No World Order
It is never right to castrate a group in society when they are the reigning politically disenfranchised. This simple thought is a theme played out in our greatest literary works, in modern media and yet its understanding is elusive. Empathy for individuals down trodden by the times and unfortunate circumstances is given only when the group feels they belong to the same strata of community. It can be so terribly easy to ostracize those poor in political power and exclude them from the wealth of resources the "majority" enjoys.
There is a lack of perspective for any group in power to understand the plight of those not. If there is a lack of understanding by white individuals in Canada, there is a story that can be read at the footnotes.[1] The racism, the lack of power, the violence endured, the utter humiliation this Canadian endured in China seems so clearly wrong, so clearly horrible and yet when the same act occurs in Canada, where white individuals are in power, the reaction is the same as the Chinese in the story. Anecdotal evidence is easy to come by in Canada such as when a peaceful native protester has his life, family and friends threatened, user comments are filled with congratulations.[2]
If one day a different group is empowered in society, then is the rest no longer Canadian and undeserving of respect and inclusion? This is a question Canadians should ask themselves. When we create a mechanism which can disenfranchise one group, there is no defence against it disenfranchising any other group in the future. Breaking the third person perspective for a moment, I do not wish it upon anyone to experience racism first hand, be its target, feel the fear or humiliation and the powerlessness of your situation, in order for you to gain the lousy split second window for a new perspective or a paradigm shift. It should be unnecessary for a person to have the empathy to understand the situation of those targetted by racism. Yet why is the mantle of community inclusiveness, the rally against racism, held primiarily by the minority groups?
The lack of understanding and respect between communities is the greatest barrier against a mutual comraderie. While everyone is a human being, each individual can and should be respected for what they are without change. It is not an inevitable clash of civilizations that brings Western society against Islamic society, it is the lack of understanding about what makes up each community. China is not some unimaginable monster of growing power anymore than the European Union or the United States. It is not just a matter of human rights and a warm fuzzy feeling in your chest that requires all societies to begin the road to understanding one another; with the development and stockpiling of nuclear weapons to future devices such as nanotechnology and genetic engineering, it becomes a matter for the survival of our species.
[1] http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_metz/20061025.html
[2] http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/22/opp-wiretaps.html
-Ultrapunk
There is a lack of perspective for any group in power to understand the plight of those not. If there is a lack of understanding by white individuals in Canada, there is a story that can be read at the footnotes.[1] The racism, the lack of power, the violence endured, the utter humiliation this Canadian endured in China seems so clearly wrong, so clearly horrible and yet when the same act occurs in Canada, where white individuals are in power, the reaction is the same as the Chinese in the story. Anecdotal evidence is easy to come by in Canada such as when a peaceful native protester has his life, family and friends threatened, user comments are filled with congratulations.[2]
If one day a different group is empowered in society, then is the rest no longer Canadian and undeserving of respect and inclusion? This is a question Canadians should ask themselves. When we create a mechanism which can disenfranchise one group, there is no defence against it disenfranchising any other group in the future. Breaking the third person perspective for a moment, I do not wish it upon anyone to experience racism first hand, be its target, feel the fear or humiliation and the powerlessness of your situation, in order for you to gain the lousy split second window for a new perspective or a paradigm shift. It should be unnecessary for a person to have the empathy to understand the situation of those targetted by racism. Yet why is the mantle of community inclusiveness, the rally against racism, held primiarily by the minority groups?
The lack of understanding and respect between communities is the greatest barrier against a mutual comraderie. While everyone is a human being, each individual can and should be respected for what they are without change. It is not an inevitable clash of civilizations that brings Western society against Islamic society, it is the lack of understanding about what makes up each community. China is not some unimaginable monster of growing power anymore than the European Union or the United States. It is not just a matter of human rights and a warm fuzzy feeling in your chest that requires all societies to begin the road to understanding one another; with the development and stockpiling of nuclear weapons to future devices such as nanotechnology and genetic engineering, it becomes a matter for the survival of our species.
[1] http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_metz/20061025.html
[2] http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/22/opp-wiretaps.html
-Ultrapunk
posted by Ultrapunk at
11:22 AM
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