After a recent trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua I noticed that there was a certain expectation of being discriminated against simply for being from a different country. I saw this on several occasions as the car that I was traveling in (which had Costa Rican plates) got pulled over at ever chance by the Nicaraguan police and was questioned fairly heavily, even though the driver had done nothing wrong.
This observation made me think of the ways in which this type of discrimination can be seen in our local area. I know its not as extreme as the police trying to exploit someone for money (as was the case in Nicaragua) but it can still be seen to some extent in Windsor. There are bars downtown that don't allow entry to Americans and if they do, they are charged more as an entrance fee. I know people that hold a certain amount of hostility towards Americans simply for just being Americans. I don't know why these feelings are generated in people but it seems that there can be a kind of resentment towards people of a different country, even extremely similar countries such as Costa Rica and Nicaragua or Canada and The U.S.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree. Although I find Windsor shows more multiculturalism than other cities, such as Woodstock or Drumbo! Discrimination is everywhere, whether we choose to accept it or ignore it. Here is an article from Multicultural Canada http://www.multiculturalcanada.ca/Encyclopedia/A-Z/a19/9 that talks about intergroup relations. It's quite long, but interesting and might answer your question as to "why these feelings generate"
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting observation. I can only presume that the police in Nicaragua presume that anyone coming in from Costa Rica is wealthier (particularly upon discovery that the vehicle's occupants are white). I'm not sure if this is a clear cut case of discrimination, opportunism or low-level corruption in a very poor country. Same thing happens in Mexico when you drive a car with U.S. (or in my case, Canadian) plates.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, where's Drumbo ?
Drumbo is a small town between Woodstock and Kitchener, with a population of approx 35,000.
ReplyDelete