Hypocrisy in the World

I had to spend some time putting down what I see as hypocrisy in the world.

I have no particular view about Jews, Palestine’s or any of the races that seem to be addressed under what is perceived as inciting hatred. In fact, I probably could only tell you that racial profiling is not one of the better qualities that the human race often has. I am not sure – but as a young person we heard words – that even though we did not know there meaning were as racially motivated as any. One for sure comes to mind. I kept hearing the term for many years about the ‘DP Bastards’. Now frankly, as a child I had no idea what a DP person was or for that matter what a Bastard was. I did not know why the people were referred to in those terms but I did know that as a child I would witness these subtle forms of insult that were never said directly to a person’s face but always behind their back.

Now not that we were not afforded our own racial profiling and because we were children and it was not seen as hateful they would tell us things directly to our face like, “Stop acting like a little Indian” or “look they are like dirty little halfbreeds.” As a young child I was taught I was a halfbreed – because at the time the politically correct term of Métis was not prevalent – so I thought it meant we were not suppose to be dirty and for what ever reason – you did not want to be an Indian. Even more to the point – our houses were kept immaculately, the laundry on the clothes line was always made to be whiter then anyone else’s and the outhouse was scrubbed till the boards were white and smelled like pine because we did not want to be ‘Dirty’.

I raise this for two reasons:

Firstly, my beliefs around racial profiling and trying to identify people through some negative context as a race or religion – is probably formed from my own experiences or brushes with racism when I was young.

Secondly, it is quite amazing how the world has hypocritically changed. The articles and two trials in relation to David Ahenakew and the allegation that he “willfully promoted hatred against the Jews” has shown me just how racism for some cultures is tolerable – while others are able to have the entire system respond.

Before I go any further let me make it clear – I do not support Mr. David Ahenakew’s views. It is not the first time that I ever heard such a stance – but that is not my personal point of view. I know that some media and blogs are identifying him as crazy for even thinking it – but truthfully – I don’t even know why he would be sharing those views at an Aboriginal gathering – but what I notice has gotten no press coverage is this is an Aboriginal man that was not just the past leader of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and the Assembly of First Nations but a man who had served in the Canadian Army for over 15 years where he served in Korea and Egypt, made major contributions in improving educational opportunities for Aboriginal youth in Saskatchewan, had significant roles in the United Nations and was awarded the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian Society. He may have had some personal or learned experience that has shaped his views on Jewish people – but they were his views.

On the other hand we have two professors named, Frances Widdowson and Albert Howard who have through a narrow minded view expressed their dislike and racial profiling beliefs in a book – all over the internet – in television and radio blurbs and that is shall we say – their view on how to make Canadians critical thinkers. There is nothing hateful about attacking issues that would racially profile Aboriginal people through these mediums but let one Aboriginal man verbally present to a small group of people his ideology on another race and we not only put him through one but two trials to defend his position.

No double standard here – is there?