I’ve made posts like this before, and I’m likely to post about it again, because all I can do is talk.
I’ve seen a lot of comments from Canadians about how much better our system is, how we get to watch things burn from the North, comments that reek of complacency and self-righteousness, or worse, Canadians from a position of distinct privilege who have deigned to tell Americans that they’re fucked, and that there’s nothing to be done.
This is in your backyard. More than that, this has ALWAYS been in your backyard. I don’t care how much better than America you think Canada is – we can debate about that all day. But the fact of the matter is, we’re not shit.
I want you to take a moment and think. Do the trans men and women around you feel safe? All of them? Do the non binary people around you feel safe stating their preferred pronouns, day after day? Do your friends of minority sexualities feel absolutely, indisputably, 100% safe to love who they love, every single day, no matter where they travel?
Do women feel safe? Are they offered equal opportunities to men? Are they well represented in the study of health, in legislature, in who gets to decide what? Do they fear walking home alone?
Do the POC around you feel safe? Do the indigenous people of Canada feel heard, respected, and valued? Do the people around you believe that Black Lives Matter? Do people feel safe to exercise whatever religion that they believe in, wherever they are, without fear of prejudice or persecution? Are interracial couples free of scrutiny and prejudice? Are their children?
Do you welcome new immigrants and refugees into your country, regardless of where they are from? Do ESL speakers feel safe and comfortable when they speak to others, free from fear of being discarded or ridiculed because of their accents?
Do people with disabilities around you feel safe and accepted? Are they getting the care and support they need, even when what they have isn’t socially accepted? Are children with disabilities faring well? Has mental illness been destigmatized?
If you answered yes to all of these, well, either you’re living where I want to be, or you’re not paying close enough attention. Complacency is the problem. Do not allow yourself to be complacent, or to feel as though you - and we - have nothing to improve upon. Remember to interrogate your surroundings just as firmly as you judge the actions of another nation.
But please, do not say that you will simply stand and watch another nation’s dark, dark night. Lend your support, even if all you can do is lend emotional support and your words. Don’t let your sense of superiority and elitism blind you to what is happening around you, and to what you can still do to help. I know that you’re better than this.
Love you guys. Good night.
janainaart
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