Distance Learning Office, Caronport Saskatchewan
Writing down thoughts on late lunch break, 1:03 PM
Weather = Sunny, Warm, and Green
Sometimes it is difficult to not be racist in my province. I don't think I'm a racist, but sometimes I am sorely tempted to become one. I don't think this post is racist, unless openly talking about a general issue in society that just so happens to often involve an easily identifiable group of people is considered racist.
So I have moved past one of my earlier posts and do actually keep up with the news now, and have done so for quite some time. www.CTV.ca is by no means the be all and end all, but I find it much better than CBC. I usually check out the provincial stories and it saddens me that almost every time I check there are murders, assaults, and missing persons. What does this have to do with racism? I think anyone who has lived here long enough knows, an overwhelming majority of these cases have to do with a specific group of people which are easily identified.
If there is a story about poverty and corruption in this province, sometimes we think of the homeless folk in Regina or Saskatoon. Often times though it is involving a specific group of easily identifiable people who have become notorious for a reputation of irresponsible spending and overwhelming problems with addiction.
If there is some sort of huge legal battle in the province then it might be about anything, but one of the most common occurrences has to do with treaties made with an easily identifiable group of people who are also treated differently than everyone else by the government.
If there is any talk about where tax paying dollars goes, one will eventually come to a large, easily identifiable group of people who live off well-fare and fill up our prisons.
I don't think it's racist to point these things out and say that sometimes it is difficult to not be racist. The First Nations people (Indians or Natives are the not politically correct terms) are simply easy to identify around here because Saskatchewan is still mostly populated by people of German / Norwegian decent. Since they are easily identifiable because of skin color it is easier to see them as all the same, especially to folks far removed from inner-city or reserve life. They look different, they are treated different, we are educated to see them as different in school, society as a whole sees them (as well as they see themselves) as different. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if the crime rate and well-fare rate wasn't so overwhelmingly caused by this group of easily identifiable obviously different group of people. When the average person thinks of a reserve, they don't immediately think that every reserve is different, what they think of is violence, corruption, make sure to keep a close watch on your children and lock your doors sort of mentality. From the recent court battles and buy-out of chief Guy Lonechild by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations to the problems with the First Nations University to the fact that some residents on reserves live well while others live like it's a 3rd world country; this is where the spotlight shines.
So sometimes it is hard to not be racist when I have been given every practical reason to be. When I hear and see all the violence in Regina involving an easily identifiable group of people who I have been trained by society and school to view as different, I instinctively put up barriers. It's hard to fight that sometimes, especially when personal experience reinforces these perceived differences.
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