Good piece Mr. Jivani. Just had this discussion with a friend of mine. We got to the conclusion that the most racist people we’ve met, being raised in Ontario Canada, was the woke leftists who, almost autonomically, racialize or categorize everybody they meet. Even if it is done with the purest of intents it is an inherently destructive mentality, or framing, which only leads to a kind of poisoning of the well of public conversation & individual thought.
Excellent piece. I am reminded of a time when at a swanky downtown Toronto condominium office, I watched (and then interceded) as a professional BIPOC man stood and challenged the young white woman behind the desk. Now, the BIPOC man was a bit tipsy that day and so I put my hand on his shoulder and cooled the conversation down in a friendly way (he was my neighbour so I knew him). After he left the office, I asked the woman what was happening.
Turns out he was telling her all about her "privilege". She kept trying to ask him how she was privileged when she grew up in Romania, stood in breadlines as a child with her mom in the 80s and early 90s, and was an immigrant to Canada. He, too, was an immigrant (as was my mother, so yeah, no problem with immigrants!!) but he came from a family who spoke English back in India, had maids and a cook, never wanted for food, got a great education and had a fabulous job in Canada.
Anyway, the man and I remain on good terms and I'm not sure he exactly remembers the tipsy argument he had with the Romanian-Canadian, but I thought, "Yeah, let's talk privilege now, shall we?" Most of us are lucky and unlucky in different ways. It's the clay we're given to shape our lives.
Excellent. There are so many dimensions of actual privilege and disadvantage that are completely ignored, as you brilliantly point out, while superficial and misleading ones are focused on to the exclusion of all else.
And the NYT's ( the Star / Andre Piccard) was critical in propagating the fear narrative that led to school closure policies which hurt the MOST vulnerable in our communities. It wasnt covid....it was the policies. Never forget.
Fantastic piece, Jamil Jivani. I intend to share this. You nailed several points that I had been intuiting, but had not even come close to mentally articulating. Well done.
I do like your comments on the things that are important to me. We need more like you with the common sense approach to tell the things that the media seems to twist to satisfy their comments. I do miss hearing you on radio and have not found someone like you on the top talk stations here in the city of Toronto.
My personal connection to the sentiment behind "defund the police" went beyond protesting police brutality. I wanted to see the money our governments spend on policing (more aptly the privatization of policing which is the true culprit of brutality) go into the social programs that lift people out of poverty. I wanted attention called to broken systems that offer nothing than revolving doors in and out of jails. You can't talk race without economics. So the "defund" was a way to say put the money into really helping people of color stop the violence within their own communities. Better yet let people of color decide for their own communities what to do with the money rather than allow the establishment to decide for them.
Good piece Mr. Jivani. Just had this discussion with a friend of mine. We got to the conclusion that the most racist people we’ve met, being raised in Ontario Canada, was the woke leftists who, almost autonomically, racialize or categorize everybody they meet. Even if it is done with the purest of intents it is an inherently destructive mentality, or framing, which only leads to a kind of poisoning of the well of public conversation & individual thought.
Excellent piece. I am reminded of a time when at a swanky downtown Toronto condominium office, I watched (and then interceded) as a professional BIPOC man stood and challenged the young white woman behind the desk. Now, the BIPOC man was a bit tipsy that day and so I put my hand on his shoulder and cooled the conversation down in a friendly way (he was my neighbour so I knew him). After he left the office, I asked the woman what was happening.
Turns out he was telling her all about her "privilege". She kept trying to ask him how she was privileged when she grew up in Romania, stood in breadlines as a child with her mom in the 80s and early 90s, and was an immigrant to Canada. He, too, was an immigrant (as was my mother, so yeah, no problem with immigrants!!) but he came from a family who spoke English back in India, had maids and a cook, never wanted for food, got a great education and had a fabulous job in Canada.
Anyway, the man and I remain on good terms and I'm not sure he exactly remembers the tipsy argument he had with the Romanian-Canadian, but I thought, "Yeah, let's talk privilege now, shall we?" Most of us are lucky and unlucky in different ways. It's the clay we're given to shape our lives.
Excellent. There are so many dimensions of actual privilege and disadvantage that are completely ignored, as you brilliantly point out, while superficial and misleading ones are focused on to the exclusion of all else.
Absolutely nailed it. Such hypocrisy is mind blowing. Very perceptive.
Like a surgeon with words! Beautifully said :)
And the NYT's ( the Star / Andre Piccard) was critical in propagating the fear narrative that led to school closure policies which hurt the MOST vulnerable in our communities. It wasnt covid....it was the policies. Never forget.
Great article----I wonder if those who really NEED to read this will??????
Fantastic piece, Jamil Jivani. I intend to share this. You nailed several points that I had been intuiting, but had not even come close to mentally articulating. Well done.
Another excellent commentary.
Mamma said Knock you out - and you did it, Mr Jivani, with this short piece.
I do like your comments on the things that are important to me. We need more like you with the common sense approach to tell the things that the media seems to twist to satisfy their comments. I do miss hearing you on radio and have not found someone like you on the top talk stations here in the city of Toronto.
Another excellent commentary.
My personal connection to the sentiment behind "defund the police" went beyond protesting police brutality. I wanted to see the money our governments spend on policing (more aptly the privatization of policing which is the true culprit of brutality) go into the social programs that lift people out of poverty. I wanted attention called to broken systems that offer nothing than revolving doors in and out of jails. You can't talk race without economics. So the "defund" was a way to say put the money into really helping people of color stop the violence within their own communities. Better yet let people of color decide for their own communities what to do with the money rather than allow the establishment to decide for them.