Interaction boarders on Racism

A CBC news story, published a little over half a year ago, highlights the types of conflicts that occur within the suburban communities between immigrant and long term resident populations.

As communities mix disputes over the built form arise. Each culture expresses their lifestyle preference in their home and as the status quo starts to shift disputes and allegations of racism start to arise.

In this story residents of St. Helen's Part, Surrey, protest the introduction of large new homes in to the traditional ranch home community. Consequently a bylaw was put in place limiting home size in the area. In opposition to this bylaw Indo-Canadian residents have complained that the new bylaw has clear racial overtones. They feel that large homes are an expression of their social organization, in which multiple generations live under one roof, and that the underlying purpose behind this legislation is to prevent Indo-Canadians from moving into the area.

Here is a story of immigrants moving outside a traditional ethnic community and moving into a more established community with long term residents. Naturally the situation will give opportunity for conflict. But I wonder why there is so much more conflict than compromise. It seems to me that each side, the established community, with the support of the politians behind them, and the immigrants wielding the labels of racism, discrimination and multiculturalism, sling arrows at the other, with little interest dialogue and communication.

Maybe I'm just an optimist. But I don't see why there can't be integration without so much conflict.

I wonder how common place these sites of interaction and conflict are and how much the media's preference for drama and conflict taints my perception.