# What is the least racist country on the planet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 1, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507 "2011-11-01T15:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/41 "2011-11-01T23:08:03Z")
Is “coolies” a racist term? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/42 "2011-11-02T00:14:33Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’m always surprised when watching British TV shows at how seamlessly the black characters intermingle with whites, romantically and otherwise. Rose’s boyfriend Mickey on _Doctor Who_ comes to mind, but there are others. Well BBC is government controlled and it it in the interest of the government to promote racial harmony. ---
**Author:** ![nudgenudge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9f8e36/32.png) [@nudgenudge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nudgenudge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/43 "2011-11-02T00:37:41Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > BBC is government controlled That’s not true, and I have a suspicion that you know it’s not true. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/44 "2011-11-02T00:52:18Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I don’t have enough evidence to know whether the US is the least racist country, but we definitely are more comfortable talking about race than other countries (in general). Americans seem pretty comfortable talking about (arguing about even) religion too – but I don’t take that to mean that the US is less religious than other countries. (Though I do agree that robust discussion about racism is preferable to trying to sweep it under the carpet). ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/45 "2011-11-02T01:11:27Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > A country can be very racist without having a lot of races there. I lived in Poland in the 80s, when almost everyone there was Polish. They were still quite racist towards blacks, Asians, etc. Most people had never seen one of _those people_ in their lives, but they still had strong prejudices against them. This might be due to Americans exporting their way of life abroad. > [@DaveBfd](#): > > I had a pretty big issue with the US being called the least racist in that thread. I dont know which country is the least racist, and I can only speak from my position in Canada and specifically my experience here in Toronto, and small cities surrounding with my visible minority stepmother. > > I have never ever seen a direct act of racism in Toronto. That isn’t to say one hasn’t happened around me, but if it did it wasn’t overt enough for me to notice. I know some older folks here still use racist terms and stereotype a lot, so it certainly does exist. > > In my schools (pretty good neighbourhood) the classrooms were about 1/4 white, 1/4 Asian, 1/4 black and the rest were likely Muslim/Indian. We were always taught to respect others regardless of their race. Do I think Canada is the least racist? I would hope not. It is at least on its way to being equal (at least Toronto) though. It would be hard to be racist when there is no one major population group to be racist against (white included). If you’re racist against them all then you have become the minority. I do not know anyone (of my generation) who actually holds racist views, or at least who makes them known. > > I have certainly seen some people be racist to my stepmother when we went a few hours outside of the city. I would say aboriginals face the most racism in Toronto, but they are so few I dont have any evidence to back it up. > > I am a white male, take it however you want. I would say that Canada is big enough that our prejudices differ. Being born, raised, and lived my whole live in Manitoba, I’d say that the #1 prejudice here is against Aboriginals, it id definitely a real thing and doesn’t seem to be going away soon (the white people and their leaders don’t seem to trust the aboriginals and their leaders and vice versa). I’d see several black people growing up (and of course now), and I’d hear of rampant racism against blacks in the United States (again, when I was younger, but it doesn’t seem to be completely non-existent now) and, to a lesser extent, in Toronto and the Maritimes, and would be surprised that there was racism against black people (elsewhere) as well as against aboriginals (here). ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/46 "2011-11-02T01:49:04Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’m not UKian but as has been pointed out here before, some of the shows you see are created by the BBC and Channel 4 which strive to represent ethnic/gender/etc. diversity on their shows. Ethnic mixing in Britain does seem to be less of a deal than in certain parts of the US. However, this varies from region to region I would imagine. A friend of mine is of Iranian ethnicity and the racism in the area she lives in against “the Pakis” disgusts her. Well, most British aren’t racist against Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh Indians/SriLankans, who are effectively racially identical to “Pakis”. Their apparent religeopolitical beliefs are the factor, not their race. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/47 "2011-11-02T01:59:25Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > This might be due to Americans exporting their way of life abroad. You know you want it . . . The first hit’s **free**. . . ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/48 "2011-11-02T02:08:15Z")
When I was in college, I had a couple of acquaintances from South America, one from Peru & one from Colombia. From what I can tell, those countries are much more racially intermixed than the USA. If you’re looking for a least racist country, you should consider Latin America or some island country in the Caribbean/North Atlantic. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/49 "2011-11-02T02:17:16Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > When I was in college, I had a couple of acquaintances from South America, one from Peru & one from Colombia. > > From what I can tell, those countries are much more racially intermixed than the USA. If you’re looking for a least racist country, you should consider Latin America or some island country in the Caribbean/North Atlantic. I once met a Guatemalan in law school, who looked to me like a slightly pale Indian, but he advised me that at home he enjoyed elite white-skin privilege, for real. Enough Spanish in the blood. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/50 "2011-11-02T02:57:34Z")
Anecdotal of course, but- a co-worker I had once was a very pretty Latino woman with Costa Rican and Argentinian ancestry. She became furious when another co-worker, meaning no insult, asked if she had Native American ancestry, insisting that she was 100% Euro in lineage (even though if she were part Central/South American Indian not only would it not have made anybody view her differently but frankly it wouldn’t have surprised anybody- jet black eyes and hair,high cheekbones, olive skin, etc.). She identifies as Costa Rican (which is where she grew up) but later reading indicated that apparently to both Costa Ricans and Argentinians there are major prejudices against people with native ancestry. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/51 "2011-11-02T03:05:25Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Well, most British aren’t racist against Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh Indians/SriLankans, who are effectively racially identical to “Pakis”. Their apparent religeopolitical beliefs are the factor, not their race. I don’t live in the UK so I can’t say. My friend reported that the locals in the northern town where she lives hates “Pakis”. They didn’t say Muslims etc. I’m well aware that there are plenty of people born or next generation South Asian who get on fine in the UK. From exposure to British literature about skinheads etc. (purely secondhand of course) it seems that while a lot of people wouldn’t have a problem with their black neighbours their asian neighbours raise their hackles. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/52 "2011-11-02T03:16:01Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’m well aware that there are plenty of people born or next generation South Asian who get on fine in the UK. From exposure to British literature about skinheads etc. (purely secondhand of course) it seems that while a lot of people wouldn’t have a problem with their black neighbours their asian neighbours raise their hackles. Maybe [this is one of the reasons](http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/muslimprotest.asp)? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/53 "2011-11-02T03:32:14Z")
> [@nudgenudge](#): > > That’s not true, and I have a suspicion that you know it’s not true. Sorry, it is more like PBS it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/54 "2011-11-02T03:43:40Z")
I understand that one proxy for racial harmony favored by sociologists is the degree of inter-racial marriage. I understand there’s a fair amount of that in Latin America generally. Looking at surreal’s survey data, here’s a list of countries that have less than 5.5% of the people mentioning that they don’t want people of a different race as neighbors. I adopted that cutoff by taking the lowest value (2%), adding the usual error bound for surveys (3%), and then adding another half percent for the heck of it. Here they are: ```auto Colombia 2996 -100% 98 % 2 NewZealand 1201 -100% 97 % 3 Argentina 4366 -100% 96.3 % 3.7 Brazil 2931 -100% 96.1 % 3.9 Canada 4918 -100% 96.1 % 3.9 Iceland 2596 -100% 95.5 % 4.5 Sweden 4025 -100% 95.5 % 4.5 Singapore 1512 -100% 95.3 % 4.7 Australia 3276 -100% 94.9 % 5.1 Switzerland 2612 -100% 94.7 % 5.3 ``` The last column is the relevant one. Then again, maybe the citizens of those countries are just polite. Anyway, the least racist country in the world is plausibly one of the nations above. As for the US, [46% of Republicans in Mississippi think inter-racial marriage should be against the law](http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/nearly-of-mississippi-republicans-think-interracial-marriage-should-be-illegal.php?ref=fpb). Forty percent of them think that such arrangements should be legal. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/55 "2011-11-02T03:46:33Z")
Canadians are tough as hell on the indian population. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/56 "2011-11-02T03:54:29Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > This might be due to Americans exporting their way of life abroad. You pretty clearly haven’t spoken with too many Eastern Europeans. Poland, like most Eastern European countries was violently racist while under communist domination and afterwards. My college roommate was from Bulgaria and he mentioned that the State would import students from Zimbabwe and other countries for them to meet and afterwards the class would all start making monkey noises. Furthermore, Poland and the Balkan countries have a long tradition of Xenophobia that Muslims and Jews can testify too long, long before the US became remotely all that influential. ---
**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/57 "2011-11-02T04:44:55Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > But come on, the fact that we spent MONTHS debating whether or not a Muslim community center should be allowed to be built, you know we are a prejudiced people. I know that there are Muslims of all races, and that anti-Muslim sentiment is not equivalent to anti-race sentiment, but it’s a different strain of the same disease. You mean pattern recognition? I think you’d need to have to lobotomise people to be rid of that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/58 "2011-11-02T04:56:27Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Canadians are tough as hell on the indian population. That is crap. It is true that some first nations are experiencing difficulties and that some of that can be attributed to misguided government policies of the past and it is true that there is a fair amount of resentment for the special privileges that our aboriginals have, but I can’t see anywhere where white Canadians have been tough on native Canadians. I’d like to add that my vote is for Canada as the least racist. Unlike many other countries with a mostly “homogenous” population we have voluntarily submitted ourselves to massive immigration from non European nations and successfully promoted our benign plurality through government action and the national media. I saw the same thing happening in Europe as well, but recent unrest amongst minorities appears to have engendered a backlash. Same thing could have happened in Canada I admit, but I suggest that our immigrants were mostly professionals while European immigration sought less educated workers. And my vote is for the US for having made the greatest strides against racism . ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/59 "2011-11-02T07:02:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Namkcalb > Well, most British aren’t racist against Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh Indians/SriLankans, who are effectively racially identical to “Pakis”. Their apparent religeopolitical beliefs are the factor, not their race. > [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I don’t live in the UK so I can’t say. > My friend reported that the locals in the northern town where she lives hates “Pakis”. They didn’t say Muslims etc. > > I’m well aware that there are plenty of people born or next generation South Asian who get on fine in the UK. From exposure to British literature about skinheads etc. (purely secondhand of course) it seems that while a lot of people wouldn’t have a problem with their black neighbours their asian neighbours raise their hackles. Well, ‘Pakis’ would, as noted earlier, be effectively indistinguishable from Indians. I expect this would cause some negative attention to spill over as well. There’s an easy test to figure out whether it’s racism or something else. Brit dopers - if someone has a negative image of ‘Pakis’ do you find that it usually extends to Indians also? Or does the term encompass both communities? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507/60 "2011-11-02T07:09:01Z")
IME the type of UK person who refers to “Pakis” in a derogatory way is not the type to bother to make “fine” distinctions such as those between Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis etc. They’re all all “just 'effin Pakis”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-least-racist-country-on-the-planet/601507.md?page=4)