How Can I Help?

As I get inundated/inundate myself with much of the news that’s being discussed around water coolers, gyms, dinner tables, and Facebook walls throughout the world relating to the new Trump administration, I am often sitting here thinking to myself, “how can I help effect change?”

How can I make life safer for my community of amazing people around the world, and in the US in particular?

Being in Canada, how can I lend a hand and show solidarity to those in the US who I love that are part of the black community, the Muslim community, the First Nations community, the LGBT+ community, the community of women, the community of teachers, the middle class and the unemployed, and all the other countless amazing communities that are out there right now who are hurting, crying, afraid, and desperate? 

What can I do, beyond my deluge of social media posts, to bring about awareness and social change to those who may not agree with me but are willing to listen?

I’m honestly asking here, because I simply don’t know.

I feel exasperated and hamstrung in my ineffectiveness. I have signed petitions that have led to nowhere but made me feel good for a minute.  I have engaged with trolls (and those who are in a quasi-trolly mood, but aren’t really trolls, they’re just feeling like they’re not being heard so they act like trolls which make people not want to hear them and so they act MORE like trolls) in the comments section.  I have donated to various causes.  I have cheered on my friends who have put jobs/friendships on the line to protest this tyrannical administration.  I have done all of this from the comfort of my home.  I haven’t actually DONE anything.  I just clicked a few buttons, tapped a few keys, and mentally patted myself on the back for being a good person.

There was a vigil today to grieve with the local Muslim community in the wake of yesterday’s mass shooting in Quebec.  Mass shootings are an anomaly in Canada; they happen so rarely happen that the entire nation is rocked to its very core (this is the fourth mass shooting since 2014).  Sadly, it wasn’t until after the vigil ended that I found out about it so I wasn’t able to attend.  There’s a subsequent one on Saturday that I will be out of town for, so again, I can’t attend.  So again, I sit here frustrated in my inactivity. 

I see way too many parallels between this new Trump administration and the rise of the Nazi regime and it scares me.  Not in the *excuse me as I attempt to type like Kim K sounds* “like, omg those poor, like... people” kind of scared.  But in the “Holy shit, maybe those crazy Preppers are on to something, and we need to seriously consider making a bug out bag.” kind of scared.  I genuinely fear that we are witnessing Nazi Germany 2.0 in the making, and I am equally terrified that as loud as everyone is about speaking out against this horrific scene developing, we aren’t being loud enough.  The poem “First They Came...” has been running through my head in a constant loop for over a week now. 

I want and need to speak for the Socialists, and the Trade Unionists, and Jews... because soon, someone will need to speak for me.  I am terrified that the meager things I have done have amounted to nothing, and I as good as silent. 

I need to go look at puppies and baby sloths, because...

 

I feel my zen coming back a bit...

OMG they’re in a bucket!

How is he even real <3

Awww, he’s tired

Let’s just end this here
http://www.kittycatcam.com/

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?