[incimisiche]

Here, the issue is religion and not so much race. Muslims are not very popular here.

But in Canada's only bilingual province, language trumps all. French and English-speakers sometimes don't get along.

I've actually met some people who were not white who feel their race puts them in an awkward position of neutrality which often leads them to breaking up fights.

[Sowsunese]

Really? I always thought of Portugal as a very multicultural country.

It is a very open country nowadays, just like the rest of western europe. But immigration in bigger numbers started in the late 90s more or less. The generation of my parents and the ones before that saw little or no immigration, and for that reason they are a little more xenophobic than younger generations.

[wCYvMKAc]

What about all the Angolans? Isn't there a huge population in Portugal? or is this just limited to Lisbon?
Also most Portuguese people that I know (and its a LOT) tell me that Portugal is a very mixed place due to people from Angola and such mixing. Also a big Romany community exists is what they said.

LOL, but then again, Madeirans and the mainland Portuguese have there own little issues, which makes me think racism could be an issue

[zlopikanikanza]

What about all the Angolans? Isn't there a huge population in Portugal? or is this just limited to Lisbon?
Also most Portuguese people that I know (and its a LOT) tell me that Portugal is a very mixed place due to people from Angola and such mixing. Also a big Romany community exists is what they said.

LOL, but then again, Madeirans and the mainland Portuguese have there own little issues, which makes me think racism could be an issue

Yes we have a lot of Angolans as well as Cape Verdeans, Brazilians and some Ukranians. They are mostly all in Lisbon. But like i said, these are all relatively recent. If you went here in 1970 or 1980 you would only see portuguese people.
As for mixed people you will find some in Lisbon and surrounding areas, but in the north or inland areas not really. Even so, in March hundreds of thousands of people went to the streets of Lisbon to protest against unemployment and 95% of the people there were portuguese, so this mixing is not as much as you imagine.
The gypsies exist too but are not that much. They have been here since the XV century though.

There are no issues between Madeirans, Azoreans and mainland Portuguese. Where have you heard that? The only issues are: azoreans have a very peculiar accent which makes them very difficult to understand and the governor of Madeira sometimes says bad things about the Lisbon goverment.

[gusecrync]

I understand, I thought a lot of Angolans that came to Portugal came earlier than that. When you say Portuguese you are speaking mainly about "white Portuguese". I got it. I guess in the modern sense, Portugal is really mixed. We have a huge Portuguese immigrant community in London and I see many mixed couples.
I was joking about the Madeirans.
2 of my best friends of perhaps almost 15/20 years, will moan about the "mainlanders" speaking funny! Thats all I meant.

[Oswczrdz]

I understand, I thought a lot of Angolans that came to Portugal came earlier than that.

No no, most of the angolans and other africans still speak with an accent. Same with the brazilians and the eastern euros.

When you say Portuguese you are speaking mainly about "white Portuguese". Well yeah, we are the original ones

2 of my best friends of perhaps almost 15/20 years, will moan about the "mainlanders" speaking funny! Thats all I meant. You mean they say we have a weird accent? Or we talk bad about them?

[Coellacag]

My bro in law is Portuguese, but his dad is 1/2 Angolan and half White. His mum is white, so I assume he is 1/4 Angolan and 3/4 white Portuguese. He makes fun of the Brazillian accent often, however, I really like it, its like they are singing not talking!

They say that the Mainland Portuguese talk with a "posher" accent, you know, and that Maderians are much rougher and ready for a fight for example. I understand what they mean because the same thing applies for Mainland Turks and Turkish Cypriot Islanders.

However, whichever it is I think Portuguese is a beautiful language. except one word... for Knife sounds a bit naughty in English LOL

[adactthrd]

However, whichever it is I think Portuguese is a beautiful language. except one word... for Knife sounds a bit naughty in English LOL

Faca
I had never thought of that.

[icedrakona]

Can you please pass the faca

Oooo look its a big faca

etc...

[HaremShaih]

In my country it's the old people of all classes and some of the middle-aged group from the elites the ones concerned about it. Young people here these days have a more western PC free-for-all mentality, except for a selected few.

The same here in PR.

[adultcheee]

So no one thinks kids/baby can be racist?

[Gideleb]

I don't know if it qualifies for "racial issues", but the youth of today is a lot more critical to multiculturalism and immigration. Me, my brother and my cousin (all born in the very beginning of the 1990s) would likely even get called "right-wing extremists" at times. Our parents are all Social Democrats, but my mother has started saying that they should stop the immigration (she still whines at the Sweden Democrats, though).

I think it is because we grew up among multiculturalism, while the parents grew up in a homogeneous society. Still, I have never had any issues with immigrants on a personal level.

[GECEDEANY]

From my experience, Amerikan youth are very concerned with "Race" but not "Ethnicity". People in the US really do not care about ethnicity but rather racial mixtures. Because things are more generalized here. People break it down into white, black, latin, or (native) indian. People really have mixed a lot from place-to-place. Race is a regional identity in the New World. Ethnicity is for the more 'refined' anthropologists.

As for most interested in ethnicity & race… it seems Middle Aged people are. In the US, people really have yet to fully develop an "Amerikan" Mentality, a culture of our own. So people (like me) search into their past to see where we came from, how we got here, and where we're all going to… As I've learned on ABF… Europeans and other Eurasians/Asians have very, very fixed mentalities regarding society, culture, religion, and most importantly speaking of all, Ethnicity. Ethnicity in the old world essentially is a post-modern 'tribe' mentality. Ethnicity = Tribe of people, for Europeans, Asians, and Afrikans, etc.

New Worlders really don't have proper "Ethnicities" due to our fresh, more recent, (lack of) History.

[shanice]

Both the seniors and the juniors are concerned with race but in different ways.

[K0aM7urg]

Really? I always thought of Portugal as a very multicultural country.

Maybe you confused it for Brazil lol.

[Nfxutkpa]

As I've learned on ABF… .

People is not very representative here, maybe bewcause it is a forum about race. In reality any city of Europe is more cosmopolitan than any city of America.

How many people with a burqa have you seen in Chicago or Boston?

Europeans and other Eurasians/Asians have very, very fixed mentalities regarding society, culture, religion, and most importantly speaking of all, Ethnicity. Ethnicity in the old world essentially is a post-modern 'tribe' mentality. Ethnicity = Tribe of people, for Europeans, Asians, and Afrikans, etc.
New Worlders really don't have proper "Ethnicities" due to our fresh, more recent, (lack of) History.

So you feel the same than a Canadian or an Mexican.

[Dstyeglm]

I would say that the young generation is less racist, and more open-minded, but at the same time they appreciate their culture or race, and want to preserve it.

[vaalmerruutel]

People is not very representative here, maybe bewcause it is a forum about race. In reality any city of Europe is more cosmopolitan than any city of America.

How many people with a burqa have you seen in Chicago or Boston?

I actually have not toured many US states…

So you feel the same than a Canadian or an Mexican.

I consider everybody in the Western hemisphere "Amerikaner". It simply refers to the continental history & geography. The culture is another aspect. Mexicans and Canadians really do sequester much of their cultural inspiration from US progression. They obviously have unique/different cultures. But the US has led the hemisphere in terms of cultural progression, probably due to the multi-cultured, and genetic variances.

Latinos/Hispanics obviously have different cultures, Catholicism for starters. I don't even know how/if Protestantism has affected Mexican culture, for example. Canadians essentially are transplanted Scandinavians, Brits, and Frenchmen. They remain very isolated… but their culture has become unique too. It is all part of the New World ideologies and such.

Nationalism reigned supreme in the West. European ethnocentricism still exists, yes, but has transformed in the West… each contributes to greater versions of old (European) cults. The "New World" simply is very different nowadays…

What I've noticed from ABF is: white-Euros in the US abandoned ethnic identity for racial identity. Ethnic mixing became rampant throughout US history. Thus the perception of Ethnicity and Race differs between the West and East. How people within the US retained the concept of Ethnicity is through sub-cultures. But these are very intricate and minute details of Amerikan culture.

People obviously perceive race & ethnicity on different terms, per culture and location. Geography and genetics obviously are important, too. For example, I would consider 'Aframs' an ethnicity. But this may not make sense in 'European' terms. Because the US culture and sub-cultures are also different progressions apart from European history. Furthermore the US is split by geographic regions: West Coast, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Midwest, Great Lakes, South, East Coast, and Northeast. Racial designations became more important; because larger spreads of land and ethnicities required larger generalizations in order to instill a sense of Nationalism.

In terms of Nationalism, the US mostly is made of whites, blacks, mixed-races, Native Indians, Latinos/Hispanics, and a minority of East Asians too. Most people in the US are uneducated about anthropology. This is a general fact everywhere though. As such, many specific ethnicities or people can become confused on racial terms. For example anybody in South/Central Amerika simply is "Latin" to the untrained person here. It probably isn't true on technical terms, but, people think in such generalizations.

'Ethnicity' really is an incorrect term west of the Atlantic… it mostly applies to Europeans through the factional warring of European countries throughout the ages.

---------- Post added 2011-06-10 at 01:27 ----------

A good example of culture transition is "Soap Operas". I believe Soap Operas began in the US (?)… but Latins/Hispanics picked that up and really enjoy Soap Operas too, haha. I recommend watching a Spanish/Mexican Soap Opera for experience. They are very dramatic…

[FliveGell]

New Worlders really don't have proper "Ethnicities" due to our fresh, more recent, (lack of) History.

Sure we do. We Acadians are recognized as our own ethnicity universally. And really to me, being Acadian is more important than being "white" or whatever.

[Senasivar]

In my experience seniors care about effectively nothing.

Ugh, my 91-year-old grandfather is so racist. He turns on Fox News and gripes all day long about how back in his day, "niggers" were marginalized or whatever, and now they are taking over the world. That's what he says anyway. Nobody can stand to be around him, he is so horribly stuck in his old mindset about how things used to be. But he grew up in the backwoods of the deep south, so maybe he isn't completely representative of his population.

Sure we do. We Acadians are recognized as our own ethnicity universally. And really to me, being Acadian is more important than being "white" or whatever. I think it depends on the area. The South in general has a "culture" but it's obviously European inspired. Acadians are certainly unique though.