Close Reading

The first step before understanding a conflict, let alone trying to solve it, is listening. Bravo to CBC for giving a voice to people who are in positions of leadership who represent the disenfranchised, the violated and the overlooked. One thing that can be frustrating about “not seeing a problem that doesn’t involves us immediately” is that we are locked in to our own worldview—and it’s frustrating to be asked to change something we ourselves don’t think needs fixing. The importance of just listening, and being witnesses to specific stories, human to human—and being reeducated on the lingering multi-generational consequences of past and current racism is what needs to be focused on, if you are an individual who feels like nothing is wrong. The task is merely to listen—and doubt your sense of comfort, satisfaction and preference for the status quo. Listening, and doubt can lead to change. Collective change can lead to understanding, and even, healing. It is so hard to doubt oneself at this level because “othering” is a very strong force in tribal instincts and dynamics. To be asked to let go of this seemingly real sense of self and group identity can be extremely unsettling, psychologically. I hope that is somehow helpful for people who are reading, in some way. I wish that our education not only reflected history accurately, but also made it mandatory to learn basic principles of psychology.

It’s crazy how I learn from the comments how racist Canadians are. I would never imagine that. So sad, you have to know this guys reality is very different from yours. You are like trump supporters with ur hurtful comments. Be kind to people who are struggling to survive. How many are they that don’t want to work. He wants

Originally from the Philippines here and once a homeless man told me to go back where I came from. I'm actually surprised he said that, I’m just a passerby.\n\nIt hurts a bit but then I moved on. I think racism is everywhere. People just don’t have the time and mental energy to understand and know each other, I guess.\n\nThat is why I’m telling my son to have a good solid ground of resilience (aka not be to be a snowflake). Life is too short to wallow on this. We came to Canada as immigrants, do not except everyone to treat you like a first class citizen. But the way you act, the way you do, and how you treat people around you may earn you respect regardless of your color, race or creed.

Psychology student here. In the interest of accurate information, I would like to point out some flaws I find with some of the studies in this documentary and question the conclusions reached. I understand that CBC Marketplace are not personality psychologists and therefore cannot be expected to produce the same quality of work as a scientist. However, I think it is worthwhile to think critically about the information in the media that we consume. I am also open to anyone who wants to engage in debating the contents of this documentary.\n\n\nThe following are some notes I took while watching the documentary outlining the individual hypotheses of the studies I think are flawed and descriptions of their respective accompanying errors. \n\n\nThere are three possible research questions, and thereby dependent variables, being answered by the apartment hunting studies.\n1. If there is no discrimination between the white man and the first-nations man, then they should get equal treatment, including quotes and availability, when apartment hunting. \na. Could the gender of the landlord be a confounding variable (perhaps men are more discriminatory than women)? \n \n2. If there is no discrimination between the white man and the first-nations man between Toronto, Montreal, Regina, and Victoria, then they should get equal treatment, including quotes and availability, when apartment hunting. \na. Could total apartments visited be a confounding variable? (4 in Toronto, 3 in Montreal, Regina, and Victoria) \nb. Could the gender of the landlord be a confounding variable (perhaps men are more discriminatory than women)? \nc. They only showed the black man apartment hunting in some of the trials. I am considering him out of the study for consistency purposes. The first-nations man is the only one who got unfair treatment in the footage of apartment hunting. \n \n3. Possible hypothesis: If male landlords/agents are more discriminatory than female landlords/agents, then the white man and the first-nations man will get different treatment at different Canadian apartments in equally diverse cities. \na. Don’t know all the information about the genders of the landlords/agents, not all the footage is shown, but the ones where they get ripped off are male. The others shown are female. The remaining interactions are not shown.\n\n\nThere are also some factors that may have influenced the racial bias survey and, in my estimation, rendered it scientifically unreliable.\n\n\n1. The bias survey and accompanying tests at the CBC attributed the differences between the studies to unconscious racism. What if it was just due to familiarity with certain racial groups over others? \na. The black participants had no bias between European-American and African Americans, supposedly indicating no racism, while the white and first-nations participants did, supposedly indicating racism. Is it possible that another interpretation of this result is that bias is a function of familiarity: that we are comfortable with the majority demographic in the geographical location we live in, as well as our own kind. Therefore, the black guys are less biased against black people due to being both black and living in a white majority demographic? \nb. The participants took the survey knowing the objectives of the researchers was to study racial discrimination. They might have influenced the answers they gave \nc. Whether the participants agreed with identity politics or not was a confounding factor that was not controlled . You can only be racially unbiased biased if you think that racial identity is a means of accurately viewing the world. People who do not believe in the existence of identity politics may answer the questions quite differently, which could be a different reason for the results.\nd. I took the study myself. The words that participants were required to match were a mix of adjectives and nouns. It is known within psychology that nouns have higher levels of imagery. This was not properly controlled and therefore is another confounding variable. \n \nAll the other studies looked fine to me. I welcome any discussion on my observations.

It’s sad too see all this negatives comments y’all don’t know how hard it is for immigrants Unless you are one you can never relate the presidents thinks we are all rapist killers and bad people but that’s not the case yes there might be some bad people but I guarantee most of us are good people who come here too work really hard so our family’s and children can have a better life I don’t understand why we get so much hate all we come too do here is work hard and also we do jobs that no other people will do let’s put an example I don’t see any white American or black African American working in construction yes there might be some but most don’t like working outside in the heat because it’s hot and because it’s a hard job look at el Paso shootings you tell me who did that shooting ? It’s really sad too what this country has become too and the president is very wrong too and if your with the president you’ll should be ashamed of yourself.

Sorry. . BUT I don’t feel sorry at all for them. I’m Mexican. And the fact that they had all this money and I’m guessing the wife has free time to self care and watch the kids she could’ve atleast learned to speak English. They don’t seem to be in desperate need!! These are the typical CENTRAL AMERICAN. They seek asylum but yet have money to wear and buy things ‘poor people’ can’t afford. The lady is plumped with her dyed and make up done while the kids are fashionable and look at the car. It’s not new but that vehicle kills gas like crazy. So no!!! I don’t feel bad!

I like racism. Blacks SHOULD like blacks best. Whites should like whites best. Blue birds don’t EVER hang out with red cardinals. It’s not natural! Racism will always exist. It’s natural to be attracted and prefer your own race. This is NOT wrong. Stop telling people to feel...unnatural.

I’m a an American that is strongly against illegal immigrants but I think this type of man is not the one I want out. Liberals assume we hate them and are racist but we’re not. We simply don’t want our tax dollars to keep funding other people’s lives while we can’t even provide for our own people. He is a hard worker who is providing for his family. His wife and kids look like good people also. I want the US to be a stepping stone for people like him. He is working hard, earning money and ensuring a better future for his children. I want him to thrive in the US.

I feel bad for his innocent children to have to go through this. You want to live in another country, you need to follow the law like every else. You learn the language, get the same I.D. We all have to have , and be treated the same as if any American were to illegally cross boarders! What we have to go through just to have identification here should be no different for anyone else! You can’t just live off our tax dollars and government ins., food stamps etc.. While we pay for you to live here!! I don’t reap those benefits, yet I’m paying yours!! I can’t feel bad! When I go to a dr. Or dentist and an immigrant or a lazy able bodied parent gets everything done free and I’m struggling to pay with full ins.. I literally walk out so pissed off! These are straight facts!! He had fifteen years to make it right. Instead he took a shot doing it his way to reap the American benefits and the feel bad for me card!If they ever let him come back and he collected any kind of help in those last fifteen years, “if” , he should have to get proper I.D., citizenship, and pay back anything he was given! It’s only fair! He was able to save all that money tax free, hmmm must be nice! I don’t feel bad he had to spend it. That’s real life!I’m tired of watching my citizens no matter race or color, work hard paying taxes and giving their hard earned money away!!If we just let anyone walk right through our boarder than what’s the point of any American needing any I.D.??? Don’t people get why it’s so important to keep track for so many obvious different reasons!! I believe certain citizens with outrageous offenses should be chipped!In every race!I don’t care who the president is any president that doesn’t believe this is the right thing to do sucks! I didn’t vote for a Trump! I think he’s smart and a moron at the same time!

Their head dress and berkas are drawing attention to these people because of their cultures and what it means to women. These things put people in bondage and seem very threatening. They are forced to ware them in their own country’s and they come here and some are demanding that our culture should adapt. Especially in Europe.These people represent problems etc.. I am scared of these people. I’m free. I don’t want to bow to their God or their culture. Like I said try this test in their own country’s. I have no problem with blacks or aboriginal people. I realize there are radicals too. The Muslim people try to show a superior attitude and think they are right and want to force their culture on other countries. I don’t trust any of them.