White Privilege

The evening of the George Zimmerman not guilty (*cough*bullspit*cough*) verdict was passed down, I saw this status on Facebook.

I'm crying, crying, crying. My God, I thought that at some point... you know what? Last fall I bought my 3 boys cheapie hoodies from Walmart for the fall. I have to remind my 8 and 6 year old to not wear the hats on their hoodies, I bought them separate hats to cover their heads. I tell them at home you can wear the hoods, but never in public. My baby boy said "But mom, that's what it's there for, to cover our head" but I have to train them up. I have to TRAIN them that it can be dangerous for them. Honestly, I think most of y'all are good people, but please realize that this is REAL SHIT to Black people. I don't want to teach my boys this, but I have to. God, my heart is broken and I can't stop crying.

I haven't been able to not think about this since I read it.  This is something Mini-Moo won't ever have to worry about, and that depresses me.  Not because my son won't ever have to worry about wearing a hoody out in public, or worry about his name sounding too "ethnic" (*cough*bullspit*cough*) to get a job and therefore adopting an "employable" nickname (read: "White" name), or worry about being pulled over for speeding and making sure he behaves in such a way the police won't misinterpret his actions as aggressive.  It depresses me because other parents have to train their kids to worry about this stuff.

This is the reality of 2013 - still.  And the thing is, this isn't something we can claim is an American problem.  This is as much an issue in Canada, and the people who get the crap end of the stick in the want of racial equality are First Nations.  One really solid indicator of this is the prison population.

In Canada, aboriginals make up about four per cent of the general Canadian population, yet make up 23 per cent of the prison population.  Racial over-representation in the prison system is equally as horrid in the United States.  According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) non-Hispanic blacks accounted for 39.4% of the total prison and jail population in 2009.  According to the 2010 census of the US Census Bureau blacks (including Hispanic blacks) comprised 13.6% of the US population.  In this infographic you can see how the system is really built to favour the white population in the US and while there isn't a well laid out (if poorly proof-read) infographic to show it, the same is true for the Canadian penal system. 

For years, I've been really guilty of thinking, "well, I'm not a racist.  I value all races equally so this racism thing everyone talks about is a problem, but it's not a problem in my life."  Sure, I'd get upset when I see evidence/footage of inequality but by and large, I was indifferent to it.   Not with any malice aforethought, I just was.  I think an overwhelming, well-meaning majority of us have been/are.  It seems like such a huge issue, while at the same time, such an old issue.  I mean, Martin Luther King Jr. gave that epic speech, and the States has a black president who's serving his second term, right?  What's left to be done? 

There's a lot to be done.  Exactly what, and how - I have no clue. I have to hope that not being blinded about being "colourblind" is at least a start.  There is no post-racial America.  If you still have to say "port-racism America" then it's not.  Nor is that the case in Canada.

If you're still reading this (thanks!) and you come from a European background and live in North America, think about the fact that you and I have never had to encounter the same levels of racism as others have.  We may have experienced moments here and there, but it's not a systemic occurrence.  We haven't had to be trained not to trust police, to not speak about cultural events, or wear certain clothing.

We shouldn't feel guilty about being white, but we should be aware of this, be aware of how utterly unfair this is, and be aware that if we want equality for everyone, we need to start saying that this isn't okay.  For decades, we've stood by and watched as Blacks, Natives, and Hispanics have fought for equal treatment and we've felt good about ourselves because we agreed with their point of view. 


It's not enough anymore.

Gay in the Middle East?

The other day, my mother posed this question to me:  "If you were a corporate psychiatrist and you just got a job at [major corporation] which required you to work in Qatar, would you be openly gay while there?  Would it be safe?"

I thought about it for a few seconds and this was my response:  "In an ideal world, yes; you can be openly gay in Qatar and not have to fear persecution or worse.  However, we're not living in an ideal world, so there are a few things that need to be considered before answering that question.  First, and most importantly, in this equation: DoesQKatar adhere to Sharia Law?  If they do (which is pretty much a certainty), how rigidly do they follow the Laws?  The next thing to consider is whether or not American owned companies (or companies/corporations that aren't based in the Middle East) and their employees working in Qatar are subject to Sharia Law."

For those who are unaware of Sharia Law and it's importance to those of the Islamic faith, it is the code of conduct and or religious law of Islam.  The punishment for acts of sodomy and homosexual activities in Sharia Law varies in different Muslim-majority countries: in some, it's punishable by death; in others, it's illegal and will result in varying sentences; in others still, it's not illegal at all.

My mother and I continued discussing this back and forth, as both of us are staunch supporters of LGBT equality.  She expressed concerns that if being open threatens your very life, then maybe it's best to stay closeted until you're back in a land that won't actively persecute based solely on your orientation.  Sadly, there are few countries (if any at all) where you can live openly without someone taking issue with your orientation and making it your problem.  I'd like to believe that it's easier here in Canada; after all, here you can get married!  Dan Savage himself got hitched here.  Not being a member of the LGTB community, however, I can't say with absolute certainty that living openly in Canada is all that much easier than living openly in England, USA or Germany.  I do believe it's better and easier than in most Muslim-majority countries, however I digress. 

My counterpoint to my mother's (legitimate) personal safety concern was this: People who lived openly in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's in Canada and the US (just as a couple of examples. I'm sure this holds true to many other progressive countries) did so under great risk to their personal safety.  Them doing so however, made it possible for people to live openly for the last 20 or so years and it keeps getting better.  They were the Rosa Parks', the Jackie Robinson's, the Elizabeth Stanton's of the LGBT communities - and many of them remain nameless today (to those not within the LGTB community at any rate) with the exception, perhaps, of Harvey Milk and Freddie Mercury.

This psychiatrist is certainly not the only gay person living in Qatar.  If this man, coming from another country is able to live openly gay, and not have to face any recriminations then it may just provide strength for Qatari men and women to continue or start to live openly.  It may provide them with the strength and encouragement for people, gay or straight, to fight for rights (not more rights, because there aren't any right now), acceptance and equality.  Someone has to make the first (second, third, four hundredth) move.  It certainly won't be an easy fight.  The sad reality of it is, fighting for LGBT rights in the Middle East may cost some people their very lives. 

I dream of a world for my child where anyone, from any country, of any religion, creed, colour or orientation is treated with the same amount of respect.

("I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.")

I dream of a world for my child where people who have battled through homophobic based persecution can now live in harmony with those who once hated them.

("I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.")

I dream of a world for my child where he knows only of war and the fight for equal rights for all is something he reads about in history books.

("I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.") 

I dream of a world for my child where he can go to school without fear of bullying.  Where LGTBQ kids, as well as straight kids, can walk through the halls with their heads held high.

("I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.") 

I dream of a world where we don't have to wait for this.

("I have a dream today.")

I dream of a world for my child where politicians don't spout words of hate and fight to demoralize, deminish and dehumanize LGTB people.  Where they can work side by side with one another and promote peace.

("I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.")

I dream of a world where we don't have to wait for this.

("I have a dream today.")

People living in fear because of who they are, and who they love really bothers me.  When will it stop?  

The evils of Wal-Mart

So yesterday, I posted a status on my Facebook.  It was "Wal-Mart + Labour Day = Really Bad Idea!!"  It was unbelievably busy there, yesterday!  It was like it was Boxing Day there.  Busier, in fact! Unfortunately it was unavoidable because I had a prescription that needed filling and Wal-Mart is the cheapest option.   To the uninitiated, Facebook has this feature that will sometimes show you your status (or a friends' status) from exactly a year ago.  I put that post up to A) Warn people to stay away from Wal-Mart that day, to save them a headache and B) To serve as a reminder in case I or my partner gets a thought to go to Wal-Mart next year on Labour Day to stay the hell away.

Turns out this status was incredibly controversial. A well meaning friend of mine took issue with the fact that we spend our money at a place like Wal-Mart.  Other friends, and myself, defended our decisions to shop there.  It wound up being rather heated, so I thought that maybe this is worth a blog post.

I don't think too many people actually like to shop at Wal-Mart.  So often, I see friends posting on their Facebook that they have to go shopping at Wal-Mart and ask us to wish them luck.  Alternatively, I will see posts where they returned from Wal-Mart and they're asking themselves (on Facebook) just what they were thinking going there.  I imagine, if people actually enjoyed shopping at Wal-Mart, the website People of Wal-Mart wouldn't be nearly as popular.  You don't see websites like People of Superstore, People of Sears, People of Zellers.  Shopping at Wal-Mart carries a certain social stigma.

We all know, that Wal-Mart is more concerned with lining their coffers than they are with supporting fair trade, local businesses, ethical business practices.  We all know this.  The fact of the matter is: due to the current financial climate, aforementioned questionable/unethical business practices of big box stores, inability to work/find work, etc. many of us are in a position where we need to weigh our need to support our family and make every dollar stretch as far as possible with our need to stand on ethical/moral high ground.  When you're living from paycheque to paycheque or worse, you can't afford to have morals.  You're not proud of that, you don't say it out loud, but it's the truth.

In an ideal world, we'd be able to afford to shop locally.  We'd buy our books from the small bookstores (and those bookstores would be able to stock the books that we wish to buy), we'd buy our clothes from local boutiques (and those boutiques would be able to sell clothes in all sizes), we'd buy our groceries from local grocery stores (and they'd be able to afford to stock the shelves with what we need/want at a competitive price, and we wouldn't have to go to one store to buy produce, another to buy meat, another to buy bread.. so on and so forth.  I find it hard to argue the ethics of shopping locally, when you're driving from store to store to store wasting fuel and polluting the earth with the exhaust from your vehicle), and we'd be able to ALSO rail against big box stores' and their refusal of fair trade practices. 

Having said that, when the choice is my child's well being or someone else's well being the decision will just about always be my child.  Maybe, just maybe, choosing my child will enable him to grow up and go into a profession that provides him with the means and/or opportunity to defend those (possibly even those making wares for Wal-Mart and their ilk) who need defending.

I can live with that, and my child won't want for food, clothing and shelter. 


Writer's Note: 

I have attached links that provide those with the means to donate to organizations that focus on putting an end to child labour, articles about child labour, support fair trade practices, and a list of articles that list items made using fair trade practices.  It's a short list so far but please, if you know of other links that will help educate consumers or aid in the fight for fair trade and a stop to forced/child labour let me know, and I will add it to the list.

UNICEF
Save the Children - India
FairTrade.net
Where to buy Fair Trade products

You need to keep your house in order.

If you're from British Columbia and are paying even the slightest bit of attention to our fine province's current state of affairs, you know that the political landscape is a great big Gordian knot right now. Sadly it seems as if there isn't any one person with a sword sharp enough to cut through this problem and it's, quite frankly, embarrassing.

The BC Liberals are about to enter into a leadership convention with the likes of Kevin Falcon, George Abbott, Mike de Jong and Dr. Moira Stillwell throwing their collective hats in the ring. I will make no secret of the fact that I am not a BC Liberal supporter. I have never been, nor do I anticipate ever being a supporter of that party so it comes as no shock to those closest to me that I am less than enthused with all of these candidates. After nearly a decade under the thumb of the Liberals, more specifically Gordon Campbell, I find it hard to believe that any of these candidates (with perhaps the exception of Dr. Stillwell, due to her being such a rookie) will be anything other than Campbell 2.0.

Mr. Falcon has a history of broken promises in his portfolio: Residential care beds, bridge tolls (which I do not necessarily oppose. Seems to work in SF), moving NICU and a litany of others, can many people expect him to keep his word? Will he be concerned about being held accountable as a Premier the way has hasn't been as a Transportation Minister and a Health Minister?

Next is Mr. George Abbott. I have to be honest, of the four candidates, I'm less terrified by this guy. He claims he's going to restore arts funding, is more likely to reach across the aisle, and says he'd move up the HST referendum date to July 24th, 2011. He's also someone who's all about the tax cuts. This I can't support. How can you hand out tax cuts left, right and centre when we're facing a huge deficit? Where is that money going to come from? Yet moe budget cuts on education and schools, Mr Education Minister?

"Open" Mike de Jong isn't so open with the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry by picking the former Attorney-General as the head of this commission. I've met Mr. Oppal, and respect him even, but how does that speak to being open?? Mr. de Jong talks a really tough game when it comes to cracking down on drunk driving, but when the likes of Carol Berner kills Alexa Middlaer is sentenced to an insulting 30 months in prison, it all just sounds like lip service to me.

Dr. Stillwell, I'm sorry. I just don't know who you are.

Now we come to the BC NDPs. Carole James has been the leader of this party for far too long, and it seems to me that she's the only one who doesn't yet realize this. Sure there are people out there who are showing her support, and she did survive the recent emergency caucus meeting but bad things happen when you speak against your party leader, if your leader is Carole James. Given what happened to Mr. Simpson, is it any wonder that people are tying on a yellow ribbon for her?

If you have heard about the "scarf" incident, then that last sentence probably wasn't as funny (and undemocratic) as I think it is. According to Corky Evans, a former MLA, former cabinet minister and attendee at the November 20th, 2010 NDP Provincial Council meeting, "...staff members stood in the hallway outside the meeting room and gave yellow scarves to everyone EXCEPT the folks they knew had signed or delivered the letter, and a few of the rest of us they figured might support the 13 signatories.

The result was surreal. It was also the most divisive thing I have ever witnessed in our Party. The MLA's who had NOT signed the letter asking Carol to resign were identified, in front of their peers and the Press, as Loyal and Good. Thus, the folks WITHOUT yellow scarves were immediately and publically identified as Disloyal and Bad."

I understand that backroom politics has forever been a function of government, and that it will remain that way until kingdom come (I don't like it, but I understand) but this is just sick and reeks of schoolyard bullying. I was mortified when I read this. This is what passes for good politics now, Ms. James? This is how you now chose to run your party?

Now there are mumblings that Ms. James is thinking of ousting Jenny Kwan, the longest standing MLA in her party, and possibly one of the most popular politicos in BC right now. This would be a fatal mistake, Mr. James. Turning her into a martyr will only bolster the BC Liberal's efforts to endear themselves to the electorate.

I could go on at great length on this topic alone, but in the few hours I have been chipping away at this post we went from having a caucus meeting where Kwan and/or other "dissidents" being heaved from the caucus, to now James supporters rumoring to urge her to step aside.

Keep posted.