One of the worst enemies of those who are planning to change countries, immigrate or study abroad, in my opinion, is the disinformation. Unfortunately we are living in an era where many people prefer to trust WhatsApp or Facebook groups, read anything and – without checking the source or checking if it is true – spread it to God and the world.
Social networks are great sources of tips and also for doing business, selling products and announcing events. Many people meet through them and there are endless positive things that come from these channels. But the focus of my text here is on something that greatly harms the Brazilian community, whether for those who are already living in Canada (or in any other country) or for those who are preparing to do so: the lack of perception of proportionality and the fake news or “urban legends” (yes, they came from the 80s).
As a content producer about Canada since 2016 and an active communicator on the main social networks, I constantly receive private messages with various reports and questions from Brazilians. Things like “Adri, do you know if it’s true that…?” or even “I heard about this group…what is your opinion about it?”. I confess that the naivety of some people in believing in some things without questioning or checking really impresses me. And it worries me too.
Everything related to the “Canada Plan” requires research. Lots of research. Those who are not committed to dedicating themselves to this will hardly get where they want or they could be very deceived. Information is available to everyone and just a few clicks on Google (on reliable and/or official sources) are enough to discover several useful things. First of all, you need to separate the wheat from the chaff. One thing is a journalistic article that presents facts or sources with statistics from the Canadian government or the Canadian media and another – quite different – are opinions or comments from influencers or friends. I will focus on the second.
FAKE NEWS AND EXAGGERATION, VERY EXAGGERATION
A long time ago I chose not to participate in groups (Facebook and WhatsApp), but I often receive screenshots from followers, “Look Adri, what nonsense they are spreading”. It's every thing! Some seem like jokes.
I will cite some examples of what I consider a disservice, as they create unnecessary panic and an environment of negativity and exaggeration that some unwary people may enter.
A few days ago, a post was circulating in Brazilian groups on Facebook saying that Vancouver was becoming “very dangerous” and cited an incident that had happened in the city, where a girl had died in her apartment, in the city center. Even though I had read something about the news and was already a little familiar with the topic, what did I do? Google and Twitter to check official sources: local newspapers with large circulation and local police accounts too. It’s not enough for someone to tell me “I saw it on Facebook”.
It didn't take long to discover that it was an isolated case, that it had happened in a building where vulnerable people lived and that, according to the Vancouver police, it posed no threat to society. On another day, there was also a post very much in the “urban legend” style, where it was said that women from a city neighboring Vancouver suffered a scam where they left a note in their cars. Something so sensationalist that just reading the first words reminded me of those emails they sent in the past reporting kidnappings for organ harvesting in which people “woke up in a bath of ice” (those over thirty will remember). Detail: no link to any reliable source, as is common among fake news and internet gossip.
But what caught my attention the most wasn't the news itself, after all, Crimes and homicides happen anywhere in the world. What shocked me was the person who sent me the prints believed the Facebook comments (one worse than the other) and was terrified, asking questions like “But Adri, so is Canada becoming like Brazil? So are people taking risks? Because I'm not leaving Brazil to go to an unsafe place…” and so on. “Just like Brazil”, that echoed in my head for a few moments. Be very calm at this time, people.
To be digital influencer (I hate that name, but that's what it is for today) it also often gives us the role of a kind of “temporary educator”, depending on the topic. At these times, no matter how precious my time is, I feel obliged to help raise awareness. So every time I receive messages like this I try to explain some things and bring a little light to the topic.
There are those who spread fake news and exaggerated rumors (some purely for sport and others out of ignorance) and there are those who consume. My suggestions are for both.
Any and all post telling an important fact that does not contain the source so that you can check, suspect, go after the information. It's the first thing to avoid getting caught up in fake news or gossip. In addition to Google, there is one thing in our mind that helps a lot: the filter. Even if the post is a report, there is still the “opinion” of whoever is posting. And that will always be a slice of reality.
Note that fake news or gossip almost always has a sensationalist tone, intended to shock, without foundations or foundations. If you have a link, check that the newspaper/magazine/website is widely circulated, reliable and not just an unimportant or dubious vehicle. Large newspapers and TV networks are supervised and regulated, unlike the “zap-zap” aunties, who will not be prosecuted for spreading lies (unfortunately). Important: check by looking for the local press, in English.
Another super important thing is knowing how to discern what is journalism that presents facts from opinion journalism (commentators, film critics, political commentators, etc.). I often see people confusing the two things. Or, for example, the mistake of taking the work of influencers as absolute truth. Influencers have more opinionated content. They will always bring a version of reality according to each person’s vision.
O overkill It's something very constant in communities and the alarmists on duty don't spare dramatic words for the texts. I see a lot of exaggeration when criticizing certain things about life abroad, especially from those whose experiences didn't work out or there is a lot of frustration involved. Some return to Brazil and remain in the groups just to corroborate this type of thing, to make relationships that are already highly toxic on social media even more toxic.
UNNECESSARY PANIC
Before you believe your friend's post that says that Vancouver, Toronto or any other city in Canada is “dangerous” and set fire to the wrong playground, one thing that can help at these times are, yes, the numbers.
Within this subject of urban violence, I want to draw attention to the statistics, which are not pleasant at all. In Brazil, in 2018, the country reached a record number of rape records. There were 66 thousand victims, the equivalent of 180 rapes per day. That's an incredibly scary number. In 2018, 1,206 women were victims of femicide in Brazil, an increase of 4% compared to the previous year.
In Canada, the classification of sexual crimes is different from non-developed countries. Sexual assault (sexual assault) is defined as an assault of a sexual nature that violates the sexual integrity of the victim. The Supreme Court of Canada says that “the act of sexual assault depends not only on contact with any specific part of the human anatomy, but on the act of a sexual nature that violates the integrity“. So, any and all complaints – serious or not – are included in the statistics. Even a non-physical approach can be considered sexual assault.
I have seen women trigger the “silent alarm” because they were harassed without having any type of physical contact. O silent alarm (photo above) is a safety feature made up of a raised yellow line on the wall of Vancouver's public transport. Silently and once pressed, police enter the next stop to find out what happened. This has existed in the city for over twenty years.
At the Canada, in 2017, there were 24,672 cases of sexual assault levels 1, 2 and 3, where 98% of them were classified as level 1. Level 1 involves minor physical injury or no injury to the victim. In other words, it’s not even possible to compare it with what happens in Brazil. In Vancouver, in 2019, there were 10 cases of homicides, 5 fewer cases than in 2018, according to the Vancouver Police, on the subject that you can check here. In Curitiba, my hometown, they were 243 cases registered in 2019.
In addition to statistics, there is everyday life here that allows us to do, without fear, things that would be unthinkable in Brazil, especially for women. How to walk alone at night, wear any type of clothing without being bothered or harassed on the street, take public transport at any time, rely on the police and a system that works and does not blame the victim. I could cite a thousand examples. There is not the constant fear and dread that exists in Brazil. Women need to take care of themselves anywhere in the world, but the two countries are nowhere near comparable.
Another strange thing is to think that in the first world there are no crimes or social problems (I would like to know who said that to some people or what kind of school they attended). But I still tend to say that Canada, even with its problems, is a playground next to Brazil. One playground. That's what people need to pay attention to, in proportion.
According to the ranking of crime rate by country by population in 2020, from the World Population Review, Brazil is in seventh place, unfortunately. According to the website, “the countries with the ten highest crime rates in the world are:
- Venezuela (84.86)
- Papua New Guinea (80.26)
- South Africa (77.02)
- Honduras (75.84)
- Afghanistan (73.26)
- Trinidad and Tobago (73.15)
- Brazil (69.48)
- El Salvador (68.63)
- Namibia (68.14)
- Syria (66.91)”
Canada is considered the sixth safest country in the world. Yes, this is what we see and also feel here in our daily lives. In addition to the numbers, there is a feeling of tranquility, due to the experience we have here. In Vancouver, for example, armed robberies are rare and thefts happen like anywhere else on the planet (especially in tourist locations), but it is possible to avoid them and violence is not part of our daily lives or our conversations. These days I laugh too much at the news of a guy who robbed a bank with an umbrella. For Canadians, it's a big scare.
So there are thefts, crimes, robberies? Obvious. Are there drug problems? Many. Show me a place on this planet that is perfect and I'll go there running (or better yet, by plane).
The houses here have no walls, gates, bars, glass, or electric fences. Many of them are even open. To this day, this is something that amazes me. Bank ATMs on the streets do not have any protection, to enter a bank branch you do not need to go through any metal detectors, just go inside. Sumptuous office buildings? Just enter. A doorman is rare and most buildings do not have a reception. The police officers are extremely polite and treat everyone with respect. People carry their cell phones, cameras, laptops, notebooks, everywhere. I don't think I would even make YouTube videos if I couldn't walk up and down with my camera. In fact, I even made a video about safety in Vancouver with everyday scenes, which you can check out here.
In Canada, you won't start your breakfast by leafing through a newspaper (in your smartphone) whose news ranges from “so-and-so was murdered with x stab wounds” to “father beats child”. You won't talk to your coworker about violence and he won't bring this type of topic to you either. Violence will no longer be part of your “mental HD”, which will have free space to make room for other more important things in your life, which you will soon discover what they are.
Here your breakfast will, most days, feature news about the snow and various other topics, you will eat your pancakes with maple syrup very calmly, and every now and then, you will see news of a violent crime or something of the sort, which will make the population and authorities feel moved and scandalized. Because crime in war is common, but in amusement parks not so much.
