The lackluster approach of calling everyone a racist
but refusing to call out real discrimination… of thought.
Chris
Oct 10, 2019
Up until just a few years ago, I believed we lived in the most colorblind society that has ever existed in western civilization. This is not meant to be a blanket statement saying racism didn't exist but as an intellectual species, humans had evolved to making connections with other humans based on belief systems, values, and common interests (in my opinion). But something happened a few years ago (and I am new to paying attention to political discourse so I can't pinpoint exactly when our trajectory changed) where we started being told that a different opinion on belief systems, values and interests is racist.
Enormous leaps are being made from hearing controversial ideas to suggesting those ideas promote race-based discrimination. And these ideas are not fringe, they represent a real concern to a considerable portion of the population (see http://angusreid.org/federal-carbon-pricing/ and http://angusreid.org/canadian-immigration-trend-data/). This concerned population, who just want to see a politician have a real discussion about controversial topics, are being told who can and can’t debate, and what can and can’t be said.
In a recent article published by the Guelph Mercury Tribune entitled ‘Thinly veiled attempt of pushing white supremacy’: U of Guelph debate cancelled over PPC candidate, CUPE 1334's spokesperson, Jensen Williams, suggests the People's Party of Canada (PPC) are promoting "white values" when they state within their platform that in regards to immigration, priority would be given to refugees who "reject political Islam and adhere to western values". It is the PPC’s plan to reduce the number of immigrants Canada accepts each year from roughly 350,000 to approximately 150,000 and to prioritize refugees belonging to persecuted groups (including Muslims who reject political Islam). In addition, Williams draws a connection between "Canadian identity" and "white identity" which is a quantum jump and a highly offensive statement (racist even, what is “white identity”???) and should offend any Canadian who takes pride in their Canadian identity.
According to Statistics Canada and their 2013 Canadian Identity Survey, Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Flag are important symbols of Canadian Identity to more than nine out of ten Canadians (www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2015005-eng.htm). Additionally, some Canadians added that "the values and qualities of Canadian people" were important symbols of national importance. Further, immigrants were surveyed on the same topic and overwhelmingly (more than non-immigrants) believe that these national symbols were very important for national identity. Visible minorities surveyed had the same results. But how could that be if “Canadian values” is a “thinly veiled attempt to push white supremacy”? Williams should have been challenged on this disgraceful statement.
Canadian Values as described by Statistics Canada in their general social survey include:
- human rights
- respect for the law
- gender equality
- ethnic and cultural diversity
Over 80% of those surveyed agreed that "Canadians collectively share the [Canadian] values to a great or moderate extent.”
These are the values that I grew up embodying and the values I believe most Canadians share. I have never heard anyone attribute Canadian values to "white" specific values, until last week's Guelph Mercury Tribune article quoting the CUPE spokesperson who might themselves have a bit of an issue with intrinsic racism. It’s a shame Williams was not called out on this nonsense.
Why would Williams make this connection and why would the Guelph Mercury Tribune not highlight the weak attempt to slander the PPC and their candidates? Our media today is quick to publish opinions that fit a particular narrative. Media in the past would provide credibility to stories with sources and research. However, today’s articles lack journalistic responsibility, mostly stating opinions with no sources. Asserting something as fact numerous times in the media doesn’t make it true, but it does expose the biased opinion present in mainstream media. It exposes the $595M Trudeau promised the media to push the Liberal agenda and its obsession with identity politics. It exposes the fact Canadians are living in a one-sided media bubble about to burst with independent journalists armed with facts and sources.
We cannot trust our news organizations to provide the entire story about topics Canadians disagree on (foreign affairs, immigration, pipelines, environment, military, government size, and federal spending just to name a few). We cannot trust our institutions and community leaders to provide a space where we can obtain the entire story firsthand from our local candidates either. Cancelling debates and omitting invitations to certain candidates and then claiming it is to denounce this imaginary racism is an excuse to silence a proposal you don’t want others to hear. Article after article, news story after news story, you find information is purposely omitted, false claims of racism are made, and specific word preference is used to portray what they want you to see.
On strategic word preference, in the Guelph Mercury Tribune article as well as in news updates on CHML900 and countless other media outlets, ANTIFA group members are being softly referred to as "protesters" instead of using labels more fitting to their behaviour such as "assailants", "thugs", or even "terrorists" which by definition they are: a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Why is it that peaceful, conservative-thinking do-ers are being painted in a worse light in our media than the violent, uninformed shout-ers? ANTIFA are nothing more than adult-sized children stomping in the streets for attention, yelling in the face of the innocent about things they have not researched, thought critically about, or have been misinformed about by the continuing biases that get regurgitated in mainstream media. The media’s responsibility for perpetuating the idea that a difference in opinion must be underlined in racism is the problem with mainstream news.
It is time to let individuals like Jensen Williams know that shouting “white supremacy” will not trick Canadians into believing a conversation on immigration is, in itself, racist. ANTIFA needs to know that screaming “Nazi” at political opponents will not convince us that political discourse should not take place. And the media needs to know that we expect better journalism without the perpetuation of this hostile and accusatory language. These are the only parties talking unequivocally about race and skin colour.
I believe that most Canadians don’t see skin colour and love being a nation inclusive of all races. Canadians love living in the western world because it is a place where culture is shared and assimilation is based on a belief that everyone is equal, our political makeup is democratic, and our society has respect for the law. People immigrate to Canada because we are a strong country, we provide opportunity to those who are willing to work, and we are a free-thinking society (or we used to be). Don’t be fooled by group-thinkers who want to hurl the race card, or the media who justifies those attacks, just because you want to have a debate about real issues facing our Country.
It is time we started seeking out alternative news sources and be our own journalists in order to find the whole story. These alternative journalists and citizen reports can be difficult to find as they fight their own battle to be silenced. You may not agree with everything they have to say, but at least you will have a broader perspective. And with an open mind you may just start to see for yourself how wrong the media and the unions are, and how corrupt it is to fling that race card around in the face of civil discussion.
Read the original article published by Guelph Mercury Tribune here: https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/9626084--thinly-veiled-attempt-of-pushing-white-supremacy-u-of-guelph-debate-cancelled-over-ppc-candidate/
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