Wednesday, November 10, 2004
I'm going to see the Syringe Tree tonight at Neptune. It's essentially a drug addled trip through the party days of South Africa. It's like 'Party Monster' meets 'Fear and Loathing' meets 'Cry the Beloved Country'. It should be the feelgood movie play of the year.
Eddie Murphy stars.
Eddie Murphy stars.
Not to get on an Alberta bashing kick, but man they love to hate Aboriginals there. It's not as if the population of Nova Scotia is free of ignorance, people seemingly love to hate Aboriginals here too, but the intolerance I experienced in Alberta was more outward. If you were the victim of someone else's bad driving, 60 percent of the time the person you were relating your story to would ask "Were they Asian?" It was mind blowing. Your head would do that thing in Warner Brothers cartoons where a character does a double take and their eyes roll back in their head and then when the eyes roll back they're replaced by machine symbols.
It wasn't just Native-born Albertans asking these questions, it was people from Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba etc. It wasn't so much that Albertans were racist by nature, it was that a permissive culture existed that allowed and even encouraged racism. 'Klein Government Legislates Use of Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes in Order to Save Time and Money.' I mean think of the time saved in the judicial system! If a province just operated on stereotypes, there'd be no long drawn out court cases and inquiries. Hell even telling a story wouldn't be so long winded, "So I'm driving on Crowfoot and there's this Asian guy driving next to me...yadda yadda yadda" "Oh say no more my white skinned bretheren!"
I remember on more than one occasion people saying that racism towards Aboriginals hadn't occurred in over one hundred years. "Buh...buh...but what about residential schools?" "Not racist." "Buh...buh...but what about" "NOPE! No Racism ever!" "Touche! Convincing argument."
A story like this,on its own, you may be apt to dismiss as an unfortunate, untimely, and one of a kind accident. The hospital screwed up, they didn't intend to shock and appall and Native community, it could have just as easily been a Caucasian(I'm not even sure if I should capitalize Caucasian) baby, heck even an Asian one! When the same story plays itself out three times to three Native women in the course of a year, you're like "Dudes! What the fuck?" When a similar incident occurs within the same region, you have to wonder how clueless the hospital administrations are. Is it just stupidity that causes these incidents or is there really such a disregard for Aboriginal patients in Manitoba/Northern Ontario?
The government of Canada LOVES to relocate Aboriginal people whether it be the Mi'kmaq of Cape Breton, the Dene of Cold Lake, or the Innu of Labrador. I don't know what it is (new highways, Nato etc.), but whatever it is it makes them keen to upset traditional communities on a whim. The Innu of Labrador didn't fare too well with all the help the received from the Europeans and Canadians during the 19th, 20th, and even 21st centuries.
Look at Davis Inlet, the Innu of Davis Inlet had to wait 6 years to be moved to a promised community that included 20th century ammenities like running water and electricity. I suppose someone would counter with "Well why should the government be responsible for the housing and ammenities of this Innu band?" It's like this, the Government of Canada has absolutely no problem moving Innu bands all over Labrador, uprooting them, and taking over their traditional hunting grounds. For some reason it had a problem granting them the services and benefits provided to other Aboriginals under the Indian Act because the Innu of Labrador were not granted status when Newfoundland and Labrador became the last province to join Canada in 1949.
Finally when it came to light that young children were abusing chemicals like glue and gas, the Innu were granted status and promised a new community with 20th century ammenties. It took a while, but they were finally moved to a new community that had adequate facilities. It should have happened in 1967 when they were originally moved, but instead they got hosed by the Canadian Government and over 30 years had to pass before anything was actually done about it. The Paternal Canadian Government always treats its Natives so well.
The Davis Inlet Innu band has now moved about 15 kilometers away to the less remote community of Natuashish. Problems and struggles still continue, four suicides have occurred in the past couple of months and drug abuse and alcoholism are still problems.
Was relocation the answer? Is running water enough to quell rampant abuse? What is owed to Davis Inlet? I really don't know and I don't know if anyone else does, so I guess it doesn't matter who's racist and who isn't because all the self righteous attitudes in the world aren't going to change the hell some people have to go through.
It wasn't just Native-born Albertans asking these questions, it was people from Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba etc. It wasn't so much that Albertans were racist by nature, it was that a permissive culture existed that allowed and even encouraged racism. 'Klein Government Legislates Use of Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes in Order to Save Time and Money.' I mean think of the time saved in the judicial system! If a province just operated on stereotypes, there'd be no long drawn out court cases and inquiries. Hell even telling a story wouldn't be so long winded, "So I'm driving on Crowfoot and there's this Asian guy driving next to me...yadda yadda yadda" "Oh say no more my white skinned bretheren!"
I remember on more than one occasion people saying that racism towards Aboriginals hadn't occurred in over one hundred years. "Buh...buh...but what about residential schools?" "Not racist." "Buh...buh...but what about" "NOPE! No Racism ever!" "Touche! Convincing argument."
A story like this,on its own, you may be apt to dismiss as an unfortunate, untimely, and one of a kind accident. The hospital screwed up, they didn't intend to shock and appall and Native community, it could have just as easily been a Caucasian(I'm not even sure if I should capitalize Caucasian) baby, heck even an Asian one! When the same story plays itself out three times to three Native women in the course of a year, you're like "Dudes! What the fuck?" When a similar incident occurs within the same region, you have to wonder how clueless the hospital administrations are. Is it just stupidity that causes these incidents or is there really such a disregard for Aboriginal patients in Manitoba/Northern Ontario?
The government of Canada LOVES to relocate Aboriginal people whether it be the Mi'kmaq of Cape Breton, the Dene of Cold Lake, or the Innu of Labrador. I don't know what it is (new highways, Nato etc.), but whatever it is it makes them keen to upset traditional communities on a whim. The Innu of Labrador didn't fare too well with all the help the received from the Europeans and Canadians during the 19th, 20th, and even 21st centuries.
Look at Davis Inlet, the Innu of Davis Inlet had to wait 6 years to be moved to a promised community that included 20th century ammenities like running water and electricity. I suppose someone would counter with "Well why should the government be responsible for the housing and ammenities of this Innu band?" It's like this, the Government of Canada has absolutely no problem moving Innu bands all over Labrador, uprooting them, and taking over their traditional hunting grounds. For some reason it had a problem granting them the services and benefits provided to other Aboriginals under the Indian Act because the Innu of Labrador were not granted status when Newfoundland and Labrador became the last province to join Canada in 1949.
Finally when it came to light that young children were abusing chemicals like glue and gas, the Innu were granted status and promised a new community with 20th century ammenties. It took a while, but they were finally moved to a new community that had adequate facilities. It should have happened in 1967 when they were originally moved, but instead they got hosed by the Canadian Government and over 30 years had to pass before anything was actually done about it. The Paternal Canadian Government always treats its Natives so well.
The Davis Inlet Innu band has now moved about 15 kilometers away to the less remote community of Natuashish. Problems and struggles still continue, four suicides have occurred in the past couple of months and drug abuse and alcoholism are still problems.
Was relocation the answer? Is running water enough to quell rampant abuse? What is owed to Davis Inlet? I really don't know and I don't know if anyone else does, so I guess it doesn't matter who's racist and who isn't because all the self righteous attitudes in the world aren't going to change the hell some people have to go through.
