By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer
Content warning: descriptions of anti-South Asian rhetoric.
Whether it’s “taking our jobs,” “ruining the economy,” or not “assimilating” to western norms, immigrants are increasingly being used as an excuse for our “crumbling” society. This is compounded by the normalization of racism towards South Asians. Such scapegoating and racist rhetoric has risen and continues to solidify itself as an abhorrent norm in day-to-day life. Though it’s nothing new, as seen even in 1914 with the Komagata Maru incident when hundreds of Indian immigrants were turned away from Vancouver’s ports — history has a cruel way of repeating itself.
Before Canada’s first multiculturalism policy was implemented in 1971, there were multiple restrictive immigration policies that ran along racial and ethnic bases. However, there is something to be said about how our current system, supposedly grounded in merit, becomes more explicitly racist as immigration policies tighten. An article studying Canada’s implementation of “merit-based” immigration policy shows that individual assessments of so-called merit are not free of racial bias. On the contrary, the conceptualization of merit “emerged as a way of managing race at the intersection of class and status.” The narrative that there can be “good” versus “bad” immigrants drives a dangerous divide, one that enables discriminatory policies and fosters a hostile environment for many seeking the same opportunities as us.
South Asian folks in recent years have been blamed for increased gang violence and housing affordability. The fact that these claims are only gaining popularity goes to show the racism that lies behind the thinly-veiled “kindness and acceptance” of Canadians. The normalization of racism towards South Asians is not just an online phenomenon, though online spaces are certainly where it thrives; you might have seen the recent trend of people from western countries taking videos of street food in low-income Indian neighbourhoods. These videos emphasize the vendors’ lack of sanitation as an excuse to spew racist and derogatory claims about Indian food and individuals being “dirty.” Nevermind the fact that these videos occur in communities with limited resources and access to proper sanitation due to socioeconomic inequalities, and they are being exploited for views. In his video essay on the topic, YouTuber Saji Sharma explains, “These videos are dog whistles for the normalized Indian racism to come seeping out of the cracks. And most of the time, people don’t even need an excuse to be racist.” He cited how his comment sections are full of slurs and racism.
Such prejudices also show up in everyday life and are highly prevalent in our own communities. For example, despite the tens of development projects taking place in the city centre, places like Surrey, which have a significant South Asian population, are often colloquially deemed “ghetto.” Ghettoization is the process of creating segregated neighborhoods for marginalized groups, often due to political, economic, or social pressure. Calling Surrey or otherwise “ghetto” carries intentionally harmful connotations for those who live there, especially when it comes to racial minorities. The association with poverty and crime is already one we are being spoon-fed, and this rhetoric deserves questioning. This is especially true as racist extremists start to build a following and start spewing hatred toward Indians like “they have to go back.”
South Asian countries have been targeted as a source of cheap labour, especially through the international student program. Rather than being given the resources to thrive, these folks often only move here with no choice but to work low-wage jobs while dealing with inflated tuition rates and unaffordable housing, leaving many stuck in a cycle of poverty. This current stage of capitalism has created a version of hyper individualism that makes everyone think that their success is solely dependent on how hard they work. A person’s job then contributes to their status, and low-wage jobs are seen as jobs done by the lesser, no matter how essential.
Due to the prevalence of western norms, assimilation is subtly, and sometimes overtly, expected from non-European immigrants. The model minority myth applied to East Asians characterizes them as the “ideal,” successful citizen, yet it simultaneously holds other minority groups to the standard of white supremacy. The unspoken message is clear — if you want to succeed in this society, your success is measured by western ideals and against your neighbours’. This not only divides immigrant communities but reinforces a racial hierarchy where South Asians and their vibrant cultures are “othered,” as less deserving of integration and acceptance.
The racism faced by South Asians isn’t limited to loud outbursts or isolated incidents. It’s woven into the fabric of daily life, quietly perpetuated by policy subtleties, in the way stereotypes are passed off as truth, and in the way immigrant lives are exploited. To move forward as a country, we must confront these underlying biases, hold ourselves accountable for our complicity, and recognize that the struggle against racism is not just a matter of policy, but also changing the way we see and treat each other in the spaces we share.
