To the editor;
Re: "Reconciliation aside, racism is still here," Opinions, June 10
Nothing new here. Racism is still here, has always been here, and will continue to be here. There is no race on the face of the earth that has an immunity to racism, or has not practiced it. Racism is a fact of life.
You can suppress it, you can eliminate it from general conversation in most cases, but not in all cases. It will still pop up in private conversation, because it is embedded in the human psyche, and all of the brainwashing in the world will not remove it. It will simply drive it underground.
It is definitely not what we want. We want everyone to feel safe, secure, and happy in the skin they were born in, wherever they happen to be.
At the same time, we do not want people running around crying racism, sexism, and all of the other 'isms, that come to mind, for no other reason than to shut up conversation that they do not like.
After all, there is still free speech, even if it limited by political correctness. Cultural genocide, as used by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is way over the top, and is used for shock effect. It is also an insult to those who suffered real genocide, in that the plan was to wipe them from the face of the earth.
First of all, it is inaccurate because our native culture is alive and well, and is still practiced by our native residents. Yes, they did lose their native languages, and since there are more than 600 different languages, and variations of these languages, it is highly unlikely they will get them get them back. There is more hope for the Cree Nation, since their language was also a written language.
I would only have to ask the Chilliwack reporter, Paul J. Henderson, one question, and I am sure he would not have an answer. If we pressed the RESET button before there were residential schools or reserves, what would he have done differently to avoid the mess we made, or are accused of making?
At the present time, only one-third of native children, compared to the general high school population, receive their high school diploma? Whose fault is that?
Fred Perry,
Surrey