‘filthy, stinking subject’ of aboriginals and alcohol

[Locutus]

Early on in his new book, Harold Johnson strikes an apologetic tone. He knows the theme of his book — alcohol use among aboriginals — will court controversy.

But he cannot stay silent any longer.

“I’m about to drag this filthy, stinking subject out into the light,” he writes. “It is my hope that the light kills it.”

After almost 20 years as a lawyer, including eight as a Crown prosecutor, Johnson, a Cree from northern Saskatchewan, estimates a staggering 95 per cent of his criminal cases involve people who were intoxicated.


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Cree author takes on ‘filthy, stinking subject’ of aboriginals and alcohol | National Post

 

[Machjo]

Most Nunavut communities are legally dry, as are a few municipalities in other provinces too. I'd learnt that recently to my surprise. Smart communities, them.

Unfortunately, that often leads to bootlegging and moonshine. One solution might be to legalise it but strictly control its advertising. In short, keep it out of sight.

 

[lone wolf]

People of European descent have been using alcohol for several thousand years. Booze didn't made it to North America until more recently. Maybe partial tolerance to poison is an evolutionary thing.

 

[Machjo]

People of European descent have been using alcohol for several thousand years. Booze didn't made it to North America until more recently. Maybe partial tolerance to poison is an evolutionary thing.

Europeans can suffer alcoholism too. The real culprit is PTSD from the residential school legacy. Some sufferers of PTSD might be tempted to drown the pain, making alcohololism a far more likely scenario. Nothing to do with race.

Statistically though, PTSD is much, much higher among indigenous peoples due to the residential school history.

 

[lone wolf]

No shyte, Sherlock.... You DO know what the word 'partial' means don't you ... and you said 'race'... Not me. Try sticking with the topic.

BTW.... Residential schools had nothing to do with the fur trade where natives got booze for pelts.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

Europeans can suffer alcoholism too. The real culprit is PTSD from the residential school legacy. Some sufferers of PTSD might be tempted to drown the pain, making alcohololism a far more likely scenario. Nothing to do with race.

Statistically though, PTSD is much, much higher among indigenous peoples due to the residential school history.

At some point in time the residential school history is going to have to be retired as an excuse. In my time in the North most of the troublemakers had never been inside let alone even heard of them, it wasn't on their radar. The offspring of holocaust survivors or those who fled the atrocities of the governments of their home countries don't seem to suffer the same effects to this degree. I saw one major cause being boredom, lack of opportunity, lack of ambition and despair. At one time friends of mine considered two weeks in the bush, fishing and hunting, a vacation. Later on the younger generation replaced that by a two week bender in places Like Red Lake, Winnipeg or Edmonton. One example was a co-worker at a fire camp, he was set to get about $12K from a land claim settlement, at least he was honest, he told me he was going to go to Edmonton and blow it in a week. I guess at least he had a goal.


Dependence on government is also a motivation killer where all the good feeling largesse has produced at least two generations of the equivalent of "basement boys".

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Europeans can suffer alcoholism too. The real culprit is PTSD from the residential school legacy. Some sufferers of PTSD might be tempted to drown the pain, making alcohololism a far more likely scenario. Nothing to do with race.

Statistically though, PTSD is much, much higher among indigenous peoples due to the residential school history.

Plenty to do with race. We're pretty sure that the tendency to alcoholism is genetic. Therefore, it seems reasonable that it would be to some extend weeded out from populations exposed to alcohol, and passed on because of no detriment in populations without alcohol.

The real culprit is thinking that complex social problems can be explained by a single "real culprit."