I’m not sure how one would even go about measuring this to be honest. From my experience I’m going to go with Iceland. This isn’t to say there is no racism there of course (as a hispanic from the US I didn’t experience any…though I was only there for a couple of weeks, so grain of salt)…I don’t know of anywhere where there is none at all. Some are simply better (or worse) than others.
As for most…again, in my own experience I’m going to go with Japan, though most Asian countries I’ve visited would be high on the list. Ironically racism is pretty bad in Africa as well…though I suppose it varies from country to country. It also seems that folks automatically feel that because a lot of folks in Africa are black that automatically discounts them being racist…which is definitely not the case.
I’d rate the US somewhere in the middle of the pack. Collectively I think we have had major race issues in the past and we still are dealing with them, but it’s gone more underground than some places I’ve been to where it’s right out in the open (and thus more offensive to my US sensibilities). However, we ARE dealing with it, and better than many other nations I’ve been to…while other nations I’ve been to it hasn’t been much of an issue at all.
Since this seems to have become a general thread about outside-of-America racism, China strikes me as the most racist country I’ve spent a significant amount of time in, but it’s obviously much different from the US. In terms of attitudes towards black people, there’s a general sentiment that they’re poorer, uglier, stupider, dirtier, and more violent, but this is mostly expressed as ignorance as opposed to hostility; they’re essentially curiosities with a bit of fear and revulsion mixed in (and of course those who think virtually every black person is ‘cool’).
However, racism towards Japanese is rampant and harsh. Even meeting friendly Japanese people won’t change a lot of people’s minds; they’re either exceptions or two-faced. It’s sometimes subtle, sometimes not; it’s really fun when you have a Mandarin teacher telling the class of foreigners that she’s glad there are no Japanese in the class. Or when a radio host tells you (in a bar) that she wishes someone would “do something about” those three Japanese guys quietly having a beer in the corner.
Tibetans are simple-minded, trouble-making barbarians, prone to violence at the drop of a hat, and unappreciative of all the efforts the Chinese have made to civilize them. People are far more likely (than with Japanese) to recognize that there are exceptions, though, and many distinguish between individuals and the overall group and its leaders (similar to how a lot of Europeans I’ve met seem to view Americans, now that I think about it… :)).
White people are beautiful and worthy of emulation; to be seen with them (or have them attend your party/wedding/etc.) gets you a lot of “face” points. It’s amazing how many advertisements feature whites instead of Chinese, especially when the body shapes (think ass sizes for lower-wear) may be quite different.
I’m well aware they don’t like their neighbors, because of all the aforementioned brutalizing. They even burned down the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh a few years ago, along with some Thai-owned businesses, in response to a perceived slight. I’ve thought of that as more of a kneejerk reaction to how they’ve been treated than outright racism, but perhaps you’re right.
Still, I can’t say my Thai wife has encountered any problems, but then she doesn’t go around acting like a jerk. Even at Angkor Wat, it’s amazing how goofy and disrespectful many tour groups of Thais will act.
America (to an outsider’s eyes) seems racist in the sense that the different races seem to live apart*. Here, because mass immigration is only a recent enough phenomenon and because this country is relatively small geographically I don’t think there’s as much separation along those lines. On my street now there are Chinese, Russian and African people. True, some areas are more diverse than others, but the level of diversity nowadays even in the smallest towns is striking, considering the picture would have been completely different less than 2 decades ago. We’re not some multiracial utopia and the standard stereotypes exist but on the whole things seem to be going all right.
One thing I’ve noticed on the continent (of Europe) as opposed to the English speaking countries I’ve visited is that overt racism/xenophobia seems to be more common. My American/Irish/English friends who come out with racist comments would never be anything but courteous to people of whatever hue in public.
Some more useless anecdotage. My friend who managed a McDonald’s in Dublin had mainly Chinese staff working there. He claimed that when an African man came in to be served the Chinese staff would get him to serve them.
I’ve been told that Cubans are amongst the least racist people in the world but I have nothing to back that up. Just something a lecturer once said.
*I’m aware that this is partly down to economics, more African-American people are poor so more AA people live in poorer areas than rich areas etc.
Anyone who claims that the US is equally as racist as other places obviously hasn’t really lived in some of the countries mentioned in this thread. The difference is night and day.
Can anyone speak for the racial attitudes in Holland? The people in Holland did elect Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Muslim turned atheist woman, to a position in Parlament. Even with the problems Holland has with it’s Muslim population, it seems like they can tolerate different races, and even different belief systems.
While Americans here are having a tough time dealing with the fact that someone named Obama isn’t a Muslim.
I read a book by an American black guy who decided playing baseball in Japan was better than selling insurance in America, and that was about where he was at. He ended up on the famous Tokyo Giants, and at one point another player thought it wise to point out quietly that Sadaharu Oh’s father was ethnically Chinese. Because that’s information that you need to know in dealing with him, you know. I really do think that isolation fosters an attitude of alienation. In a sense, how could it not? I get the same thing happening to me, and I live in southern California.
