10-04-2023, 08:31 PM
I think in general, for certain generations, the appearance of "the other" (insert differentiating characteristic here) can be a challenge, especially if it appears as if "the other" has some sort of advantage over the non-other. This can equally affect an older generation ("This no longer looks like the place I grew up") or a younger generation ("I can't buy a house/get a job here.")
Going back over the past 200+ years of settlement in region, prior generations of "others" (mainly white Europeans) folded into the general population after a few generations with, perhaps, the exception of the Old Order Mennonite population. Kids in my generation who went to German school on Saturday mornings at the behest of their parents or grandparents, likely aren't sending their kids to German school, though they may keep some of their German traditions. While the same path of shifting from "other" to "non-other" is likely true regardless of where someone's parents or grandparents came from, in some cases an entirely Canadianized person of colour can still standout in the produce aisle next to an equally Canadianized grandchild of someone who immigrated from Germany in 1952.
Going back over the past 200+ years of settlement in region, prior generations of "others" (mainly white Europeans) folded into the general population after a few generations with, perhaps, the exception of the Old Order Mennonite population. Kids in my generation who went to German school on Saturday mornings at the behest of their parents or grandparents, likely aren't sending their kids to German school, though they may keep some of their German traditions. While the same path of shifting from "other" to "non-other" is likely true regardless of where someone's parents or grandparents came from, in some cases an entirely Canadianized person of colour can still standout in the produce aisle next to an equally Canadianized grandchild of someone who immigrated from Germany in 1952.