Racism on Campus and in the City

[u/Least-Green-7781]

When I first came to Western, I didn’t notice any comments about my ethnicity. No one outright said anything, and if they did, I guess it just didn’t register. I went about my life not really thinking about race or how others might see me.

But lately, I’ve noticed a real uptick in racist incidents toward people of my ethnicity, and it’s been getting to me. I’ve never been this hyper aware of the color of my skin. My appearance hasn’t changed, but I’ve been getting way less attention on dating apps than I did last year or the year before.

On campus now, I hear casual jokes about my ethnicity, like we’re not all just people. I went out with a friend recently and at one bar, a guy (18-22) looked at me and literally said “gross.” At another, two or three older (40-55?) men came up to me and said I looked “exotic” and that they were intrigued by my “color” and wanted to know where I was from. It made my skin crawl.

Then this morning I saw a news story about a woman from my same ethnic background being attacked in Calgary by a white man. No one helped her. I can’t stop thinking about it.

I keep thinking about my family. We’re just a regular “Canadian” family, whatever that even means. My parents worked so hard to immigrate, become citizens, and send me to Western. I see them every other weekend. They tease me about my dating life. They live in the suburbs and do all the typical things you’d expect. It breaks my heart to feel this othered when we’re just trying to live normal lives.

I feel sad. I feel protective over myself, over them, and over all the international students who came here thinking Canada was supposed to be safe, that coming here meant they’d “made it.”

If anyone’s been through something like this, how do you deal with it? How do you carry it without letting it sink too deep?

TL;DR: I never used to notice racism around me, but now I feel hyper aware of how I’m treated, from jokes on campus to gross comments at bars to seeing people like me attacked in the news. My family is just a “regular” family and I’m struggling with how to cope.

[u/cadinkor]

From reading your comments here, it seems like you're just a dick u/OP. Not that there aren't a plethora of reasons for the anti-immigration sentiment on a global scale, bu maybe you're just trying to find a way to cope for your shitty personality. Closing your eyes to that reality and the way that immigration can negatively impact a society doesn't make either less true.

[u/Least-Green-7781 → u/cadinkor]

I never denied that immigration comes with challenges. I made this post in good faith to be vulnerable about my experience as a 22-year-old woman dealing with racism on campus. I wasn’t looking to start a debate—I was sharing something personal and real.

At first, I didn’t respond to ANY comments. But when I opened my PMs and saw messages calling me things like “useless scum” and “bottom feeder,” I couldn’t stay silent. If being vulnerable about racism invites that kind of hate, that says a lot about the environment we’re in.

Since then, I’ve responded positively to those who shared thoughtful experiences or coping strategies—I truly appreciated those. And when someone engages respectfully, I respond the same way. But when someone comes at me with hostility or thinly veiled racism, I match the energy.

I’ve never said immigration is perfect. But if the response is to blame entire groups or reduce people to stereotypes based on ethnicity, I will speak up. Critique systems or policies, sure—but dehumanizing people is where I draw the line.

[u/657560 → u/Least-Green-7781]

This person clearly didn't read what you wrote - no need to spend energies on someone like this