A Specter is Haunting Canada, and That Specter is Racism.

The life of unwitting social icon, Rodney King will forever serve to illuminate the shadow of racism that still darkens the world, and his recent passing prompts a painful admission that not much has changed since 1992.  Sure the U.S. has a black president which is a huge milestone, but systematic racism is still a fact, attempted genocide is still a fact, hate crimes are still a fact, and supremacy groups protected by constitutional law are still a fact.

Read about Rodney Kings life here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King

I recently had the displeasure of encountering and addressing some racist behavior that has no place in todays “enlightened” society. I decided to take an extra shift at work last weekend and the result was an ugly confrontation with a co-worker.  My co-worker is a fishin, campin, get er’ done type (nothing wrong with that), and while there is a stereotypical ignorance attached to this demographic it makes it no less a slap across the face when you are presented with shameless proclamations of hate.   Anger and adrenaline have erased the context of the initial conversation from my mind but the sentiment expressed by my co-worker  in the two notable comments were, “I wish I could have a Canada with no immigrants”, and, “We don’t want the world being run by monkeys”.  My retort, “what the f*ck does that mean”!? and “That doesn’t work for me, or anyone!” drew a genuinely confused reaction. At this point it was an effort to put together a cohesive sentence but I managed to relay that I have zero tolerance for racism and that if I hear anything like this again there will be consequences.  I also told him that I would be doing a disservice to my Black, Jew, Japanese, Filipino, Thai, Native, Indian, and Chinese friends if I didn’t call him on his bullshit.  What I ended up getting was many apologies for the offense and some rather weak excuses regarding his behavior from his girlfriend who also was present.  In the end I told him I did not want to look at him any longer and that I was far to angry to keep the conversation going but I did demand that he think about everything that I told him which is considerably more than I am reporting here, and that we can talk about it when I have calmed down.  If it was some guy on the street the altercation would have started the same and I might be less careful in checking my conduct but as this is a person who I need to see on a regular basis I feel that the offer to talk it out was the right thing to do.

I posted a truncated version of this account to my Facebook adding that ones behaviours are not excused by social/financial status, place of birth or lack of culture, education or intellect and I have been received much praise and support since then.  I did not post for accolades or to reaffirm my values but the reaction from my friends illustrates that the act of confrontation is not the norm and that people tend to let things slide by in silence. It must be granted that the majority of racism we perceive is entrenched in media and economic/political systems that are seemingly too complex for one individual to engage, and that acute cases like the one described above are less frequent but regardless of scenario, silence is consent.  There are some obvious scenarios where the possibility of physical, emotional, or professional retaliation can be intimidating enough to silence a victim and individuals can’t be blamed for failing to challenge in the face of harm but there many more instances where this is not the case yet people choose to socially deflect awkward situations in favour of maintaining a tainted social peace and this is what needs to change.  Confrontation, no matter how justified requires bravery but when it’s time to step up we just need to remember the people we love who are hurt by the inaction of silent friends.

A brief departure;  Canada considers itself to be a “cultural mosaic” where we celebrate individuality and we like to consider ourselves a richly multicultural and welcoming country but acceptance of this simple portrayal of Canadian culture is naive at best.  The Canadian government is infamous for its racist ideals.  Our reserve system was the inspiration for Apartheid, the last residential school wasnt eradicated until 1996 (!!!), suicide rates for natives is more than double that of non natives, and the governments ministerial indigenous relations can only be regarded as grossly paternal, condescending and exploitative.

Canadian immigration up until fairly recently has favoured immigration from countries in Europe with predominately white populations.  There has always been ire directed to immigrants who “steal” jobs from “Real Canadians” but the shift from a social protectionism to a White Nationalist sentiment has been increasingly prevalent since Canadian immigration law has loosened its criteria regarding origin of potential immigrants.

The reality of the situation is that Canada is not “ours” as it is land stolen from the natives.  I personally am residing on unceded Coast Salish/ Lekwungen territory. The modern conception of  “Canada” was built by, maintained, and is dependent on a healthy immigrant population.  Canada’s population is aging to the point where if left to its own devices will be unable to support itself.  Our country fails to achieve the Replacement Fertility Rate of 1.2 as increased education and career opportunities in the post boomer era are proving more attractive options than dropping out of the fast track to raise a family.  If you want to be totally mercenary about it, Canada will quickly perish without a healthy immigration policy that ensures stable income from a sustainable working age demographic.  If you want to be a good human about it, People are the same everywhere.  The main goals of comfort and security are not culturally specific or defined by imaginary lines on a map.

A few months back I received an email from a person who I had blocked from my facebook account due to bigoted behaviour.  the following is a copy of a text that I received which is a fairly alarming display of nationalist ignorance that is openly present on the internet should you choose to seek it out.  He didn’t write the following text, and I will not link to any blog carrying the message as I don’t want to encourage any positive support but it is easy enough to track down.  I vehemently oppose the sentiment of this letter and present it only to illustrate previous points.

Here it is:

“This is My Country, my Canada…..Take A Stand
(A copy was sent to Mr. Harper)
This is My Country – Canada…. .

My grandfather watched as his friends died in WW1, my father watched as his friends died in WW II, and I watched as young Canadians and their friends died in Afghanistan . None of them died for a Foreign Flag.  Everyone died for the Canadian flag and values.

Bike laws in almost all Canadian Jurisdictions require bike riders to wear safety helmets. You guessed it… People who are required to wear turbans are exempt because a helmet is not designed to be worn over a turban.

Some ten years ago a Commission was assembled in Ontario (lobbied for by Muslims) to investigate the practicality of allowing Canadians of the Muslim faith to practice Sharia law.  The Commission head (a former Attorney General in the Bob Rae NDP Government) presented the Commission findings to the succeeding Provincial Government to allow limited use of Sharia Law for Canadians of the Muslim faith. The recommendation was rejected. It should never have gone that far and in fact, the issue should never have reached a discussion stage, let alone the formation of a commission.

It is now politically incorrect to wish our fellow Canadians Merry Christmas.  And the list goes on and on… Enough is enough. This message below needs to be viewed by every Canadian; and every Canadian needs to stand up for this great country Canada.

We’ve bent over to appease the new Canadian immigrants long enough. I’m taking a stand. I’m standing up for the Canadian flag and for the tens of thousands who died fighting in wars for this country to ensure the freedoms we have today.  They did this for us. They left this land for us…..

It is our responsiblity to keep it in tact and leave the same GREAT COUNTRY for our children and grandchildren Take a stand now….. If you agree, stand up with me.  If you disagree, then just ignore it. And shame on anyone who tries to make this a racist message.  THIS IS MY COUNTRY!And, because I make this statement, DOES NOT Mean I’m against immigration!!!  YOU ARE WELCOME HERE, IN MY COUNTRY! Welcome! To come in through legal channels:
1. Get a sponsor!
2. Get a place to lay your head!
3. Get a job!
4. Live By OUR Rules!
5. Pay YOUR Taxes!
6. Learn the LANGUAGE like immigrants have in the past!!!
7. Please don’t demand that we hand over our lifetime savings of Social Security Funds to you.

If you don’t want to forward this for fear of offending someone,  Then YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM! When will Canadians STOP giving away THEIR RIGHTS???  We’ve gone so far the other way… Bent over backwards not to offend anyone. But it seems no one cares about the Canadian CITIZEN that’s being offended!

WAKE UP Canada !!! Think about the future of our CHILDREN and GRANDCHILDREN

Take a stand now…..”

Please comment, or link, or send any kind of question/story/idea that you might care to share.  Hateful commentary will not be tolerated.

-AnimalStatic