Thread: Canada Day

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

ALL people are fallen imperfect creatures and none are more upright than any other.

I just know that's a quote paul but you got me.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

War is a defining trait of humans. No matter where you go or when you go it's always someone wanting to wipe this group out or that group out whether it's for economic reasons or cultural reasons or religious reasons or just good old fashioned hatred.

Sure, the various tribes had to defend their territories from others and they had definite opinions about their opponents but this was small potatoes compared to a Govt with an unofficial policy to wipe all of the natives out and a citizenry who thought they were just savages.

In the US "schools" were established to force natives to become whites. In many cases the Indian was beaten out of them. These schools were either run by religious groups or the govt itself. As in Canada we are finding unmarked graves at the sites of these schools with who knows how many bodies.

I would give this post a like normally but it doesn't feel appropriate somehow. I liked your post but don't want to like abuse of any 'other' group

Why do groups who get caught with their hand in the cookie jar say hey nobody is perfect and/or we just did to them what they did to others to get out of taking responsibility for their own actions? Neither of those is an excuse or a justification.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Why do groups who get caught with their hand in the cookie jar say hey nobody is perfect and/or we just did to them what they did to others to get out of taking responsibility for their own actions? Neither of those is an excuse or a justification.

Bob

Who is we? You didn't do that. Nor I. Nor anyone else alive at the moment. If your grandfather owed my grandfather money does that mean you owe me money?

Oh, here we go! I knew this was coming. First of all I never said anything about it not being wrong, I also never made any excuse for anybody. This is just like that whole stinking slavery argument. Of course it was wrong. It was absolutely unthinkable. I can't imagine how any one person thought that they could own any other. I absolutely will not make any excuses for anything. It was wrong... THAT'S WHY WE DON'T DO IT ANYMORE. Let me ask you this Bob? So what is it exactly you want ME to do about this. No one alive suffered from any of these atrocities just as no one alive perpetrated any of them. I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do because that doesn't accomplish anything. Here's another question, do you want it to get better? Or is it that you just want to sit and ring your hands like a ninny? Or are you just looking for a pound of flesh because let me tell you an eye for an eye makes everyone blind. If we want things to get better we have to Man up, learn from the mistakes of the past and learn to forgive each other and that includes ourselves. When I was a kid my brother and I were in the backyard playing with a bow and arrow. He shot one up into the air and I got scared and started running towards the house looking over my shoulder because I was afraid it was going to come down and hit me and you know what happened? I ran into the porch and busted my face. You can't move forward if you're looking over your shoulder. Let it go. Beyond learning from the mistakes of the past there is nothing gained by a bunch of hand ringing.

Edit: And let me reiterate since you obviously didn't get it the first time. My hand is not in the cookie jar and neither is yours.

Actually Paul, not to butt in on your post but there are actually some First Nation people alive that survived the Residential schools in Canada, they were on TV being interviewed. Strangely enough , I think it might have been CNN.

The last Residential School closed in 1996.

Okay, cede that point. Honestly I was mainly talking about the slavery issue which they can't let go here in the US. Even if you're talking about the civil rights act that was still 60 years ago.
But let's just say I give up that point as lost. The real issue is that by scratching at old wounds we don't fix anything. Partially there's this culture of let's dredge up the past and moan about it that is pervasive among young people especially but we also have to recognize that the media is doing this to us. Those people know good and well that they are not serving any useful purpose by creating this atmosphere of dissension between us and when I say us I mean ALL of us as human beings. I could be mad at the inquisitors and the popes and governments for running my people out of Europe but you know what? That was a really long time ago and I'm not suffering for it now. In fact I can't imagine it being any other way. I have a pretty darn good life. I think most of us do. Why do we let these power brokers and sensation mongers drive a wedge between us?

Here's an example. Let's say that Adolf Hitler had a son. Would you imprison him? Would you bring him up on charges and hang him if he had done nothing wrong? The question of his heritage and lineage has nothing to do with the atrocities that his father committed. Now, let's say on the other hand that Adolf Jr was trying to continue or revive the third Reich. In this case of course you do whatever needs to be done to stop and punish him. If there is anything in Canada that still needs to be corrected then by all means correct it. Here in the US we are now trying to rewrite history, we are tearing down statues of people who did great things and changing the names of products because someone who is looking for it might be offended by something that was not intended to be offensive. At the same time we are erecting statues of George Floyd, a criminal, a drug addict and a thug who was breaking the law and resisting arrest when something really unfortunate happened to him. This is totally out of control and has to stop. I'm telling you now that we are going to see a horrific backlash if that continues. Right-wing fringe groups are growing and multiplying in membership because of these sorts of actions that are forcing regular people into extremism. If we don't learn from history then we have no excuse when it repeats itself.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

I could be mad at the inquisitors and the popes and governments for running my people out of Europe

I have to ask or I won't sleep.

Why were your people run out of Europe?

Originally Posted by Bill31521

Who is we? You didn't do that. Nor I. Nor anyone else alive at the moment. If your grandfather owed my grandfather money does that mean you owe me money?

The we would be in the collective sense as in the government and any religions. I don't expect any Canadian to dress in sack cloth and flail themselves in atonement. Nothing at this point can eliminate or compensate for the harm done. Canadians at the very least should be angered and upset at what has been done in their name by their own government over a long period of time now that it is all out in the open. The government has already formally apologised but nothing from the highest level of religions involved. It's past time for the heads of the religions involved to come to Canada and apologise in person for the harm that they have inflicted. I guess they can't find their big boy pants.

Bob