Yesterday I tried to have a discussion with someone on Twitter. Not the best forum, I’ll admit, and it didn’t go well. It ended with a general comment from him to the world that “you can’t talk to a settler who doesn’t believe in Reconciliation”.
I need to address that, if only for myself. And in more words than I am allowed on Twitter. I hope that others will understand, but that is secondary.
First, the term “settler”. Many people use it to describe people like me, who are not Indigenous Canadians, and not recent immigrants. I find it insulting. I am not a settler. I was born here. This is my country, my only home. I am a Canadian.
As for Reconciliation, when I first heard about it, I thought it was an excellent idea. Two groups of people, who have always seen each other as “different” needed to solve their issues and work together. But that wasn’t what the government meant at all. The government version of Reconciliation seems to be based on “you are all good, we are all bad, what can we do to show how sorry we are?”
An example is the Twitter subject: Queens University has decided to change the name of their law school, which was named after John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, because he also started residential schooling. Agreed, residential schools were wrong. No argument there. But this man was still the first Prime Minister of Canada. Reconciliation doesn’t mean – or it shouldn’t – that ONLY Indigenous history now has value, and anything that was done by white people should be erased. We should honour both.
Another current issue that should not be is the lobster fishing crisis. There is a reason the laws on fishing seasons, lobster size, etc. were put in: to protect the stock. Those laws, therefore, need to apply to everyone. When you put in rules, even perfectly fair ones, and say “but some people don’t have to follow them”, you are going to provoke anger in those who are following them. The end of racism has to start at the top. As long as government is treating one race differently than they treat all of the others, I see no way to eliminate racism.
I remember a story my mother told me one day when she came home from the corner store. Two little girls, maybe seven or eight years old, had been in front of her in line. They were clearly best friends; one was white, the other Indigenous. Each had the same brand of chocolate bar, and the white girl paid first. Then her friend went to pay, and was charged less. The first child saw this, and said to the cashier “Hey, how come she paid less than me?” He shrugged, and said “Because she’s Indian”. This obviously sounded ridiculous to the child, so she turned to her friend, and asked her “Why do you pay less than me?” The other child also shrugged, and said “Because I’m Indian”.
I don’t know what happened with those children, but it seems to me that is the way racism in this country is started: people feeling they are being treated unfairly because of their race, whatever it is. And the best way to start to eliminate this is for the government to treat all races equally.
6 comments:
Wow you're super racist
That’s one extremely uninformed opinion you have there. You were right to call to call this blog your ”Yammerings”.
You are a settler, whether you like to be called that, or not, because you are a citizen of a settler-colonial state, who is not the descendant of people who were forcibly brought here as slaves. This is an descriptive, academic term, not an insult or a slur,
First Nations people don’t pay sales tax due to the fact that they are the citizens of sovereign nations who have a treaties with Canada that exempt them from paying said taxes. It’s not about “race”, as citizens of First Nations can belong to different racial categories.
Canadians who travel to the US and buy things can keep their receipts and apply to get the tax back on their purchases. Is this racist towards Americans?
Removal of traditional territories. The kidnapping of children in an attempt to brainwash them. Not providing clean drinking water. More aggressive response from police to equal crime compared to white people. Hidden mass graves.
By definition, you are a settler because your home is on land that once belonged to others. And was taken from them by either underhanded motives or force. Look at the land of Canada and tell me someone would willingly give this up. Also because you lack basic understanding. The lobster things are because they gave up their land. They don't have to follow the law concerning that because they lost their land.
You are wrong. it's very simple, and you need to educate yourself. Not the silly story your mother told you, but real education. Learn what was lost. What the schools did to children. Once you have an idea, then try and explain what First Nations people must do to achieve equality. Because anyone with empathy or intelligence can see they got the short end of the stick and are still going through hardships.
I know that you won't actually go educate yourself. I know that you are convinced you're right. I take heart in knowing that more people opposed you than defended you.
What do you think reconciliation is?? Two groups of people who see each other as "different"?? First Nations people don't have anything to be sorry! The trauma First Nations people have suffered because of Canadian laws and legislation is still felt to this day!
Your grandmother tells stupid stories and it's clear you inherited her racist attitude. You are what's wrong with Canada! Educate yourself, you look ignorant
You are trash
This why we will never have reconciliation white privilege attitude
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