{"id":4920,"date":"2020-06-19T15:13:31","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T18:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/?p=4920"},"modified":"2020-06-19T16:29:40","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T19:29:40","slug":"why-dont-they-see-the-danger-of-identity-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/2020\/06\/19\/why-dont-they-see-the-danger-of-identity-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Why don\u2019t they see the danger of identity politics?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In the Lebanon of 1975-1990, identity politics (or political sectarianism, in the Middle East context) contributed to and fuelled civil war, at least a substantial component of its different phases (another phase was the war of others on Lebanese soil).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During civil war, civilians have been kidnapped or\nkilled on checkpoints (by all sorts of militias) for carrying the \u201cwrong\u201d\nidentity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambi\u2019s dad had an employee who was literally \u201cchopped\u201d\nand thrown in the garbage (sorry to be so graphic \u2639). She keeps praying for him, in her heart,\non a regular basis. His name was Ramadan. You can guess his religious affiliation\nfrom his name\u2026 Of course, perhaps at the same time, a certain Charbel or a\ncertain George may have been killed or tortured for the same reasons (you can\nguess their affiliations from their names). That was during the darkest days of\nLebanon\u2019s recent past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If their religious affiliation\/sect was not clear from\ntheir name (Tony, Michel, Fatma, Mohamad or Ali), it was extracted from their\nID card. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BEST thing that happened post-civil war was when\nLebanon erased this socio-demographic datum from the Lebanese citizenship card.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone\u2019s religion is no one\u2019s business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone\u2019s \u201crace\u201d to use a trendy word nowadays is also\nno one\u2019s business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bearing this in mind, Bambi cannot help not to hopelessly\nask herself, why is Canada getting into this dangerous game of identity politics?\nDoes it think of itself as being immune to violence or chaos?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one is immune, especially in a young country like\nours\u2026 we need to be even wiser and perhaps even more united around our Canadian\nsymbols\/institutions\/pride. We need to improve our federal institutions FOR\nSURE\u2026 but should we throw the baby out with the bathwater? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two days ago, we saw an MP (Mr. Singh) accuse another MP\n(Mr. Therrien) of \u201cracism\u201d for having a slightly different approach to dealing with\na problem everyone agrees on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, we saw an MP (Mr. Singh again) and our PM\n(Mr. Trudeau) both unwisely using identity politics for whatever reason (perhaps\nin their passion? Perhaps to keep the NDP pleased so they can remain in power,\nperhaps for another hidden agenda, or\u2026 perhaps out of lack of wisdom and talent\nin seeing the larger picture (of Canada\u2026 not of the world).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least, even if he did not apologize yet, Mr. Singh\n(NDP leader), along with Mr. Blanchet (BQ leader), Mr. Trudeau (PM and Liberal\nleader) as well as all our political parties (and the whole population!) agree\nthat discrimination\/racism is not a good human behaviour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Singh admitted, in a CBC<\/em> radio interview (https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/radio\/asithappens\/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.5617616\/jagmeet-singh-apologizing-to-bloc-mp-would-be-akin-to-saying-i-m-sorry-for-fighting-systemic-racism-1.5618183<\/a>), that neither the BQ nor the NDP (and, of course, nor the Green Party, nor the PPC) are responsible for what Ms. Freeland has called \u201cthe original sin<\/em>\u201d of Canada, meaning that systemic racism that existed in our short history.  It would be logical to point to the Liberal party and the Conservative party only, as these are the two parties that have been in power in the earlier stages of the Canadian history. However, one must also recall that the people from these parties are not the actual ones in power. Back then, it was a different historical context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Mr. Blanchet explained well, he is against systemic racism like his colleague and like everyone else. He also added, we still have \u201cbuckets\u201d of leftover of this systemic discrimination in our institutions and this is what everyone is agreeing to address (see earlier post, further below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn\u2019t this consensus a positive development?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are our politicians playing with identity politics\nlike that, recklessly taking us in a direction that could backfire on us all,\nas matters backfired on Lebanon in 1975?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The irony is that despite its real\/current DEEP\nissues, and despite the grasp of Hezbollah (and indirectly Iran) on Lebanon, it\nstill has diversity of political and intellectual opinions (at least for now). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Canada, it seems increasingly harder to keep the\nbeauty of this diversity (which is likely widely present in the silent majority\nof the population).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The danger of identity politics can take the form of radicalism,\nabsurdity, totalitarianism (even for noble causes like anti-racism), accusations\nof this and that (witch hunting and shaming). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is unhealthy, and dangerous, to make some of us holier\nthan the rest because of a visible difference (a hijab, a turban, a skin colour,\nan accent if we open our mouth, etc.). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambi is part of a minority in our town\/province\/country\nand she is saying so.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambi would have been perhaps part of a majority somewhere\nelse and she would still say so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are ALL Canadian citizens.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are ALL Qu\u00e9beckers (for those living in this\nprovince or those from there).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canada is NOT racist (even if some people are or some\ninstitutions still carry the residue of systemic discrimination, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qu\u00e9bec is NOT racist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canadians\/Qu\u00e9beckers as a whole are NOT racist (even if some are).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our politicians (all of them, including Mr. Singh, Mr. Blanchet, Mr. Therrien, and Mr. Trudeau) are NOT racist. They are just being unwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bravo Mr. Blanchet: Thankfully, wise, sincere, and courageous politicians still exist…<\/a><\/blockquote>