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Question only for users who live in USA or Canada?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by thexboxguy, Apr 28, 2018.

  1. thexboxguy

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    Hello people, how are you doing today? I hope you're doing well. I'm a 25 year old bisexual guy and I live in México, I'm just curious to know if USA and Canada are sexist nations just like México is?

    I'd like to know if it still persists in these contries, since I've never been to USA or Canada.
    When I watch the news on tv or read the newspaper, I see that women are still struggling with sexism, for example: Many women experience sexual harassment at workplace, on the streets and in the subway and even worse, in some cases they get killed, which is known as feminicides. It's so disappointing to see we still live in a sexism society/nation. I don't know if sexism is worse or better in other countries but here in México sexism is unfortunately very alive, although it's gotten better and it's not as bad as it was thirty, forty or maybe fifty years ago or so.

    Another issue would be homophobia, because I've read in the newspaper that in certain parts of this country, members of the LGBT community get killed. It's disgusting the way some people treat women and members of the LGBT community, isn't it?

    I apologize for my ignorance, as I said earlier, I've never been to these countries, so I don't know how bad sexism and homophobia are in these contries
    .
    Thanks in advance and I hope you have a good evening, by the way sorry for my english, as it isn't my native language, I'm still an intermediate learner, though.
     
  2. HDIGH

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    The easiest way to put it is that many steps forward have occurred but there is still a long way to go.
     
  3. Blast

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    As a general rule, I have found that sexism and homophobia are usually worse in comparable Catholic countries.

    There is a level of sexism and homophobia in every nation on Earth.
     
  4. Flynn S

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    In addition to what HDIGH has said, the level of progression largely depends on what part of the US (I can only speak for the US, I do not live in Canada) you are talking about.

    I grew up in a very liberal area of the south so while I do not know how it was in terms of the workplace, I can give you a perspective of what sexism was like for a child. Before I was presenting as male, my sister and I played basketball in an organized program. All genders were allowed to play (so long as you payed the fee) and were broken into teams with the ultimate goal of learning/improvement rather than winning the game. Somehow this intention became corrupted because many of the boys would not pass the ball to the girls, not necessarily because they were sexist, but because they were conditioned by the coaches, who held the belief that girls were not as good as boys at basketball. My sister and I brought this up to the man in charge of the program and we asked if we could form a girls' team (so as to get around the issue of boys not passing the ball to girls), but he told us if we were to do so, we would have to play other teams in a lower age bracket because we wouldn't stand a change against boys in our own age group. This was several years ago and I have since heard that they have, in fact, started a girls' league. I cannot decide whether or not that is a good thing.

    So yes, there is still sexism in the US, even in the 'liberal' parts. Perhaps sexism isn't as explicit in some areas, but it is still very much a part of the culture. A few friends of mine have been catcalled. Another was raped. There are still pay gaps. There are still beliefs of inferiority. There have been improvements, but we still have a long way to go. The same can be said for homophobia.
     
  5. Kira

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    I'm just going to say if you want to avoid homophobia, sexism, and racism in the USA... avoid the "Bible Belt".

    I can tell you personally after living here for my two decades of life that it's the roughest corner for minorities.
    Or anyone in need of healthcare... or in poverty, or atheist, or really anyone who isn't a clone.

    The USA as a whole has a long way to go. Trump as president. The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) getting thrown out.
    I just happen to live in the most rampantly unintelligent and violent corner. But from what here, there are parts of the country that see reason. But if I had the chance between the Canadian border and the USA's most accepting towns I think I'd still pick Canada due to the US government.
     
    #5 Kira, May 28, 2018
    Last edited: May 28, 2018
  6. Destin

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    Yea I wholeheartedly support this. I lived in west Texas for a while and I honestly can't imagine a less accepting place existing anywhere in the country. I'm white, male, Christian, thought I was straight at the time and was even told I look like I'm from Texas (I'm not) and even I felt super uncomfortable there. I don't know why any minority of any kind in their right mind would want to live there (or anyone at all actually...)
     
  7. LonelyEyesMark

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    The Bible Belt should be renamed to "Vile Belt" because that is exactly what it is. I've lived in it for almost 30 years and it's amazing how a good chunk of its citizens can even breathe considering how stupid they are.
     
  8. normalwolverine

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    People always say this stuff. It's not that simple. Racism, sexism and homophobia are all over the US. They are simply expressed differently, depending on the region and depending on whether or not it's a major city or some little hick town. If you're in a little hick town in Texas or Mississippi, of course you're going to experience hatred as a racial minority, woman, genderqueer, transsexual or out bi/les/gay person. And in some ways, outside of the South, I think you're more vulnerable in major cities because there's so much more diversity and because you have more people mixing who are some type of minority vs some type of person who has a problem with being XYZ. A lot of hate crimes happen in cities people try to convince everyone that they're "accepting" places.

    I've been all over the South, but also many other places in the US. I've never been in hick towns in the South, always major cities or suburbs. And the one thing I appreciate about these places in the South is people are friendlier than they are in other parts of the US. Does that mean they like and accept you? No. I think of the majority of Southerners as fantastic actors and actresses. They're really great with you, until you make the mistake of talking to them about beliefs/viewpoints about race, sexual orientation, sex/gender, religion and politics--that's when it hits the fan. If you don't talk about belief systems, people down here are largely okay. I can go to other parts of the country and just be me and get completely ignored or have people acting scared or intimidated to speak to me, or if I speak to them, if we look different from each other.

    I belong to three "minority" groups and feel this way. Other parts of the country I find to be more segregated overall, and it's on purpose. So, they pride themselves on not having any issues with anybody, but it's like..."you don't interact with those people on any level whatsoever, so of course you don't have issues with them." I could go into more detail and give more examples, but they wouldn't really be about sexism or homophobia.

    The type of sexism mentioned by the OP is all over the US. And personally, when I experience sexism, I tend to feel like it has more to do with macho cultures than it does being the South. Like, I hear and experience the most sexist stuff from black guys, and it's very unapologetic...whereas I feel like white men will at least pretend like they're not sexist and know "okay, I can think it, but I can't say it" and behave more respectful towards women. If you look at Hollywood, though, obviously we have a problem and it's not about black men or white men--it's very plainly men treating and viewing women as objects.
     
  9. Destin

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    There's definitely hate everywhere, but the difference is the level it's taken too and how open it is. I've lived in different places too and this is what I observed:

    Two major cities in Ohio: There was hate, but it stayed quiet and private. It was discussed only around around other white/straight people and rarely ever acted on.

    Rural Ohio: It was discussed a little more openly, but still mostly privately and never acted on.

    Texas: Holy crap. The school I went to had kids publicly talking about how gays deserve to die because religion says it's wrong, how much they hate black people, how all Mexicans should be thrown out of the country, and never-ending lists of slurs being openly used on a nearly daily basis. The teachers heard all of it, and didn't care because they were thinking the same stuff. The kids obviously learned it all from their parents so the adults weren't any better.

    Small town in Florida: Heavily religious area with more quiet hate, but again nobody acted on anything and it wasn't very public.

    Medium sized city in Florida: The black and white populations don't get along (not counting college students) but generally keep away from each other so there aren't many issues. Small LGBT population, but it's left alone by the religious people and most of them are college students like me who don't live there for long anyway.

    I expect the hatred, but as long as it's kept quiet and private with groups dealing with each other like in Ohio and Florida it's not that big of a deal. What is a big deal is people like those Texans I knew who have no qualms about openly insulting/threatening minorities on a day to day basis as part of normal life and see no problem at all with their actions.
     
    #9 Destin, May 29, 2018
    Last edited: May 29, 2018
  10. Andrew99

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    Yes we are sexist in the USA.