timeimmortal

Lois writes in with regard to this article, which itself was a response to a Reader Mail denigrating my

I thought “Paki” was short form for Pakistani. Perhaps Ms. Gill is Canadian, not Pakistani. I am Ukrainian and I have been called a “Bohunk”. I don’t see it as a slur. Maybe you can see my point. Someone thought they could get a rise out of people by defacing a sign with what they thought was a racial slur. Well, they got what they wanted.

I am sure it won’t be the first time any one of the candidates gets a shot from the public in one way or another. Maybe if the defacer had splashed “woman” across the sign it wouldn’t have gotten so much attention. There was a day when woman were not recognized as persons. This is all era specific and we are in the midst of cultural changes.

Focus on the good and look forward.

“Paki” is considered a derogatory term, although it is usually considered somewhat more offensive than the term “Bohunk.” People also tend to be more reserved about using the term “Paki” than they are about using the term “Bohunk.” Maybe that’s because us Bohunks have white skin? Yes, that last sentence was a bit glib of me.

I do think that Lois makes a good point, though, when she notes that she doesn’t personally consider the term “Bohunk” to be an offensive slur. And that’s the key here — words only have power to offend us if we let them. That would be an interesting lesson for the folks at the HRC, and for the various people who file complaints there. Something someone said offends you, eh? Pity that…don’t be offended next time. If you think about it, O Reader, completely disarming a person of their ability to offend you — no matter what they say — is several times more significant a victory than any dollar amount demanded, or any apology forcibly extracted, by an HRC ruling.

I think that the racist slur painted on Aman Gill’s election sign was just what Lois suggests — something to get a rise out of people. And I too think it succeeded…because people decided to get offended by it. This is a pretty elementary principle — if people want to get a rise out of other people, and if the other people oblige them by regarding a particular piece of vandalism as risible, then the cycle will continue. And no amount of policing will correct that — in fact, if all of Edmonton rose up in protestation of Racism, it would only embolden the vandals to continue painting their detestable slogans on walls and election signs; that very reaction is what they are looking for by doing what they do.

If we want to stamp out racism, we have one option as a city and as a people: don’t let it get to us. Get thicker skins, and refuse — utterly, completely refuse — to be offended by anything that is designed to deliberately offend us. We need not be a nation of weaklings; we could be a nation of devout men and women, a strong and proud people.

~ by Kenneth on March 2, 2008.