92% of Canadians -- over 9 in 10 -- claim to have witnessed an act of overt racism, according to a recent survey printed in the Calgary Sun. However, a plurality of Canadians, 56 percent, turn a blind eye and prefer to "mind their own business".

The Calgary Sun reports:

OTTAWA -- Lashing out at minorities is commonplace in Canada, but most turn a blind eye to ugly acts of overt racism.

A Sun Media poll conducted by Leger Marketing reveals 92% of Canadians have witnessed a bigoted remark or behaviour. Yet just one-third actually took action to intervene or inform authorities, while another 56% chose to look the other way.

"This is evidence that we're discounting it -- or trying to avoid it," said Leger VP Dave Scholz....

Yet despite these alarming statistics, almost half the population -- 47% -- doesn't see racism as a problem in Canada.

The Sun Media survey also shows that while most Canadians refrain from uttering racial slurs, they often crack derogatory ethnic jokes. More than a fifth admit they've lobbed a slur, compared to 66% who claim to have done it in jest.

"I think people forget that an ethnic joke is a potential racial slur," Scholz said. "We're not giving the same importance to it."

I asked the rhetorical question once on MySpace -- there is an assumption that everyone should be "able to take a joke", but why should anyone have to? Why should there be an intrinsic license given to all of humanity to offend anyone we want?

And it's not just ethnic minorities, almost a third of whites say they, too, have been victims of bigotry.

So 92% of Canadians watched someone get offended, but it's not really a problem -- 66% of the time, it was just a joke.