Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove has made a statement about racism suggesting it is institutionalized and saying it is past time that we talk about it and giving the impression that it is a far greater problem than it is. Yes, there are racist sentiments within society, particularly within the minds of individual persons. I have seen these racist sentiments expressed by members of many racial groups toward others, including by whites, blacks, Asians of various backgrounds, and by Native Americans. It appears to be a deep-rooted and tenacious proclivity within the raw human condition.
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However I wish the politicians would stop with the reflexive verbiage they trot out when individual racist issues spring-up as they try to show how woke and enlightened they are; especially a white politician engaging in the usual own-race shameless exercise in pusillanimous grovelling and self-flagellation.
During my lifetime I have witnessed a substantial continuous decline in institutionalized racism in Canada to the point where the only real institutionalized racism extant is in the widespread practice in government and business of affirmative action policies – whether one considers them valid and appropriate or not, they definitely have a racist flavour. Even among individual beings, there is far less racism than in my youth and most people in this country accept other people of whatever race as being equally as valid and worthwhile as themselves. That racial prejudice has not been eradicated from every last mind and heart in the land and never will be does not justify the shrieks of “racism.”
So, stop with the whimpering apologies and self-flagellation!
In fact, south of the border, the continual fixation by the “progressive” faction on racial issues for political purposes, the persistent race-baiting and blaming every ill on racism, has resulted in a hypersensitivity around the issue and has fostered increased suspicions around any number of actions and words that have engendered increased divisions and then growing antipathies and hatreds between groups.
The “wokeness,” phony enlightenment, and virtue signalling is destroying the social cohesiveness in their society rather than advancing them to the desired Nirvana.
We don’t need to go there!
Ray Warkentin
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