wtf
Apparently there's some sort of furor back home about outspoken radio commentator Bruce Allen's rant about recent immigrant (mostly Sikh-related) issues that have been popping up in the news.
People have been labeling Allen as racist, but I don't think that's true. What Allen is being, is an ignorant ass and while his opinion may be fueled by racist sentiment it seems to me to fall into more jingoism than anything else.
I'm reminded of Vietnam-era conservatives who said to those against the war "if you don't like it you can move to Russia." This line of argument is, of course, totally absurd: The whole reason we can call ourselves a free country is precisely because laws can be shaped by the people. If a law is seen to be out of date or unfair to a specific group (religious or otherwise) we are allowed to change it. If we simply told everyone who didn't like an unfair law that they can like it or lump it we wouldn't have made any progress in our country at all.
And of course Allen's comments smack to me of a guy coming from a privileged background (he is quite wealthy), and from the white majority of Canada's diverse population. I wonder how his perspective might change if a law affected his own status in Canada... Maybe something like a regulation that ex-music producers must never wear ugly turtleneck sweaters after a certain age. Would he quietly acquiesce and adhere to his "love it or leave it" argument?
This summer I was working at several major news organisations here in the big dirty city. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out on the scale of ignorant, stupid and actually racist jerks in the media, Allen barely registers. I'm glad we haven't managed to get quite as far in our ridiculousness as our shock-jock neighbours to the south.
As a bit of an addendum, Allen also brought up the whole elections Canada issue about veiled muslim women (wearing as he called them "burquas" which denotes a certain ignorance on the issue). This seems to be a story that is totally misunderstood and, it seems, continually exploited by right-wingers. When women wearing niqabs cross through airport security they are required to show their faces, and this has never been an issue. I refer you to the following article:
CBC.ca
Afifa Naz, an engineer in Montreal, wears a niqab but understands there are situations in which she must unveil. "This is not something we demand," she told CBC News. "We can accommodate the needs of society while practising our religion."
People have been labeling Allen as racist, but I don't think that's true. What Allen is being, is an ignorant ass and while his opinion may be fueled by racist sentiment it seems to me to fall into more jingoism than anything else.
I'm reminded of Vietnam-era conservatives who said to those against the war "if you don't like it you can move to Russia." This line of argument is, of course, totally absurd: The whole reason we can call ourselves a free country is precisely because laws can be shaped by the people. If a law is seen to be out of date or unfair to a specific group (religious or otherwise) we are allowed to change it. If we simply told everyone who didn't like an unfair law that they can like it or lump it we wouldn't have made any progress in our country at all.
And of course Allen's comments smack to me of a guy coming from a privileged background (he is quite wealthy), and from the white majority of Canada's diverse population. I wonder how his perspective might change if a law affected his own status in Canada... Maybe something like a regulation that ex-music producers must never wear ugly turtleneck sweaters after a certain age. Would he quietly acquiesce and adhere to his "love it or leave it" argument?
This summer I was working at several major news organisations here in the big dirty city. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out on the scale of ignorant, stupid and actually racist jerks in the media, Allen barely registers. I'm glad we haven't managed to get quite as far in our ridiculousness as our shock-jock neighbours to the south.
As a bit of an addendum, Allen also brought up the whole elections Canada issue about veiled muslim women (wearing as he called them "burquas" which denotes a certain ignorance on the issue). This seems to be a story that is totally misunderstood and, it seems, continually exploited by right-wingers. When women wearing niqabs cross through airport security they are required to show their faces, and this has never been an issue. I refer you to the following article:
CBC.ca
Afifa Naz, an engineer in Montreal, wears a niqab but understands there are situations in which she must unveil. "This is not something we demand," she told CBC News. "We can accommodate the needs of society while practising our religion."
posted by Mike at 8:13 AM
3 Comments:
If you don't like it move back to South Africa. Which is where I assume you are from, cause of the accent, and the love o aparteid. And your flattop haircut, which gives me the heeby jeebys.
Bruce Allen has always been an idiot. What saves him is that he sometimes manages to be funny.
Nobody likes you Sean
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