5 ms·

I mentioned my possible intentions to apply for this to my Spanish teacher one day, yet she cautioned me saying Chile like many South American countries is quit

by shii 16y ago

I mentioned my possible intentions to apply for this to my Spanish teacher one day, yet she cautioned me saying Chile like many South American countries is quite racist towards blacks and that I should consider somewhere like Brazil instead if I was still interested in the region, since it is much more welcoming and less prejudiced than somewhere like Chile. Curious what those actually living in or from the region perceive as to the racial climate there in Chile and Sourh America in general.

herval 16y ago
I don't think south america is any more racist than any developed country at all. We have a lot of black people in important positions (specially in brazil/venezuela/uruguay, where there are a lot of artists, sports people and politicians). There are, though, a bit more poor black people than poor whites, which kind of "justifies" the prejudice in some regions (mostly south of brazil). It's important to notice that racism is A LOT more common with indian-descendants and people from poorer regions (mainly north and northeast) than black people. disclaimer: I've never been to Chile, so I'm not sure if any of this applies there...
- shii 16y ago
  From what I understood from my teacher, mostly southern region of South America (Argentina, Chile) is heavily prejudiced against blacks and indigenous peoples.
kragen 16y ago
Argentina is incredibly racist, although it was not immediately obvious to me as a white guy. I don't know how racist Chile is. Brazil is the least racist place I've ever been.
hparra 16y ago
I lived in Chile for 4 years. The problem is that blacks of any ethnicity are extremely rare, so at the very least you'll immediately draw attention. A friend of mine recently posted (FB) the following story on the police blitzing a black foreigner for jaycycling: http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=468927 http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticia... I'm inclined to say the same about Argentina and Uruguay, where I've traveled a few times, but not lived. I've also been to Brazil, and can tell you people of darker skin are quite the norm, as in the caribbean like Venezuela, though I wouldn't recommend going there for other reasons.
millettjon 16y ago
I've lived in Chile 8 years and haven't seen any racism first hand. I see it all the time in Michigan even within my own family. The racism that does exist is concentrated towards Peruvian immigrants and Mapuche. The much larger problems are class and sex discrimination. There is definitely a "nanny" class that the middle/upper income people view differently and vice versa. You would be largely exempt from this as a foreigner and would have no problems interacting with both groups. For women, the sexism is an obstacle although not a huge one. Offhand I can think of five female entrepreneurs I know personally in the tourism industry. They are from Chile, Cuba, Austria, US, and Argentina. Chileans are overall very respectful of foreigners. They are self conscious due to Chile's small population and are open with foreigners and appreciate what they bring to the table. There are very few black people. I have talked to a few that are US basketball players on contract to local teams for a year or two. They generally seem to enjoy the experience. Brazil has more blacks but it also has more corruption, more crime, and a higher cost of living. Whatever you decide, I highly recommend living abroad as there are few better learning experiences.
- lazyant 16y ago
  This is also my perception of Chile (and my prejudice extends it to most Latin America); rather than racism there's a lot of classism and looking at external appearances (dressing well, kids going to private or public school etc). If someone's black they'll be classified more according to being a 'professional foreigner' or a 'poor immigrant'.

by shii 16y ago

herval 16y ago

I don't think south america is any more racist than any developed country at all. We have a lot of black people in important positions (specially in brazil/venezuela/uruguay, where there are a lot of artists, sports people and politicians). There are, though, a bit more poor black people than poor whites, which kind of "justifies" the prejudice in some regions (mostly south of brazil). It's important to notice that racism is A LOT more common with indian-descendants and people from poorer regions (mainly north and northeast) than black people. disclaimer: I've never been to Chile, so I'm not sure if any of this applies there...

shii 16y ago
From what I understood from my teacher, mostly southern region of South America (Argentina, Chile) is heavily prejudiced against blacks and indigenous peoples.

kragen 16y ago

Argentina is incredibly racist, although it was not immediately obvious to me as a white guy. I don't know how racist Chile is. Brazil is the least racist place I've ever been.

hparra 16y ago

I lived in Chile for 4 years. The problem is that blacks of any ethnicity are extremely rare, so at the very least you'll immediately draw attention. A friend of mine recently posted (FB) the following story on the police blitzing a black foreigner for jaycycling: http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=468927 http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticia... I'm inclined to say the same about Argentina and Uruguay, where I've traveled a few times, but not lived. I've also been to Brazil, and can tell you people of darker skin are quite the norm, as in the caribbean like Venezuela, though I wouldn't recommend going there for other reasons.

millettjon 16y ago

I've lived in Chile 8 years and haven't seen any racism first hand. I see it all the time in Michigan even within my own family. The racism that does exist is concentrated towards Peruvian immigrants and Mapuche. The much larger problems are class and sex discrimination. There is definitely a "nanny" class that the middle/upper income people view differently and vice versa. You would be largely exempt from this as a foreigner and would have no problems interacting with both groups. For women, the sexism is an obstacle although not a huge one. Offhand I can think of five female entrepreneurs I know personally in the tourism industry. They are from Chile, Cuba, Austria, US, and Argentina. Chileans are overall very respectful of foreigners. They are self conscious due to Chile's small population and are open with foreigners and appreciate what they bring to the table. There are very few black people. I have talked to a few that are US basketball players on contract to local teams for a year or two. They generally seem to enjoy the experience. Brazil has more blacks but it also has more corruption, more crime, and a higher cost of living. Whatever you decide, I highly recommend living abroad as there are few better learning experiences.

lazyant 16y ago
This is also my perception of Chile (and my prejudice extends it to most Latin America); rather than racism there's a lot of classism and looking at external appearances (dressing well, kids going to private or public school etc). If someone's black they'll be classified more according to being a 'professional foreigner' or a 'poor immigrant'.