stepping outside of our city or even our social circles. I know that conversations like this happen, but usually not without developing a certain level of trusting relationship first.
So I’m posing a question to those reading this post. Especially those who represent visible ethnic minorities – even if you and possibly generations before you were born in Canada. Would you be offended if someone you didn’t know very well were to ask you about your background, culture, or religion; with the implicit assumption that because you look different than they do, you must have a different cultural background? Or is a fully developed trusting relationship a necessary precursor to opening this dialogue in Canada?
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Very interesting question. I have 'Japanese' grandparents who aren't blood relatives. I use quotes because they were born in Canada and their parents immigrated to Japan, so while they look Japanese, they don't speak Japanese and act about as Japanese as the average Canadian. For example, this same grandmother is a fan of the Queen of England. My wife is from Colombia and came to Canada 6 years ago. My mother is a 1st generation Canadian from British immigrants and my Father's family were British loyalists so they must have a history in Canada before it was a country. So I guess that makes me 'white.' But wait a minute, why do we classify people based on visible physical attributes? We are taught that everyone is equal so what significance do physical attributes have as a social classification device? I say none at all. I don't believe in the notion of 'visible minorities.' Like I mentioned before my 'Japanese' (looking) grandparents, stepmother, and uncles, are about as Japanese as the average Canadian. And let's just think about this for a minute. I was applying for a job recently and one of the questions on the application was "do you identify yourself as a member of a visible minority based on the definition below." The definition was "a visible minority is defined as a person who is: non-caucasian or non-white in colour." I decided to check my colour first. So I put my arm next to my son, who is the product of my wife, from Colombia, and me. That would make my son a member of a visible minority (non-caucasian). I was darker than him! That must make me non-white, since if I was white than no one would be lighter than me, and surely I would not be darker than someone of a visible minority. Therefore I satisfied the conditions to be considered a member of a visible minority. I'm telling this story simply to illustrate what a farce the notion of 'visible minority' is. But I also believe it does more harm than good, by causing dilemmas such as the topic of this article. I don't believe in classifying based on physical differences, but I do believe in differences in language and culture. And that brings me to the answer to the original question. Some people, like my grandparents, no doubt would be offended if you asked them about their life in Japan, since they did not have a life in Japan and you would be making assumptions based on their physical appearance. But a simple 'Hello, how are you? What is your name?' would be a good start to a relationship, if you were interested in finding out about their background. And if they had an accent, you might ask 'where is your accent from?' Or if they had an unusual name you might ask 'where is your name from?' The ultimate answer is to be friendly and treat all people with respect. You can't control who will be offended by what you say, but if you are respectful and friendly you can't be blamed if they are.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your blog recently. I forget how I found it, but when I did, I bookmarked it because I went to Ghana this summer and love hearing other people's experiences of it. I am also from Canada, but I am a student, so I cannot spend more than a couple of months a year away. After having been, I plan on returning regularly, as I felt more at home in Ghana than I have elsewhere. Any other country I have visited, I have felt sad to leave, but was happy to go home nonetheless, however as soon as my plane began to move in Accra, I began to cry, as I was not ready to leave! Anyways, to move on to your post, I do agree that in Canada, we tend to be more politically correct than any other culture I have encountered. At the same time, after having experienced a shortly prolonged period of time in Ghana, I feel I have less fear of insulting someone with my questions and my words. I now figure that if someone takes something wrong, then I need to think of what I siad (because lets face it, we all make mistakes when opening our mouths on occasion), and if I don't feel I would have been insulted, then I don't worry about the persons reaction. And following that thinking, I feel I have not yet had any problems, unless someone has hidden their problems.
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