Student Body Drives Me Nuts

In an earlier post, I wrote about how much I loved my progressive school. I may have spoke to soon.

I forget how much the student body doesn't reflect the politics of my studies.

The YorkU livejournal community provides AMPLE evidence of this. In a post initially speaking about some recent racist graffiti, the thread suddenly became about the "wrongs" of affirmative action, and of course all the whining coming from people who feel cheated by it (ie white people who are automatically qualified for the job, whereas people who are systemically discriminated against are CLEARLY questionable).

There are usually few dissenting voices to the right-wing-ism displayed in this community, and so I get tired of arguing and feel like I just want this conversation to be OVER. So I sent a letter to Carmen at Racialicious, most of which I'll repost here.

I hope she can address it there on her blog, mostly because my blog here is so tiny, and I really want these issues brought up in that thread to be made visible. Also, I don't feel nearly as qualified or confident to address it with the vehemence it deserves. So here it is:

Hi Carmen

I've written to you before, and got lots of great feedback on a project I'm still working on. But I was wondering if maybe you could address this sometime on Racialicious:

http://community.livejournal.com/yorku/1406833.html

I hope that link works.

York University is generally considered a very left and progressive liberal arts school in Toronto. You can see this reflected particularly in the Women's Studies program and various others. However, it is NOT always reflected in the student body itself nor in the addressing of certain issues that arise on campus. This particular linked post in the YorkU Livejournal community was in reference to grafitti that had been sprayed something along the lines of 'death to white supremecy' across the walls of a very public part of campus. I never got to see it myself, as it was removed before I got to campus quickly after the story broke out.

What irks me about this thread is how it was used as a jumping point to discredit affirmative actions programs, not for their effectiveness but rather for how "perfectly qualified white people" are left out of the jobs they are so CLEARLY entitled to. Then the justification becomes that people should just all be equally considered without issues of race, gender, or sexuality "getting in the way" as if those very things have never been used against people who fall under those categories in the first place. As if those things have been resolved in the slightest. ARGH!

I'm writing to you because I feel so frustrated, as these type of right-wing threads pop up often in the community and I'll start to argue, but then I end up backing down and feeling tired and hopeless against so many people who are so sure I'm just a radical left-wing nut. I feel like everything I have to say about this is better argued and with more strength and visibility on racialicious...and quite frankly, I really want the YorkU student body to publically called out on this shit. I'm so tired of it. It's so disappointing to attend a school that doesn't live up to its reputation. I want there to be a link that discusses things like affirmative action intelligently and not like some spoiled brat who didn't get what he wanted when he wanted it. ARGH! again!

[...]
with deep lamentations...

I wonder at times like this if I am even strong enough to fight.
Sigh.

Edit: I had heard conflicting reports about what was sprayed across the walls...I think the graffiti I had quoted to Carmen was a response to either racist graffiti sprayed across the walls of Black student organizations. Just wanted to clarify.

What the?!

This Just In over at Racialicious and Shakespeare's Sister:

"Canadian" As A Racial Slur

Is this for real? Not just some internet hoax of some disgusting proportion?

Well, I'll be damned...

and pretty pissed, too...I would prefer not to have my Canadian identity serve as a euphemism for a racial slur, its true form which shall NEVER see the light of day at this blog.

Now, my definition of a Canadian has always meant to encompass a wider variety of identificatons and histories. HOWEVER...hate-terms never really fell under my umbrella. As well, the implications for how it damages the diversity of who Canadians are and can be are disturbing...

The post at Shakes quotes a speculation that the use reflects a sense of "othering". I think too perhaps that the people who came up with it thought it'd make a good cover, thinking that no one would suspect the appropriated term of its new meaning. Good Old Canadians--you'd NEVER guess what I'm really talking about, eh *wink wink*!

I guess I'll just have to comfort myself with "maple syrup" and "Molson" while watching some "hockey". Who knows what I really meant in that last sentence.

I am offended on so many levels. Do NOT use my name to spew your hate.

Canada's Blind Spot

I haven't really heard much or seen anything about this issue, which may be in part due to the fact that I don't have cable at home, and I read daily papers more frequently during the school year but according to this CBC article, Ottawa is going to be handing out a 1.9 billion dollar compensation to former students of Native residential schools who suffered through this system and who "opt-out" of the class-action settlement.

I don't know about anyone else out here, but I never really did get a thorough education about Canada's native history. We got bits and peices here and there in elementary school learning vague notions about Native lifestyles pre-colonization, and then in high school, we'd look at a lot of Native art. But that's about all I can remember. Though, aboriginal women's issues has come up often in my women's studies classes as part of the course's curriculum, so maybe that's a place I can start from.

From what I do know about residential schools, they were terrible places that fostered the horrors of institutionalized racism. When you're learning it in school, such ideologies are much harder to resist and to not internalize. I'm pretty sure that there were quite a few more abuses that went hand in hand with this kind of 'education'. Residential schools certainly did nothing for the empowerment of Canada's Native peoples.

They're estimating that out of this 1.9 billion dollars, that each person who opts out is going to get about $28 000. That's a lot of money in one go, but a pretty cheap price to pay to get someone to promise to never seek any other action against the government or anyone else involved in these matters.

Doubtless, many people need that money, and it can go far for individuals if the community has the tools to enable that, but still...

And out of potentially 80 000 students, they are only expecting 5000 to opt-out, but still...

(and they're are only expecting to average out $28 000 per recipient? hmmm...)

So many questions, mostly because I am so admittedly ignorant about Native histories in Canada, except to know that this country doesn't have a very good track record. I am aware, for example, that many of Robert Picton's victims were Native women who got lost in the shuffle of social concern. But that's just in news that I have heard recently. And that came from one of my classes this summer, as well as attending a feminist conference earlier.

One of the things that I wonder though is why this isn't bigger news? This news bite called the class-action suit being filed 'historical'. But most people I talk to don't really know about it, or talk about it. It's not as out there as I would have expected. It seems to me that something this big should be inviting more active conversation with both the government and Canadian citizens, Native and otherwise. After all, such issues remain largely unresolved. This kind of thing seems to me what we should be talking about in classrooms and newsrooms, especially since it's an issue that involves such a huge amount of people and should be hitting all Canadians close to home. As a colonized nation, one way or the other, every citizen is implicit in this type of history/current event.

It's not a particularly nice view of Canada, but I for one am not someone who thinks these kinds of discussions and events should be swept under the rug. If we are going to be an imperfect nation, at least we can be honest about it. And then do something proper about it.