Apr 272014
Someone called it “thinly veiled racism” but I think it is blatant and overt racism, this flyer that was circulated in Brampton, Ontario in the past few days.
Many prominent Canadians spoke up against this flyer, and I agree with them wholeheartedly. As Justin Trudeau observed, Canada is stronger not despite the country’s diversity but because of it.
That said, some are calling for prosecution, alluding to Canada’s hate speech laws. To these people, I say, back off. You cannot suppress hatred with oppression. Or to put it in other words, we must prevail on the basis of the strength of our ideas, not the strength of our police force.
Hmmm … Okay, let’s assume that you are right, and “mainstream Canadians” is nothing but a weasel phrase for “white people”. If immigration has proceeded, or is about to proceed, to the point where white people are no longer the single largest demographic group in Brampton, is that not something about which they might legitimately feel unease? I agree with you that racism is something we should try to eliminate, but how do you address an issue like this without the conversation degenerating to pointless accusations?
Exactly what is “unease” about the possibility that “white people are no longer the single largest demographic group” if it is not a textbook case of racism? And exactly how is the negative reaction to a rather blatant flyer “pointless accusation”? Who accused whom of what, and in what way was the accusation “pointless”?