this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2024
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The US is systematically racist, whereas we Finns for instance — at least in comparison — aren't as much, but I'd bet there's a lot more casual racism where I live than in any decently sized city in the US.
Your total minority population is 8.2% and the USA minority population is 42.4%
Sort of why my point is my point. The US has more black people (and other minorities) than Finland, and has done for a lot longer.
Nowadays, in the the not-so-prime neighbourhoods, it's easily 1/4 and one borough is factually 1/3 of people of non-Finnish origin, I'd say.
In the country? A vanishingly small populace. I grew up in a village without a single non-Finnish person. Well one guy's father was Iranian or something, but that's not too distinct in looks.
My point is that while the history of slavery and so forth has actually ingrained things into American systems that are racist, which is seen in first and foremost difference in police treatment, but also sentences, housing discrimination, hell, medicine, you name it there's probably a significant racial disparity in it. But people are smart and not to use the n-word of they're not some yockel from a small town in Alabama or something. (I'm generalising and exaggerating here to demonstrate my point.) At least from the things I've seen, a white person using the n-word should be quite a red flag. But here in Finland, even politely noting how constantly using it even without need could be construed as impolite to say the least almost guarantees you a fight of some sort in a lot of places at 2am.
Like so many people just casually so racist, and then don't even see anything wrong in it. People I had otherwise previously considered rather smart even. I mean the dumber, the more likely they're racist, but I know actual professors and other highly educated people with still very much a strong but somewhat casual xenophobia or straight up racism going on.
So that's why my comment. I believe the US had more, and it's still feeling those effects in the systems and whatnot, but the US has also done vastly more to get rid of racism.
We've done jack shit. Even trying to bring it up in conversation is met with disgust. "Don't judge me when I'm judging entire groups of people"
So my point is that it's different types of racism, so trying to directly compare either is silly imo, without further discussion about the differences
Well said. I completely agree with you. I lived in Toronto for a few years and racism was very casual and present there, although directed towards Asian people. Not a systemic problem but a lot more accepted in the casual sense much like you described.