It’s been a hard day for members of my family and broader community, seeing 3 generations of a whole family wiped out... who look very much like us, and did everything right. They were highly educated, loved this country, worked hard, the Canadian dream in every respect...
My family has been here 51 years, my father came in 1970 (after a harrowing stopover in Moscow, a story for another day) to join his siblings building a life here. He came to a young country full of promise, but blighted by attacks against South Asians.
ftp.issuu.com/uw_imprint/doc…
ftp.issuu.com/uw_imprint/doc…
He and representatives of the community met with the editorial board of a tabloid newspaper in the 70s to get them to stop pushing race-baiting stories targeting the South Asian community. The response: 'We will print whatever sells newspapers.' Thankfully things are better now
He started with nothing, faced lots of petty discrimination, fairly stunted career advancement, but it never dimmed his enthusiasm for his new country. One important life lesson came out of this:
“Plan your life so that it is free from the harmful decisions of others”
“Plan your life so that it is free from the harmful decisions of others”
And so I did, as did many others like me who entered into the professional world, started businesses, and succeeded by grit and determination. It’s no coincidence immigrants are over-represented in the startup world, and in professions where entry is free of subjective evaluation
It’s also why many of the fiercest public advocates for protecting Canadians from Covid have strong immigrant roots; we are reflexively protective of a place that, despite its flaws, is now our home and native land, a place to protect from the ravages we have seen abroad.
What is obvious now is that these regressive forces on the Racist Right have to be confronted openly and fought actively. The names change, whether its the Western Guard, the Heritage Front, the Proud Boys… but the tactics are always the same.
...they prey on economic insecurity, on dashed hopes, and sell a narrative where 'outsiders' are to blame. This is a potent message, and rising inequality will fan the flames even further. Small pockets on the internet can grow into full blown radicalization in no time.
How can we all fight this?
- Call out people on the hard-right who use dog whistles and coded speech to fan blatant Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism and other hatreds
- Fight to help Indigenous, Black and other communities who are facing extreme systemic biases now
- Call out people on the hard-right who use dog whistles and coded speech to fan blatant Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism and other hatreds
- Fight to help Indigenous, Black and other communities who are facing extreme systemic biases now
- Address inequality - fix a broken housing system that favours wealthy families, and give all young people a pathway to meaningful, good careers
- Closely monitor and combat online forums that spread hate and venom against fellow citizens
- Closely monitor and combat online forums that spread hate and venom against fellow citizens
Canadians are fundamentally a kind, generous and resilient people. This attack should be a wake-up call, that keeping our society strong and free will take constant work, attention and vigilance against those who would destroy all of the greatest achievements of this nation.
A really good explanation on how the radicalization process can take place online. If you're a gamer you quickly run into these people who groom and radicalize vulnerable people. How to fight this? Call out and report racist behaviour when you see it:
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