Yes it is true. I am Guilty! Guilty am I of being a "foreigner". A "foreigner" living in England since 2012. An immigrant none the less, who migrated from my homeland of Canada.
Having never left my homeland before, I was filled with excitement to experience Europe and the European way of life for the first time. Sadly it has been a rather unpleasant and unwelcoming experience. However that is not the shocking part, just the tip of an iceberg!
The shocking part ladies and gentlemen, is that I am a white-skinned, natural-born Canadian, of French heritage. For although I am "White-French" I do not speak French because of my upbringing and schooling in English.
Yes, of course, we are taught French in Canadian schools but it wasn't enough to have a lasting impact on me. Rather I grew up resenting the French Language and French people, and French-Speaking parts of Canada. This was due to having been "mentally" colonized by English-Speaking Canada and pop-culture, viewing the French Language as a "burden" because it was another "subject" in school for which we received much homework. And who really ever "enjoys" homework, eh?
Furthermore, while growing up in Canada, I enjoyed a very normal North American upbringing. I grew up in the popular culture of my generation, watching cartoons after school and on Saturday mornings. I would participate in every after-school sponsored sports team. I would frequent the cinemas and arcades, explore the forests catching snakes and frogs. I owned many video-game systems and had scores of friends and I was very popular inside and outside of school.
In addition, I had a very normal North-American diet, eating bacon and eggs for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Dinner usually consisted of meat, potatoes and some other vegetables which we are not keen to eat. Hence I am a very normal North-American, English-Speaking, "white-boy" from Canada. In fact, if I had an English accent, 99% of Briton's would never ever come to the conclusion I was Canadian or French.
So why is my background information important? How is it relevant to this topic of discussion?
You see, English-Canada and England are not very different at all. English Canadian pop-culture is no different to British pop-culture. The two are like long lost cousins who tolerate each other but very rarely visit one another.
In my opinion, the only major differences between English Canada and England are that our accents are distinctively unique. England's national religion is Football whereas Canada's national religion is Hockey. Canadian beer is stronger than Britain's and our taste in humour and comedy are worlds apart. We drive on opposite sides of the road and you have "round-a-bouts", whereas we have "inter-sections". Other than that, we share the same commonalities.
With so many commonalities, and very minor differences, it baffles me as to why I have experienced ill - treatment and discrimination at the hands of British society? Also, as a result of this treatment, I better understand the "immigrant" condition and the challenges "immigrants" face in British society.
In part Two, I discuss some of my experiences of how Britain has treated me like an "immigrant" and a "foreigner" and how British society purposely and openly promotes discrimination and justifies it. I then document my observations and more importantly, I discuss the "plight" of immigrants in the UK and the attitudes of British society towards them. I then attempt to answer the question "why has multiculturalism and integration failed in Britain".
Agree or Disagree? Please share your thoughts and comments with me.
Stay tuned for Part Two, Until next time, this is Perfume Sample Shop signing off.
www.perfumesampleshop.co.uk
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