Belisle et al. 1

Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………pg. 2

Methods of Research…………………………………………………………………………..pg. 3

Presentation and Analysis of Data…………………………………………………………….pg. 5

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………...pg. 13

Works Cited Page……………………………………………………………………………pg. 15

Appendices…………………………………………………….…………………………….pg. 16

Belisle et al. 2

Ethnic Discrimination in Belize: An Analysis

Introduction

In any tourist brochure the phrase, “Belize, the melting pot of races!” can be found. It is

bragged about that Belize is free from any kind of racial or ethnic discrimination and is one of

the most diverse countries in the Caribbean. Yes, Belize is very diverse, but is it really true that

there is no ethnic discrimination in Belize? Is Belize really a melting pot of races? In this

research paper this issue will be addressed.

According to Nigel O. Bolland, “Ethnicity, like ‘race,’ class, and gender, is a social

construction, a set of ideas or ideology about people’s identities and relations. It is an aspect of

culture that is created, challenged, and redefined by people even while it constrains them”

(Colonialism and Resistance 199). Discrimination is the actions resulting out of prejudice, which

take away the fair access to rights, privileges, and opportunities from minority groups in a

society (Inciardi 275). Ethnic discrimination is therefore, the loss of certain rights, privileges,

and opportunities from ethnic groups based on their ethnicity, and caused by the dominant ethnic

group.

A research paper must have objectives and goals. The objectives of this research paper

are as follows:

To observe if ethnic discrimination is predominant in Belize

To investigate the causes and effects of ethnic discrimination in Belize

To suggest some ways to eliminate ethnic discrimination.

Therefore this research paper will thoroughly investigate ethnic discrimination in Belize.

Belisle et al. 3

Methods of Research

When the research started we had a change of topic. At first the topic racial

prejudice/discrimination was researched. It was discovered, however, that this topic did not

apply to Belize. It was then decided to change the topic to ethnic discrimination, which is

actually occurring in Belize. The methods that were used in the research were: questionnaires,

interviews, and secondary analysis.

The entire group contributed towards the finding of the secondary analysis. The

secondary analysis information was gathered from the Internet and books. A previous research

paper was found on the Internet. It had been written on ethnic pluralism in Belize. This turned

out to be a major source of information and inspiration for the research paper. Through Google

Books, some Belizean books on the topic were found. After that the books were reviewed and

one book was found that had relevant and pertinent information on the topic.

It was then decided that a questionnaire should be done. The questions included in the

questionnaire were made up by the group members and they were able to write the ten questions

with the assistance of teachers, parents and friends. A copy was sent to the class lecturer for a

review. Thirty-five questionnaires were then distributed to students from the University of

Belize, but only thirty-one questionnaires were returned. The students, from various cultures,

answered the ten questions in the questionnaire. The questionnaires were all collected by

Thursday evening. The respondents’ cooperation was vital for the data analysis section of the

research paper.

Interviews were also an important component of the research. The interviewee was a

student from University of Belize, Bay Rivas, because he is an outspoken student. The interview

took almost an hour. This wasn’t an easy task due to the fact that he had a busy schedule. Finally

Belisle et al. 4

on Friday the group was able to consult with him. Bay was given four questions to answer and

the results were vital to our research paper. He brought up outstanding points that assisted us in

writing this paper.

Some difficulties that were encountered were: the busy schedule of the group members

and information on cultural discrimination in Belize was hard to find. Nevertheless, it was

decided that it was necessary to sacrifice the leisure time in order to meet after school and work

tedious hours. After this it was possible to gather all the information needed in order to complete

our research paper. Up-to-date information on Belize is hard to find, therefore, it was decided to

do a questionnaire. The questionnaire provided pertinent and up-to-date information on ethnic

discrimination from the perspective of the members of different ethnic groups.

Belisle et al. 5

Presentation and Analysis of Data

Thirty-five questionnaires were handed out to potential respondents and thirty-one were

received. The questionnaires were mostly open ended so a variety of responses were received.

The responses will be shown below so as to answer the different objectives of the research paper.

According to the book, In Conflict and Order: Understanding Society, three theories have

been used to explain why some people have been singled out for discrimination: the deficiency

theory, the bias theory, and the structural discrimination theory (Eitzen 320).The theory that

concerns Belize, when it comes to discrimination among ethnic groups, is the bias theory. It

blames the members of the majority; in particular the minorities blame the prejudiced attitudes of

majority members. Prejudiced attitudes are the cause of discriminatory actions. A researcher,

Gunnar Myrdal said that inferior status of minorities reinforces negative stereotypes that in turn

justify the prejudice of the majority. The process is a vicious cycle that perpetuates the secondary

status from generation to generation (Eitzen 324).

Figure 1

Figure 1 illustrates the distribution of questionnaires amongst the genders. These were

randomly given out to different individuals on the campus. Hence, the reason why there were

more females than males answering the questionnaires.

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Figure 2

Figure 2 demonstrated that the dominant culture is the Creole and that they were the ones

doing most of the discrimination. Therefore, it can be stated that the Creole is more superior to

the other cultures within Belize. The graph also shows that the cultures that are minority ethnic

groups are: Mennonite, East Indian, Asian, Maya, Mestizo, and Garifuna.

Figure 3

Figure 3 represents the ethnic group that people think is discriminated the most and it is

the Garifuna. From the questionnaire, several discriminating remarks towards the Garifuna were

gathered. Some of the remarks were “Black baboon”, “A guy was really stink and ugly bad”,

“Negro”, “Their language and the way they look” and “Black till yuh blue”. Secondly, the

Mestizo was ranked second and several rude comments were gathered from the respondents. For

example, “Corn”, “Pania”, “Alien”, “Ese”, “Dutty Spanish”, “Yellow Belly Pania”, “Like get too

much baby” and “Vato”. The ethnic group that was ranked third was the Asian ethnic group and

Belisle et al. 7

one rude comment is “Chiney man.” Some people would also mock their language, by using

derogative terms such as “shing shong sheng”. Next, the ethnic group that ranks fourth is the

Maya. Some comments that were gathered are the mocking of their language such as “Esh Esh”.

The ethnic group that ranked fifth was the Mennonite and several rude comments were noted as

follows: “White Cheese”, “Stinky inky”, and “Arm scent”. The Mennonite ethnic group was also

teased by people asking for ‘quarters’ in English all the time. The Creole ranked last because

they are the dominant culture hence, the reason why they were discriminated upon the least. This

didn’t mean that they never received derogative comments; they received derogative comments

such as: “Negrito.” The East Indians are also at the receiving end of derogative names such as:

“Turk” and “Coolie.”

Figure 4

In figure 4 it is shown that twelve out of thirty-one people discriminate others due to lack

of knowledge. Most people are ignorant and refuse to accept and learn other cultures. Also,

ethnocentrism is portrayed because they don’t have the knowledge of other ethnic groups.

Hence, the reason why they judge others based on their own standards. The graph shows that

people also discriminate others based on the color of their skin.

Also, the dominant culture feels superior to others, thus, bringing about discrimination.

They feel superior over others because they think they have the right to the country and were the

Belisle et al. 8

first culture to claim Belize. According to the paper, Belize: Identity and Ethnicity in a Multi-

Ethnic State, migration is a key cause in ethnic discrimination. No ethnic group wants to give up

their right for the land.

In relation to the issue of citizenship and belonging, while it was repeatedly

asserted that Belize was "a country of migrants", a statement found everywhere in

schoolbooks and tourist literature alike, the problem of priority in migration has

become contentious. No ethnic community is prepared to take a back seat to the

claims for priority and status by another community, each seeking instead to

indigenize itself in its own historiography. (Premdas)

Jealousy is also a factor why people discriminate. One ethnic group may have greater

achievements than the other; or one group may be more dominant than others. The minority

groups become jealous of the majority group, because the majority group might have more

opportunities and a greater control over a certain segment of society. Another major cause of

discrimination is the way people were raised. Some people grow up thinking that it is right to

treat other ethnic groups in a certain derogatory way. According to Katherine Mendez, this

discrimination which is passed down through generations goes all the way back to colonialism

and slavery. Back in those times, the slave masters stereotyped certain ethnic groups as bad and

someone who a person should not be associated with (qtd. in Premdas).

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Figure 5

In the figure above the effects of discrimination are demonstrated. The majority of the

individuals said that they feel upset when they are discriminated. They were upset because they

feel hurt and out of place. Secondly, they felt inferior because they were led to see themselves as

unimportant and transparent. Others felt disrespected, rejected, normal, ignorant, violent, proud,

sad and degraded. All these effects caused the individual’s self esteem to be lowered and affected

them both psychologically and emotionally.

Discrimination may also cause discrepancies in the world of business. People may or not

be hired based on certain ethnic qualities. This is explained in the following quote from the book,

Study Guide to Accompany Federico-Schwartz: Third Edition Sociology.

It can also be assumed that a high visible minority with an initially low

occupational status is at a competitive disadvantage as compared with other

persons in the labor force. In a competitive situation, therefore, the minority

member will be hired only in the least desirable positions unless he possesses

some compensatory resources. We can distinguish between two general types of

such resources such as competitive and pressure resources. From the standpoint of

the employer, competitive resources can be measured in terms of performance per

Belisle et al. 10

unit of cost; the minority be possessed certain special skills or be willing to work

for lower wages. Under pressure resources we include those factors that could be

used to punish the employers should he fail to hire a certain number of minority

members, regardless of performance or cost considerations. For example, he may

lose minority customers, or he may undergo public censure for failing to comply

with fair employment practice laws. Or he may be refused government contracts

if his policies are obviously discriminatory. (Cox, Larkin, and Bryan 115)

Figure 6

In the figure above it is illustrated that eighteen people out of thirty-one individuals

believed that segregation does exist within the classroom, and the that the other thirteen

disagreed. There were several examples in the questionnaires of how segregation exists amongst

the classrooms. One of these examples was that the different ethnic groups would socialize only

among themselves. Another example was that many times, especially before college and

university, the Creoles would sit on one side of the classroom and the Mestizos and Mayas on the

other side. Many times it seems as if there was an invisible line down the middle of the

classroom which the different ethnic groups respected. In college however this is not as obvious.

In this case it can be seen that education reduces ethnic discrimination. As a person becomes

more educated, the person becomes more mature and learns to respect other ethnic groups.

Belisle et al. 11

Figure 7

In figure 7, it is shown that the majority of the respondents agreed that the different

ethnic groups are discriminated based on their language. They were discriminated because of the

way their language sounded and the way they enunciated their words. People would also mock

the members of ethnic groups who tried to speak Creole and could not speak it very well. Many

times in Belize the case is that if a person does not speak Creole, the person is not accepted into

the social life of the mainstream ethnic group and is often rejected as a friend.

Preventative Methods

First of all, in order to prevent discrimination the child must be brought up in the right

manner. This depends very much on the parents. Therefore, parents must ensure that ethnic jokes

and slurs must not be encouraged. Secondly, the parents should teach their children positive

things about the different cultures by the use of educational books and Television channels such

as: the National Geographic Channel, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel. The

parents must ensure that they always provide positive interaction opportunities with other

cultures. They must set a good example for their children because the child looks up to their

parents as a role model. As a parent they should check their own prejudices.

Other ways to prevent cultural discrimination are through educational programs such as

multiculturalism and activities such as culture day. Also, the national education system must

teach respect and appreciation for other cultures to their charges, because we live in a diverse

Belisle et al. 12

world. The similarities between cultures should be looked at instead of the differences; when the

differences are looked at, we must look at the benefits of the differences. The differences must

be looked at as a way for making a culture more diverse and exciting. If the above would be

followed, there would be much less ethnic discrimination in Belize.

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Conclusion

Belize is a country that has several ethnic groups, who came here from various countries.

Today Belize has several ethnic groups such as: Mestizo, Creole, Mennonite, East Indian, Maya

(three types), Garifuna, and Asian. All of these contribute to Belize’s multicultural heritage.

Everybody in Belize seems to live in harmony, but there is an undercurrent of discrimination

against people of other ethnic groups. This undercurrent does not really cause violence. This

discrimination is caused by colonialism, when the colonizers held Creoles as higher than the rest

of the ethnic groups, because they were the free-colored people. The discrimination is targeted

toward minority groups whose characteristics are slightly different from the dominant ethnic

group. The characteristics of minority groups “are salient: they are visible, though not

necessarily physical, but they make a difference” (Eitzen 310). According to Premdas, the reason

why the interactions between ethnic groups are not violent is because each one is the top in its

own geographical area and this reduces clashes over power, recognition, and resources.

There are a lot of negative stereotypes involved in Belize’s ethnic discrimination. This

stereotyping is shown by seemingly harmless jokes, which is “one mechanism through which

this stereotype is taught to new generations” (Inciardi.274). Discriminative names are also used

to make ethnic groups feel inferior. Some examples of verbal abuse, through the use of names

are: ‘coolie’, ‘yellow-belly pania’, ‘stinking Mennonite’, ‘negrito’, ‘chiney’, ‘kerob’, ‘basket

earring’, and etcetera. Some ways why people discriminate are: because of jokes passed down

through generations, superiority complexes, jealousy of other groups, color of skin, social class,

the way people were raised, and lack of education. Discrimination causes people to feel

disrespected, rejected, upset, inferior, ignorant, violent, proud, sad, and degraded.

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Therefore it can be concluded that Belize has non-violent ethnic discrimination, but if it

is not taken care of now, it will get worse. It may even become violent discrimination. Therefore

the problem must be taken care of, even as it is born, so as to prevent it from becoming a monster

waiting to gobble up the Belizean society. Relativism must be practiced so that everybody will

understand the ethnic groups around them so that everybody will live in harmony. Belizeans,

work together to combat this growing problem and try live together in peace and harmony!

Belisle et al. 15

Work Cited Page

Allen, R.E. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (8 th ed.) Oxford: Clarendon Press.

pp. 282, 986.

Bolland, O. Nigel. Colonialism and Resistance in Belize: Essays in Historical Sociology. Benque

Viejo Del Carmen, Belize: Cubola Productions, 2003. pp. 199.

Cox, Harold, Linda Larkin, and James Bryan. Study Guide to Accompany Federico-Schwartz:

Third Edition Sociology. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,

1984. pp. 115

Eitzen, D. Stanley. In Conflict and Order: Understanding Society (3 rd ed.) Newton,

Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1985. pp.324.

Inciardi, James A., Robert A. Rothman. Sociology and its Applications. Chicago: Harcourt Brace

Jovanovich Publishers, 1990. pp. 274-277

Premdas, Ralph. “Belize: Identity and Ethnicity in a Multi-Ethnic State.” Belize Country

Conference Pre-prints. 28 Dec. 2002. University of the West Indies. 28 Oct. 2008

<http://cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/belize/conference/papers/premdas.html>

Questionnaires

Rivas, Bay. Personal Interview. 14 Nov. 2008.

Belisle et al. 16

Appendix A

1) Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Kindly answer the questions in this questionnaire with the assurance that any information provided will remain in strict confidentiality. The analysis of the data gathered will be used in a class presentation for SOCL221. So please try your best to answer all questions.

Age: Sex: M__ F___

Culture: Mestizo, Garifuna, Maya, Chinese, Taiwanese, Creole, Mennonite, East Indian, Other. ____________

1) Does racism occur within our society?

2) Have you ever been discriminated based on your culture? Yes/ No i.e.

3) Have you ever discriminated someone based on their ethnic group? Yes/NoIf yes state which culture and how?

4) What culture do you think has been discriminated the most?List:

5) Why do you think people discriminate?

6) How do you feel when people discriminate your culture?

7) Does segregation exist within your classroom? If yes briefly explain.

8) Do people discriminate against you based on the enunciation of your language?

9) How do you identify discriminationExample: Make fun of you (slang)

10) Suggest a way to eliminate racism & discrimination.

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Appendix B

2) Interview

i) In your own opinion what do you think is the cause of discrimination or why do you

think discrimination is such a major problem in our society?

ii) Do you think discrimination can ever be eliminated?

iii) What are the effects of discrimination?

iv) As citizens how can we aid in trying to change the way people perceive one another?

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Appendix C

Interviewee Response:

1. I think of the selfishness of humans and that one individual wants to feel better than the

other. You want your ethnic group to be the dominant so you put yourself in that position to

uplift your own group. The differences are hard for us to mesh together because we all look

different and have different styles.

2. No, the goal wouldn’t be elimination but we should try to reduce the frequencies of it.

3. Extremely speaking, civil wars, hatred and hostility within a society. Your economy will not

be as progressive. If we work together we can be more productive because it makes life

interesting and rich when you know about other cultures.

4. More intercultural relations through cultural day so we can learn about others and show the

integration and by extension the beauty of a nation. To see the beauty in diversity.