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Comment by mathattack | Hacker News Reader

I was going to quote that line too. But is it really that racist? Relative to the rest of the US, it seems remarkably tolerant, no?

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I never realized what Scalzi was talking about when he said that being white male was "Easy Mode" until I moved here. Being white is a superpower around here.

Can you expound on this? Is there really that much overt racism in SV?

Sure, here's some off the top of my head.

1) Everyone calls me "Sir", but they don't use that term with others.

2) I have a jacket that sets off store alarms. I never get questioned, but others do.

3) I've seen apartment staff be rude to other residents (and prospective residents), but they're all smiles and sunshine when I walk in.

4) My wife was talking about how she wasn't able to work because of her visa. The other person then said she wouldn't have that problem if she was Mexican (working illegally).

It really is "easy mode". I don't have to argue for anything, and people give me the benefit of the doubt - even when they shouldn't.

Is this more so than anywhere else in the US?

I don't know, I've never lived in the US as an adult. I just moved here from New Zealand.

I've lived in many places in the US and abroad, and found San Francisco to be on the more tolerant side overall. No place location or people is immune, but they're doing fairly well.

To a Canadian, the vast majority of the U.S. probably appears racist, considering that some would argue classism is the new racism, but I digress.

I concur as another Canadian. There is a subtle racist world view that runs through American society, probably rooted from the higher amount of social economic inequality and history of slavery. Canadians for the most part just don't think like that and it can be a bit surprising to encounter at first.

As yet another Canadian, I've gotta say: Canada's great and all, but not perfect. Everything that you've said about American society and its treatment of minorities can equally be applied to natives in Canada.

And I think the problem is that, just as many Americans don't necessarily recognize the racism that still exists in their society because they live it and it's normal (or because they choose not to see it), I think there are an awful lot of Canadians that don't quite realize: in 50-100 years, we will all be ashamed of the way natives continue to be treated in Canada.

> Relative to the rest of the US

His is comparing the Bay Area to Vancouver (Canada).

What the rest of the US is like is irrelevant.

Compared to Canada? It sure is.

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