Racism in the bathwater

Candace, 12 October 2006, No comments
Categories: Bodies, Canadiana, Culture, Diversity, Life, Racism

Background: Canada funds two school systems: the public and the separate (Catholic) in both official languages, French and English. Incidentally, there are private Fundamentalist Christian schools, a Mennonite school, and an Islamic school in the local community that receive no government support. Parents whose children attend these schools are still required to pay taxes to support either the public or the separate school system.

A friend’s (former) employer revealed to her that he sends his kids to separate school (Catholic) because the students there are all white children. He doesn’t want his kids around people of colour and so even though they are not Catholic they’ll go to Catholic school to get away from “those people”.

This should be reason enough to cease funding to separate schools – something I’ve never supported. The last thing the school systems should be doing is facilitating racism! Because there are multiple choices, parents can choose to segregate their kids. On the surface we can say that Canada is diverse and multi-cultural but the reality is that we are pockets of isolated communities. Individuals do not have to encounter, accept, understand or empathize with anyone who is not the same as them.

I have heard all kinds of reasons for why people send their kids to Catholic school: to be taught immersed in their religion (if they are Catholic), to learn morals and values (if the family is not Catholic), because the special needs programs are superior, because the school is closer than the public, because we want to access insert special program offered at the separate school nearby – French immersion for example. I’d argue that none of these are enough to warrant public spending either but I digress.

I hate that this man is filling his children with these ideas of hate. No matter what teaching happens in the classroom, these kids are growing up with a racist father. I would hope that nothing in the school or the teaching would further the seeds that the father is planting, but I know back when I was a kid in small town Ontario, the only people of colour I ever saw were on the collection boxes for Unicef. I certainly needed my brain stretched to realize the racism surrounding me and that I was complicit in as I grew up. This happened when I left small town Ontario and entered the larger world and even more so when I entered the Women’s Studies program. I hope the teaching in elementary school is better these days. Given my kids’ experiences so far I really really doubt it.

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  1. Youssef
    02 October 2007, 3:25 pm

    hello Candace. I’ve been perusing your blog, and must say I’m impressed.I do however disagree with this post.However distasteful you find this man’s sentiments, it has to be said that he’s only doing what he thinks is the best for his kids. He likely believes that he’s assuring their safetyby restricting their education to a homogeneous environment. Hate crimes (while not officially classed as such )against whites are on the rise across NA. I notice you cite many figures and stats about rape. Are you familiar with the FBI statiscic (FBI Index of Crime, 2005) which states categorically that Blacks sexually offend against Caucasions at a rate of 1142 % compared to White on Black sex assaults, adjusted for Percentage of Population. I realize this is an uncomfortable thing to read, but the facts are there. Also, alot of kids in secular public schools come from cultures where women are still chattels to be bough, sold and beaten, and and to whom swarmings and gang rapes are practically social events. Blame this on poverty, discrimination, what have you, but the stats speak for themselves.If he feels his daughters are safer in a more controlled environment, I say it’s his right.

  2. Candace
    04 October 2007, 2:30 pm

    Thanks Youssef for your comment. Many parents feel that they are doing what is “best for [their] kids” or in other words, parenting them “for their own good”. What comes to mind immediately are parents who beat their children, rationalizing that it is “for their own good.” Just like it was “for their own good” that the First Nations people were put in residential schools. Neither of these things was or is ever “best for the kids”. I have yet to see any advantage to the child or to society to educate a child in segregation. The United Nations says that this violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. I’m pretty sad that my country violates a verdict of the United Nations.

    re: your crime stats: People of colour and aboriginals are charged and incarcerated at higher rates than whites, which has nothing to do with number of crimes perpetrated. If you’re white you’re more likely to get off. If you’re not, you’re more likely to be charged and go to jail. This shows that the system is biased against non-whites. Thank you for helping make my point.

    Thank goodness that Ontario looks to be following Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Manitoba and dropping the separate school board. Although I won’t hold my breath, I pray with all my atheist heart that it will happen sooner rather than later. If it is sooner, there may still be hope for my friend’s former employer’s kids. Though, immersed in it at home as they are, it’s probably hopeless for them.

  3. Youssef
    05 October 2007, 1:10 pm

    Good points. But my stat was about reported sex assaults as opposed to convictions. And surely hate crimes are committed against whites. Research the Witchtah Horror, or the recent case in Florida of racist gang rape/ murder/ mutilation of a yooung White couple. I’m brown, BTW. So not a white racist. I suppose you’ll come up with some reason that Blacks don’t report as many rapes. But the fact is that this is the proverbial 400 pound gorrilla in the room. Leftists don’t seem to care much about hate crimes when they don’t happen to gay women of colour.For all their talk of Equality.

  4. Candace
    09 October 2007, 10:09 am

    You’re right Youssef, people of colour are less likely to report because they are less likely to be believed, more likely to be harassed while reporting, and more likely to be charged — even when they are the victim.

    It’s a sad system that allows it — an even sadder system that encourages it.

  5. Youssef
    21 October 2007, 1:32 pm

    You’re obviously brainwashed., and have the typical feminist trait of ignoring all applicable points which don’t fit your biased and sexist viewpoint. [comment edited to remove reference to my children.]

  6. pamela
    28 October 2007, 8:01 am

    Youssef, unfortunately you have fallen victim to the systematic racism yourself – re: your FBI statistic claiming that “ Blacks sexually offend against Caucasions at a rate of 1142 % compared to White on Black sex assaults”. You have to remember this statistic is trying to show you rapes which happen in between different races. Yet you’re forgetting that statistically whites will rape whites and black men are more likely to rape other black women- this is because you’re more likey to rape someone you know, and/or who tursts you, and whom you have close relations with. This man’s young daughter, who is being placed in Catholic or French schools, where the population is more likely to be Caucasian, will be 78% more likely to be sexually assaulted by her teacher, basketball coach, classmates older brother, and/or her father (all whom will be white if her father has anything to say about it). There is also no difference between the amount of black or whites who will commit crimes (only different in the amount of media coverage we have on blacks vs. white) – I think it’s also important to understand why this stat is out there – because even the FBI wants you to think that a scary black man in baggy jeans will more likely gang-rape you then group of your male friends. Which is not true.
    Let’s just call it what it is, without trying justify segregation or normalize it – this is pure racism. And I have a sneaking suspicion if asked, this man probably wouldn’t even deny being racist. The only thing this father is actually doing showing preference for white penis over black – as his daughter will statistically have a high risk of being victim to a crime just for being FEMALE – and no kind of segregation will stop that. Nice try though.

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