Racism?
Dear friends,
What do you think of this survey. Some of the information is quite surprising. I do not agree with everything here, but just thought I’d get your opinion on this survey.
Tsem Rinpoche
Map shows world’s ‘most racist’ countries (and the answers may surprise you)
- Jordan and India named the world’s least tolerant countries
- U.S., Britain, Canada and South America are among the least racist
- Survey asks people if they would want neighbours of a different race
Britain is one of the most racially tolerant countries on the planet, a survey claims.
The global social attitudes study claims that the most racially intolerant populations are all in the developing world, with Jordan and India in the top five.
By contrast, the study of 80 countries over three decades found Western countries were most accepting of other cultures with Britain, the U.S., Canada and Australia more tolerant than anywhere else.
The data came from the World Value Survey, which measured the social attitudes of people in different countries, as reported by the Washington Post.
The survey asked individuals what types of people they would refuse to live next to, and counted how many chose the option ‘people of a different race’ as a percentage for each country.
Researchers have suggested that societies where more people do not want neighbours from other races can be considered less racially tolerant.
The country with the highest proportion of ‘intolerant’ people who wanted neighbours similar to them was Jordan, where 51.4 per cent of the population would refuse to live next to someone of a different race.
Next was India with 43.5 per cent.
Racist views are strikingly rare in the U.S., according to the survey, which claims that only 3.8 per cent of residents are reluctant to have a neighbour of another race.
Other English-speaking countries once part of the British Empire shared the same tolerant attitude – fewer than five per cent of Britons, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders showed signs of racism.
People in the UK are also tolerant of other differences such as speaking a foreign language or practising an alternative religion – for example, fewer than two per cent of Britons would object to having neighbours of a different faith to them.
Similarly, fewer than one in 20 people in most South American countries admitted harbouring prejudice against other races.
The Middle East, which is currently dealing with large numbers of low-skilled immigrants from south Asia, seems to be a hotbed of racial tension, however.
Europe is remarkably split – the west of the continent is generally more tolerant than the east, but France is a striking outlier with 22.7 per cent of the French rejecting neighbourhood diversity.
Some have pointed out problems in the survey data, claiming that because the polls span a long period of time they are an unreliable guide to current attitudes.
However, a more serious flaw could be the fact that in most Western countries racism is so taboo than many people will hide their intolerant views and lie to the questioners.
Max Fisher of the Washington Post suggested that maybe ‘Americans are conditioned by their education and media to keep these sorts of racial preferences private, i.e. to lie about them on surveys, in a way that Indians might not be’.
THE LEAST RACIALLY TOLERANT COUNTRIES
40% + (of individuals surveyed would not want a person of another race as a neighbour)
India, Jordan
30 – 39.9%
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea
20 – 39.9%
France, Turkey, Bulgaria, Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines, Bangladesh, Hong Kong
THE MOST TOLERANT COUNTRIES
0 to 4.9%
United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Britain, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Australia, New Zealand
5 – 9.9%
Chile, Peru, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Belarus, Croatia, Japan, Pakistan, South Africa
10 – 14.9%
Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Slovakia
15 – 19.9%
Venezuela, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Russia, China
Source: World Values Survey
[Extracted from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325502/Map-shows-worlds-racist-countries-answers-surprise-you.html]
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We human always have perception and expectation on everything even on human race. Hence racism existed in every part of the country but of course each country would have very different tolerant level in accepting differences. I was a bit surprise to know that India and Jordan are least racially tolerant countries. This type of survey is good to give a gauge of the situation and for us to find ways to improve. Importantly we must learn to respect everyone no matter what race, colours or nationality there are. Everyone must be treated the same.
Racism has existed throughout human history as it happened any where in various places in the whole world. The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race. There has been a rise in racist attacks and sentiments against different groups and treating people differently because of their race or culture. The problems need to tackle much earlier, in schools and with social programmes.
I am glad Malaysia my home country being in the list of least racially tolerant country.
Thank You Rinpoche for sharing .
Racism is natural behavior for humans who are tribal. Nations were created because humans seek protection among like groups. Humans who were not racist would find themselves killed by enemy races. Evolution will favor humans who are racist because there is natural protection in your own racial group. Studies prove that diversity is a new social experiment that produces poor results, less individual participation in society, less trust. Racism can not exist where there is no diversity. Diversity works in separate nations, not within a nation. Within a nation it leads to a hierarchy, one race will be dominant and all other races will be subject to the natural human behavior called “racism”. If people would stay in their own nations, these problems wouldn’t exist. I predict that if the US becomse more diversified (further creating a white European minority) it will destabilize. Diversity is not natural or good for nations, Yugoslavia for example. Take Brazil, whites are at the top, browns in the middle, and blacks at the bottom. Such racism is not possible if there were distinct nations for the distinct races. All civilizations fail eventually and diversity is a key ingredient.
We are all living on the same planet…when we die, we return to the same earth…why racism when other more rewarding ventures can be done.
As a Malaysian I can see where the racial intolerance comes from. It partially comes from people not being equal and hence, they blame the more ‘well off’ race. It is truly sad to see how nations, no matter how ‘civilized’ would still be unable to accept that we are all humans.
I am not sure if this survey is just conducted in the cities, city folks will tend to be much more savvy and they are more aware and used to diverse and all kinds of different kinds of races. Malaysians are usually very welcoming, to foreigners sometimes even more friendlier to foreigners than fellow Malaysians.
Interesting survey because this counters my own personal experience whilst studying and working in England. I can’t count the number of times people banged on windows shouting at me to go back to my home country, to stop stealing their jobs, etc. Or when little children walked up to me on the bus to shout “ni hao”, which is passive aggressive racism but just as bad.
And Malaysians are in general warm, kind and very welcoming (if at times superficially).
But I’ve also encountered really nice Brits who opened their homes to me, who were genuinely interested in finding out more about with in the least patronising way possible. I’ve also encountered horrendous Malaysians who are so Malaysia-centric, they seem to think the whole world revolves around our one little nation!
Conclusion? Every country has their bad eggs and it would be wrong to generalise the characteristics of their people.
This article is powerful because it demonstrates that the cause of racism, and actually all of the world’s problems lies in our ignorance and self-centred way of thinking. Ignorance because they are unexposed and don’t understand I am a human being just like that, and self-centred because they react aggressively thinking my presence there somehow harms them (my presence as opposed to their laziness, lack of motivation, complacency).
Wow this is so cool, Malaysia is racially tolerant! But as it was stated some people like to keep their racial preferences private. I do know that Malaysia does have many different races so they are okay with that.
Racism exists in every country around the globe, albeit at different forms, nature or rates of the incidents. Racism is of course widely condemned throughout the World. Causes of racism may be due to result of cultural, religious, economical, historical, or ethnical differences. It is said that these are the most common form of discrimination differences in European countries, but are said to be placed in control and governed under the International convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination. Mindful of such sufferings of all sentient beings, may they be blessed to be free from even the slightest suffering/harm from it, and may they practise every possible virtue to develop a strong wish for the bliss of liberation of all calamities of racism! Om mani padmi hum.
I was honestly not surprised by Malaysians being part of this list. It is saddening but very true. 1 Malaysia is a neccesity yet many ignore it. People can only make things better by being together.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.Racism is a sick attitude developed when the society they lived in have a malece towards the different ethnic groups that live within their society.This normally will manifest due to envy,greed of just plain wrong views.
We love living in Malaysia as the tolerance towards other races are fair and just.The government and other political parties are all the time doing their best to keep this balance.
The survey done might not be accurate and might be biased in nature.By disagreeing with the result,we must look into our daily action and thoughts towards other ethnic groups….Harmony is the key success of society in any country….All religion practice this.
Dear Rinpoche, I really hate people who are really racist. Many people judge and treat other people very crappy just because of their skin colour. Well this is what I saw in the movie, I’m not sure whether if it’s true. They say during the olden days in America, white people treat other people who have darker skin very bad. They have been treated like slaves and the public hated them. Isn’t that sad?
In my opinion, racism is one of the worst things that the world has ever seen. It is simply stupid and pointless. Its really a shame and just sad to know that there are still people in this world who are racist. Everybody should just suck it up and accept everyone as one. No racism, no fighting.
I’m very surprised that Malaysia fell into the least racially tolerant country category, no offense but I do not agree with that, I’m even surprised to see the USA under the most racially tolerant country. I have always watched a lot of movies about racism in the US, it was quite bad…
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche, this article really blew my mind away.
Like many Germans I get attacked on the internet by people calling me a racist just because of the country where I was born. It´s pure irony because what these people do to me is the very definition of racism. What kind of rule is this ? It´s not racism when your victim is German ?
Am not surprised that India is the least tolerant country. As a chinese who was born in India and being the only chinese in my school, I was subjected to many racial slurs from my classmates and even teachers. However, I think (and I hope) India is much classier now.