Friday, November 05, 2010

The City of Edmonton's new anti racism campaign

Words almost fail me on this.  Found on the City of Edmonton website ( http://www.racismfreeedmonton.ca/what-can-you-do-to-stop-racism.asp )

"What can you do to stop racism?


Acknowledge your white privilege.
White privilege refers to all the benefits we get just for being white. Most of us are aware of how racism hurts others, but we're not aware of how it benefits us


...Racial "whiteness" is many things, but one of its consistent qualities is power. As people granted unearned privileges by our own whiteness, and as people who have likely harmed non-white people with our own whiteness, it's our moral and ethical duty to find ways to combat racism.
Racism is real. Denying that racism exists perpetuates racism."


Seriously? This smells like a AHRC complaint ripe for the taking and worse yet my tax dollars pay for this nonsense.

If you are having problems seeing what is wrong with the linked page, try substituting another skin colour/group/ethnicity in place of the word 'white' and ask yourself if it would have ever made the cut for posting on a city website.

Singling out anyone on the basis of the colour of their skin and then attributing qualities to everyone in that same group is not only stupid, it is quite simply racist.

There can be no other word for it.



Updates:  Read the comments for plenty of updates and feel free to drop off a comment yourself.  








18 comments:

Mike B. said...

Seriously? What a freaking joke. Typical city bureaucrat building his/her empire.

Ardvark said...

I don't expect the web page to survive the weekend but this is the City of Edmonton we are talikng about here so....

KURSK said...

I wrote them a letter and told them to go F*ck themselves.

Creative and witty? Not really, but it felt. so. damn. good.

CanadianSense said...

Partly funded by the Federal Government. Liberalism run amok.

Another disturbing trend is trying to punish us with white man's guilt.

American Author is the source.

I have voted for you over at Iceman's blog. Love the local insight from AB.

Since the LPOC rejects you for leader and J.B. seat is available you should give them a call.

Anonymous said...

Aah yes the lefty world, diversity good! as long as them damm whiteys aren't part of it.
Any office in any government department advertises for help, they specify they want "diversity" lefty code for "No whiteys"
For the life of me as the grandson of an orphan immigrant from the slums of Glasgow, I can tell you we never found any favor on account of the colour of our skin. On the contrary we need not apply for RCMP, civil service etc. These people are racist pin heads. Sombody should re-write their crap 4 or 5 times and substitute a different race each time for whitey. Self loathing pricks!
Cheers Bubba

hunter said...

Outrageous! I emailed them and pointed out that they were being racist by picking on "white" people.

As I "white" female I was offended!

Ardvark said...

The funny thing is that there are some people who do not see anything wrong with that page.

But those people are more than likely XXXX, and if those XXXX's have one consistent quality it is they are known for things like this.

Anonymous said...

I sent the following e-mail to them:

I noted a website that makes false statements about me because of the colour of my skin. I find this site extremely offensive, and request your assistance in getting it removed from the internet.

I have posted a link to the web site below. Please help. I know many people with skin colour different than mine and they now look at me with suspicion and hatred. I believe that this website is contributing to their threatening behaviour.

Thank You.

Dave



http://www.racismfreeedmonton.ca/what-can-you-do-to-stop-racism.asp

Ardvark said...

From the blog @ The Edmonton Journal:

http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjournal/blogs/commons/archive/2010/11/05/race-and-racism-or-putting-the-quot-you-quot-in-quot-yeg-quot.aspx

Paula is more polite but she calls BS on this racist nonsense too.

Anonymous said...

Part of the process to create a new race. (real conservative)

Ardvark said...

Rob Breakenridge on Alberta Prime Time:

http://www.albertaprimetime.com/ThisWeek.aspx?pd=1661&FlashVars=Video/VP_110510.flv

It would have been nice if the host would have read aloud the offending parts of the webpage but kudos for even taking on the subject. What the hell was Sherri Gallant from the Lethbridge Herald thinking?

Anonymous said...

The concept of "white privilege" is difficult to grasp because it is so ubiquitous. We can deny it all we like, but it really does affect all our lives, and there are consequences for our actions.

I am still learning about the theory myself, but I found this blog very useful and I would recommend to your readers to spend a few minutes reading it before you post knee-jerk responses.

http://whitepriv.blogspot.com/2010/02/10-ways-to-be-and-ally.html

Thank you in advance.

Ardvark said...

Sigh!

There is a point to be made about 'privilege' but BLANKET statements made about any group of people based ONLY on the colour of their skin is racist. It can be called nothing else.

If you deny this, it is you who are the racist.

Ardvark said...

The Sun has picked up the story.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2010/11/07/16019641.html

Sorry to say but Coun. Amarjeet Sohi misses the point entirely.

You can't fight racism with more racism and then charge it to the taxpayer. The web page is both offensive and divisive and must be taken down.

It serves no one by keeping that racist nonsense up.

Ardvark said...

More interest from the blogosphere:

BCL: http://blazingcatfur.blogspot.com/2010/11/being-white-is-now-hate-crime.html

scaramouche: http://scaramouchee.blogspot.com/2010/11/pack-up-your-bollocks-in-your-old-kit.html

5feet of fury: http://www.fivefeetoffury.com/:entry:fivefeet-2010-11-08-0000/

WTG City of Edmonton. The longer that racist stupidity stays up the more YOU embarrass us all, and it has only just begun.

Robert G. Harvie, Q.C. said...

"Redmonton"?

Too.Stupid.For.Words

I've had numerous arguments on my own blog about the hypocrisy of battling discrimination with.. MORE discrimination.

If we want to send a message that color doesn't matter.. passing laws and publishing garbage that color "DOES" matter is hardly helpful.

Jeff - St. Albert said...

The "offending statement has been deleted." Unfortunately, now we know how they really feel. I have a call to my MLA and MP. no reply yet.

Good job!!!

Ardvark said...

Bang on Rob, but the 'highly educated' progressives that run these programs can't see that.

I will update later when I have more time. I have been too busy using my privilege to work 12 hour nights so I can pay the bills.