tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post7128533868850984045..comments2023-10-10T05:02:26.827-07:00Comments on WesternGrit: Why Does Jason Kenney Believe Ethnic "Ghettos" Incubate Crime and Gangs???WesternGrithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06658358114507615351noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-84414776563464601532009-05-06T19:49:00.000-07:002009-05-06T19:49:00.000-07:00Unfortunately I believe his calculus goes like thi...Unfortunately I believe his calculus goes like this: ethnic people and "ghetto" people (in his understanding) are not paying attention to what he is saying and will never hear of it. And they're not likely to vote.<br /><br />But people who agree with or SECRETLY agree with what he is saying are listening. And they are likely to vote because they want to see people say words like "tough on crime" and take action against ethnic groups that they feel represent a criminal threat because of their ethnicity. This belief is more widespread than we usually like to think and a lot of people harbor it subconsciously but would never say so out loud.<br /><br />Those are soft Conservative voters and the party knows they're listening to comments like that and they can scare them into action. It's very clever how the Conservatives do this, expertly playing on peoples' inner prejudices and ignorance. They do it very well.Adam Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16504980775792715331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-61727746051312997812009-05-06T18:16:00.000-07:002009-05-06T18:16:00.000-07:00You make a really good point. There are few thing...You make a really good point. There are few things worse than being called a racist and no matter how thick your skin, that should strike genuine indignation shouldn't it?<br /><br />Good post.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04291881352139075405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-60476845283770179192009-05-06T18:07:00.000-07:002009-05-06T18:07:00.000-07:00This is what he said. "We can't afford to be comp...This is what he said. "We can't afford to be complacent about the challenge of integration," <br /> <br />"We want to avoid the kind of ethnic enclaves or parallel communities that exist in some European countries. So far, we've been pretty successful at that, but I think it's going to require greater effort in the future to make sure that we have an approach to pluralism and immigration that leads to social cohesion rather than fracturing."<br /> <br />In other words, he is not saying ethnic ghettos exist now, but that the potential exists, if his agenda is not pushed. <br /> <br />Harper on the other hand has said in the past that they do exist. <br /> <br />Stephen Harper 2001: “West of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from Eastern Canada: people who live in ghettos and who are not integrated into Western Canadian society.” <br /> <br />Anyway, Kenney seems to think that ethnic ghetto is merely a consequence of immigrants failing to "integrate" into Canadian society. He could not be more wrong. An ethnic ghetto is simply the meeting of class and race. It does not matter if the population of the ghetto is native to the country or not. The Lower Ninth Word in New Orleans is ethnic ghetto but most of those living there have been living there for generations. They just happen to be poor and black. Canada does have ethnic ghettos; they are called reserves and if the government had of had a brain they would have abolished reserves and native rights a generation ago before the judges screwed things up. <br /> <br />If potential for ethnic ghettos exist, it is because social mobility in Canada is declining, Canada continues to let in large number of immigrants (e.g., refugees) that are much more likely to fail economically and because Jason Kenney thinks importing reems of unskilled guest workers will not have any social consqunces beyond exploitation of that class of workers. Europe's ethnic ghettos, which by the way are no where near as violent as ethnic ghettos in the States, are a by product of Europe's guest worker problems. If what Kenney really wants to avoid the creation of ethnic ghettos, he should stop allowing the importation of people to perform menial tasks. It does not take a genius to figure out that pursuing an immigration policy that will result in every single groudskeeper, and maid to be a person of colour who does not have much education or the ability to speak English, a la, Palm Springs, is not good for race relations. Race can not be allowed to signify class and with the exception Canada's native peoples it has not so far. <br /><br />By the way, you make it sound like North Vancouver has slides the way Rio does. I have lived in both and assure you that North Vancouver does not.Kobyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03407275645274060038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28423454.post-20924048961702049412009-05-06T17:40:00.000-07:002009-05-06T17:40:00.000-07:00Unfortunately it seems that Kenney's attitude has ...Unfortunately it seems that Kenney's attitude has become almost acceptable by many Canadians. There certainly is not the public outrage I would like to see by this man's despicable behavior. Let's just hope that he is defeated in the next election along with his terrible boss. <br /><br />KirbyKirbycairohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17528654183160305877noreply@blogger.com