Residential Schools....Are You Kidding me

[Albertabound]

Now they are finding deaths are occuring to former residential school students that have received payouts. They are now asking for the government to step in with programs for those who have recieved the payouts......What the F....

First of all good for you....anyone that thought money would be the answer to their false problems as a result of the residential schooling is living in a magical world. Money does not and can not heal these issues. Now that people that received this funding are parishing because of over drinking, the native community want the govl. to pay for a cure to the problem. How about you take it out of the money that was given to you and pay for your own education on the subject.

The fact that none of these people are putting their new fund monies into anything other than boozing burns me right up. Are they puting this money towards schooling to better them selvs....no. Are they puting towards health issues...no. Are you puting towards your home...no. You wanted the evil thing known as money as a cure .....well now you have. Deal with it, and quit asking the government to bail you out all the time. Especially for something you demanded.

 

[karrie]

The fact that none? of these people are putting their new fund monies into anything other than boozing burns me right up. Are they? puting this money towards schooling to better them selvs....no. Are they? puting towards health issues...no. Are you puting towards your home...no. You wanted the evil thing known as money as a cure .....well now you have. Deal with it, and quit asking the government to bail you out all the time. Especially for something you demanded.

Well if that isn't the most broadstroked thing I've heard in ages. none are doing anything with it, and 'they' aren't using it as you'd see fit. Wow. While I can understand the frustration in seeing things stay exactly the same, or even decline, I suspect you need to get a broader view of the way some lives were torn apart by the residential schools. And you need to stop lumping everyone together into one broad category.

 

[Scott Free]

Well if that isn't the most broadstroked thing I've heard in ages. none are doing anything with it, and 'they' aren't using it as you'd see fit. Wow. While I can understand the frustration in seeing things stay exactly the same, or even decline, I suspect you need to get a broader view of the way some lives were torn apart by the residential schools. And you need to stop lumping everyone together into one broad category.

I have a friend who lived briefly in a little town called Whitecourt (near Edmonton, Alberta). She couldn't walk the streets at night because she had had two attempts on her life. Her crime - being Native. She had even been warned by some locals not to try and live there, that she wasn't welcome.

Anyway, it seems to me that most Albertans don't know the Indian wars are over.

 

[karrie]

Anyway, it seems to me that most Albertans don't know the Indian wars are over.

most huh? I've lived in a lot of northern alberta towns, and I can tell you it's not 'most' albertans who don't realize that. All it takes is a few morons to make life unsafe and unhappy.

Broadstrokes abound in this thread it seems.

 

[Scott Free]

most huh? I've lived in a lot of northern alberta towns, and I can tell you it's not 'most' albertans who don't realize that. All it takes is a few morons to make life unsafe and unhappy.

Broadstrokes abound in this thread it seems.

Well I traveled through Alberta with my friend and it is my experience that most (majority) were very rude to her because she was native.

Broad stroke or not that is my experience. They might tell you otherwise to your face but I saw with my own eyes what a native person can really expect there.

So yeah - most Albertans are prejudice f**ks - deal with it.

 

[karrie]

So yeah - most Albertans are prejudice f**ks - deal with it.

lol... ah, the irony. bigotry is such a neat thing.

 

[Scott Free]

lol... ah, the irony. bigotry is such a neat thing.

and ignorance is bliss huh :roll:

 

[karrie]

and ignorance is bliss huh :roll:

No ignorance Scott, just basic knowledge of human perception issues. You walk into a room full of _____ (insert word of choice here... blacks, natives, albertans), and one mistreats you or your acquaintance, so you decide that all are the same as the one that mistreated you. It's typical stereotyping, even if it's based on 'experience', because our minds love to stick on the few stark examples and don't hold onto the dozens of people we encounter who don't fit the stereotype (ie, the ____ who isn't a jerk is just another person, not a ____, and fades away in our minds).

 

[Scott Free]

No ignorance Scott, just basic knowledge of human perception issues. You walk into a room full of _____ (insert word of choice here... blacks, natives, albertans), and one mistreats you or your acquaintance, so you decide that all are the same as the one that mistreated you. It's typical stereotyping, even if it's based on 'experience', because our minds love to stick on the few stark examples and don't hold onto the dozens of people we encounter who don't fit the stereotype (ie, the ____ who isn't a jerk is just another person, not a ____, and fades away in our minds).

But you see that isn't what happened. There were four of us. Three white and one native. Again and again she was treated abhorrently while the rest of us watched in stunned amazement. We noticed before she did.

The world isn't comprised of all good people with a few bad apples karrie, it's full of mostly bad apples that pretend to be good when someone is watching. That's why we need a sky god, stupid laws and police; not to watch the few bad apples, society could take care of them easily enough if it weren't for the fact that society is mostly all bad apples, but they are needed to keep all the bad apples in line.

You've heard the old saying: locks only keep honest people honest? Well, I've seen enough to know that's true.

 

[gerryh]

But you see that isn't what happened. There were four of us. Three white and one native. Again and again she was treated abhorrently while the rest of us watched in stunned amazement. We noticed before she did.

The world isn't comprised of all good people with a few bad apples karrie, it's full of mostly bad apples that pretend to be good when someone is watching. That's why we need a sky god, stupid laws and police; not to watch the few bad apples, society could take care of them easily enough if it weren't for the fact that society is mostly all bad apples, but they are needed to keep all the bad apples in line.

You've heard the old saying: locks only keep honest people honest? Well, I've seen enough to know that's true.

Glad I don't live in your world, and I'm sure Karrie would concur with me.

 

[karrie]

Glad I don't live in your world, and I'm sure Karrie would concur with me.

:lol: Hi gerry. You're right, I tend to pity the cynical sorts as much as I'm sure they pity me for my optimism and bright cheery ways. ;-)

 

[Scott Free]

Glad I don't live in your world, and I'm sure Karrie would concur with me.

What world is that?

I don't need a sky god, police and stupid laws to keep me good. That's a pretty great place to be I think.

I wouldn't want to be in your world.

 

[Scott Free]

:lol: Hi gerry. You're right, I tend to pity the cynical sorts as much as I'm sure they pity me for my optimism and bright cheery ways. ;-)

I mean no offense karrie but to assume that only a few people are prejudice is well.. naive and especially so when you live in a country that was forcibly stolen from the indigenous people.

Of coarse non of us is prejudice just as long as all the Indians get off our land huh? Or stop bitching that we still owe them something; or get jobs... Nudge nudge, wink wink, :roll:

I mean what do you suppose has happened to turn everyones attitude around? Some friendly government propaganda adds on TV can undo the North American genocides that made Rwanda look like a picnic; that made Hitler look like a pretty nice guy? Some print adds of smiley brown and white faces has made everyone in Canada see the error of their ways?

Get real.

Now that there is some hard scientific evidence that prejudice is hardwired into our brains. What happens to your sunshine and lollipop world then?

 

[karrie]

I mean no offense karrie but to assume that only a few people are prejudice is well.. naive and especially so when you live in a country that was forcibly stolen from the indigenous people.

Of coarse non of us is prejudice just as long as all the Indians get off our land huh? Or stop bitching that we still owe them something; or get jobs... Nudge nudge, wink wink, :roll:

I mean what do you suppose has happened to turn everyones attitude around? Some friendly government propaganda adds on TV can undo the North American genocides? Some print adds of smiley brown and white faces has made everyone in Canada see the error of their ways?

Get real.

Now there is some hard scientific evidence that prejudice is hardwired into our brains. What happens to your sunshine and lollipop world then?

It's clearly hardwired into our brains... you're proof positive in the fact that you refuse to listen to someone who actually lives here, has lived in a broad cross section of towns in Alberta, and has dealt with the issue of racism from various angles all through my life, because you've decided that 'the majority' of Albertans think a certain way due to your snapshot view. It's an easy trap to fall into. And trust me, Albertans are prejudiced about a great many things, and a great many of them are indeed prejudiced towards natives (oh, the fights I've had... lol)... but the majority? No.

 

[Scott Free]

you refuse to listen to someone who actually lives here, has lived in a broad cross section of towns in Alberta,

Oh, I get it.

Sorry karrie, your wonderful and everything you do is perfection... you even cried during Dances With Wolves, right?

What could I have been thinking talking about my experience when you have so much opinion backing you up.

 

[karrie]

Oh, I get it.

Sorry karrie, your wonderful and everything you do is perfection... you even cried in Dances With Wolves, right?

What could I have been thinking talking about my experience when you have so much opinion backing you up.

oh, so for you it's experience, for me it's mere opinion?

 

[Scott Free]

oh, so for you it's experience, for me it's mere opinion?

Basically, or more accurately, emotional investment.

I do commend you on your efforts though. Maybe someday Alberta will be a somewhat reasonable place for native people.

 

[karrie]

Basically, or more accurately, emotional investment.

I do commend you on your efforts though. Maybe someday Alberta will be a somewhat reasonable place for native people.

How many native relatives do you have living in Alberta? When your number tops 15, then you can talk to me about who's coming from a place of opinion, and who's coming from a place of experience.

 

[Scott Free]

How many native relatives do you have living in Alberta? When your number tops 15, then you can talk to me about who's coming from a place of opinion, and who's coming from a place of experience.

Oppressed people don't usually know they're oppressed. The fact that you have family there is irrelevant in negating my experience but my experience still makes sense in the context of your opinion since you have an emotional investment in your community, where I do not. All I have is my experience with how my native friend was treated and as I said, she wasn't the first to notice the prejudice - that is typical of oppressed people. So while my friend would have said everything is fine, we her three white friends, would have said they were not. Since apparently we were more able to know what being treated normally was like then she was; we noticed the prejudice first and pointed it out to her.

Now I am pointing it out to you.

 

[karrie]

Now I am pointing it out to you.

Bigotry and prejudice... yes, you've done a fine job of pointing out its existence, and most importantly, illustrating its formation. It was a neat lesson. Thanks Scott.