Prejudice

After visiting the Holocaust Museum, I pondered on my own memories of how I felt about Jews and other immigrants after WW2.  I was born in 1940 so I was old enough to remember when they began to settle in Canada.  Of course, every nationality and religion was already represented here but the influx was much larger after the war.

At the museum I saw written, "displaced persons" or "DP's", and hadn't heard or thought of those words in many years.  But I clearly remember now how we native Canadians sort of looked down on the "DP's" because they were different from us.  Their accents, clothing, and way of life were just a little different from our own and, because of that, we felt unjustifiably superior maybe but not hateful.  It probably took only a generation for those immigrants to fully assimilate and become true Canadians in our eyes.

I remember the "sheenies" (have no idea where that word came from but that's what we called them) who traveled in horse drawn carts, dressed in black, and calling out for donations of rags.  These were immigrants who did what they could to make a living and it was a strange occupation to us.  I think now that the descendants of those "sheenies" are probably successful businessmen and women who learned the value of hard work from their parents.

I don't remember any separation of nationalities in the classrooms.  Everyone, regardless of which country they or their families originated, played and learned together.  I remember being very interested in some of the different customs I came in contact with.  The newcomers did assimilate but they also held onto and celebrated the customs of their homelands.  

Canada is a vast, multicultural country.  We are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants so we should welcome those who choose to come here and live in peace with us.  I believe strongly in assimilation within the country and would hope that the immigrants would accept our way of life and not insist on changes to accommodate their ways.  That is what causes dissension and prejudice.

The immigrants from my childhood came prepared to work for their living from the day they arrived.  Some had skills we needed but others, such as the "sheenies", made their living any way they could.  They worked hard to make a better life for themselves and their families.  They became Canadians.

And this is what will happen to our new immigrants.  It may take a generation for it to come to fruition but each generation will put down deeper roots, just as our own ancestors did and we have done.  

I believe that prejudice arises out of fear of that which is different.  I also believe that we are all more alike than not.  Yes, maybe there always will be prejudice of one kind or another in our society but it doesn't have to be something that causes strife.  A mutual respect will create a mutual peace.